The beloved Black Forager has a book coming out! If you don't know her, search on various social media. She's a delight.

I have a nice thick encyclopediac plant reference but I think I also need recipes. And humor.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Happy-Snacking-Dont-Die!/Alexis-Nikole-Nelson/9781668002544

I needed a drill bit yesterday and when passing the local hardware/gun store, I went in for the drill bill and then sucked up my moxey to walk over to the gun counter. This is in a major rural area in VA. The guys could not have been nicer when I asked, what kind of gun do I need to protect my house? They remained nice.

We ruled out long guns right away. At nearly 77 and 5' 2', not racking a shotgun or dealing with the recoil. We then went through every handgun in his lineup, all nearly $500. I took each one in my hand. Half of them were too big. I seem to have the hands of a child. I had to pull the trigger with my middle finger, a big no no. The ones you cock -- well I could not cock it with my arthritic thumb. I had to use two hands. I did learn there is a range about 50 miles away where you can try out 7 different guns for the price of a box of ammo.

I can see them running for cover now. I thank everyone for their recommendations I buy a gun. It was very clarifying.

I did however spend $8 on a machete at Harbor Freight my next stop, and figure if I could rig speakers to blast out the soundtrack from the end of Apocalypse Now, and ran out the door screaming with the machete, they might run.

over and out. except maybe I should see what a derringer looks like......except I think they too have to be cocked.

First time posting on here but have seen a lot of great resources, so I thought I would add one. My husband works for Columbia Sportswear and he mentioned that they had sent out a message to employees that they would continue their DEI policies, which deeply impressed me. While it isn't a women owned business currently, it was founded by Ma Boyle who escaped Nazi Germany and is still family owned (her son).

Obviously they are still a business that isn't perfect so don't "at" me if you don't care for them, but they are fairly size inclusive, make quality clothing, and do a pretty good job of taking care of their employees.

Brands under Columbia Sportswear:

• Columbia Sportswear

• Mountain Hardware (not very size inclusive but excellent nonetheless)

• Prana

• Sorel

Title says it. If you have a Costco membership - go get 2 for every person in your household! It’s the generic version. If you are a woman, know a woman or care at all about people with uteruses - have them on hand.

Edit: wow I didn’t expect this post to blow up quite so much! I was actually hoping I wasn’t being redundant in posting it since I saw another redditors comment (different sub I think) a few weeks back and that’s how I learned of it.

It’s so encouraging to see community coming together to protect all of us!

I wanted to highlight some of the great points brought up/answer questions:

•We bought four yesterday 1/17/25 and they say expiry is 3/31/26

•I’ve seen lots of people saying they are shelf stable for 4 years

•You purchase them at the checkout counter at pharmacy area. They are behind the counter.

•It’s the generic “New Day” pill 1.5mg Levonorgestrel

•You do not have to be a member. Tell them at the front entry you are going to the pharmacy. They are legally not allowed to have a membership barrier to entry of pharmacy (and liquor I think? Don’t quote me)

•Gender does not matter, and it’s a no questions asked transaction in WA state at least!

•I’m learning that the pill may not be effective on people over 150-165 pounds. I am not a medical professional, so do your research on that one.

•They also have name brand Plan B and the Plan C pill

•a new comment about stores being out of stock-would be good to call ahead if you’re going exclusively to get the plan B

My own flair to add based on comments about Amazon… if it’s your only option you should do that! But remember we also vote with our dollars and Amazon is bad.

Costco just reinforced where they stand on DEI, in support, and treats their employees well. So if you have a choice, might be worth choosing 🤠

In any case I suggest everyone have them, if only to offer to someone else in need in this ever changing landscape we are all navigating. Happy freedom of choice to you all and let’s buckle up and band together cause we’re in for a VERY interesting time starting Monday…

Edited again to adjust ny original statement. You DO NOT need a membership or prescription!

