### Wed Mar 25 2020 
#### Blog entry: Living in hard times

I will assume that most people who read this do not know me or my past. If you do, then most of this might be a rehash for you. 

As we all know, the current economic situation is very poor at best, and most like the start of the end. With that said, until The Lord calls us home, we have to get threw this. The purpose of this post is to share some tips and tricks that I have learned over the years, from growing up poor in the south, as well as from my studies. If you have any additional tips or advice, please email me (link on the bottom of the page).

Basic rules for hard times:

- "Two is as good as one, one is as good as none", always stock what you use and use what you stock.
- "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", better to take care of yourself and not get sick, even if it costs more now.
- "Prepare for the worst, hope for the best", plan as if thing are not ever going to improve and act. If and when they do, you will have a better appreciation of what you have.
- "The more you know, the less you need", skills are *very* important in hard times. Spend time learning them and practicing them.

##### Food

Everyone should be able to go for at least a month with no incoming food sources. That does not mean that you will eat steak each night. Knowing what to buy and how to cook from scratch is one of the best things to know to survive hard times.

**Stock up**  
Make sure you have a chest freezer full of food if you can. Meat is the best thing to store for food. It is the most nutritiously dense, and complete food. It is also the most hard to come by in hard times. After that dry goods, canned good, etc... Stay away from mixes and boxed meals (hamburger helper, etc...).  

Salt! Store lots of salt. It is one of the best, and proven methods of preserving food. Used in canning, pickling, and drying! Salt with color is best (pink sea salt, or Celtic). But *any* salt will do.

**Related skills**

- Learn how to can, dehydrate (you can use the sun in the south, or an oven), and pickle. Knowing how to store food, is very important.
- Learn to make ***Bone Broth***, is can be used to make gravies, soups, rice, etc... Plus it is **very** strong medicine. It is known as Jewish Penicillin for a reason.

##### Clothing

- Food and clothing are two of the most important things to focus on. If you have them covered, you can always get by. `1 Tim 6:8`
- Good set of boots, sneakers.
- Plan for layers, have extras and keep them in good shape.

##### Hygiene

- Use baking soda for brushing your teeth, it's cheaper then anything else. You can add some essential oil to it for flavor (mint or cinnamon).
- Stop buying shampoo, use soap. Shampoo is soap, you are paying for marketing. If you have dandruff, try Pine Tar soap.
- Sop buying deodorant. You can buy zinc oxide powder (what I use) a small bag will last you years. I fill a small tin and use a power-puff for makeup to apply. It will work until you shower it off. Long distance hikers use it.

##### Medicine 

Stock the following supplements as a base, you might add to it if you have a condition:

- Lugol's Iodine 2%: Take three drops a day as a supplement. It can also be used to disinfect, purify water, and more. "*When you don't know the reason why, always take the K and I.*"
- Vitamin D3: Used to make all your hormones, big part of your immune system, fights depression, and more. I would try to get a version that comes paired with K2.
- DMSO: Treats burns, pulled muscles, joint pain, ticks, and so much more. Good topic to read up on.
- Vitamin C: "*Take enough C to be symptom free, whatever the amount might be.*"
- Swedish Bitters: Good for the gut and many conditions. A classic folk remedy.

##### What to do with your free time

- Read the Bible every day and prey.
- Read to educate yourself on related topics. Many books are free, thanks to the internet.
- Start a garden, even  indoor window garden.
- Learn Linux, stop paying for software and being spied on.
- Come up with a home exercise routine.
- Consider putting together a 'go bag', in case you have to bug out during an emergency.
	- At a basic level this would be 3 day worth of clothes, and supplies.
- Make a 'get home' bag for your car.

##### Conclusion

If you are stuck home due to lack of funds, virus scare, or what ever, use the time. If you have lost your job or laid off (me), then use the time to better yourself. Become more self reliant.