Cold plunge: How I survive winters in the sticks



City people moving to the country: This one’s for you. Country people, you know all this and a lot more already, so be sure to correct anything I get wrong with a comment; thank you in advance.

After spending all of my life living in cities and towns, I’ve got two winters of rural living under my belt. My house in Vermont is only a few miles outside the capital (itself a mere village of 8,000), so it’s situated conveniently for supply runs. But I live past where the pavement turns to dirt and the water, sewer, and natural gas lines end.

What to do for light? Kerosene lamps. No, not candles. No, not rechargeable LED lights. No, not battery-powered flashlights. Kerosene lamps.

It’s not “off grid,” but the situation shares some of the same features, and you need to attend to some of the same preparation.

Being prepared is especially important in winter, but it will help in summer, too.

The philosophy to keep in mind: Preparing should aim for low tech, not high tech. Kerosene lamps and lanterns, not “solar rechargeable LED lights,” for example. (Where are you going to recharge them? What happens when the computerized chip doesn’t work right?)

Aim for manual, simple devices, not high-tech “survival gadgets.”

If you live in a sparsely populated area in the country with hard winters, you are going to lose power several times in winter. And you’re going to be among the last houses to have it restored because power companies prioritize areas with the most people. In Vermont, I’ve gone two or three days without electricity each winter.

How much of your day will be affected by this, and how do you prepare for it? Since my stove is electric, I can’t cook on it without juice. But wait — no running water, either. Why? Because the water comes from a well, and an electric pump brings it into the house.

It’s one thing to have no internet and lights but entirely another to have nothing to flush the toilet with.

Water

Stock up drinkable water jugs, lots of them, for cooking and drinking. Only for cooking and drinking. You’re going to use “gray water” for other things.

Have a rain barrel to catch water to use for flushing toilets and cleaning. Have buckets on hand. Fill them up.

Fill up your bathtub with water when a storm threatens.

This year, I resorted to melting snow in a stock pot on a portable camp stove.

I’m considering adding a hand pump to my drilled well next year. Do you remember the episode of "Little House on the Prairie" when Pa installed a water pump in Ma’s sink for the first time? Yep, that kind of pump. They’re a great backup for getting water out of the ground when the electric pump is off.

Husband your water wisely. Use your drinking water only for drinking and cooking, not for washing yourself or your dishes. Use “gray water” — the stuff in the rain barrel, the water stored in your tub — for washing dishes, flushing toilets, and other utility purposes.

Be prepared to give yourself sponge baths with a modest amount of water.

Light

What to do for light? Kerosene lamps. No, not candles. No, not rechargeable LED lights. No, not battery-powered flashlights. Kerosene lamps.

Why? Admittedly, I’m partisan as I collect and refurbish kerosene lamps and regularly run them for heat and light. But they’re superior to other backup lighting. Much brighter than candles, and they don’t need batteries (you just have to keep a stock of kerosene on hand). Also, they’re beautiful.

Some guidelines:

  • Buy only clear, undyed kerosene at either the gas station or hardware store. Never use anything but this. Do not use “lamp oil.” It’s liquid wax, burns dim, eats wicks, and stinks. Kerosene does not stink in a lamp if it’s clean and undyed.
  • Simple flat wick oil lamps, antique or modern, are foolproof.
  • Those wanting more heat and light should get an antique “center draft” lamp with a big, round wick that puts out substantial light and heat. A good bet is a Rayo-brand lamp, easily found on eBay.
  • No, you don’t have to worry about “fumes” or “carbon monoxide.” This is modern hysteria; you’re not afraid of your gas stove, so you don’t have to fear your lamp. Your ancestors who used these weren’t dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Heat

If you already have an expensive heating system in place, I get that you’re not going to change that out.

When I moved into this house, I had the “blessing” of starting from scratch as the downstairs had been flooded. If you're in a similar position, I strongly advise installing something that requires no electricity.

I mean no electricity at all. Not for igniting, not for running. If it needs juice to put out heat, it’s too modern and complicated to be a good basic choice in the country.

I chose a propane-fired “fireplace stove.” It’s a beautiful cast iron piece enameled in red with a glass front; it looks like a late-19th-century wood stove. The operation is entirely mechanical, even the wall-mounted thermostat. It has its own igniter but can be lit with a match if necessary. It maintains a standing pilot light.

Whatever you choose, I recommend a basic model that ignites and fires without electricity. If this means you have to buy a vintage furnace in good or refurbished condition, then yes, that is a better choice.

Good emergency supplies of heat are portable kerosene or propane heaters. Be sure to keep a supply of fuel on hand.

Cooking and eating

If you have an electric kitchen stove, you’ll need a backup. I love my two-burner Coleman propane camping stove. It’s compact and folds up neatly for storage. That the burners put out serious heat is a bonus. Keep extra propane cylinders on hand.

