Freedom Tips #1

This is the first of a series of freedom tips.

- Keep a weeks supply of water on hand. If you have a second home or a retreat, keep a weeks supply of water there also.
- Get a bugout kit ready. Also known as a 72 hour kit. Have one for the whole family and practice bugging out. If you don't practice, you won't know what you "forgot" until it is too late. How long would it take you and your family leave your home for 72 hours? If it takes you more than 15 minutes to be in the car and on the road, you need a lot of practice. Your goal should be 5 minutes. Where would you go? Does the car or truck have enough gas in it to get you there? Make a plan.
- Write down your goals. How can you hit a target you can not see? What do you want in 6 weeks, 6 months, and 6 years? Zig Ziglar gives the best advice on setting goals.
- Learn to be comfortable without electricity. If the power goes out for a week, what will you eat. Practicing this is easy. Come home from work and switch off the main breaker. Don't warn ANYONE in the family that you are going to do this. This will show the whole family how ill prepared you all are. Have fun!
- Keep an emergency kit in your car. I don't just mean bandaids, I mean a blanket, water, food bars, and boots. There is a lot more stuff that can come in handy. Work on it.
- Start stocking up on items to barter. Lots of folks believe in buying gold in case TEOTWAWKI comes about. Let me ask you this - if your town could not get deliveries for 1 month, what would you miss the most? Toilet paper? Batteries? Rope? Kerosene? Chocolate? Milk? Soda? Candles? You decide what the best "barter" items are. Imagine if you had no food for your family, but you had Ten cases of toilet paper and candy. How long do you think it would be before you had all the food you needed?
- Start collecting "How to" books. You can get these at yard sales and at library sales for almost nothing. Get books on electricity, home building, gardening, small engine repair, english text books, gunsmithing, leather working, animal care, alternative medicine, survival skills, reloading, toy making, wood working, etc. Not only may these books come in handy someday, they can be excellent for "home schooling" and for bartering.
- Become familiar with firearms. If you have never been shooting, ask someone who shoots to take you. If you own a gun but don't practice, shame on you. Start practicing regularly. Learn which guns and ammo are most effective for hunting, target practice, self defense, and long range accuracy.

Don't put this off. Each step you take towards self-sufficiency takes you one step closer to freedom. Enjoy the journey. Make if fun and keep it interesting for the whole family.