Month: January 2023

No matter how well you take care of yourself, you can’t always escape chronic pain. Millions of people across the globe are impacted by it on a regular basis. In fact, 10% of the world’s population deals with chronic pain. While it stems from various causes, it can be debilitating and severely reduce your overall quality of life.

As a prepper, you already think about how to keep yourself healthy and sustained through emergency situations. But, if you’re someone who deals with chronic pain, that’s also something to keep in mind as you prepare for the future.

Let’s cover eight tips you can use to manage your pain, stay on track with your prepping efforts, and make sure you can take care of the pain you feel even in less-than-ideal circumstances.

1. Understand the Source

One of the best things you can do to learn how to manage your chronic pain is to determine what’s causing it. Once you understand where your pain is coming from, you can form an effective strategy to deal with it.

Some of the common contributors to chronic pain include:

• Being overweight
• Illnesses like Lyme disease, diabetes, cancer, and shingles
• Poor posture
• A traumatic injury
• Underlying health conditions

Obviously, some of these issues are easier to treat than others. If poor posture or being overweight are contributing to your pain, there are things you can do to remedy those problems quickly. If you have a medical condition or specific illness, it’s important to talk to your doctor about which medications or other forms of treatment might be able to help.

2. Be Realistic With Your Expectations

When you’re struggling with severe pain and trying to stay on track with a prepping schedule, it’s easy to get frustrated. Realistically, you’re not going to be able to do everything you might want to do. You probably won’t even be able to do some of the physical things you did before.

Manage your expectations and be realistic. Fight back against frustration by shifting your focus on the things you can do, rather than dwelling on the things you can’t accomplish on your own. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from family members and friends. Chronic pain may cause you to swallow your pride a bit, but it doesn’t have to completely bring you down. There’s plenty you can still take care of, and you can use this as an opportunity to educate other people in your life about the importance of prepping.

3. Stay On Top of the News

While you might be limited in how you can prepare, physically, there’s no reason you can’t continue to be a sponge when it comes to keeping up with local, national, and global events. You likely already have at least one media source you trust, to stay up-to-date with whatever might be happening that could impact you now or in the future.

By keeping up with…

Continue reading

Basic Auto Mechanic Skills To Fix Your Car Yourself | Homesteading Simple Self Sufficient Off-The-Grid | Homesteading.com <![CDATA[ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/svg/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https://homesteading.com/wp-includes/js/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.1.1"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(e,a,t){var n,r,o,i=a.createElement("canvas"),p=i.getContext&&i.getContext("2d");function s(e,t){var a=String.fromCharCode,e=(p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,e),0,0),i.toDataURL());return p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,t),0,0),e===i.toDataURL()}function c(e){var t=a.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=t.type="text/javascript",a.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(t)}for(o=Array("flag","emoji"),t.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},r=0;r tallest) { tallest = thisHeight; } }); group.height(tallest); } equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); $(window).resize(function() { equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); }); }); ]]>

Continue reading here

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission today ordered Meta to pay fines of €390 million for unlawfully collecting personal data and targeting ads at Facebook and Instagram users. The fines follow last month’s ruling by the European Data Protection Board that Meta cannot use its terms of service as a legal basis for targeted advertising. The Irish DPC also gave Meta three months to bring its targeted advertising into compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, which will likely require the company to give users a simple way to opt out of all targeted ads.

The GDPR generally prohibits companies from forcing users to submit to personal data collection in exchange for a service. Meta has long argued that the GDPR’s contractual necessity exception allows the company to collect personal data to fulfill its terms of service and that personal data collection for targeted advertising is a necessary aspect of the platform. In other words: Meta contends that users are in a contract to receive targeted ads.

But the EDPB rejected Meta’s use of the contractual necessity exception in December, and today’s order by the Irish DPC implements that ruling. The complaints that led to the DPC’s enforcement action were brought in 2018 by Max Schrems, co-founder of None of Your Business and a member of the EPIC Advisory Board.

“This decision serves as another reminder that European citizens have rights that Americans do not,” said EPIC Deputy Director Caitriona Fitzgerald. “Congress’ failure to pass a privacy law has allowed companies like Meta to profit off our most intimate personal information without limit. Congress must pass a comprehensive privacy bill this year that promotes innovation while protecting privacy.”

EPIC has long supported protections for the privacy of social media users. EPIC recently submitted comments on the Federal Trade Commission’s commercial surveillance rulemaking. In addition to urging a ban on targeted advertising directed at minors, EPIC reiterated its call for the FTC to adopt a data minimization rule to ensure that businesses only collect data consistent with consumer expectations. EPIC also supports passage of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, which would place strict limits on targeted advertising and establish a universal opt-out mechanism for consumers.

