The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 11, Issue 12

Happy Easter!

Hey everyone, thanks for reading the newsletter this week. I hope all is well with you and yours.

Easter is coming up and I saw the neatest fundraiser idea the other day. A local Boy Scout troop was advertising that for a small fee they would come to your home either Friday or Saturday night and hide plastic eggs filled with candy and trinkets in the yard. While I certainly had fun doing the egg hiding back when our kids were young, I could easily see how this “service” would be great for many families. I give the Scouts credit for thinking outside the box.

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Prepper Tip -- If you’re counting on a collapse to resolve all of your financial woes, that might not be the wisest retirement plan. It seems like this is coming back around to being popular again, the idea that all you gotta do is wait for [insert calamity here] and you’ll no longer owe anything on your house and what not. You do you, but ignoring financial planning is a poor preparedness strategy.

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So, the big news right now is the boat collapsing the bridge in Baltimore. As I write this, it’s barely been 12 hours since it happened. Despite how many theories abound on social media, I think it’s way too early for anything definitive to come out yet. No matter how it shakes out, it is an absolute tragedy.

I’ll say this, though. Those who intentionally spread misinformation to increase clicks, follows, and likes are no different than the mainstream media outlets that those same people pretend to demonize.

Before anyone gets their knickers knotted, read it again and understand there’s no hidden meaning there. I mean exactly what I said, nothing more.

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My wife and I spent last weekend taking a class called Disaster Preparedness and Survival. This class is a collaboration between FEMA and Texas A&M University-Extension (TEEX). It’s being offered at various locations throughout the country and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Here’s a link to where you can see the currently scheduled sessions.

This is just a snapshot of what we covered in the class:

• Preparing to shelter in place

• Disaster-specific strategies

• Mindset

• Light search and rescue techniques

• Disaster recovery must-knows

As I understand it, most of the class sessions are offered in conjunction with the county Emergency Manager. If you don’t see it being held in your area, consider reaching out to your county EM and see if they’ll consider it. The class is FREE to attend.

A bonus for me was getting to meet some people whom I’ve only known online. Shout outs to Bob, Mike, and Dave!

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Here’s a great article by my friend Alice Jones Webb on getting kids outside more often.

10 Reasons Your Kids Should Be Outside Right Now

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I had a couple of work-related anniversaries in the last week or so. It’s been ten years since the debut of PREPPER’S LONG-TERM SURVIVAL GUIDE, which is by far my most popular book. It’s also been seven years since I gave notice at my day job that I was quitting and going out on my own as a full-time writer. The only regret I’ve ever had about that decision was not doing it sooner.

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I can’t stress this enough. Make sure you’re testing and actually using the gear and supplies you’ve purchased.

Don’t buy umpteen cases of food you’ve never tried before. A disaster is not the time you want to find out that at least one of the ingredients doesn’t agree with you. Or that you just plain don’t care for the taste or texture of it. While yes, hunger is a powerful spice and can make food more palatable than you might otherwise think, you have the time now to choose things that you’ll actually want to eat.

While you’re at it, cook some meals without using your stovetop, oven, microwave, or air fryer. Doing so will help you work through some of the learning curve that comes with cooking over an open fire or a rocket stove. Better to burn dinner now, while you can still call for takeout.

Test every single piece of equipment. Know how it works, as well as what it can and can’t do for you. It’s important to ensure everything works the way it should, and you won’t know that for sure until you’ve taken it out of the package and given it a test drive. If you’re in crisis mode, you probably won’t be able to run to the store for a replacement.

It wouldn’t be the worst idea to even do a full-blown grid down simulation. Flip breaker switches off for bedrooms and bathrooms. You can keep the kitchen one on if you want, just pretend that the fridge and freezer are off limits. Try to go through an entire weekend without power. See how well your prep plans work out, and adjust them as needed.

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On the work front, I’m wrapping up the content for Backwoods Survival Guide 30, which will come out in September. Once that’s finished, I’ll move on to the special Gear Guide issue we’re doing that will come out in October.

Backwoods Survival Guide 27, shown here, should be popping up in stores and subscriber mailboxes any day now.

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Our hike this week was woefully short, due to the time we spent in class. But, we managed to sneak out for a short walk in a nature area near the class location.

Survival Tip – Password Protection

This meme makes the rounds on social media every now and again.

While it is absolutely accurate, there’s another angle to keep in mind. When you’re prompted for answers to password security questions, our instinct is to answer them truthfully, right? Most of us don’t even think about it.

Here’s the thing – nobody actually checks your answers to see if they’re accurate or legit. You can, and should, make up entirely fake answers to any security question. They don’t even need to relate the question at all. I just glance around my desk and use things I see for answers.

In which city were you born? Purple

What high school did you go to? Batman

What was the make of your first car? Salt lamp

Turn it into a game and have some fun with it. You just need to be able to remember how you answered the questions.

Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for both Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide magazines. Here are the covers for the current issues that are available in stores right now. 

You can find them just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Sam's Club

• Costco

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Subscriptions to both titles are available here.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.