Jim Cobb, Author at Survivor Mom

image: hand inserting green-topped key into deadbolt of brown door as layer of home security

Three Layers of Effective Home Security: Simple Ways to Protect Your Castle

November 20, 2022 November 20, 2022 / 6 Comments

If you’ve ever had your home broken into, you know the feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, and being violated. In fact, according to the FBI, burglaries of residential properties accounted for 62.8 percent of all burglary offenses in 2019. Yet, when we talk about home security, it seems as though many people are just concerned with stockpiling weapons and ammunition. The reality, though, is that it takes a layered approach to address the issue of home protection and defense adequately.

image: car buried in snow from winter weather and winter conditions

The Beginner’s Guide to Surviving Winter Weather

November 13, 2022 December 11, 2022 / 21 Comments

Severe winter weather can be brutal, but with a bit of planning, you’ll come through just fine. Here’s how to weather winter conditions.

Snowed in cars in parking lot, build workplace emergency kit

How to Build a Workplace Emergency Kit

December 5, 2021 March 23, 2022 / 9 Comments

While few of us would relish the thought of having to spend a single minute more than absolutely necessary at work, it is conceivable you could end up stranded there overnight. If severe weather rolls in, such as a major blizzard, travel could be treacherous at best. Rather than roll the dice and take your chances on hazardous roads, you may be better off just hunkering down at your desk. By planning ahead and assembling a workplace emergency kit, you …

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Basic Steps to Maintain Your Core Temperature

October 16, 2017 May 30, 2020 / 4 Comments

In a true survival situation, such as if you’re lost in the woods, the first priority is to do everything you can to maintain your core body temperature. Hypothermia (core temperature too low) can kill a whole lot faster than a lack of food or water. Hyperthermia (core temperature too high) is no fun, either. First Steps The first step is to get out of the elements if at all possible. Rain, snow, wind, and even the hot sun can …

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Conserving Resources in a Survival Situation

May 26, 2015 May 29, 2020 / 2 Comments

Whether we’re talking about being lost in the woods or recovering from a tornado that hit your neighborhood, you’ll most likely be dealing with very limited resources in those scenarios and, as a result, you need to be smart about how you use them. Conserving survival resources takes some planning and learning multiple, alternative skills. Gear, supplies, tools, food, water, and even physical energy should all be conserved. Let’s take a look at a wilderness survival situation as an example. Being a prepper, …

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The Bug Out Bag Back-up Kit

May 9, 2015 May 30, 2020 / 3 Comments

To some degree, having a backup kit for your Bug Out Bag (BOB) might sound like overkill but bear with me a bit and allow me to explain. Every prudent prepper knows that it is important to have backups of essential gear. However, most of that gear, both primary and backups, ends up in the almighty BUG OUT BAG, the crown jewel in any prepper’s disaster plan. Seriously, to hear some people talk about bug out bags, you’d think their …

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Campfire Cooking: A Skill to Practice Now!

April 25, 2015 June 15, 2022 / 1 Comment

I’d be willing to bet that most of you reading this have at least made s’mores, perhaps even heated up a hot dog or two, around a campfire. Fun stuff, no doubt about it. But, there’s a whole lot more involved if you need to make an actual meal over an open flame. One of the first things that goes away in a disaster is usually electricity. If you have an electric stove top, you won’t be using it for …

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Is a Storage Unit a Viable Survival Cache?

March 26, 2015 May 30, 2020 / 5 Comments

For quite some time now, caches have been rather popular amongst the prepper/survivalist crowd. Most commonly, this involves filling a large diameter PVC tube with gear and supplies, sealing it up, then burying it. Often, these caches are hidden somewhere along a bug out route, thus allowing for resupply during the journey. One major problem, though, is finding an appropriate location for the cache. To avoid any legal issues, it should always be placed on land you own or that …

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Why You Should Include Junk Food in Your Food Storage Pantry

March 25, 2015 May 28, 2020 / 6 Comments

Disasters are stressful, no question about it. The power goes out, maybe the water and heat along with it. The kids are whining and probably at least a little scared. You and your spouse are edgy, perhaps getting more than a little short with each other. You’re all stuck at home, either because the roads are terrible or because there’s just no place to go, no stores or restaurants are open. This is just the time to break into your junk …

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What is junk silver?

February 20, 2015 May 28, 2020 / 8 Comments

Do you have a coin jug at home? Perhaps it isn’t a jug, per se, but a coffee can, glass jar, or maybe even an old fashioned piggy bank? It might be holding far more money than you realize! If you spend much time surfing various survival/prepper message boards and other forums, you’ll no doubt run across the term “junk silver.” People want to know, “What is junk silver? And, should I buy it?” The term refers to coins …

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