Long Time No Post... Sorry!

Hi guys! I am back, I had a bit of a busy summer and I have not written here in almost 2 months. I seriously apologize for that. I needed a little time off, though I am still prepping! Anyways, I have a little bit of a prepper story for you. This is just a small story though.

About the end of July, we had a pretty good rain storm going on. It was strong enough to make the lights flicker. So I decided to take that night and play "lets pretend". So what I did was turn off the electricity, and tried to handle everything the best I could if the electric went out for a short term. It gave me a good chance to work with my gear, practice my cooking skills on a Sterno stove, and work with alternative lighting. It was actually kind of fun, and gave me a few ideas on how to handle a power outage. One idea: Keep a flashlight in one area so that way I would not have to hunt all over for a light, and when done, return it to that spot for the next time I need it. That night I cooked noodles and spaghetti sauce over some sterno, swigged it all down with bottled water.

Somtimes playing "lets pretend" can be a pretty powerful tool.

Need Shelves? Check out Menards!

Hey if any of you have a Menards near you, check out their shelving sale under their weekly ads. They have good shelving and storeage ideas this month. I saw 5.5 quart tubs for .99 cents and shelves for as cheap as $20.

Sorry I have not been posting too much. I should have some stuff up tonight.

The Search for Free Knowledge in Different Formats

Anyone knows, that knowledge is power, but it rarely comes free. Well, for those of you on a budget, but have the interwebs, I have a host of places where you can either get some good .pdfs or books for relatively low cost. Or in many cases, free. Here is a list that this old she-wolf has in her bookmarks or dug up reference. Here is what I unearthed.

For .pdfs:

Scribed: This is a good place to get whole old books for virtually nothing. Some are free to download, others that are in the Scribd archive you would have to have a subscription or have wrote something yourself and posted on there. Subscription prices vary, but a one day pass for $5 will let you download anything for a day. Some info on there is priceless and the whole site covers a wide range of topics.

Project Gutenberg: This site I love to explore! They have a lot of books that are old, some of them from the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's, but the downloads are free and they have several download formats including Kindle! Again, they cover a wide range of topics from fiction and non fiction books to old how-to manuals. I found a whole 'bookshelf' section on crafting a lone! This resource is really good to check out.

Itunes: I have Itunes. I LOVE Itunes! Everyone knows this little program for just being able to download, catalogue and play music. But there is SO much more to it than just a pretty music program! I use it quite a bit for other stuff, as I download podcasts, but there was one feature that I did not explore too much until I found out what it was. ItunesU. I never really payed to much attention to it until someone told me what it does. (Sorry I dont remember his name, but I met him through a live stream chat! Who ever you are, THANK YOU!!!) If you go into Itunes Store, check out ItunesU. That is the area where college campuses take and upload course materials, work books, and recorded video and audio classroom lectures on almost every subject out there.... All FREE! And these are not just little rinky-dink vocational colleges, we are talking HARVARD, MIT, YALE, PRINCETON... you know... the big boys as well as tons of other colleges too. I personally found a good audio lecture on wild plants in New Mexico with Native teachers and also some demonstration videos on the technology that the pioneers used back in the old days. Podcasts are a good way to get information too. I have found plenty of podcasts like Todays Survival Show, The Prepper Podcast, The Chip Monk Family Survival Podcast, and The Survival Podcast. All of them are excellent to listen to. Do not overlook this resource.

For Books:

Swaptree: Here you can swap books for pretty much just the cost of shipping. But what you want and what you offer has to match up with someone else. I have not used the site, but I have heard of others that have and it works.

Half.com: I have gotten a few books on there for cheap. Sellers tell what physical shape books are in, and you can read reviews of the books. Pricing is reasonable.

Amazon: I have gotten many books from here for pretty cheap, anywhere ranging from a buck or two to $15 bucks used (before shipping. Most shipping is $3.99) Added plus is you can read reviews on the books.

Craigslist and Freecycle are both good places to look for books (and other prepping supplies) too in your area, and you can place wanted ads if you are looking for something in particular.

Oh, and don't forget your local library. You can check out books if you have a library card, and many times they will sell books for a $1 or two. I have bought a few that way.

I hope this helps you guys. I have used some of these resources on my budget, (really all except Swaptree), and have added a lot to my personal library. If any of you guys have more resources that I have not covered, please post them in the comments section, they are greatly apprectiated!