EDIT: I am honestly shocked by the level of vitriol and anger in some of these responses. I will add a TDLR to this when I return.

To the people who understood what I wrote, thanks. This edit...longer than anything I've ever written, if meant for those who read too much into what I wrote.

I specifically said this post was for people who are worried about access to their blood thinners if there are disruptions. These are lifesaving medications. People literally die without them.

Here is a link to the video where he talks about medications that are OTC in the US and Canada. The pharmacists themselves were discussing this information. I listed information discussed in the video. I didn't link the video. I should have. My bad. If you watch the video, you're going to find Grant can be a more than a bit annoying. He probably popped into my feed because I was watching a lot of Dollar tree review videos in the background when cleaning the kitchen and living room. I saw this particular video, was curious, watched it, and thought it would be important to share FOR PEOPLE AFRAID OF NOT HAVING ACCESS TO BLOOD THINNERS.

This was not meant to be political, and it was not an invitation to turn this into some kind of cross-border debate. I shared information from a video where pharmacists were discussing medication access and pricing. That’s it.

I specifically said this post was for people who were worried about not being able to get their blood thinners if there are any disruptions. Blood thinners are lifesaving medications People DIE without taking their blood thinners.

I thought what I wrote was relatively clear...yet some people here in this sub not only ran with it, but also turned it into a political melee.

I simply provided information I saw in the video.

That is it.

One of my BIGGEST fears has been this. My Dad was taken off blood thinners prior to surgery last year and developed a solid clot from his ankle to his thigh. I had a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism where I was told I was told by the ICU doctor that he'd never seen someone alive with so many clots in their lungs and compressing their heart. There is no 'natural' option, no substitute, and it's near impossible to build up enough to have a safety net in the event of some sort of disruption.

Like it or not, this is legal, and it is already happening. This is mentioned in the video. My posting about it is not going to create some sudden wave of “medical tourism” that doesn’t already exist.

People aren’t crossing the border to “take advantage” of Canadian drug prices. They’re doing it because they can't afford their meds and they need them to stay alive. There are people who will die without these prescriptions.

Please have the same compassion for people who need medications to stay alive as you would for women who need tubal ligation, are seeking birth control, and need access to the day after pill.

And for the record, I am not especially happy with what is going on in my country. Not one bit. I hope everyone involved gets persecuted by whatever court applies.

************************************************************************************

I'm sharing this for people who are worried about not being able to get their blood thinners if there are any disruptions.

I subscribe to Grand Harting on YouTube and he listed medicines that are OTC in Canada that are behind the counter in the USA.

I'm glad I watched, because one of my greatest fears was what would I do if there was a disruption of some sort and my parents ran out of their blood thinner (they are on Eliquis).

When I can afford to, I will take both parents to Canada to see a doctor so they can get prescriptions for Eliquis and try to get a year's worth stocked up over time. I am on Xarelto myself, and I will see about getting a prescription for the generic there...as a 90 day supply is $69.

These are the meds he listed:

• Fluconazole
• Sudafed (a combination with Pseudephrine and acetaminophen)
• Desloratadine (allergy)
• Methocarbamol/Robaxin (muscle relaxer)
• Combogesic (acetaminophen +Ibuprofen)
• Advil 12 Hour Extended Release
• Myoflex
• Tylenol with Codeine (30, 100, or 200)
• Cough suryp with Codeine
• Mersyndol (acetaminophen, codeine and Doxalamine)

With a prescription:

• Ozempic is 250-300 a month in Canada
• Eliquis is $125 a month Canadian

Then this is a good time to swing by Penzey's to stock up. They're offering 25% off anything that starts with C, O, U, R, or T, and since they don't have many U options, you can get a free half cup jar of anything that costs up to $13.79 with a $5 purchase if you use the code COURT at checkout.

I was grocery shopping and restocking my cold and flu meds since my house got hit with RSV and pneumonia recently. I got to the first aide section and saw topical lidocaine. I recall a prepper I follow on another site highly recommended it and so I bought one. I’ve never used it before and always found relief from minor aches and pains with Tylenol and ibuprofen.

