Month: November 2021

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Food inflation is rising. Are you prepared to handle the increasing food prices? According to the USDA, food inflation for 2021 is already at 2.1 percent for at-home food, and restaurant food has risen 3.3 percent (find the details here). However, those numbers are expected to rise a lot more as supply chains are disrupted and understaffed labor force. 

The average cost of groceries for a single adult for one month is around $67. However, lifestyle, eating out, and the types of foods you eat can all affect how much your food actually costs. Can you afford to feed your family now? What about next year when the cost of food has increased even more? 

These statistics simply say that the cost of food is going up and will continue to go up. And with recent historical events, it can be hard to find the foods we like. So how can we stay ahead of food inflation?

In this article, we’ll talk about how you can mitigate the rising costs of food. While one way to avoid paying more for food is to stockpile it, there are many additional ways to continue to eat well at a reasonable price. We’ll talk about how to shop the sales, plan your meals, cook from scratch, avoid food waste, and even grow your own food. But, first, we’ll take a look at how sale shopping can help you save money on groceries. 

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Shop Sales

Shopping sales at the grocery store is a great way to save money on food. However, most grocery stores will have ‘loss leaders.’ These are a few low-priced groceries that are heavily advertised to get you to shop in their store with the expectation that you’ll also buy plenty of full-priced food while you are there. These loss leaders change from week to week. 

One way to really save money is only to shop the things that are on sale and stock up. For example, if chicken breasts are on sale the first week of the month, stock up on the number of chicken breasts you’ll need for the next 4 to 6 weeks until they are on sale again. Then, separate the breasts into usable sizes and freeze them until you need them. 

Different stores usually have different loss leaders each week, so if you have the time, you can purchase other items at different stores, so you really save. If you are very organized, you can create a price point book to keep track of all the best. Find directions to create your own here. 

Use Unit Price to Find the Best Deal 

When you look at grocery store price…

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If people who torture animals are psychopaths, then what are government officials who use taxpayer dollars to fund animal torture? Many are asking this question in the wake of revelations that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci—high priest of the COVID cult—funded medical “research” involving the torture of puppies. This led “Fire Fauci” to trend on Twitter, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to call for his resignation.

The puppy torture story was followed by disclosures that the federal government funded the testing of experimental AIDS vaccines on orphans. Many of the orphans used as human guinea pigs subsequently died, and nurses who assisted in these experiments reported that many children got sick immediately after receiving the vaccines.

Testing dangerous drugs on orphans and torturing puppies in the name of “science” is certainly shocking, but is it really surprising that government would fund these types of activities? What is the difference between using orphans and puppies for cruel experiments in the name of protecting public health and killing innocent children in drone attacks in the name of stopping terrorism?

Ironically, these revelations come when Congress is on the verge of allowing the federal bureaucracy to destroy what remains of our medical privacy. Both the Senate and House versions of the Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services Appropriations bill remove the prohibition on the development of a “unique patient identifier.”

The prohibition on funding for the unique patient identifier, which I sponsored, has been in place since 1998. The push to allow the government to force every American to obtain a unique patient identifier is being justified as a means to efficiently monitor Americans’ “contact and immunization” status.

When I began fighting the unique patient ID in the 1990s, my opponents denied that medical identifiers would make it impossible to ensure confidentiality of medical records. Now, they are saying we should support medical identifiers because they allow government officials, employers, schools, airlines, and even stores and restaurants to discover what, if any, vaccinations or other medical treatments we have or have not received. The result of the identifier will be a medical caste system, where those who refuse to follow the mandates or advice of the “experts” are denied opportunities to work, receive an education, or even go to church or enjoy a night out on the town.

A unique patient identifier will weaken health care by making individuals reluctant to share personal information—such as drug and alcohol use and past sexual history—with health care providers. It will also discourage sick individuals from seeking medical care for fear their physicians will discover they are unvaccinated, smoke, are overweight, or engage in other unapproved behaviors.

A unique medical ID could also be tied to government records of gun purchases. Someone with “too many” guns could be labeled a potential mental health risk and harassed by law enforcement. This is especially likely if the gun grabbers are successful in their push to…

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When people think of Alaska, they often imagine off-grid cabins in the remote wilderness where people hunt for food and heat with firewood they chopped themselves.

In reality, living off grid in Alaska is much more complicated.  Not only do you have to endure the harsh conditions, but you have to navigate Alaska’s laws about off-grid living.

Want to learn more about living off the grid? Read:

Is Living Off-Grid Legal in Alaska?

Nearly 98% of Alaska is remote land that isn’t incorporated into any city.