Continue reading

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

(Psst: The FTC wants me to remind you that this website contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase from a link you click on, I might receive a small commission. This does not increase the price you’ll pay for that item nor does it decrease the awesomeness of the item. ~ Daisy)

By the author of

A black bear popped up beside me the other day while I was in the woods camping (<20 feet) and thoroughly surprised me. It wasn’t my first encounter with bears out in the woods, but it did get me thinking a bit about what would happen if somebody just took off, leaving all their gear in the dust when that happened.

If it was nighttime, it wouldn’t be difficult to get turned around and lose track of where your gear was. If that’s where you then found yourself, what would you do if you didn’t have your rocket stove with you and needed to cook a meal? What would you do if you were trapped in Peru right now, you had to watch out for angry Peruvians, and your little backpacker stove was out of fuel?

Aside from MREs, the most common type of backpacking food is the freeze-dried stuff. But to eat freeze dried meals, you have to have hot water (if you want it to be palatable). So, I built a Dakota fire hole to see how fast it would take me to heat up a metal tin of water to boiling, how long it took to dig the hole, how much smoke was produced, and the like.

Here’s what I found.

I used the metal pot that’s included in the Kelly Kettle Scout package (something I consider to be part of a good campfire cooking kit). It holds 0.85 liters of water, and I filled it up with cold water. (I figured that’s what you’re going to collect out in the woods anyway.)

Digging the Dakota fire hole

A Dakota fire hole is essentially a tunnel dug under the ground. A fire is started in one end and oxygen is sucked to the fire from the other end.

It sounds simple enough, but it takes a bit of effort to finish without collapsing the tunnel. It took me about 25-30 minutes with a small gardening trowel and a pointy metal stick (a dandelion weeder). The entrances to the tunnel were a foot apart from each other and I dug each in at a rough 45-degree angle towards each other. The “entrance” hole was oriented in the direction that the wind was blowing from so that as much oxygen as possible would blow into the fire.

Each hole was about 9” in diameter, but the connection at the bottom of the tunnel was…

Continue reading here

A spate of state laws come into effect in 2023 and, for some, the effective date is already upon us. The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which amends the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) both went into affect on January 1, 2023. The VCDPA is also now enforceable, while the CPRA enforcement date is July 1, 2023.

These are not the only state privacy laws that companies and individuals should be watching – the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) and Connecticut SB6 (CTPA) both will be effective and enforceable starting on July 1, 2023 and the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA) makes it under the wire this year as well, with an effective and enforcement date of December 31, 2023.

While several of the laws share similarities, terms and requirements are sufficiently distinct that they will require separate compliance review and strategies. For example, while all grant data subjects rights to access, deletion, and data portability regarding their data, some provide additional rights, such as the right to correct inaccurate data or opt-out of data sales. The regulations also have different requirements when it comes to Privacy Policy content, notice at collection of data, options that must be available regarding sensitive categories of data, privacy and security impact assessments, and more.

EPIC frequently comments on and contributes to discussion of proposed state and federal privacy laws, including recent comments to the California Privacy Protection Agency and regarding the Colorado Privacy Act rulemaking.

Continue reading

In an amicus letter brief filed in late December, EPIC and EFF urged the California Supreme Court to take up a case recently decided by the California Court of Appeals that harms Californians’ ability to vindicate their rights in court. In the case, Limon v. Circle K Inc., the lower court threw out the plaintiffs’ Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuit because it found they lacked standing to bring a case. But the California court used the more restrictive standing analysis recently adopted by federal courts, not California’s more protective standing rules, to throw out the case. EPIC and EFF explained that importing the federal rule would harm Californians’ privacy by preventing them from vindicating their rights in federal or state court. EPIC regularly submits amicus briefs in cases involving standing, including in two other recent cases filed with EFF.

Continue reading

VIDEO How to Make a Railroad Spike Knife | DIY Knife Making | Homesteading Simple Self Sufficient Off-The-Grid | Homesteading.com <![CDATA[ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/svg/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https://homesteading.com/wp-includes/js/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.1.1"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(e,a,t){var n,r,o,i=a.createElement("canvas"),p=i.getContext&&i.getContext("2d");function s(e,t){var a=String.fromCharCode,e=(p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,e),0,0),i.toDataURL());return p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,t),0,0),e===i.toDataURL()}function c(e){var t=a.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=t.type="text/javascript",a.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(t)}for(o=Array("flag","emoji"),t.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},r=0;r tallest) { tallest = thisHeight; } }); group.height(tallest); } equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); $(window).resize(function() { equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); }); }); ]]>

Continue reading here

When the Fed Coin was rushed to market it became clear that this would be the new currency. It became clear that our government needs us to move away from the old idea of the US dollar and into Fed Coin.