Of course, you’ll also need to have nonperishable food on hand. Vegetables and grains aren’t going to get you through alone; don’t forget meat and fat. Canned goods are your friend in this situation, especially canned meat.

People’s minds seem to go toward “buy lots of dried beans and rice,” and I don’t know why. These are not the high-quality proteins you can get from meat (and they don’t have necessary fat), and they take more water and energy to cook.

I suggest laying in:

  • Canned chicken breast and tuna
  • Canned corned beef
  • Canned Spam-type meat

Be sure to keep some bacon grease or lard on hand. It doesn’t need refrigeration and can cook just about anything, adding necessary animal fat and calories.

Transportation

Don’t forget about your car.It’s always a good idea to keep your gas tank full during winter.

If you go off the road, you’ll be glad you have the engine to keep you warm. But it’s also a great backup for charging your phone so you can stay in communication while the power is out and the roads are bad.

Obviously, this isn’t a guide to true homesteading or living off the grid, but it can help you get through a few days or weeks of living in the sticks without power and running water. If you’re an old hand at this and have wisdom to pass along, please share it in the comments.

Prepper Bar: Spendable precious metals you can fit in your wallet



I recently misplaced my wallet. Reasonably certain it was in the house somewhere and would turn up, I didn't bother canceling my cards.

Other than the nagging worry that I was wrong, I was surprised at how little this inconvenienced me. Not only do most of my day-to-day transactions not require cash, plastic cards are also rarely needed. Just a wave of my phone suffices.

I suppose some 'junk silver' (US coins from 1964 or earlier, when they contained 90% silver) would come in handy, but everything in my loose change jar is of a newer vintage.

What will they think of next? Some kind of mark on your right hand or forehead?

'World Made by Hand'

At any rate, at the time I happened to be reading James Howard Kunstler's excellent postapocalyptic novel, "World Made by Hand." What makes the novel so compelling (along with its three excellent sequels) is its thought-provoking focus on the more mundane struggles of post-collapse life.

While the chain of events leading up to collapse are kept vague (a combination of peak oil, war in Israel, nuclear terror bombings, and the split of the USA into warring territories), its consequences are clear: mainly, no more electricity. (Yes, one character has some generators, but these break down, and once they do, parts are hard to come by.)

The series focuses on the residents of a fictional small town in upstate New York called Union Grove. The town has reverted to an 18th-century agrarian life, and one of the pleasures of the series is watching the residents' detailed attempts to rebuild civilization on this more modest scale. These scenes have the added benefit of giving Kunstler the opportunity to criticize the inefficiencies and waste of contemporary consumerism.

That is not to say there are no roving bands of marauders or some of the other excitements we expect from dystopian literature; its just that the books are honest that the most pressing dangers would be the more pedestrian ones: lack of food, medical care, and adequate shelter, to name a few.

Also plain old despair. Some of the characters just can't seem to adjust to the drastic lack of conveniences they grew accustomed to in the before times; it's all too easy to give up.

Paper dollars or real money?

One thing that's become rather harder is paying for things. There is still paper currency, but it is largely worthless.

Consider the scene in which some Union Grove townsfolk travel to Albany by boat in order to engage in trade. Once there, their first order of business is to secure lodgings from an innkeeper named Slavin.

“Now, how do you boys propose to pay for your rooms and meals? Paper dollars or real money?”

“Silver coin good enough?” Joseph said.

"We take that here. Two bits each, bed and a meal. One dollar for the horses. Drinks are extra, of course.”

Joseph took out a leather drawstring purse and dropped a handful of old quarters and half-dollars on the wooden bar, where they rang musically. Slavin looked impressed. Whatever the other failures of the U.S. government were, it had managed to print an excess of dollars which, combined with the collapse of trade and communication, had severely eroded the currency’s value. People always liked silver better, if it was offered. Gold, on the other hand, was rarely seen. People tended to hoard it.

This made me think of my missing wallet, and it did give me pause. What use will my iPhone's digital wallet be when SHTF? What would I use instead? Like Joseph, I suppose some "junk silver" (U.S. coins from 1964 or earlier, when they contained 90% silver) would come in handy, but everything in my loose change jar is of a newer vintage.

As for actual gold or silver ... am I supposed to carry around bars of the stuff?

Bite-sized bullion

Prepper Bar

The American company Prepper Bar has come up with a solution to make life in post-fiat-currency world a little less cumbersome. It sells slim, credit-card-sized bars of silver and gold that can fit in your wallet.

Minted in Nevada, each bar is 66.2 grams and can be broken up like a candy bar into smaller units.

Unlike Swiss competitor Valcambi, which also offers divisible silver and gold bars, Prepper Bar allows for division into different units: 7.776 grams (roughly 1/4 troy oz), 3.11 (1/10 troy oz), or 1.555 grams (1/20 troy oz).

