This week we welcome on Paul Kortman. His family has chosen a life of location independence. In early 2014, they sold their house and most possessions.
They homeschool their four children. Paul’s business is run online so as long as he has an internet connection he can continue to make the same income independent of location. They are choosing to improve our quality of life through travel and opening our kids’ eyes to a broader worldview.
The Kortmans are currently in Mexico heading south after spending 2014 and 2015 in Davao, Philippines; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Cape Town, South Africa; Sofia, Bulgaria; Lisbon, Portugal, and a few other locations.
We mostly focus the interview on online business and Location Independence. How running an online business you only need internet access and you can run your business anywhere in the world. Not being tied to a specific location has many benefits.
We later go on to talk about the tyranny of the US Government. During this Paul gets passionate about the Child Protection Service specifically. Mike and I are both strongly against CPS.
Why The Leatherman Warranty Rocks! Free Replacements
The amazing Leatherman Warranty has cemented me as a customer for life. A while back I broke the Flathead screwdriver bit on my Leatherman Wave. It broke in the prevention of an explosion. A small one anyway. I was trying to unscrew a rusty screw on my kerosene heater. Which was unusable because I dropped a mini bic lighter deep inside it. I flicked my bic too hard and it flew inside.
First I grabbed my Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool to unscrew the heater case. I got the heater used and it was a bit rusty. Not that I’m complaining. It was free and could kick out some heat. The leatherman was no match against this screw, though. The tip if the screwdriver snapped off. I was pretty furious.
I then proceeded to break at least one more screwdriver before finally getting it off.
Effective Tips in Controlling Weed Growth – Minus the Chemicals!
Growing and enjoying the view of your beautiful plants can be a lot of fun until it is not. The fun certainly stops when it is already time to take out the weeds, which competes with your plants for space and nutrients from the soil in your garden.
So what does a budding gardener have to do?
Among the fastest way to get the seeds out is to use herbicides. However, despite their growing popularity, it is also important to remember that these things come with harmful toxic chemicals that hurt your plant, yourself, your family and the environment. Yes, what you do might not seem to have a huge impact to the world but it can add up if everyone who gardens basically does the same thing.
Some chemicals from herbicides can get trapped in certain types of soil for up to 20 years. What happens if you decide to plant something edible or if your little kids suddenly decide to play with the soil in your backyard? Scary, right?
You might also want to remember that some herbicides are sprayed and this could easily get into the air we breathe. Among the most common side effects to herbicide exposure include nausea, rashes and headache but they can also go as severe as seizures and even death. You wouldn’t want to risk that, would you?
Don’t worry – there is still a way to get those nasty weeds out. You can do so by manually pulling them out or doing certain tips and tricks that we have outlined in the helpful infographic below. You might also want to mix and match your gardening tools depending on your needs and preferences. Cool?
Just remember, different types of plants use different methods for getting the weeds out but they do have one thing in common: avoid the toxic chemicals.
Now your plants stay safe and so do you, your family and your garden. Happy weeding!
Weed Control
BIO
Lisa Farland is a content writer in Happy to Survive – a blog that will help you thrive and survive, and offers articles about preparedness, and off-the-grid, self-reliant living. Lisa is an avid minimalist camper, prepper and survivalist.
There are a few common misconceptions associated with precious metals and how they may not be helpful to a preparedness plan for either a SHTF scenario or potential economic collapse.
1. If I can’t eat it, drink it, or use it to defend myself, I don’t need it.
2. I’ll just get stuck buying some worthless coins and never get anything out of them.
Although these are some generally popular perspectives, they are completely misguided and incorrect.
So how can precious metals be useful for survivalists when the economy collapses?
The truth is, precious metals are essential for survivalists to help you stay prepared for all sorts of upcoming turmoil.
Below, you’ll find rebuttals to the common misconceptions about gold and silver and how they can literally save your life when the SHTF…
1. “If I can’t eat it, drink it, or use it to defend myself, I don’t need it.”
