Food & Water
Civilian MREs: what they are, where to buy, and shelf life
What a civilian MRE actually is, whether MREs are legal to buy, how long they last, and whether they belong in your emergency food plan.
Be Prepared, Not Scared Emergency Preparedness & Survival Guides
We’re Ronald and Robert. Since 2015 we’ve written 145 guides on food storage, water, power, gear, and the skills that keep working when the grid doesn’t.
Plain English, no fearmongering, and we’ll tell you when something isn’t worth the money.
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Food & Water
Can you eat leaves to survive? A guide to safe wild edibles
Which wild leaves are safe to eat, which poisonous lookalikes to avoid, and why leaves are a supplement to stored food rather than a replacement for it.
Food & Water
Plant prepping: how to grow food before you need it
Why a garden outlasts any stockpile, and the calorie-dense crops to grow first so your food plan keeps going after the buckets run out.
Gear
Emergency radio frequencies: what to monitor when grid fails
The NOAA Weather Radio channels to program before the grid goes down, plus the 3-3-3 rule that keeps your radio on the air without killing the battery.
Food & Water
Prepper water purification: boiling, bleach, distillation
Boiling, bleach, and distillation are the three ways to make questionable water safe to drink, with the exact doses and times from EPA and Ready.gov guidance.
Gear
The complete bug out bag checklist: what to pack and weigh
A bug out bag is a packed backpack you grab and go when you have to leave home in a hurry. Fire. Flood. A downed grid. An evacuation order. The bag is the bridge between "I have to leave now" and "I'm somewhere safe."
Gear
Emergency communication radio: what you need when grid fails
A plain-spoken guide to the radios that keep working when phones fail, from NOAA weather receivers to GMRS handhelds, and how to pick gear you will actually use.
Food & Water
Seed Saving Guide
Stop buying seed packets every spring. Save seed from your strongest plants, dry it right, and store it cool and dark. Next year's garden replants itself for free, and each season it gets a little more adapted to your soil and your weather.
Health
Preparing Your Own Living Medicine Cabinet – 7 Herbs
Seven common herbs can replace half your medicine cabinet. Echinacea for immunity, peppermint for digestion, chamomile for sleep. Grow them on a windowsill and dry what you don't use.
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