I try to post facts, skills to learn, needed supplies. I look for cheap and free prepping ideas.
Survival, Prepper, Bushcraft, homesteading, SHTF, Emergency preparedness
Why would you want this as a SHTF prep? Simple, if things go sideways who is going to be making paper and pen's. now you can recycle existing paper Click here PDF But that is a lot of work for less important notes.
Just a little info about Blackboards Click Here Now you can grab a can at the hardware store to have on hand or you can learn how to make it.
How to makeblackboard paint - Paint (of any color or type) and some (you can make your own paint in hard times Click Here for PDF) - Non-Sanded Tile Grout or plaster of paris (but a prepper side note Cement can be used to you can even take the time to ground down a small piece if sideways to make it) - Simply mix 1 cup of paint and 2 Tablespoons of grout. AND you have chalkboard paint. And sheet-rock is every where and makes excellent chalk. Even if you do not want to grab the ready made paint. Keep a jar of the grout or plaster in you prep's The uses may not be at the top of must haves in a STHF situation, but a need to get the world back in order. This can turn plywood into a : - School board - Community board - War board......(which reminds me of the walking dead when Morgan had a map on the wall).
- Even to mark reusable jars and containers
- Make smaller boards for kids - Make smaller ones to carry with you with directions or what ever list you may need, Even to just write down things you noticed along the way
Song for this post was a hard one to find so I got creative...blackboards = teachers =“Teach Me Tonight” by Amy Winehouse
I am always telling people to carry a little activated charcoal with them for water filtration. Or even make a mini water filter with a small PVC pipe and two end caps a rubber band and some window screen. But did you know that it has other uses!! For 1000's of years activated charcoal has been used without adverse side effects to help with medical issues. REMEMBER TO ALWAYS TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR! (this info is for emergency purposes ONLY!) I got my bits at the pet store, cheaper that way (but Not
everything sold in stores for use in aquarium filtration
is activated carbon even though it might be black
and it might even have the name activated carbon,
or a close variation, on the box. Boxes of cheap black
shiny bits of material are probably anthracite coal
and have little to no adsorption capability.) You can make you own by using the charcoal a wood fire produces. (NOT BRICKETTS! they have additives) I found this page to be helpful in learning about the different type of carbon products.Click Here
Also Click here to see how to recharge your activated charcoal to get long use from it.
Video on How to Make Activated Charcoal
But I also like the video in my Pine sap post Click here....the video is of just that pine sap, but the process known as "Destructive distillation" will give you a high heat level to make a most effective activated charcoal....you need high high heat the kind you get in a pottery oven. But regular fire wood will do in an emergency.
<
Uses
- Water Filter
- Air Filter
- Ink
- Make a cheap homemade gas mask with it Click here Put for use in this bag you can wrap it up in a wet banana and breath threw that till you can get to a safer place. (And don't laugh it looks funny but it really makes sense!)
- Use as face camouflage
- Mixed in compost helps remove the toxins (so great for garden)
- Odor remover
- Clean food ... It can
remove bacterias, pesticides and heavy metals from fruit and vegetable.
Add 1 or 2 tsp of chopped up charcoal to a bowl and soak for 15 min.
Medical Uses
-Use in eye drops see my post about eye careClick Here and its use with salt
-Activated charcoal normalizes cholesterol and lipid metabolism.
-Activated charcoal reduces the activity of some viruses So next time you have a cold or the flu
-It is universal antidote for drugs, chemicals and poisons.
Oral Use of Activated Charcoal Activated
Charcoal can help with mild digestive upsets, stop diarrhea, viral and
bacterial infections. It adsorbs toxins and can render them
inert and carrys them through the digestive tract. Charcoal be digested by the human body. It is a valuable aid in the
treatment of accidental poisonings. The powder can be placed in the
mouth and moistened with saliva for swallowing. Gas and Indigestion Activated Charcoal
adsorbs excess gas and bacteria that forms gas in the digestive tract. . Except if you have a blockage (do not take) Tooth Powder It can trap bacteria and help treat gum and tooth disease. Just by brushing your teeth with the powder. Rinse well! Slurry Form Place 4 TBS of activated charcoal powder in a pint size jar of distilled water, shake it up to mix well, and use it as needed. You may want to add a bit of sugar to it to make it taste a little better. Topical Applications -- Poultice Topically,
Activated Charcoal is a powerful poultice for skin irritations.
