By Daisy Luther
Sometimes you can tell a lot about a year just by the things that people wanted to read. Judging by that, people were interested in becoming more prepped and more self-reliant. You wanted to know about DIYs, and you were concerned about your health due to toxins in everyday products.
Here’s a roundup of the 16 hottest articles of 2016.
16. How to Survive When you Can’t Pay Your Bills: Are you in a truly dire financial situation? I’ve been there. I’ve been in that place where I didn’t know how I’d feed my kids the next day. Here are some tips to help you survive if you find yourself in this terrible predicament. No judgment here, friends.
15. 40 Flicks for Prepper Movie Night: A movie is like the prepper version of a sporting event, where we can cheer, jeer, and scheme our ways through some imagined event. It engages our love for critical thinking while allowing us to take a break from our everyday activities. Viewing a disaster movie or series actually serves a greater purpose than pure entertainment. It’s a great way to introduce the preparedness mindset to your family. Kick back and enjoy one of these flicks!
14. How to Make Homemade Artisanal Jam without Pectin: It’s better without the box. This simple method nets you a thick, all-natural jam and a delicious fruit syrup at the same time.
13. The Self-Reliance Manifesto: More Than 300 Resources to Guide You on the Path to Radical Freedom: Self-Reliance. It’s a revolutionary word these days, and I thought it deserved a manifesto. Tons of resources here to guide you on your path.
12. The Top 50 Non-Food Stockpile Necessities: Let’s be honest. When you think about a stockpile, the first thing that comes to mind is food, right?
11. How to Build a 30-Day Emergency Food Supply…Fast: If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, you may be feeling on edge. You may feel as though time is running out for you to get your preparedness supplies in order. This method will have you stocked up faster than you can say “prepper.”
10. Getting Started: Prepping for a Two Week Power Outage: While many sites recommend a one-year supply of food, manual tools, and a bug out lodge in the forest, it’s vital to realize that is a long-term goal, not a starting point.
9. How to Test Your Drinking Water (And Why You Should Do It): While we would love to be able to trust the liquid flowing from our faucets, anyone who pays even half-hearted attention to the news knows that we can no longer expect safety in our drinking water unless we confirm it ourselves.
8. How to Make Cottage Cheese and Sour Cream from Raw Milk: Do you have a source of delicious, creamy raw milk? Or, as our grandparents used to call it, milk? (Here’s how to make cottage cheese from pasteurized milk.)
7. 25 Homemade Coffee Creamers and Syrups (without the nasty additives). Do you love coffee or know someone who does? ‘Tis the season for the fanciest possible version of everything, and your hot beverage is no exception…
6. The US Government Has Recently Issued 2 Alarming Warnings to Prep…But Is Anybody Listening? When the US government steps outside of the apple pie and baseball narrative of the American dream and issues warnings to prep, you’d better pay strict attention and start upping your preparedness game…
5. 12 Bad Strategies That Will Get Preppers Killed: If you’re involved in the preparedness lifestyle, you’re probably into planning. Unfortunately, some plans are better left to shows like Doomsday Preppers. These are more likely to get you killed than to save you.
4. The 10 Safest Laundry Detergents (And Brands to Avoid): Unless you are vigilant in choosing the safest laundry detergents available for your family, the soap you are using to get clothes clean may be increasing your family’s risk of asthma, skin irritation, hormone disruption, and cancer. (Here’s one for dryer sheets and fabric softeners too.)
3. How to Create a Safe Room in Your House or Apartment: The homes of many rich, famous people have a secret hidden within them. Somewhere, in the depths of the home, is a secure room to which the residents can retreat in the event of a home invasion or violent intruder. But, safe rooms aren’t just for the rich and famous. Here’s how to make one in your own home or apartment.
2. Don’t Fly Without These 20 TSA-Approved Items in Your Prepper’s Carry-on Bag: As if being away from home and supplies isn’t unsettling enough, let’s also relinquish all of the items that are typically part of our EDC kits.
1. HUD Wants to Make Living in a Tiny House or RV Illegal. The tiny house movement has taken America by storm, in part because our economy is in the toilet. People are striving to reduce their expenses by embracing minimalism, but the government doesn’t like it if you aren’t in one place paying property taxes, various fees, and buying permits.
Happy New Year – and make 2017 the year you really get prepped!
