Strategic Living for a Joyful, Self Reliant and Healthy Life

Propane for Preppers 3.0: The Complete Book Part 1

For over ten years, propane has played an important role in my preparedness life. Both my former home in Washington State and my mountain home in Arizona have relied on propane for heat, cooking, and hot water as well as the incidentals of BBQs, fire pits, and lanterns.

As a result, over the years I have written two separate series around the topic of “propane for preppers”. Credit where credit is due: the second series (in 2015) was authored as a guest piece from my pal Ron Brown. Those articles subsequently became the basis for the 7^th book in the Non-Electric Lighting Series.

That brings us to today.

I have close to zero confidence that our leaders have the wherewithal to prevent a cyberattack on our grid specifically and our utilities generally. That includes the propane that is supplied directly to our homes via local utility companies.

That is not to say that a cyberattack is the only risk to consistent propane delivery. Fossil fuels of all types are under attack by our own government and until/unless the narrative changes, I can imagine a time when non-green fuels will be rationed.

In my effort to bolster my own reserve of portable propane (meaning propane not provided by our local gas company), I recently revisited Ron’s book and reminded myself of the excellent job he has done in educating us in propane independence as well as propane safety.

I reached out to Ron and asked him for permission to reprint his book as a series of articles on Strategic Living and he said yes! How cool is that?

In Ron Brown’s Words

Before getting started, let me tease you with a few words from Ron.

Lanterns that use mantles produce light on par with electric light bulbs. And PROPANE mantle lanterns have advantages over liquid-fueled lanterns.
For one thing, propane does not degrade in storage. You can store it for fifty years. It’s still the same stuff. Hook it up and it works. What other petroleum-based fuel can you say that about?
And propane is convenient compared to liquid fuels. No messy spills. No stinky rags. Certainly, that’s worth something.
The book that Gaye is sharing with you covers safety (from crystal meth to carbon monoxide); step-by-step refilling of one-pounders from 20-pound BBQ tanks (with the emphasis on SAFETY); long-term storage of one-pounders; and many real-life comments & words of advice from readers who saw the original article series.

Let’s get started.

Using Essential Oils to Manage Blood Pressure

By Gaye Levy Leave a Comment

As I recall, the first time I dabbled using essential oils to manage my blood pressure was in early 2015. At that time, my once perfect blood pressure had taken a leap from 120/80 to 160/90 and higher. I pretty much freaked out and called my physician. After calming me down, she told me to take a deep breath, monitor my BP daily for a couple of weeks, and if there was no change, secure an appointment so we could do some testing.

Rather than wait, a few days later I decided to experiment with natural remedies before taking more drastic measures such as pharmaceuticals. The rest, for me, is history.

I found a combination of essential oils that not only worked to help manage my own blood pressure but also helped my husband and countless others who followed my original March 2015 post on Backdoor Survival. To this day I still use essential oils in a salve form to maintain healthy blood pressure. You will find the simple, DIY recipe below.

But first, let me speak to a concern that has bubbled to the top for all of us this past year. That concern is how we will deal with health issues in the event modern medicine and western doctors are no longer available to keep us well. Or, as recent history has shown us when in-person doctor visits are curtailed but for all but the direst of circumstances.

The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Living: An Interview with Daisy Luther

By Gaye Levy 16 Comments

There comes a time in everyone’s life when we find the need to scrimp on even the most basic of life’s expenses.

Sometimes, this is by choice when, for example, we are saving to purchase a home, a new car, or even a much-needed vacation. Many times, however, the need to save, and by definition, live frugally, is due to unemployment, illness, unexpected expenses, or an attempt to cover basic living expenses from a meager monthly social security check.

Let’s face it. The global pandemic has devastated the finances of many households. Even savers have suffered since savings accounts currently generate close to zero percent interest. Try living on that.

To survive, our government will have to quit printing money. What then? The answer will be higher taxes, massive inflation, or both. Sadly, there is no question in my mind that we will be looking at tough economic times ahead if not another Great Depression.

All this leads me to Daisy Luther’s new book, The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Living. Many of you know Daisy from her website, The Organic Prepper. You may also know that she and I have been blogging pals for close to ten years.

Let me be clear: Daisy knows what it is like to have two young children, no job, and no food in the cupboard. She is a survivor and generously shares her survival strategies and wisdom almost daily on her website.

Her new book is fantastic, and, in my usual style, I have a copy to give away to one lucky reader. More about that later but first, an interview with my wonderful gal pal, Daisy Luther!