Quick Quote

"I am FOR growing my own food at home, so that way there will be MORE food for others to enjoy in the grocery stores!" - I came up with that one today. Sometimes it is more productive to tell someone you are for something than against something.

Cyclopath!

Hey guys, I found a few interesting resources, especially if you guys use a bicycle. Check these sites out

Bike Map: This site you can find good bike routes or post bike routes of your own and this site is used all over the world. Looking for a safe bike route in your home town or in another country? Then check this site out. It is good for pre-planning routes out of town.

Cyclopath: This site is kind of like MapQuest or MapBlast, but for bikes. You just input your location and the destination where you want to go, and it comes up with a directions safe for bicycles. The only downside to this is it only covers the Minnesota areas. However they do have an area on their Wiki on if you want to set up a Cyclopath website if you live in another state. The have the source code for it. Look for it in the FAQ of their wiki under the help section on their site.

Hope this helps you guys out there.

RW ^..^___)

Things I have learned from todays outing.

I went out again today, and I learned a few things that I should note not only for myself but for the rest of you. Maybe you guys could learn from this too.

Stuff I Learned:

1. Bikes are good!

Instead of taking my car for a minor shopping trip, I took my bike and my backpack. If I would have taken my car, and it would have cost me gas. Plus, you would have the added advantage, if you have a mountain bike, to go anywhere you want, even if there is no road. Heck even regular bikes would work then too. They are very low maintenance, and the only fuel that they take is a tiny bit of oil, some grease, and a good working human body. Plus it is FREE exercise! No gym fees!

2. Bikes can be dirty!

Bikes should be washed, and mine needs it bad. Oh and a pair of leather gloves would also work. Maybe a bike kit would help too.

3. Calculators Help.

I have an Ipod Touch. Normally I would not really go for the expensive 'toys' but I find it is very useful. It has a ton of options that I like on it, but the one that I use the most... Other than the mp3 player part of it, is the calculator. I use it to tabulate how much my grocery bill will be before the sales tax. For those who cannot afford a Touch, use a calculator. Many cheap ones work well. Plus there are other good survival applications, podcasts and e-books that you can fill it up with.

4. Watch Your Purchase Prices!

Yes, when you ring stuff up, watch the amounts and the price on the register. Today I was at the store and spotted some tuna on clearance for .69 cents. This was not marked in the store circular but I spotted it and picked it up. Well when it rang up at the register it rang up as .99. I mentioned this to the cashier, she did a price check, saw I was right and fixed it. I saved .60 cents. It is good to have a sharp eye for things like that and the cashier was gracious about it. For me, every penny counts!

Maybe you guys could find this information useful. Oh and if you take a bike anywhere, bring a canteen of water. Rushing wind makes you thirsty!

That is all.

RW ^..^___)

Out and About

Yesterday was the type of day that was made for enjoying the simplicity of riding a bicycle. It was warm, but not hot with a nice breeze. To me that is what prepping is about. Simplicity. I spent most of the afternoon on my bike and out enjoying the day.

Made a few rounds to some stores and a thrift shop. I like stopping there because of the different assortment of things ranging from clothes and book to cosmetics and kitchenware. I picked up a nice stoneware pampered chef bread loaf pan with the cookbook for $5! SCORE! There is also a little free 'food shelf' in the offices, which I picked up some boxes of tea and some day old bread. Then went to a dollar store and picked up 2 cans veggies and some spoons. After that I got a few Chinese egg rolls and a soda for lunch, which I ate sitting outside on the grass near my bike.


Meh, maybe I am just rambling a bit. Maybe this is not much about prepping... But it was a good day yesterday.

Update love... WOOF!

Hey guys,

I am just writing to let you know that this wolf girl is not dead. I am still going. Been going out and doing some things that are mostly fun, but taking up my time. I assure you, I am still doing a bit of prepping, but I just had to take a break for a while on working on my blog. Don't worry, I will have some stuff up in a few days. I would like to show you a few projects that I did on the day that my computer went on the fritz. It is amazing what a She Wolf's mind does when it is bored as hell and I will talk about a few other things. Oh and just a little teaser preview of what might come up.... Fun with orange buckets. Use your imagination on that.

RW ^..^___)

Sale Heads Up: Whole Foods!

Found a good sale at Whole Foods, Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade 32oz bottles 5 for $5. This sale is good till May 31st. Just thought I would let you guys know.

