Time to Start Thinking About Growing Food

Good article and discussion about solar greenhouses.

May be Just What You Need.

The Ultimate Plan Collection

These plans have saved me a lot of time and money over the years.

Excellent Advice about Survival Strategies

I think this is right on.

Time to become totally self sufficient

Very scary times. We need to be able to do everything without electricity and gasoline. Going to take some doing.

Building a Deer Sanctuary

I'll be posting updates on my own deer sanctuary efforts here.

Canning Season Upon Us

Lots of good canning and preserving tips here:

A Good living to be Made Working with Wood

I do a lot of salvage work and a good deal of that involves reclaimed lumber. Some I sell as lumber, but other choice items - old growth and the like - become material for some amazing projects.

Hundreds of Building Plans

Using these plans have cut my time in half.

For Those of You into Salvaged and Recycled Items

Check this out. Value of selling reusable items rather than selling same as scrap metal. Recycling Secrets Blog

Good Info on Recycling, Scrapping, Computers and Parts

Hello - Thought some of you may be into salvage and recycling. I just posted some information about getting the best deal on e-scrap/e-waste. If this interests you, check it out at the Recycling Secrets Blog.

Mike

Reviews - Safe, Healthy Products

Find safe, healthy, green, & ethical product reviews based on scientific ratings. Check out the GoodGuide.

Several Free Items Available

Several freebies listed at bottom of left column on each page. Go through the pages and collect all 3 including a free credit card knife, free waterproof match and a survival bracelet.

Mike

Bootstrapping a Recycling, Salvage and Reuse Business

Good afternoon - As you may have gathered, I've been in the salvage and recycling business, to varying degrees, for the past 30+ years. Bootstrapping the business to the point where it provided a real income took a lot of hard work (and it was a lot of fun!), but this may not be the path others may wish to follow.

Today I posted a couple of paragraphs on my other blog about junk hauling for pay as a way to bootstrap your recycling, salvage and reuse business.

Check out ways to bootstrap here.

Mike

Climate Change, Drought and Wildfire

Hey - I am very concerned about climate change, drought and wildfire here where I live in Northeastern California. I've collected resources and news and will chronicle what I am doing to deal with the effects of climate change at toolsforsurvival.com.

If you have ideas, plans, resources, news or how-to information, I'd love to hear about it. Please share it here.

Cheers,

Mike

California Drought Forum - Free and Open to Public

California Drought Forum May 15th and 16th. This event is free and open to the public. It is being held in Sacramento, CA. I'll be attending and reporting back here. If you are in California, I hope you attend as well. Registration is limited, so if interested, register as soon as possible here.

Having the Right Plans Makes All the Difference - Save Material, Save Time, Build it Right

Since moving to our mini-homestead a few years ago, I've wanted to expand existing outbuildings and build new ones. Like many others, I've just wanted to forge ahead, draw up my own minimal plans (well really meager sketches) and get the thing built. Doing it this way led to one headache after another. Things didn't fit, constant measuring, trimming and re-measuring, wasted material, etc. etc...

Looking back at it I realized the biggest stumbling-block for me was making good and exacting plans. I enjoyed salvaging the material, measuring, cutting and building, but I had little patients for planning.

Finally, I got these great shed plans and it made all the difference. Not only am I adding on to existing sheds and building new ones for myself, I've also been contacted by neighbors who would like me to build sheds for them as well. A new and very profitable little cottage industry for us.

The word "SHED" is a bit of a misnomer so don't take it too narrow or literally. With a little creativity these plans can be used to build all sorts of buildings including, of course, sheds, but also small barns, greenhouses, tiny homes, wood sheds, storage buildings, garden tool storage buildings, pump houses - just about any structure you can think of that you will need at your place. So, give these plans a try - you cannot go wrong. If you like, you can download a free sample here.

Free Tractor + Free Snowblower = One Great Tractor and Spares

Hello - The last winters I've really gotten tired of snow removal by hand. My drive is about 100 feet long and steep so we've been just leaving the car at the top until spring and parking the 4x4 truck at the bottom and walking and hauling back and forth in the snow from the house to the truck. Even with the truck next to the road it's still quite a chore clearing what the snowplow leaves and keeping a walkway open down the drive.

So, last summer I thought it would be a good time to look for a good used Honda snowblower. I needed one with tracks too due to the steep terrain. I talked it around to my friends and clients (note that I find the things I need for my home and land and make some money in the salvage and recycling business) and one called saying he found a Honda tracked snowblower for $400. Coincidentally, another client who has been giving me tons of salvage over the years called and wondered if I wanted a non-running Honda tracked snowblower - it had problems but it was free. Mind you, Honda tracked snowblowers sell for for several thousand $$ new. I called them both and arranged to see both on the same day.

My first stop was the one for $400. It was like brand new so I bought it - too good to pass up. I went for the free one and it turned out to be the same exact Honda model, tracks and all. It's only problem was a broken v-belt. Motor runs great. Both fit just right in the back of my old Nissan pickup.

For the past several months I've left the free one sit not sure if I'd keep it for a spare, keep it for spare parts, or fix and sell. Recently I ran into a free Sears Suburban 19.9 hp tractor. It runs, but barely. It has a big 2 cylinder motor that sucks gas and pollutes like crazy.

I did a little measuring and guess what, the Honda motor off the free snowblower fits right in. More efficient and reliable, no more battery, no starter to worry about. 4 new bolt holes, bolt it down, pull the rope and go. The tractor has a real nice blade on it too so now I'll have to decide whether to use the snowblower or the tractor for clearing the snow this year. Decisions, decisions.

Turns out too that there's a horde of collectors of these old Suburban tractors. The 19.9 hp Onan engine off the tractor will sell for more than I spent on the snowblower and the gas to go get it.

I'm very happy to have the little tractor to get around my land. At my age, using a wheelbarrow for everything gets a bit too tough and I don't want to tear up the land by creating roads with my pickup. The little tractor and a trailer fits the bill perfectly.

BTW - if you want to learn more about my salvage and recycling work, check here and be sure to check out the tools for survival website.

Mike

Active Fire Maps, Fire Details, Drought Information

Hi - All of a sudden fire season is upon us - WAY early. Red flag warnings over most of Northern California. I've taken the last 3 days to service my fire truck and get it ready to go.

USFS provides active fire maps. You can get more info about wildfires on Inciweb and on the same page there are also links to drought monitor.

Still hard to believe it was below freezing at nights and a bit of snow just a couple of weeks ago.

Access the active fire maps, wildfire info and drought monitor

Home Based Woodworking and Why I'm Inspired to Succeed

Hi - Years ago I trade to make it in the woodworking business but failed several times. I had good products, people wanted to carry them in their stores and customers wanted to buy them, but somehow I just couldn't make it.

I tried planters, furniture, smaller items like redwood trivets, clocks, lamps and wine racks with inlaid brass detail - truly beautiful things, but I failed time after time.

Well... I just read a manual that has inspired me to try once again. If I had the knowledge back then that I've gained from this manual, I know I would have made it.

So, if you are having trouble with economic survival and are into woodworking at all, check it out. Click here to learn more about my experience and how you might profit in this business too.