Prepper Bars are IRA-approved, but keep in mind that you do pay a premium for the convenience Prepper Bars offer, making them better as a supplement to your precious metal stores rather than the main source.

Build a basic 2-person, 72-hour emergency kit for $115



When I recommend that people put together some emergency kits, no matter where they live, I often get replies like “Uhhhh, actually, some people are poor and can’t afford to be prepared.”

So I decided to go out and prove them wrong.

For $115 (minus the price of the rucksack, as you can use literally any bag without having to break the bank), I put together a very basic 72-hour emergency kit for two people.

This price does not include the plain household items you should have, like a change of clothes, extra socks, copies of all important documents, some basic toiletries, and a few other items.

Also, some of these picks are not “best in class,” given the strict budget. I’ll break down the choices below.

First up: Some basic survival items

  • 2 emergency blankets
  • Pack of 2 lighters — if for some reason those aren’t adequate, a pack of stormproof lighters. BiC lighters are some of the most useful yet forgotten survival items.
  • 2 emergency ponchos
  • Basic fixed-blade knife

Kruschiki Supply Company

Now for the crucial matter of hydration

  • 3 liters of water: This is certainly not enough water for two people over three days, which is why we've also included a
  • Water filter: This filter is what they had at Walmart. There are certainly better options, but you’ll have to spend more money on them. While filters like these do work, I find them extremely inconvenient. I would have preferred tablets or a solution, but in the absence of those, this will have to do. You also have the option to boil water, using your matches or lighter and the metal mess kit. I would recommend the bottled water be used as a last resort.
  • Liquid IV electrolyte mixes are crucial to fending off dehydration.

Kruschiki Supply Company

And food

Water may be more important, but food is still critical. These may not be the most palatable choices, but, again, we’re going for as cheap as possible.

We chose these specifically because you can cycle them into your regular food use before they expire, so you can always keep them up to date.

You can definitely add more food to your kit, but keep in mind that we’re on a budget here.

Kruschiki Supply Company

Last but not least, some basic first aid supplies

Kruschiki Supply Company

Again, there are better options, but this is fairly decent for an extreme budget: BleedStop and a basic first aid kit.

All in all, this is definitely a good start. No one says you have to buy it all at once, but this is obtainable very quickly for even those on the strictest of budgets.

If you’re interested in a medium ALICE rucksack, we currently have them in stock for only $49.99. This is a great ruck for a great price, but once again, an old backpack or duffel will do the job as well.

A backpack with everything I've listed above certainly isn't the be-all, end-all of emergency kits; then again, it''s only meant to tide you over for the first 72 hours until help arrives.

Don't hesitate to adapt this for your specific environment and circumstances, as nobody knows your situation better than you. And remember: There is no excuse for not being prepared.

How to survive the end of the world in 6 easy steps



While prepping for minor emergencies is stressful enough, a disaster is outright overwhelming.

That’s why Glenn Beck has made it a lot less complicated and laid out the “6 basic steps to prepping.”

“Most people quit before they even begin, but it’s actually really easy and inexpensive,” Glenn explains, adding, “Start with what the government is now ignoring, the basics.”

The first step is building a solid personal finance and health foundation.

“The best way to insulate yourself in an economic crisis is to get as debt-free as you can. We also need to get into the financial position where we can dedicate a few extra dollars every month to advance our prep plan,” Glenn says.

“We also need to make sure that bad health won’t get in the way of surviving when it’s needed,” he adds, noting that being able to walk a considerable distance and carry what you need is paramount.

The second step is getting your home ready for two weeks of self-reliance. This means you’ll need 15 gallons of water per person, 23,000 calories per person, and sources of light. You’ll also need a gun, ammo, indoor heating, a USB powered fan, and medical supplies.

Another incredible tool is a ham radio, which Glenn plans to learn and get licensed on.

The third step is having a bug-out bag, which includes everything from 32 ounces of water, a tarp, a field knife, and very important: cash.

The fourth step is preparing for emergencies away from home. “Exercise your Second Amendment right to protect yourself,” Glenn says.

The fifth step is practicing the skills it would require to protect yourself, like shooting a gun. Last but definitely not least comes number six, which is sharing and building a base with others.

“Share what you’ve learned, build a base of like-minded friends and family,” Glenn says.


Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Here’s How To Butcher A Chicken In Your Backyard For Dinner

What practical steps can you take to protect your family’s food supply? Here's a short guide to keeping and killing chickens.

10 Gifts To Give Your Favorite Prepper

Holiday gift giving can be a fantastic opportunity to help your friends and family become a little more prepared for emergencies
What Will You Do If the Cops Don't Come? Are You Prepared? | Mike Glover | LIFESTYLE | Rubin Report
play icon

What Will You Do If the Cops Don't Come? Are You Prepared? | Mike Glover | LIFESTYLE | Rubin Report

Costco stock is jumping as shoppers buy to prep for virus