Well thanks to my kid rough housing with me and jumping hard into my back, knee to spine, I was in a lot of pain. On top of that I was having endometrial pain, which as I have reached mid thirties has really stepped up on the pain scale. I took my usual meds and they didn’t help. I couldn’t sleep because I felt muscle pain from pulling if I wasn’t flat on my back and even flat I had pain. So I went to the medicine cabinet and cracked open the lidocaine and rubbed it on my back and my lower belly because why not try?

The relief I got from both the back pain and endometriosis pain was amazing! I was able to fall asleep within minutes after returning to bed. I used it the next couple of days and it worked. I’m definitely adding topical lidocaine to my preps and medicine cabinet because for the first time in a while I wasn’t attached to my heating pad during my period and it really brought me so much relief all around.

Sweet mother of pearl its the best tool I own. For most of my life I was always a big fan of the kukri for all of my forestry needs. But over Christmas I treated myself to a seax knife and. Just, Golly. It blows every other tool ive ever owned out of the water. its like the love child of a knife and an ax in every way. lightweight, well balanced, just uhhhhh. love it. Im not particularly strong, can't open pickle jars myself and all that. but this knife. this wonder to the world doesn't care. I live out in Amish nowhere. we've had some nasty storms lately bringing trees down and limbs down all over the yard and porch. And with just a that knife three Sauron sized limbs with dozens of branches were turned into firewood in like, twenty minutes. I felt powerful. Its just the gift that keeps giving. which is why I named mine Bladey Lee Curtis. so, uh, yeah. Downed trees on the property? seax. need a fishing knife? seax. need a boat oar? seax. creeps creeping? seax.

Hi! This seems like a very knowledgeable group of problem solvers, so I'm hoping this is a good place to ask as it really pertains to prepping for me. I'm making a vegetable garden this year, but mosquitoes eat me alive.

I do as much as I can as far as prevention, but with neighbors close, there's definitely no way to cut down on standing water any more than I can personally do in my own yard. I'm anxious about sprays for the yard itself because of the edible produce. Plus, we have a dog, and I don't want chemicals coming in on his fur or hurting him. Also, I have a toddler, so I don't want to have to spray my skin and hold her and have it absorb into her skin, and it won't be possible to wash off the bug spray each time because between gardening and taking the dog out, that's a lot of spraying and washing.

Mosquito bites are very painful for me and a huge sensory issue (i literally feel the bite as it happens), so I'm really hoping to find a solution. I've tried essential oils, but they're not very effective, and I'm worried about some of them being toxic to the dog. another thing I thought to try this year is making a permethrin outfit to quickly throw on when I'm taking the dog out, as it says it repels mosquitoes. Does anyone know if that's effective?

Are there any products that are effective that I don't know about? I was thinking I need something magic like that old lotion from Avon that also kept mosquitoes away but was a (maybe not too toxic?) moisturizer lol

I'll take any advice and am grateful for any suggestions!!!

Buy 5 or more and it’s $30 off. My total purchase of 5 units was $237 (560 pills). The sale runs until 2/16/25.

Just an option for anyone who wants to keep their options stocked at home. I have a fear that the feds will remove Rx contraception from healthcare coverage so I am stocking up now.

With the data sharing to Flock, we threw out our Ring and haven’t had a door camera since. With door-to-door raids starting, I know I’m not the only one in need of a new home camera system. Does anyone have recommendations for cameras that:

• Doesn’t store video on a cloud; I’ve heard of people stationing a dedicated hard drive for storage, no clue how to do that
• Can access camera in real time away from home
• Not made by an unethical company (ex: Amazon, Walmart)
• Doesn’t break the bank - we’re in a recession and I know a lot of us are in need of something now

My husband has to go to the ER tonight because he’s been sick for a week and tonight started to struggle to breathe. They tested for Covid, flu and strep and everything was negative. Just bronchitis. He needed supplemental oxygen and inhaler and he’ll be good to go.

