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Monday, October 29, 2012

Hurricane Survival Tips

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With Hurricane Sandy on its way with impressive strength towards over 60 million people according to CNN, our thoughts and prayers turn all who are in its path.  Red Cross reports that over 3,200 people evacuated their homes and spent the night at Red Cross shelters last night.

We thought we could provide a comprehensive list of information from different sources with  hopes that it might help even a few in the east coast.  Our thoughts are prayers are with you!

Photo credit: Trodel / Foter / CC BY-SA

Friday, October 26, 2012

HOW TO DEHYDRATE WATER

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Nesco Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator
Breaking News!  Dehydrating water to solve water storage challenges.

As human beings there are very few things that we just can't live without.  And sadly, college football does not fit that description even though some might argue otherwise.  Along with air and food, water is perhaps one of the most important substance we need in order to sustain life.  More than half of our body is made of water.  It is what holds us together in a sense.  So, it is natural for anyone who is preparedness-minded to rank water at the top (or close to it) of his/her storage list.  Unfortunately, however, even the brightest and most experienced prepper is faced with a challenge when trying to store large amounts of water for a long period of time.


Challenges of Storing Water Long-Term
Because water is a solvent (liquid substance that's capable of dissolving other substances) there is always the risk of containers releasing chemicals into the water over time.  If you are reusing a container that held something else, there is the challenge of cleaning the container completely, so nothing is growing inside while the water is in storage.  Another challenge to water storage is the sheer volume needed for storage.   It is generally accepted in emergency preparedness that a person needs about 2 gallons a day.  For a person to survive for 72 hours, he/she needs to store 6 gallons of water.  If that person is married the amount doubles.  If there are children in the picture, the amount becomes staggering.  The final challenge to storing water is its massive weight.  A gallon of water weighs close to 8 lbs.  This means if a person wants all the water in his/her 72 hour kit, just the water alone will weigh a whopping 48 lbs!

The Solution
And now, we are pleased to inform you that after years of research and many failed attempts, mankind has made an astronomical step in water storage.  We now have a way to dehydrate water to solve all of its storage problems!  Watch the video to learn the step-by-step to dehydrating and rehydrating water!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Our final class for the year!

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It was our first day of snow here in Rexburg, Idaho today!  There were many scooping side walks and scraping snow off the windshields this the morning; but the cold, snowy morning didn't stop us from having our weekly class today. And it certainly did not stop Lisa Dobie from coming prepared with great information on alternative non-food storage items.  The discussion was focused on homemade solutions for some of our everyday needs like laundry, dishwashing, cosmetics, personal hygiene, and fun things for kids.  For those of you who are interested in living a frugal lifestyle, this video is definitely a must watch!  Can your laundry detergent do a load for a penny?  Watch to learn more!





Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Product Review: Mountain Meal Mess Kit with Folding Stove by Emergency Zone

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Not too long ago we had an opportunity to go outdoors and roast marshmallows with some friends.  As one of the many Basic Living enthusiasts, I took the opportunity to take some of our products out to see how effective they are (or how effective they are not).  Here are the products I decided to take with me and tested in real outdoor situation and my thoughts on them.


Friday, October 19, 2012

Sheriff Roy Klingler Takes Time to Teach Firearm Safety at Basic Living Store

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We had a wonderful class yesterday here at Basic Living.  Madison County Sheriff Roy Klingler took some time to teach us about firearms safety as well as personal protection.  It was one of the best turnouts we've had in our store this year.

Sheriff Klingler's experience and background could be found on the site below.  http://klingler4sheriff.com/index.php/experience.

Time seemed to pass by fast as we listened to the Sheriff discuss not only gun safety but also a lot of common sense safety tips that most of us might have forgotten about.  One of the things he stressed heavily was the importance for us as citizens to pay attention to our surroundings.  It helps the law enforcement personell a great deal when a civilian witness at a crime scene is able to provide description of the suspect or the license place number or description of the car because he/she was paying attention.  He also reminded us that parents need to teach children about the danger of strangers.

Rather than attempting to describe the class in written text, we will embed the video right on this blog so that those of you who missed out, can have the chance to watch the class.  We hope you will take the time to watch it.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Webinar: Fire Prevention and Preparedness: Activities and Events to Engage Your Communities

Pin It Here is a notice from FEMA.  It appears that you can sign up simply by creating a login account (name, password, and e-mail address).  For those of us here in the Idaho area it would be Wednesday, October 17th at 1 p.m.


Webinar: Fire Prevention and Preparedness: Activities and Events to Engage Your Communities

Fire Prevention and Preparedness: Activities and Events to Engage Your Communities 
Wednesday, October 17th

3:00 p.m. EDT
National Preparedness Month has ended!  However, we want to maintain the momentum and enthusiasm we’ve built over the past several weeks by providing you with ideas for activities and events you can plan to keep local communities engaged in disaster preparedness efforts, whether it’s at home or in the wider community.

As a reminder that Fire Prevention and Safety is a year-round activity,  FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division and 
Ready.gov will present a FREE Webinar on Wednesday, October 17 about fire prevention events and activities you and your stakeholders can implement in your communities to engage the public. Fires are the most common hazard, and it’s smart to know your risks and appropriate protective actions, especially with the holiday season approaching.
Speakers from the United States Fire Administration and Hope World Wide will discuss their efforts to prepare communities for fires, sharing their resources, ideas and projects before taking questions from participants.
  • ·         The USFA will discuss their Have Two Ways Out Campaign during National Fire Prevention Week, which falls this week (October 7-13). 
  • ·         Hope World Wide will discuss their Protecting Our Neighbors Campaign, which encourages fire prevention education projects in neighborhoods at risk for homes fires, and .
Register/Log in 
Register if this is your first time joining the Community Preparedness Webinar Series.
Log in if you have already registered for this webinar, have registered for a previous webinar or if you're aHSIN.gov user.
If you have questions regarding this event, please contact citizencorps@dhs.gov.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Dark Rye Breat Recipe

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One of the great things about visiting the Basic Living store is that more often than not, there are samples.  If you walk into the store and smell something delicious, that's usually because something is in the oven.  Here is one of those samples that we gave out to customers as they came by (not the whole thing, obviously :D) a few weeks ago.  In our new location, we have a very nice kitchen in the back that allows us to use some of the items we sell to make delicious things.  This also gives us experience and knowledge concerning the products we sell.  This Dark Rye Bread was made using our favorite product, the Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine.  

And those of you who didn't get to come by the store and try this yummy bread, we have the recipe for you!!!