Charcoal compresses help speed the healing of wounds and eliminate their
odors. Even on spider bites! Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of Activated Charcoal powder into
a sterile glass container. Add
water to make a paste. Place firmly onto the
skin and cover the poultice completely with plastic to hold in the heat
and moisture. Activated Charcoal draws bacteria and poisons
through the skin and into the poultice. Keep the poultice moist and warm
to speed healing. . Change every 6 to 10 hours. Absolutely not one good song for this post!!! So a random song is the game plan this go around
This is a quick post and I will add the link to my pdf page.
Compete Herbal Remedies book from 1814
It is over 400 pages long so it might be much to print. It maybe cheaper to find the book and buy it. Or this just makes a good reference and learning tool for those who are trying to learn the skill of home remedies. What I do like is the last pages. They are definitely worth printing. (Pages 411-429) Illustrated pictures of herbs for your binder or even framing.
Home remedies for pink eye, stye's and eye irritations are close at
hand for effective cures. As a person with eye issues I have learned them all over the years. I have used many of the things below.
Herbal eye-washes have been used for eye problems over the years. They always made sure the teas made were stained and cooled before using them. Remember a small piece of matter from an herb or a microscopic grain of sand, or water contaminates can cause
more harm than good. If you must use a homemade eye-wash, straining
through doubled coffee filters should help remove damaging particles. All compress should be used only fifteen minutes per hour and at the least fifteen minutes four times a day. With pink eye and stye's I would start with a warm compress. But with irritations you start with cold compresses the first day or two and then start warm compresses. I like my eye washes room temperature.
Willow bark is an aspirin so chewing that will help with some of the swelling
First the bugs causing infection
are sensitive to heat plus; heat helps increase blood flow in the eyes
and thus rinses the eye of toxins. So a good old fashion water compresse can work for most eye irritations.
Reminder: Do not rub eyes, wash hand before touching eyes, do not put pressure on eyes
And my most used remedy is with salt. A cup of water, add a forth of a teaspoon of salt, and it works wonders. They say to boil it first, but I just use warm water and stired. and used it as an eye wash. But....... I have read that adding a teaspoon of powdered charcoal with the salt, boiling and then staining makes a great eye drop. They say use 4 or 5 drops a day. Also you can use baking soda instead of the salt.
You can use any of the following for pink eye....chamomile, elde berry blossoms, fennel seeds, dandelion, parsley or burdock root, can all be boiled in water, strained (or you can wrap the boiled herbs in a cloth) and cooled and used as a compress and an eye wash. Even marigold has strong anti septic and anti inflammatory properties. Marigold extract can cure pink eye fast and
effectively.
Pine bark extract....ok I have just learned about this one so you will have to do a little research on this one but they say it is and herb that helps improve your vision, help with glaucoma...even cancer and diabetes. I would go to the health food store and see what they have (drops, pill and liquid extracts) I plan on doing more reserch on this one...will post when I get it all
Honey! use a few table spoons in boiling water. Cool. Use that mixture as an eye wash to help reduce infection in your eyes (and small wounds) It is a anti bacterial. In fact my uncle got me some amazing honey from New Zealand because of its health benefits. And they say it has been reported that the Egyptiansused a few drops of RAW honey in the eyes to help with cataracts
Ladies know this one already, potatoes, cucumbers on the eye help with irritation. I always thought it was because it was cool, but it is because they contain a natural astringent.
A clay mask will help with reducing swollen eyes and soothes them to.
If you are a prepper you know that warm milk help with eyes ( milk for mace irritation). But it also help with pink eye. Even try yogurt. Try a piece of cold bread on your eye while your at it.
Turmeric is a natural antibiotic and steroid and thus harmless. Add
two table spoons of turmeric powder to a cup of boiled water and use it
as an eye compress for quick relief from pink eyes. Or you can make eye drops by mixing one tsp turmeric powder in 2 cups of
water. Use this at least three times a day till the swelling subsides.
Song for this post has to be one of my fav's The Who - Behind Blue Eyes
Grant it my doc gave me happy pills because of my surgery's but it got me thinking about the real need for alternative happy meds.
Going though Storm Sandi and the Newtown deaths and my surgery's and Christmas the need for things that can relax and de-stress you may be something that you should know about. We have booze and weed (as I have not hid I am pro marijuana for medication). But what I am talking about here is herbs and other plants.
I do not care who you are if times get tough you will get sad, depressed and anxious. Keep active and busy is always a good help. Talking to others is also a great way to lift some of the weight. But sometimes more is needed.