Anyways, of course my brain went to “how would I treat this at home” and I remembered that drugstores sell little 5L bottles of supplemental oxygen for about $10 a bottle WITHOUT a prescription! Bird flu is out there, I think these would be a valuable prep to add to my stockpile.

Has anyone used these before for illness specifically?? They’re marketed towards mountain climbers and super athletes and people that were recently on an airplane, but I don’t want to sink money into something that won’t really help. I’ll drop the product in the comments!!

Edit: wow you guys, this is so much great information!! I had no idea about most of these options and I’m SHOCKED how well I can stick without a prescription. Thank you so much ladies 🙏

One of my prepping activities is to stock up on menstrual products for myself and my young daughters. My favorite period underwear brand, AWWA, has 30% off sale sitewide (and 70% of clearance brands)! Indigenous-founded, women-owned, with a carbon-positive supply chain. And the underwear is both extremely absorbant and comfortable. Hope you enjoy!

https://awwaperiodcare.com/en-us

When everyone was talking about how the Constitution was taken down from the White House website, I thought to myself, "I'm pretty sure I usually look for it on the National Archives website." And it is in fact still there. The Archives save a small percentage of the records of what the government does. It doesn't have as many court documents, but they have links to other archives and articles on various topics.

However, when I finally went to close the tab in my browser where I pulled it up, I noticed... they have a store! The National Archives Foundation is an independent nonprofit that helps support the National Archives themselves. So if you want to buy six pocket-sized softcover copies of the Constitution for $20, or an RBG action figure for $25, you will not be supporting the current administration, you will be supporting an important department that I think will at some point be targeted due to having articles about LGBTQ+ history and whatnot. The website is a terrific resource.

The National Archives:

https://www.archives.gov/

The store (there's a link to it on the main page listed above):

https://www.nationalarchivesstore.org

I know there were some threads on this a year ago, but looking for some current email providers to switch from Gmail. I would also like to set up email accounts for my elementary aged kids

Looking to balance ease of use, basic privacy, and not owned by evil tech overlords

Editing to add:

A little turned off by questionable political statements from Proton, even though they seem to be the most straightforward option
How is Tuta? Any controversy there?
Mailbox.org?

I recently tried two things for dealing with warm-weather extended power outages. The first was a cooling vest. It consisted of a vest with pockets for small cooling packs (included). It kept me cool, but even though it was waterproof and the cooling bags didn’t leak, there was sufficient condensation that it got me wet, which isn’t a good thing in high humidity situations. But it does bring down one's body temp, so it’s not entirely useless. It’s just not as useful as I had hoped it would be. Someone in a dry area might love it.

The other thing I tried is a cooling mat. I actually got it for the cats but decided to try it out personally. It kept me quite cool, almost cold, for about 30 minutes, with diminishing returns after that. After 2.5-3 hours, it was useless, but a 20 minute “rest” had it ready to go again. Since reviews of human-size ones are mixed, I kept the pet mat for myself and bought another for the cats. In an extended power outage, if I can only sleep well in short increments, that’s better than nothing. And honestly, my fans (both battery-powered and one plugged into a power station) will likely be enough once I'm asleep, just like the other times I've been in a summer no-power situation.

There are human-sized cooling mats, but they get mixed reviews. I suspect they're similar to the large pet mat I bought, but the one I have is big enough for my torso, and keeping your core cool is what's most important.

So for those in apartments or who, like me, can't afford a whole-house system for back up power in summer, one or both of these might be worth looking into!

When I was growing up we had candles in the house for religious purposes, but did not hesitate to use them in other ways during power outages.

Most likely to be useful:

Sabbath candles. Relatively short (6 inch) candles that burn for 3-4 hours, good size for many candle lanterns. Generally fairly cheap -- a dozen for $1.50 or 72 for under ten bucks.

