PREPPER: The Swedish Government Is Warning Citizens to Be Prepared for at Least a Week Without Help

PREPPER: The Swedish Government Is Warning Citizens to Be Prepared for at Least a Week Without Help

The Swedish government is warning its citizens to be prepared to survive on their own for at least a week, which is unusual advice for Sweden to dispense. Is there trouble on the horizon?
Shortly before Christmas, the Swedish government quietly published a paper called “Resilience.” Initially, the requirement had been for people to be prepared for 3 days without help, but it seems like that was a baby step. The government itself wants to be prepared for a 3-month long civil emergency and they’re urging citizens to take responsibility, too.
It really makes you wonder what is looming ahead, doesn’t it?


A publication called SVT reported today:

“Because we have the security policy situation we have today, we say that we will make our planning at government level to face a security crisis for three months,” says Eva-Lena Fjällström, Deputy Director of the County Administrative Board in Västerbotten.

Previously, it has been said that citizens will be able to cope for three days in the event of a crisis. Now it’s extended to one week.

“I think it’s important that you can manage yourself. Society has changed and is vulnerable and complex with many dependencies. It can easily be a disturbance so we have to manage ourselves, “says Eva-Lena Fjällström. (source)

The same publication provided video instructions for putting together a “crisis box.”
The Swedish government is also urging young people to get better prepared.
It’s also interesting to note that back in November, an article introducing the idea of preparedness was published and geared toward 18-year-olds. (One must also wonder if this is a gentle nudge toward a potential draft?) It referenced a study done to measure the preparedness levels of the country’s young people.

“In order to strengthen Swedish emergency preparedness, it is important that as many people as possible be prepared to cope with themselves during a crisis. Therefore, it is gratifying that almost nine out of ten 18-year-olds believe that they should take responsibility for themselves and their relatives in a crisis, “says Nils Svartz, Deputy Director General at MSB.
Nevertheless, the survey shows that many young people are not prepared for a crisis. Only one in three has water for three days and even fewer have prepared to communicate and receive important information from the radio if the electricity is lost. (source)

Some Swedes will see this as a different way of life.
The YouTube channel Swedish Homestead (find it here) recently released a video that discussed the national government’s warning for Swedes to be prepared to handle life for at least a week without the help of the government. According to the vlogger, this is not the norm there and the government is “the Big Brother who handles everything.”
There were mentions of “war” and “crisis” but it appears that not many details were given as to the exact nature of the threat.


Many people in Sweden would be incredibly vulnerable in a situation in which they were forced to be independent. Plus, an influx of migrants has to have put a further strain on resources. Nearly 20% of the population has immigrated from another country – 1.7 million people in Sweden are foreign-born in a country with a population of 9.9 million.
Sweden isn’t alone in unpreparedness
But wouldn’t we see the same types of issues described in the video here in America? How many Americans could go for weeks or months with the food they had on hand and the food they could produce? How many Americans make their land work for them? How many Americans have the skills to actually produce food for themselves and procure safe drinking water?
Sadly, not very many.
Just like Sweden, many Americans are locked into a system where we are reliant on imported goods, municipal water, and a reliable transportation system to bring us supplies on a regular basis.
While we may not like to think about it, a vast majority of our own population would not be able to be self-sufficient in an emergency that lasted for more than a few days.
The world seems to be becoming increasingly dangerous every year, with threats of nuclear devastation, petro-wars, economic collapse, and religious differences. Our own country has become rigidly divided in a right vs. left paradigm. While none of us personally can fix those issues, we CAN be prepared to take care of our own families, protect our property, and stay informed.

General Preparedness at Home

Many preppers and survivalists are preparing for major long-term emergencies, such as economic collapse or political turmoil, civil unrest, war, plague outbreaks, or EMP events. But we must not forget about the smaller, everyday emergencies like house fires, bad weather events, temporary power outages, car or appliance breakdowns, sickness, household accidents, and other bad events that don't quite add up to the Apocalypse. 

Here are some ideas for preparing for those smaller, less Earth-shattering, but more frequent emergencies. Frankly, all preppers and survivalist should be doing these things before preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse.


General Preparedness at Home
 
1- Every household should have an emergency fund. A recent study found that almost half of all Americans cannot come up with $400 in an emergency without borrowing the money, using a credit card, or selling/pawning something. This is not a good situation. Do whatever it takes to build an emergency fund - hold a yard sale, sell that exercise machine you don't use, sell that ATV or other expensive toy that you don't really need, brown bag your lunch for the next few months, downsize your cable TV package, work extra hours or get a second job... Aim for an emergency fund of at least $1000, and slowly work up to at least six months worth of expenses (or more).

2- Have some cash on hand. The bank may be closed (weekend or holiday) when you need the cash, and ATMs don't work when the power is out. I suggest finding a really good hiding space in your home to stash $300 or $400. If you can't do that, start with what you can and work your way up. 

3- Make sure everyone in your household is aware of what to do in case of a fire. They should know at least two escape routes. Hold a practice fire drill every few months, especially if you have small children.