Oh, and even though I have had this up for a while, you guys can also sign up for The Howler on the right to notify you guys of updates to my blog, even though I try to update every week. Just thought I would let you guys know.

Wolf Den Pantry Breakfast

Try this... Tasty oatmeal with dried blueberries, raspberries, black berries (that I bought on sale and dehydrated at my cave), and a little bit of honey. Add to that a nice glass of hot chocolate milk with dried milk and dried chocolate milk powder. All of this cooked and reconstituted with water.

Simple, cheap, filling and easy to make.

Yep, just as the title says, everything is from the Wolf Den Pantry.

Sometimes a Sale is not a Sale.

Every sunday, I look through the ads to see what is on sale. Usually there are pretty good sales around where I live on the stuff that I need to get, or want to get. But sometimes a sale or a deal, is not a deal.

Case in point, Target right by me is selling boxes of Quaker Granola Bars for $2.50 a box, but 4 boxes, get one free. That was listed in their sales ad. Last night I went to another store called Menards, they are more like a Wal-mart, but with a lot more 'home depot' mixed in and more of a mid-western franchise. Anyways, I went there because they had some good sales on shampoo and ketsup. When I was in their grocery isles I spied the boxes of the same brand of granola bars that were in the Target ad, but here, they had them listed as REGULAR price of $1.92 a box! Nearly 60 cents cheaper! Right then and there, I snapped up a few boxes. It goes to show, that sometimes a sale is not a sale. I have learned to keep my eyes open for real deals, and last night taught me that lesson.

Just thought I would mention it to you all.

Sorry for the Delay

Right now my computer has been going through a few hiccups. Sorry about that, I should have my computer fixed anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, so there will not be too many posts. I should have a few articles up since I have other ways of getting on the net through other resources. I will try to keep this up to date, however, I just thought I would notify you all.

Thanks for your patience.

Ravenwolf.

Achievement Unlocked: Sealing Life!

Yep, for the first time since I have bought it, I have used my vac sealer. The one that I got is a Rival that I got about a month ago. It was just under $50 and so far on it's first test run, it works like a charm! I have had some experience with vacuum sealers a while back and they work well for frozen and dried food stuffs. If you are planning to stay at home or if you have a place that you plan to stay at long term during a crisis and can store dried goods, this might be a good route to go. This one is fairly cheap and does the job so far for me, though some more tests are in order, but I am impressed by just sealing that rice! I know I will be doing more of this in the future. So far, I love it!!

Right now I am also dehydrating some frozen store bought fruit. How do you do it you might ask? Take your fruit out of the bag, break it up into small chunks and put it in the dehydrator. No blanching needed. It is simple, and heaven knows, simple for someone like me is a good thing. I never realized that the sound of a humming dehydrator can be so comforting.

They're Here....

They're coming... You hear the moaning sounds... The muffled shuffling steps... The news reports of odd attacks... The zombies are coming. What would you do?

Well, a few months ago, I bought The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. And no, not because I think zombies are really coming. The reason why I got the book? It helps with the mental gymnastics. The book goes into in depth detail about prepping for a lot of situations, locations and senarios. It turns on the creative centers of the mind, and gets you thinking logically 'what if' and 'if then'. Yes, I know it is a fiction book. BUT, it gets you thinking out side of the box.

This book and the rough outline for thinking could also be applied to other situational disasters, and would be a good starter topic of conversation about it. What supplies would I need? What skills would be useful to learn? Should I stay or leave if this event happens? The pros and cons of staying or leaving? If I leave, what would be considered a safe and sustainable place to live? How could I MAKE this place sustainable if I had to stay here for an extended period of time? And these questions lead in to other areas of thought in subjects like construction, security, food production, and many other topics. I feel this is an excellent book for that.

For example, there is one section of the book talking about possible structures to live in. It covers everything from police stations and churches to manufacturing facilities and homes. Would you want to go to a hospital if the 'traditional zombie event' broke out? Weigh the pros and cons of that situation!

As far as the preps that the book talks about, it is a good way to think about what you would need, but it is a bare bones minimum. Remember it is a joke book and there are tons of other places to get good lists of items to get for any sort of situation. That is the downside that I found. Oh and if you are a zombie genre fan, you would get the jokes in it. This book is pretty funny, in a serious kind of way. I have it in my library.

Oh and BTW, Happy April Fools Day... though this article is not a joke, but for real about a funny/serious joke book that I do for real have.

