August 23
The children are returning to school and so should you. It’s time to hone your preparedness skills. If you have not already gathered friends and family to form a support team, do it now. Having a team to watch for sales, share equipment, and teach skills costs nothing but it is worth its weight in gold. Once you have a posse gathered make a list of the skills you have and ask everyone to do the same. Next, make a list of skills you would like to learn. Consider sewing, basic cooking, off-grid cooking, bread making, canning, auto repair, first aid, gardening, budgeting, food storage basics, seed harvesting, fire building, and so much more.
One skill we all need to improve is knowing how to use items we already have in other ways. To get you started:
Bucket Washing Machine
You Need:
Five-gallon bucket
New plunger
Utility knife
To Make:
Remove the lid from a five-gallon bucket.
Cut a round hole about 3 inches wide in the center of the lid.
To Use:
Fill bucket ½ full with water.
Add liquid laundry detergent.
Place a new plunger in the bucket.
Replace the lid on the bucket with the plunger handle through the hole.
Click the lid in place and you are ready to wash.
Move the plunger up and down gently.
To Rinse:
Empty wash water into a sink or bathtub to save for cleaning.
Fill the bucket with clean water.
Add clothing and plunge gently.
When it is time to wring out clothing get another person to help and twist it over a bucket to save the water for cleaning.
If you don’t have room to store another bucket store a new plunger and when needed empty food out of a bucket you already have on hand.
Now that the washing is done it is time to dry clothing. You will need rope and clothespins. That's it! Simple. During the winter you can hang your line over the bathtub or near the fireplace to dry your clothes. Hanging laundry near a fire adds moisture to the air which is a good thing as a fire can make the air very dry.
Which skills can we help you with?
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