4- Make sure everyone knows, especially younger kids, how to call 911 in an emergency.

5- Every home & apartment should have at least one working smoke detector. It should be battery-powered not hard-wired. Make sure the batteries are fresh!

6- Every home & apartment should have at least one Fire Extinguisher. Be sure everyone in your home knows where it is and how to use it. A possible alternative, back-up, or supplement to the traditional fire extinguisher is the Fire Gone Extinguishers. These are smaller, less expensive, very easy-to-use, and easier to clean-up (and they work on class A, B, and C fires).

7- Have a good First Aid Kit in your home (rather than just having random supplies scattered about your house). Make sure everyone knows where it is and how to use it. A good first aid handbook is useful, but all adults and all children of school age should take a first aid/CPR course.

8- Have a bright LED Flashlight, and extra batteries. Several are better than one. Consider keeping a flashlight in each major room of your house.

9- So you can stay informed of what's going on in a power outage, you should have a electrical and battery-powered AM/FM/NOAA Radio. Don't forget to have plenty of extra batteries in case of power outages. You can keep up with weather and news reports, emergency announcements, school and business closings, and so forth...

10- Everyone should have at least a week's worth (and two weeks is even better) of food & water. Think in terms of not being able to go to the store because of a bad winter storm or similar event... Oh, don't forget to include some foods you don't have to cook (peanut butter, pop-tarts, canned tuna, canned soups, canned pastas, etc.) in case of a power outage. (Many preppers and survivalists strive for a year or more of food storage for long-term emergencies, but this article is aimed at everyday, shorter-term emergencies.)

11- Do a home safety inspection. Walk around every room of your home, looking for potential problems, such as clutter that can cause falls, fire hazards such as frayed electrical cords, and poison & other chemicals that are unmarked or easily accessible by children. Make sure all knives, guns, matches, lighters, etc., are secured from young children. Walk around you property and all outbuildings doing the same thing. Most scouts learn to do these safety inspections as part of earning various merit badges and skill awards, so if you know a scout, have them do it for you!
 
12- If you have guns, please teach your children gun safety. The NRA has gun safety programs for all ages, including young kids.

13- Be sure to talk to the children in your house about basic safety rules, such as not answering the door for strangers, not telling anyone over the phone that Mommy and Daddy aren't home, not touching Daddy's guns, knives, or tools, not running with scissors or playing with matches, and so on. Kids, especially young kids, really do need these reminders often.
 
14- You may also want to check out my article Workshop and DIY Safety.

15 Frugal Ways You Can Save Money Today

I’m all for using frugal ways and saving money each and every day! Here’s the deal, you can start with the ideas I am sharing today and add more as you think of them yourself. I have written about giving up paper and plastic products several times, but I feel inspired today to refresh our memories on how easy it is to save money. You may remember the picture below that shows my handy dandy cloth (paper) towel, holder.

I’m sure there are even more ways to save money by using cloth or reusable containers, etc. Here are some of my favorite ones. Thankfully, I’m old enough I don’t have to use those lovely menstrual pads and such, but I would use these today to save money as shown below.

Frugal Ways

1. Paper Towels

I must admit I do not like shopping at any grocery store, so it’s one less paper towel I have to purchase only to throw it away after it’s used. Please keep in mind I use paper towels for bacon to drain on and toss the greasy sheets. Once you start using cloth, it’s really hard to even walk by the paper towels at Costco. I just think of the $$$$’s I’m saving. I can hear people now say, “what about all the water, power and soap you are using to wash the cloth items?” I get it, I really do.
The trick here is to get these thin ones: Thin Diapers for Paper Towels

Please keep in mind I use regular paper towels for cooked bacon to drain the grease and toss them. Also, I have to wash my hand towels and wash clothes each week anyway, so have more to wash really doesn’t add to the cost since it’s generally one load per week.

2. Reusable Water Containers

This one is fairly simple because we just have to buy some stainless steel water jugs and refill them with our own “good water.” I use Reverse Osmosis, but you may have your own favorite water source. I’m not sure what water is really in the bottles we can buy filled at the local grocery store. I prefer stainless steel because it won’t break when the jug slips out of my hands. Here are some I like: Stainless Steel Water Jugs

3. Use Cloth Diapers

I know, I can hear some people now, “no way am I using cloth diapers.” Well, when Mark was in school we used cloth diapers and there is no way we would have had the money for disposable diapers. We also had zero student loans and most current grants were not available back in our day.
Yes, you have to flip the poop off the diaper and soak them if you want, but money is money in my bank account. We have become a disposable culture. It needs to stop. Period. You can reuse the diapers and plastic pants for years. Yes, you may have a bigger investment, to begin with, but you can use the cloth ones for years. I mean years.