Seed Sale! Menards!

Quick note, Menards is having a good seed sale on their veggies and herbs 11 packets for 99 cents starting TODAY! Get there when you can!

Survival Food: Quick Dehydrating Tip!

Got a quick dehydrating tip. Got a lot of canned fruits and veggies, but not a lot of space to store them? Try dehydrating them! All you have to do is drain off the juice, and put the can contents in the dehydrator! Its real quick and easy. When they are all dry, bag them, vacuum seal them, or put them in jars! It is a lot lighter and they take up a lot less space.

Oh and you can also do the same with frozen fruits and veggies too, just straight from the freezer right to the dehydrator, just pour them out of the bag.

It works!

Another Commentary: Sales Observations

Forgive me if this article kind of goes off the subject, but I have had a very long day. As part of my outing today, I did a bit of grocery shopping and I again made another observation.

Food prices.

I had always figured that Whole Foods was the more expensive grocery store, you know, the hippie taste organic foods (which personally, I have NO problems with!) Sometimes I shop there for good meat, packets of Emergen-C and pure principle because the company president spoke out against the health care bill last year. Well I again had the start of an inkling of the prices changes with the grocery stores around me just this past weekend. On Sundays I look at the sales ads of all the grocery stores in my area that I visit. I have been seeing the prices of my regular common chain grocery stores prices go nuts. Usually they are cheaper than Whole foods, but recently their prices are almost the same with the fresh foods. Then this week, I saw that Whole Foods apples were actually CHEAPER than my local stores! Sure they were different kinds of apples, but still... And these apples were ORGANIC! Usually with organics, you are paying more, but here it was cheaper! Right now it is to the point that it is worth it to shop at Whole Foods than at my local stores for fresh stuff, because the prices are almost the same now. If this continues, I will shop at Whole Foods if not for the quality as well as the sale prices. Have any of you noticed this?

P.S. I had a chance to taste some of the fresh stuff that they sell. I bought quite a bit on sale. Is it just me or does their fruits taste more flavorful?

Flooding at Lehmans

Hey guys, I just wanted to send out the note that I heard that Lehmans Retail Store out in Kidron, OH. was flooded Feb 28. For those of you who have never heard of Lehmans, they are a retail general store that caters to country folk, Amish, and those who live off the grid as well as everyone else. The sell a lot of Amish and American made goods, books, and appliances through their website and retail store. I know they are a good company, I have bought a few good items from them. Their online sales are working and most of their store is up and running. If you can guys, please show your support for these folks.

Lehmans website

Flood Blog Article at Lehmans

Spring Cleaning, Good Will, and Observations.

Right now I am just sitting here, after doing a day of minor shopping. Yesterday I did a bit of cleaning out my chest of drawers looking to get rid of a bunch of clothes I do not wear any more to make room. Yes, I have started the spring cleaning routine. At the end of it all I ended up with a good size trash bag of clothes. Today I made an outing of it, decided to do the good karma thing and dropped it off at Goodwill as a donation. Heck, some of my items were really nice stuff, and maybe someone less fortunate could use them. Then I went into the store and snagged up a dozen Kerr mason jars. It was a little pricey, but this was Goodwill, so I don't mind the purchase. How many of you donate stuff BTW, and if so, what do you donate?

Then after that I went to Walmart. I really wanted to check prices on vacuum sealers, but they did not have any at my local one. (NOTE: If anyone can recommend a good one to me, please put it in the comments section. I would really appreciate it!) There was a few things I noticed, beans, rice and #10 cans of garbanzo beans were basically on or near the end caps of their food shelves. Also, no real food sales this time around, interesting huh? Plus everything looks like it went up almost a dollar. Oh and the bottled water shelves were 3/4ths empty too. This was in the middle of the afternoon. Maybe it is just me, but that is just a little bit of an observation. (Dang it, I wanted to see if they had any mountain house meals there and forgot to check.) Wally worlds prices are still not that bad though.

Survival Financial: Gas Buddy!

I have a little bit of a short article this week because of a busy schedule last week but I do have something for you! I found a good little resource that might help you save some cash on gas! If you live in the U.S or Canada, check out Gas Buddy to find out which gas stations in your area have either the cheapest or most expensive gas prices around! I use this frequently when I need to fill up my tank, because the site is regularly updated by registered users. It is a good resource to have.

I just thought I would mention this.