20 ways to become more self-sufficient before ‘the crunch’ arrives

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by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) One thing you don’t want to be during the coming “crunch” — a polite word for “collapse” — is dependent on the system. The more you can take care of yourself, the better off you’ll be physically, financially, emotionally and even spiritually. Here are 20 ways to become more self-sufficient while you still can:

1) Get a small solar system that can be used to run a laptop or recharge batteries

2) Drill a water well and install a hand pump or solar-powered DC pump

3) Set up a rainwater collection system or barrel

4) Stash some cash: stock away some green dollar bills and lots of U.S. nickels

5) Own and learn how to use a handgun, rifle and shotgun

6) Store some ammunition

7) Own and know how to use a water filter

8) Start a garden this spring and acquire more food production skills

9) Save garden seeds so you can plant the next generation of food

10) Acquire a wood-burning stove for heat and cooking

11) Possess a large quantity of stored food; enough for at least 90 days

12) Get to know your local farmers and ranchers

13) Store up valuable barter items that are relatively cheap today: Alcohol, coffee, ammo, matches, etc.

14) Safely store extra vehicle fuel (gasoline, diesel) at your home or ranch
Be sure to use fuel stabilizers to extend their life.

15) Learn emergency first aid skills and own first aid supplies
This could save a life or possibly save a trip to the emergency room.

16) Start growing your own medicine
Plant and grow aloe vera, oregano, garlic, cayenne pepper and other medicinal herbs that can replace a surprisingly large number of prescription drugs. Oregano, for example, is a potent antibiotic. Aloe vera treats cuts, scrapes and burns.

17) Own emergency hand-cranked radios so you can tune in to news and announcements
My #1 recommended brand is Freeplay.

18) Boost your immune system with vitamin D and superfoods

19) Increase your level of physical fitness

20) Learn how to raise animals such as rabbits, chickens, goats or cows.

Related articles

• 20 ways to become more self-sufficient before ‘the crunch’ arrives (dprogram.net)
• 20 ways to become more self-sufficient before ‘the crunch’ arrives (truth11.com)
• Health Benefits of Aloe Vera: Grow Your Own Medicine (myscienceacademy.org)

Woodland Heists: Rising Energy Costs Drive Up Forest Thievery

By Renuka Rayasam

DPA

Germany’s forests have become an attractive target for thieves.

With energy costs escalating, more Germans are turning to wood burning stoves for heat. That, though, has also led to a rise in tree theft in the country’s forests. Woodsmen have become more watchful.

With snow blanketing the ground, it’s the perfect time of year to snuggle up in front of a fireplace. That, though, makes German foresters nervous. When the mercury falls, the theft of wood in the country’s woodlands goes up as people turn to cheaper ways to heat their homes.

ANZEIGE

“The forest is open for everyone to enter and people just think they can help themselves, but they can’t!” says Enno Rosenthal, head of the forest farmers association in the northeastern German state of Brandenburg. “Naturally, those log piles belong to someone and there is a lot of money and work that goes into them.”

The problem has been compounded this winter by rising energy costs. The Germany’s Renters Association estimates the heating costs will go up 22 percent this winter alone. A side effect is an increasing number of people turning to wood-burning stoves for warmth. Germans bought 400,000 such stoves in 2011, the German magazine FOCUS reported this week. It marks the continuation of a trend: The number of Germans buying heating devices that burn wood and coal has grown steadily since 2005, according to consumer research company GfK Group.

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• Woodland Heists: Rising Energy Costs Drive Up Forest Thievery (spiegel.de)
• Greeks Raid Forests In Search Of Wood To Heat Homes (zerohedge.com)
• Greeks Raid Forests in Search of Wood to Heat Homes (libertyblitzkrieg.com)
• Greeks Raid Forests in Search of Wood to Heat Homes (blacklistednews.com)
• Greeks Raid Forests in Search of Wood to Heat Homes (fromthetrenchesworldreport.com)
• What Does AUSTERITY Mean? A Return to 18th Century Living Standards: Greeks Raid Forests In Search Of Wood To Heat Homes (sgtreport.com)
• The Gravest of Allegations: Conflating Critique of Israel with Anti-Semitism (familysurvivalprotocol.com)
• Guidelines to Prevention Fires due to Home Heating. (modernhomesteaders.net)
• EPA to outlaw many wood burning stoves (sott.net)
• New EPA Regulations to Ban Many Wood Burning Stoves (visiontoamerica.com)