Read More of My Articles  101 Ways To Save Money Every Day

Here are some that are reusable: Cloth Diapers and Plastic Pants and Awesome Cloth Diapers

4. Tissues/Hankies

I use so many tissues for my nose I decided to ditch them and now I use cloth ones. I quit buying the paper ones and now use these: Cloth Hankies

5. Toilet Paper

Okay, I must put a HUGE disclaimer here. I have made hundreds of these for an emergency, but I have not used them, yet. Here’s my post where I show how to make them. Family Cloth-Reusable Toilet Paper

6. Clothesline/More Frugal Ways

Invest in a clothesline for two reasons, one to save money and to have a way to hang up your hand washed clothes after a disaster. These are my favorite clothespins: Kevin’s Clothespins

7. Change Out Light Bulbs

This is one way we have really cut our power bill. We slowly replaced our awful fluorescent light bulbs with LED ones. Yes, they may cost more up front and they often do not last as long as the box says they will. But, in the long run, my electric bill continues to drop.

8. Cut Down On Germs

Now, this may sound crazy, but I swear by clean bathrooms, clean remote controls, clean light switches and clean phones/cell phones. Sometimes I think I am a germaphobic, isn’t that a word? Here’s the deal, if we keep things clean, we will stay well if we eat the right foods to boost our immune system. I still wish some churches had those hand sanitizer containers hanging on the wall. Just saw a report on TV that the flu season is going strong. Help prevent getting the flu by protecting against how it is passed from person to person.

9. Beans-Once A Week

If you want to cut your grocery bill, eat beans at least once a week. Yes, I still eat my bean burrito without cheese every day. Good salsa is key to me. I love beans, but I grew up eating them at least two or three times a week. I add some rice and some fresh Cilantro, tomatoes in the summer and I’m good to go with just about any meal.

10. Pasta-Once A Week

I grew up eating spaghetti at least once a week and I still love it, even without meat. Mark has a bag of frozen cooked hamburger with onions he can add to his plate. I use a frying pan with two pounds of hamburger and two white onions chopped and cook it until done. I drain the fat, if any, cool it, and freeze it in a bag. Mark can scoop out the amount he wants with his pasta meal.

11. Cook From Scratch

Everytime you stay out of the store, grocery, big box or whatever, you will save money if you plan ahead. Write down the things your family eats the most each week and watch for sales on those products. Stock up and save money. If you cook more meals from scratch you will save money in the long run.

Read More of My Articles  20 Family Budget Food Ideas Everyone Needs

Now that my family is down to two people, I buy case lot sales of vegetarian refried beans. Yes, I could buy the bag, but for now, the cans work great for me. I work full time on my blog and I have to cut my time in different ways. Buy what you will eat and store it, you may need it sooner than you think. Please be prepared for the unexpected.

12. Make Bread

I know a lot of people have gluten issues, but if I didn’t make bread my grocery bill would be crazy high. Plus, I have made bread for so many years, I’m fussy about bread. I love my white bread, whole wheat bread, and cinnamon rolls to name a few. How To Make Bread by Linda

13. Plant a Garden

Now’s the time to prep your garden spot. If you don’t have a place to put pots to grow some vegetables or fruits, see if your city has a community farm where you can participate.

14. Pay Extra On Your Mortgage

As you may know, I used to do mortgages and I owned my own company for about 15 years. I will be writing about mortgages very soon, but one thing I want to say today is this, pay more than your regular payment so the extra will be applied to the outstanding principal amount. Be sure and label it “extra principal.” Set up your house payment to come out of your account as close to the 1st of the month as you can. You will save interest, lots of interest, over the years.

15. Pay Extra Towards Your Car Payment

If you can afford to pay cash for a car, you rock. For those who can’t pay cash, pay extra towards the principal on your loan. If your payment is $325.00, pay $350.00, or whatever you can afford to be applied to the principal. You will have your car paid off sooner than expected and pay a whole lot less interest.
These are just a few frugal ways to save money. I know tough times are coming ahead, please be prepared for what our economy may do in the future. We must be prepared.

 

10 Mistakes People Make When Going Off the Grid

Are you tired of the rapid pace of everyday life? Are you ready to settle down on your own land while living life on your terms? If you answered “Yes”, you’re not alone. Each year, thousands of people make the switch to self-sustainability. Unfortunately, many of them are ill-equipped when they do it, and so the experience isn’t as pleasant as they imagined. To make going off the grid as smooth and seamless as possible, I recommend you avoid making the following 10 mistakes:

• Mistake #1: Not using solar power.
• Mistake #2: Not enriching soil with organic material.
• Mistake #3: Not taking advantage of elevated water sources.
• Mistake #4: Not setting up a proper waste disposal system.
• Mistake #5: Not bringing a gun.
• Mistake #6: Not understanding local zoning laws.
• Mistake #7: Not investing in production animals (bees, chickens, etc.).
• Mistake #8: Not having basic gardening knowledge.
• Mistake #9: Not being physically and mentally prepared.
• Mistake #10: Not having fun.

This isn’t an extensive list by any means. I simply wanted to show you, what I think, are the 10 biggest mistakes newbies make when going off the grid. Here’s a video of a fellow survivalist explaining her biggest mistakes (and how to avoid them):

SOURCE