Precious metals have been used as a stable store of value and a medium of exchange for thousands of years. Although you cannot actually eat, drink or use it to defend yourself you can use it in barter or trade to get any potential needed items.
For example, if you are trying to trade with a neighbor for ammunition and you only have water, food, ammunition and first aid, chances are, he/she has those exact items also. You need to pay with something that can be used as a medium of exchange so that your neighbor can buy whatever he/she may need from someone else.
You won’t always know what people may need in a barter or trade situation. That’s why having a form of currency is essential!
2. “I’ll just get stuck buying some worthless coins and never get anything out of them.”
I say this to prospective precious metals buyers, it seems like, a thousand times a day:
“Stay away from collectible coins! Don’t do it!”
Collectible coins, or “numismatic coins,” are like art. Their value is largely subjective. Therefore some people might pay millions of dollars for the Mona Lisa. Personally, I wouldn’t pay 20 bucks for it!
Don’t put yourself in a hard spot to try to get a buyer who will pay as much as you did to get some mint special coin. The liquidity just isn’t there when compared to gold and silver coins, bars, and rounds that are traded at their melt value.
So Buy BULLION!
Bullion is the term that is used when trying to buy precious metals closest to the spot (sometimes called stock market) price. Ask your buyer, if they don’t have it listed, how much over spot you are paying per ounce. The price of gold and silver is fully transparent and can be determined by the clock around the world. Getting the lowest price per ounce is generally the smartest choice.
After the 2008 real-estate fiasco, the economy was trash! In 2011, however, silver jumped up to $40 an ounce even though the rest of the country and economy were still trying to pull themselves out of the grave. Precious metals are not only a good option for a survivalist perspective but they also help to hedge against inflation and perform well in periods of economic turmoil.
What You Need to Know for a Survivalist/SHTF Scenario
In a barter/trade situation, it’s important to remember that having different sizes and metals is always smart. Having Pre-65 junk silver is a great option, it is in smaller fractional sizes, and, because it is 90% silver (containing 10% copper), it will wear well being handled more frequently.
Silver rounds, especially in the smaller fractional sizes, is also an attractive option. For larger barter situations consider getting some gold. Compared to silver coins fractional gold coins carry a larger amount of value in smaller sizes.
As a result of government racking up a national debt of over 19 TRILLION dollars and climbing, it’s time to start preparing for our currency to be obsolete in SHTF scenarios…
Finally remember: “You won’t always know what people may need in a barter or trade situation. That’s why having a form of currency is essential!”
Dan Novak is an avid survivalist and precious metals specialist at Money Metals Exchange. Staying educated on economic turmoil and maintaining a survivalist mentality are incredibly important in the world we live in today.
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Most camping towels suck. The Fox Outfitters MicroSoft Towel (Amazon Link) does not. Campers and especially ultralight campers are picky. We want all of the functionality of a home item with 1/3 the weight. Which means that compromise has to be made somewhere. In this MicroSoft Towel review we will see how it compares to other towels on the market.
The compromise made by many camping towels is comfort. You get a lightweight absorbent towel that feels like sandpaper. The material used wants to stick to your skin. Even more so when wet. Unlike a cotton towel that glides across wet skin easily.
So Why don’t we just bring a normal cheap cotton towel? For a few reasons. A cotton towel that is thick enough will weigh too much to backpack in. Yes you could get a really cheap thin one. But don’t! I remember showering at a friends house once that had the thinnest towels ever. Like a giant ass rag. It filled with water and became useless with more than half my body left to dry off. That towel ended up just moving around the water. I had to use my shirt to finish drying off.
Another reason to not get a cotton towel is drying time. It will take forever for a cotton towel to dry. If it does where you are. If you are in a very humid environment then your cotton towel will probably not get completely dry. Which means than you will have to keep it hanging in a sunny place with good air flow 24/7 just to combat the moisture. I would prefer to use it, hang it up a while then pack it back up.