When I looked for these herbs St. John's Wart was the only one I had ever heard of. But I went to my local herbal remedy store to learn and get some more available options to have on hand.
We have Chamomile this is something you can plant in your flower garden now and it helps to relax you. Best taken as a tea.
California Poppy's- Another flower you can plant in your garden. It can be used in a tea and a bit of a stronger relaxer. Use the leaves and other aerial parts. They are a sedative,
anti-spasmodic, and mild pain reliever. This is also a gentle herb used
for colic and agitation in children. Do not use this herb or any other
sedative herbs in pregnancy.
Hops - Not for beer making but for tea and a sleep aid. This is easily to grown. But it is very bitter.
Scullcap - this is something I am trying to find. It spreads and is pretty in the garden. But great in teas and it is a smoke-able herb. Relaxes totally!
Rosemary-Sage Tea Boil two cups of water with one teaspoon each of rosemary and sage. Steep for five minutes, strain, and drink daily.
Clove Tea 3 parts Crush cloves, 1 part sage, 1 part camomile or peppermint tea and a dash of ginseng powder helps to lift mild depression.
Lemon Blam 3 parts Lemon Balm, 1 part Lavender, 1 part rose petals and 1 part spearmint and a bit of honey and vanilla. Mix the above herbs and flowers in a
bowl. Store in a glass jar. To prepare the tea, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of
herb per cup. Pour hot water over herbs and allow it to steep for 5 to
10 minutes. with Drink up to three
cups per day.
Also remember what you eat helps with those feelings
-Eating fish has a good influence on the serotonin production.
-Eating garlic has a mood elevating effect.
-The amino acid tryptophan has been found to relieve depression and natural sources include turkey, chicken, fish, peas, nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
and peanut butter. If you can eat them with carbohydrates, such as potatoes, pasta and
rice, this can help the brain's uptake of tryptophan.
Song for this post has to be Losing Keys by Jack Johnson great song when you just feel like simplifying your life and getting back to the basics.
Many preppers already do this, but alot of you do not. This is a basic how to, to get you started.
Sorry to interrupt this post but had to share this one with you! UPDATE: here is a good one $10 off a $10 purchase from Lowes means FREE. I ran and got nails and some duct tape and leaf bags FREE. It took a day for the coupon to be emailed to me but worth it! You just have to sign up for their news letter. (which will send you other deals) Click Here
Remember not all coupons are for the grocery store :) (Lowes does take printable from the below web site to. )
ok now back to the post...
Some basics about couponing to build your stockpile a little cheaper.
There are thousand of sights that help you figure out the best deals. Couponers call them matchups. Try typing into google search "coupon matchups for _____________ " (for what ever store you shop at). You will come up with tons of sites. I seem to find the best deals at the pharmacies. Now keep in mind that you are not going to do all your shopping the week to week way.
There are 3 main sites to print coupons and you can print a coupon 2 times per computer. If you have 2 computers you can print 4....I work in an office...no desk is safe from me printing a coupon I really want :)
....and another great source is printable deals. They post a new coupon when they come out. I check this a few times a day from all over the web.
Also your Sunday paper (I always buy at least 2 because many deals come in two's) I actually buy the Saturday paper in my area, because they are cheaper and they have the same coupons. Your local one may not, but if you check papers like the Boston Globe, NY Times their Saturdays do. Many local free paper have them to. But don't get greedy. Someone in my area was taking all the papers. And the paper stopped putting them in.
DO NOT THROW THEM AWAY because you will go back to them in weeks to come.(meaning, you do not use that so you don't need the coupon, but if you can get it for free why not get it?)
Many coupons have a set print limit...20,000, 100,000 what ever it is, when it is reached you will not be able to print it. So print it right away if it is something you want.
It really takes a few months to get the hang of it... But I have saved $1000's of dollars. Don't give up and ask other couponers questions they are always very helpful! (that is why I am a regular at weusecoupons.com). They also get the flyers weeks ahead of time and scan them in, so you can plan your trips.
One other note. Couponing is also a re-learning how to shop. I shop WAY ahead of time. And as preppers we all, already do this. EX: getting 2 month of one thing because you are getting it for half the price now. Stockpile baby!!!!
These are a few pic's of stuff I got close to free or super cheap! WITH COUPONS!
I Clip Coupons (It's My Hobby) - Funny Rap Music Video (PG 13)
you have chalkboard paint. 