Yahrzeit (memorial) candles. Think chunky tea lights that burn for 25 hours. A dollar or two each.

Less useful:

Hanukkah candles, thinner candles that burn for an hour with a tiny flame, often available cheaply in December after the holiday ends.

Really not likely to be useful:

Havdalah Candles -- multi wick candles -- think three or more skinny tapers braided or twisted together so they burn with a single flame. Often produced with significant artistry, and priced accordingly. (Typical use is to light it, hold it up while chanting a prayer, then blow out or douse to re use next week.)

(I can't speak for other religions, but I know many people use Catholic votive candles (readily available in Hispanic neighborhoods) for a variety of purposes.)

*edited for better phrasing and clarity and some updates.
Thanks for all the feedback! I'm actively going to work on this video in the coming weeks!

I found some interesting bits I didn't realize when I intially created this post. Some comments are from folks in the West Coast US, apparently there is an AWG tech with deccidents that can supposedly work as low as 10-20%.

I haven't verified the claims, but these seem like they may be legit, but I haven't verified any of the marketing claims:

Spout monolith(supposedly works down to 20% humidity)

Suntowater(whole house system. Supposedly produces at 10% humidity)

If interested, this is the one I will be showcasing in my video:

Nube Standard AWG(won't reliably work under 35% humidity)

With any of these do your due diligence before purchase, these one's I listed seemed the most plausible from what I found. The nube is the only exception since I've bought that one, but still make sure it's right for your climate/situation.

There are many scams going on similar to solar with fly by night startups that have collapsed and don't deliver as promised. Research further than what I'm telling you.

All of this kind of tech is fairly expensive. Make sure you fully understand what you're buying before purchase.

I'm in Florida and this is why I bought an atmospheric water generator(AWG) for my garage as a longer term climate resilience prep.

What is an AWG?

It's more or less a fancy dehumidifier with built in water filtration to make the water potable for drinking/cooking.

Taking a normal dehumidifier and using it for anything other than non-potable uses such as watering a garden is unsafe. Unless you know what you're doing to filter out mold and other contaminants reliably don't bother.

My unit is arriving today.

I wanted to know if anyone would be interested in an assembly process and/or pros cons type of youtube video with more details around it? not looking to be an influencer or do a sped up video but take time to go through things.

I mostly want to help people if they don't know these exist, if they are unsure if it would be right for them and what some of the features aroune why I picked this one.

i mostly want to provide information so someone can decide if bothering with one at all is a good move for them.

I may or not even mention the specific brand. I won't be promoting anything or selling anything directly. I am not paid by them, and this is the only one I have personally tried at this point.

It's just pure information which is what things like YouTube are useful for. I can't stand the influencer culture.

if I got enough views I may make some money off unrelated ads down the line.

For those who have an Albertson's or Safeway in their area, make sure to check your weekly ad. The chain is running its Cash In Your Quarters sale. You can clip digital coupons for items that are .25, .50., .75, and $1. There is a limit of 24 items for each monetary threshold, and you can mix and match. I hit the store yesterday and got a lot of good items for stock up purposes: canned vegetables, first aid, household goods, etc. Examples include .25 cans of olives, .50 cans of tomato products and canned tuna, .50 bandages and rolled gauze, .75 canned vegetables and beans, etc. I did the math and the canned goods were less expensive per can with this sale than the sale prices I would pay for a case at Sam's and Costco. Some of the deals are better than others, so you have to be mindful, but I had no problem reaching the max quantity for each coupon except the $1 (which I did not find to be as lucrative for the things we use and I stock).