In these areas, off-grid living is usually legal. In fact, living off grid may be your only option as these areas often aren’t covered by municipal services.

However, the majority of Alaskans live in incorporated cities.  Off-grid living, especially sewage disposal and wind energy systems, is highly-regulated in these areas to the point where it may be illegal.

So don’t assume that you can move anywhere in Alaska and legally live off grid.

Alaska Zoning Laws and Off-Grid Living

Municipalities typically divide land into zoning districts.  Each zoning district has its own rules about what you are legally allowed to do on your property.  Some of these zoning laws in Alaska may make it illegal to live off grid in the way you want.

A unique thing about Alaska zoning laws is that cities are often very small in size.  For example, the city of Soldotna has a population of about 4,700 people.  In other areas of the USA, places with populations this small might not even count as a city.  These low-population areas would usually be zoned as Rural or Agricultural and have very few regulations.

Yet, despite it having a small population, Soldotna has strict zoning laws.  Most of the city falls under Residential zoning, and there is very little rural zoned land.

You might even encounter strict laws in rural zoned land in Alaska too.  For example, the city of Wasilla  (pop. 10,000) only allows this many farm animals in rural zones:

• Up to two cows, horses, pigs, or other animals with a typical weight of 250lbs per animal
• Up to 10 goats, sheep, or other animals with a typical weight of 25-250lbs
• Up to 50 rabbits, mink, or other animals with a typical weight of less than 25lbs

If you were thinking, for example, of setting up a rabbit-breeding farm to sustain yourself, you’d find your business options highly limited.

Building Codes in Alaska

Contrary to what many think, there are building codes in Alaska.  While not always enforced, these codes apply even in remote areas of the State.  Currently, Alaska uses these building codes:

• 2012 International Building Code
• 2018 International Energy Conservation Code
• 2012 International Fire Code
• 2012 International Fuel Gas Code
• 2012 International Mechanical Code

As of writing, Alaska has not adopted a statewide residential building code.  Cities may have their own residential codes to follow, though.

Building Permits in Alaska

In most incorporated areas of Alaska, you need to get a permit for most construction projects over…

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Shotguns for homesteads go back as far as shotguns themselves. They are the most versatile, all purpose firearm up to meeting the varied tasks that come with owning a homestead, and nothing beats simplicity like a single-shot shotgun.

A Brief History of Shotguns on the Range

Believe it or not, “the gun that won the west” was not a Winchester Model 1873 lever-action rifle. The pioneers that ventured across the prairie packed all sorts of commodities in their wagons. So, for the most part, a firearm was just another implement, a tool no different than any other tool. To that end, the most affordable type was some type of shotgun domestically manufactured with Industrial Age machinery.

Many 19th century European double-barreled shotguns were guild guns, built using cottage-industries that specialized in locks, stocks, or barrels. The final product involved much hand-fitting so cost was relatively high, although still less than those from prestigious London shops. Demand for either was more limited since hunting was an upper-class affair conducted on large estates where price was of less concern.

20th century example of a machine-made double-gun. Sadly, today, they’re all built offshore. This one came from Russia.

Meanwhile, the situation in America was the opposite with a huge demand for firearms, driven by adventurous folks seeking homesteading opportunities on the plains. Catalogs were soon full of more affordable machine-made guns including many with a pair of smoothbore barrels. These 10 or 12 gauge double-guns were a whole lot better than no gun, and they offered great versatility.

Subsistence hunting was a given, nicely covered by smaller shot loads that could fill the family pot with everything from rabbits to sage grouse. Larger quarry like deer could be harvested with buckshot or, sometimes, “pumpkin balls.” Either load also provided an effective defensive capability as long as ranges weren’t too extreme; inside around 40 paces.

A rifle was sometimes added to handle longer-range targets but, on a day-to-day basis, the shotgun was the mainstay family choice that could be pointed instead of aimed. This was true in 1880 and it still is today.

The Basic Homestead Shotgun

A basic H&R break-barrel single-shot. The small tab behind its hammer will unlock the barrel for easy loading or unloading. Although no longer produced, most gun shops have at least one reasonably-priced example lurking in a “used” rack.

In keeping with a no-frills approach, the affordable shotgun option is some sort of basic, break-action, single-shot. Peruse most gun shops and you’ll spot such a gun languishing in the “used” rack for little cost. Good chance it’ll be branded Harrington and Richardson or New England Arms, both of which came from the same now-defunct factory.

Other manufacturers offer similar single-shots, although most are imports that come and go raising concerns about service and spare parts.

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