A great way to make that happen would be to bring on an economic collapse. That is exactly what we are witnessing in our country right now.

With the help of inflation, that even Janet Yellen said will last through 2023, we are going to face struggles with food, fuel, and labor in 2023.

The economic collapse will be severe, and I want you to be prepared for it. Do these 9 things before the 2023 economic collapse.

Establish Your Local Supply Chain

We have been working through struggling supply chains for the last 2 years. As the economic collapse approaches these issues are only going to get worse.

Related: Looming Grain Shortage. Do This Before It’s Too Late

Major corporations all over are cutting massive amounts of jobs in preparation for just this kind of event. They see the writing on the wall.

Rather than wait on the supply chain to recover, or not, it is time for you to establish your own local supply chain. Start with farmers and food.

Create A Collapse-Proof Wealth Matrix

Lately, I have been wondering if it will always be about diversification. In a disaster its nice to have cash, even though it’s frowned upon in many establishments these days. In a true economic collapse, I think that a variety of wealth is going to prepare you the most.

Your collapse proof wealth matrix should include things like cash, precious metals, bonds, and other transferable assets like land, or even gems and precious stones.

Barter items will be key in an economic collapse, too. Vices like coffee, tobacco, and alcohol will go a long way.

Bug In Preps

Think of all the things we have experienced in the last 2 years. From lockdowns, occupied portions of cities, to massive civil unrest.

I know a lot of preppers and I don’t know anyone that executed a true bugout. So, for most of us the economic collapse of 2023 is going to be another bug in situation.

Hopefully you have made improvements in your preps to be even better prepared for an extended bug in situation.

Your greatest concerns in this 2023 economic collapse are going to be access to things like food and fuel. You will also have to consider security if things get bad enough.

Know Thine Enemy

Where are the bad guys in your world? Do you know who is going to come out of the woodwork when things get bad? Now is the time to learn about the local gangs in your area. It is a time to watch the crime statistics and learn about the…

Continue reading

Many SurvivalBlog readers have contacted me, lamenting that they don’t have enough money to prepare.  My response? Re-prioritize how you spend your time and money. The following suggestions are primarily based on my own experience. Avalanche Lily and I do our best to live a frugal life. Please prayerfully consider and implement some or most of these suggestions, as new year’s resolutions.

Here are some suggestions for spending less money:

• Pray. Prayer costs nothing, and it helps focus your mind on your priorities. Chief among these should be your family, friends, fellow church congregants, neighbors, and co-workers.
• Study. Used books are inexpensive and there are now many free online courses available from Khan Academy, PraegerU, and others. Also, join a Bible study group, if you can find a good one. If not, then start one of your own!
• Expand your home library by buying your books used online, at used book stores, thrift stores, and at library book sales. Such sources will save you 50% to 98% on the cost of books.
• Exercise. Most exercise like jogging and at-home calisthenics costs little or nothing. For the sake of your back and your ankles, be sure to find a good quality exercise mat.
• Practice traditional, pioneer, and primitive skills. These don’t cost much, but they’ll add tremendously to your preparedness — even for a long-term grid-down societal collapse.
• Watch for inexpensive (or free!) canning jars, shelving, and tools on Craigslist, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace, or other online sites/sources.
• Watch for garage sales, yard sales, and tag sales. Learn the art of bartering, and dickering prices. It takes time to learn how to barter.
• Buy yourself and your neighbors very inexpensive handy-talkies (“H/Ts”) such as Baofeng UV-5Rs. Set up a weekly “roll call” and chat hour. You’ll thereby develop a new hobby, hone, important radio skills/confidence, AND you’ll increase the security of your neighborhood.
• If you work on the road or in an office or factory, then don’t buy delicatessen or restaurant food for lunch. Instead, get in the habit of always packing a nutritious lunch.  By doing so, you will be eating less expensive and more healthy food.
• Cut out needless cable television or video streaming subscriptions. This will both save money and give you more time to read.
• Cook from scratch, rather than buying packaged foods, or eating out.
• Grow a vegetable garden.  By doing so, you will eat more healthy and nutritious foods, with less expense. And if you don’t have enough land for a garden, then grow sprouts. You can do that with just a kitchen cupboard and a few very inexpensive jars with screen lids.
• Stop buying expensive coffee from coffee shops. If you must have coffee, then pack a Thermos each morning. Better yet, stop drinking coffee. I have several friends who have successfully transitioned from coffee to herbal (no caffeine) tea. It is much less expensive than coffee if bought in…

Continue reading