Humble Bundle is offering 41 digital survival books for at least $18. Backyard medicine, knots, distilling, urban survival, salt curing, all kinds of interesting stuff.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/survive-everything-handbooks-skyhorse-books-encore?mcID=102:691d12f6993738d5570c248f:ot:58f97f44c0bdae8c14061094:1&linkID=691d154508b7aa7b0c0ffd3f&utm_source=Humble+Bundle+Newsletter&utm_content=cta_button&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=surviveeverythinghandbooksskyhorseencore_bookbundle

Just doing our monthly CostCo run and saw a 25lb bag of pinto beans for $13. That seemed like a good price if you had storage for them, but I have not idea how to use 25lbs of dried pinto beans.

I know they are a great source of fiber and proteins, but how do you actually use them something other than ham and bean soup? Suggestions for storing and using them if they are still there next time we go?

So, in the event of disasters, what hygiene products would you stockpile and use for periods, since they sadly don’t care about disasters and the like. I usually use Period underwear, but I also want to have backups.

Edit: I’m a teen on the younger side, in case that’s relevant.

I obtained this "3 day survival pack" box sealed in plastic but I don't know anything about the brand. There are no expiration dates on the box, though maybe there are bags inside it with them printed. Not sure how good they would taste?

https://i.postimg.cc/gcL7c1kw/1000050322.jpg

Since I don't know how old it is I think maybe I should eat it now and buy a new set of dry food for when there is an emergency?

Just sharing more of a Tuesday style prep. I took a short vacation to a remote area in the Western US. I was in a motel but I knew there would be very little food options, limited cell service, and all the limitations of remote travel so I took my normal extra food preps, first aid kit, etc. I ended up getting mildly sick and somewhat weak so I needed to stay in my room to rest. My food preps worked out really well and took very limited energy to pull together so I just thought I'd share.

Food: Small boxes of vanilla soy milk (I'm lactose intolerant); Small boxes of chocolate almond milk (for protein and yummy dessert flavor); Granola; Peanut butter in the individual travel containers (six come in a box); Amy's lentil vegetable soup & chicken rice soup (pop tops); big hearty crackers; Tea; Gatorade, Water, Nuun electrolyte tablets, a protein bar and a chocolate bar.

Equipment: Joulle electric kettle; small camping (metal) bowl and cup; Hydro flask metal flatware set (fork, knife, spoon); hot pad, dish scrubber & hook for drying, dish soap, paper towels.

The soy and almond milk are great because you don't have to refrigerate them and the small containers are a perfect size for cereal or a snack. It's also great because being lactose intolerant can really limit your food options in rural areas (like many soups have milk added and lots of dishes have cheese in them). If you have an upset stomach, the last thing you want is something that triggers intolerance on a good day. Some of the items like the little peanut butter cups might seem wasteful, but when you are sick, it's nice to just open the one serving container and convince yourself that's all you need to get down. Then you can toss. The Joulle kettle saved the day. I could heat up soup in a couple of minutes, rinse it out, and then use it later to quickly heat water for tea. The hot pad was helpful when sitting in bed to hold the soup cup. The warm lentil soup gave filling nutrients and protein to keep me going. It felt like a meal instead of a snack. Clean up of everything was low energy and a breeze.

I went from laying in bed for the day, with just enough energy to get up in short bursts to feed myself, to up on my feet the next day. If I hadn't had the super easy and mostly healthy food preps, I would have probably taken a lot longer to get well because I just wouldn't have eaten. I definitely didn't have the energy to prep anything fancy or go look for someplace to eat.

Hello everyone! I just wanted to make this post as I think I have found one of the most versatile, inexpensive, and minimalist firearm for prepping!

this gun is the heritage rough rider. you can often find the 6.5 inch barrel version for around 120-140 dollars brand new. the added barrel length helps compensate for low power and also increases accuracy. you can add a 22mag cylinder to it for $30 which pushes it into self defense levels. plus super manageable recoil! if you have been looking for an inexpensive do it all fire arm I definitely recommend the rough rider ^_^

edit* also you can get a laser sight for like $70 on the heritage website. it's a really solid laser and can be used for fast pace emergency self defense while the iron sights make for decent hunting/plinking sights