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Buckshot's Article
Hard Choices & Decisions
We All Have To Make
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Buckshot's Article
Hard Choices & Decisions
We All Have To Make
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Folks coming down the pike is a freight train called high energy bills. This freight train is losing it's brakes and threatens us all. I don't want to spread fear, but to point a light in how to prepare and why you should prepare and with what you should prepare with. As our former President Roosevelt stated, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." I spent 20 years in the Coast Guard. I was trained and drilled on how to save lives, fight fires, dewater sinking boats, first aid, etc. At times this training became a big pain in the behind. But years later I can honestly say the training did save lives. How you might ask? Simple. When we are faced with the real deal and it happens your training takes over and you react to the emergency in the way you have been trained. You know your equipment and the men beside you. You train together knowing what each person will do and how to do it. Decision's we made would effect people and property. It was great and I love it.
The same thing is happening now but on a larger scale. Many will have emergency's in slow motion, but the decisions made now and training you have had will effect the outcome. Follow me through this slow motion emergency. Heating cost has risen 71%, but the hidden hand that may effect many is electrical cost. I saw one report that stated that electrical plants that use natural gas may have to raise their cost 250%. Yes, you read that right. What does that mean? Well, if you are paying .08¢ cent a kilowatt hour the price would rise to .28¢ cent a KW hour. Meaning a normal electric bill of say $70.00 a month would now be $245.00 a month. Now, adding in heating fuel cost of natural gas is up double from 2 years ago. Means a $70.00 a month heating bill would now be $140.00 a month. I have read some real high numbers people are going to be paying to heat their houses. Some are expecting $500.00 a month heating bills with $200.00 electrical bills.
We have to start thinking like our fathers and Grandfathers did. This is a life style change and I can guarantee your family will not like some of your decisions. We Americans have spoiled our children to the point that some can't understand what is happening to the economy or what it means to our way of life or how it will affect them. The best approach is to talk with them and explain their actions can make a big difference. Ask for their help and suggestions and don't knock their ideas. But, it is very important for all of us to save on heating costs this winter. Because this is just the beginning of rising prices.
There are many things you can do to help keep the heating and cooling costs down. Caulk your house. I have yet to buy or rent a house that was sealed properly. Your first line of defense against the cold and heat is to shut off the drafts that come in. Caulk all the windows and door seams inside and outside. The biggest area most people skip is between the cement of the basement/crawl space and the main wood floor of the house. Fill in all cracks and seams on this. Get it sealed. You can buy the good acrylic/latex caulk that is good for 35 years for under $2.00 a tube. 12 tubes will seal up most houses. 40 tubes is the most I ever used on a house. Don't listen to the brother-in-law who warns you that you can make a house too tight. You can on some newer houses, but most houses it will never happen in thousands years. Guaranteed.
If you have a fuel oil furnace have it tuned up. This can save as much as 25% on your heating bill. I learned how to tune up my own furnace after watching the heating guy that I called to come for the tune up. Now, I can tune up my own furnace for around $10.00 each year. Change your air filter on your furnace. This alone can save you as much as 10-15% each month. Switch all light bulbs to energy saving fluorescent blubs that screw in to regular light bulb sockets.
Have your own garden in the Spring of every year. That can help save you money too. When having a garden you will need to protect it against rabbits and other creatures. These creatures will eat the plants and destroy your garden and all of your efforts will have been for nothing. Obtaining 2 #110 Conibear Traps will take care of this problem. The #110 Conibear Traps are $6.99 each. Don't know how to set the #110 Conibear Trap? Get Buckshot's Complete Survival Trapping Guide for $19.99. It has detailed pictures and instructions on how to set the #110 Conibear trap. You will also be able to use these traps for other things in the Fall of the year to provide added meat and fur. This is covered in my Complete Survival Trapping Guide book. It's a great bargain when you can obtain equipment that has duel purposes. Solves more that one problem at a time. The #110 Conibear Traps will pay for themselves over and over again. The very first year you use them to protect your garden they will pay for themselves and my Complete Survival Trapping Guide book. Have you seen the price of fresh vegetables lately? I have some #110 Conibear Traps that are over 30 years old and I still use them. They are good, solid equipment that works year after year to provide for you and the knowledge you get from my book will provide many things for you in the years to come. None of your original purchase price will be wasted. It will spread out over your lifetime as you find different things to use the same equipment for.
When you are shopping buy discount brands instead of name brands. This will save you a lot on your monthly expenses. Whether it is groceries or some other item you need to have. We all have to tighten the belt because we only have a certain amount of money each month to spend. We all need to think hard about each thing we buy and how necessary it really is and how often it needs to be replaced. You will truly be surprised at what you can live without and how much money it will save you each month. Sit down with your family and make suggestions and discuss with each other how to go about saving money on expenses every month. You will really be surprised at how reasonable they will be when they understand only so many dollars for this or that.
How would you stretch your food budget dollar? Heck, I have had plenty of people who have purchased equipment from me make incredible catches. Teenagers on foot, just walking around catching tons of animals each year. This could stretch your food budget dollar a long way. Someone said my Emergency Snare Kits were not very economical. I have to smile when I read things like that. Why, because people don't understand the value of what a snare can do for you? First read my Articles On Snaring & Trapping Game. Say you caught 4 beaver, 2 raccoons, 6 rabbits, legally. You would have around 180 pound of meat for eating, but also you could sell the fur. Even if you only received $10.00 each for the beaver and raccoon that is $60.00 total. The Snare Kit With One Of My Snaring DVDs is $46.99 with shipping and handling which makes it it is a grand total of $56.89. So, you make your money back plus have over a hundred pounds of meat to eat for free. You can not point to anything else on the survival market that will not only help you get FREE food, but it will also pay for itself in fur sold.
Plus, in a real emergency situation what can 1 Dozen Cam Lock Snares do for you? Pre Y2k I sold 1 Dozen Cam Lock Snares and my Survival Snaring Video (There wasn't DVDs yet, just video.) to a fellow in Mexico. June of 2000 he contacted me and said thank you for your snares and video. Ok. Why, "I asked?" He said, "Well, you have to understand that for the last 3 years I was at my deer camp and never shot a deer. This year getting ready for y2k I took your snares and gave them a try. In less then a week I took 11 deer. Now, please read this carefully. Snaring deer is illegal everywhere in America. If you get caught you will be subjected to heavy fines and maybe jail time. Do not do this unless it is a true emergency survival situation. But, you name anything else that can catch you 1650 pounds of venison without firing a shot for under $50.00 for the 1 dozen the cam lock snares and snaring DVD. No other product can do this. End of subject.
If you think our mighty U. S. dollar could collapse throwing us into chaotic events where your neighbor might kill you for a loaf of bread. A dozen cam lock snares is very cheap insurance against that. Silent, deadly, working 24/7 for you.
Bruce "Buckshot"
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