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Hello everyone! First of all, I wanted to say that I’m back in action on this blog! I also wanted to apologize for leaving you, I have had a break due to another project and work! I’m back and I am ready to rock my blog! Now let me go ahead and tell you about Pressgram – THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING

I want to start off with talking about Pressgram...this will change the way we upload and share photos…Instagr.am currently doesn’t own the photos completely because they have changed their terms of service again. The problem is that they can change it at any time and own everything. You have absolutely no control over that content. John Saddington came up with the solution.

The solution is basically an app that he is developing that can take the same cool photos and easily upload them to your self hosted wordpress blog! He has started a kickstarter project and I encourage all of you to go visit it and donate! Even if you donate a dollar, every bit will help. For the time being, check out this awesome video that can explain much better than I can!

If you want to learn more about Pressgr.am – CLICK HERE

How to pack a bug out bag on a budget

Part 3 – Food Rations

The third part to a bug out bag that is extremely crucial is your food rations. You don’t want to pack any more than three days worth because as I have stated before – This bag is to tide you over until you get to your next location. When picking food rations, you want something that is high in calories and protein. If you choose this route, it will give you the most energy to help you to your next location. The average adult needs approximately 1200-1800 calories per day. Here is a one stop shop to get what you need and this will help when you are on a budget.

The one and only item you will need is the Mainstay Emergency food ration. This food ration contains 9 – 400 calorie bars that also have a lot of vitamins and nutrients in them as well. This is a total of 3600 calories which will be enough to last you 3 days on a 1200 calorie/day diet. This food ration is super cheap for someone on a budget. All this will cost you is approximately $8 with an additional $2 in shipping for a total of: $10 HOLY CRAP THAT IS CHEAP!

Another thing that you can do is every time you go to the grocery store – buy a protein bar for $1. Buy a few of these to pack as well and you will be good to go. There is nothing like having some extra food that will last. I would vacuum seal the protein bars so they keep longer.

That’s all I have for today’s post! This is short and sweet! Thank you to everyone that is subscribing. Don’t forget to share this blog to other’s and you can possibly win the bug out bag at the end of this series!

How to pack a bug out bag on a budget

Part 1

Many out there want to build a bug out bag for themselves and for family members/friends. The problem for most is that they don’t know what to pack and they think it’s too expensive. I’m here to tell you it isn’t. Welcome to the How to pack a bug out bag on a budget series! Everything in this series will have been thoroughly tested and reviewed. As an added bonus – I will be giving away this whole bug out bag to one lucky reader! To enter – you have to sign up on the right and make at least one comment on the posts in the series!

The first part of every essential bug out bag is the bag itself! Many spend hundreds of dollars on the bag alone which I can agree with. The unfortunate thing is that not all of us have hundreds of dollars to spent on the bag. Fortunately for you, there is a cheap way to get a quality bag! Amazon has a ton of great bags that are large enough to fit anything and are fairly cheap! The bag I like best is the:

CUSCUS Army 3 Day Assault Hiking Camping Military Backpack

First thing is first. I will give you 10 reasons why this backpack is the best for a bug out bag on a budget!

  1. It is cheap. You can get one for $40 after shipping on amazon
  2. It can hold a hell of a lot of gear. The specifications are 19.5 x 7 x 12 inches and only 2lbs and 6oz empty!
  3. The load capacity is approximately 70 pounds. Let’s face it – you can fit a lot of crap in there!
  4. Three external pockets that are sized just right for canteens, 30 round magazines or some extra first aid gear.
  5. Completely water repellent!
  6. The nylon is very light so you can focus on putting your actual gear in it.
  7. There is a hydration sleeve with a port for extra hydration!
  8. Extra straps at the bottom for accessories
  9. Black color that will be useful in most urban and nighttime scenarios
  10. Chest and waist straps for comfort!

Many might think that this isn’t good enough but honestly. A bug out bag is exactly that. It’s a bag that is made to bug out to your location that you plan on staying for a lot longer to ride out whatever SHTF scenario might be happening. For many, they would like to devote their money towards their bug out location versus actually bugging out.

If you are willing to go the non-budget route and want my personal recommendation for an EXTREMELY durable bag – I HIGHLY recommend the Oakley Kitchen Sink bag. This bag is much more expensive but is the most durable bag I have ever used. I have been using this bag and throwing it around for the past 4 years and not a single part has broken on it.

Both bags can be found below:

 

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the bug out bag on a budget series! The next part will be talking about first aid and the importance of first aid while bugging out! Don’t forget to comment and subscribe – You can win this bug out bag (saves you even more cash!)

New Goals for 2013

January 1, 2013 — 1 Comment

It’s official…I’m back!

Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me through the past couple of months. I have really been thinking long and hard of what I want to do with this blog and you know what? I don’t think I have come up with it just yet. For the time being, I’m enjoying my new job with ExactTarget and I’m really counting my blessings. There are so many great things about getting this new job! I can finally say that I’m starting my career from the ground up. Every day, I learn something new about Email Marketing and Software as a Server (SaaS).
For now, let’s focus on my goals for 2013. I want to make target this blog into five topics that really mean a lot to me.
  1. Being a Father
  2. Finance advise for families
  3. Making money online
  4. Social Media Marketing/SEO
  5. Guns
I know these are some crazy topics but I will be re-focusing my website around these topics. Let me know what you think! I have a lot of special giveaways coming as well!

 

So there are tons of tips that Fathers will have if you are going to become a new Dad. I have decided to ask many of the Dad and Mom bloggers out there for their top tips for Dads! Here they are in order of the response that I received back!

(This post will be updated as I get more tips from all of the Dads and Moms out there!)

 

1. To calm a baby down when he’s crying, sling him over your shoulder and walk around. This “sack of rice” method worked wonders for my two kids.

 

2. When you see random toys for sale at the bargain bin (like 99 cent cars), buy a dozen or so and keep them in the glove compartment, your work bag, etc. Nothing like the distraction of a shiny new object when tantrums occur in inconvenient places like the bank or a nice restaurant. I used this trick when I flew with my then 2-year old son across the world. I gave him a new car every few hours. Best 10 bucks I ever spent

3. Tolerate a little bad to get the good. What I mean is, if you have to throw a mess of cheese (bad) on broccoli (good) so your kid eats some, then so be it. Better to get the good stuff in than keep the bad stuff out.

 

4. Laugh. It’s never as bad as you think.

 

5. Netflix. I discovered my favorite show Dexter when my daughter was born because she’d keep me up all night. Watching an entire series in two nights makes the sleepless nights more bearable.


- Jim www.busydadblog.com

1. Don’t expect sex from your wife a few weeks after she gives birth. Need a little more perspective than that? Imagine someone taking your nut sack and trying to separate each testicle and tuck each one behind your ears. Would you still want to get busy? I didn’t think so.

2. Invest in a good pair of ear plugs, because you’re gonna need them. And the number one reason you’re gonna need them is not because of incessant crying from your newborn. It’s to drown out the insults and exclamations of hate that will likely come from your wife’s mouth. And no, she really doesn’t think that you’re a complete and total asshat. She’s just overwhelmed, exhausted, and may I reiterate that either her cha-cha was nearly split in two or she had her stomach muscles sliced open while delivering your kid. Suck it up and take it like a man.

- Mary www.mommyologist.com

1. Coffee is a MUST. I don’t care if you don’t like coffee now. Grow some and buy a ton of coffee because it is liquid gold for both you and the mother! Want to save some cash too? Learn to drink coffee black. Everything is the best in it’s purest form, right?

2. Learn to do everything that you do now, in about half the time and at times when you might not want to do them. Either you will need to give the baby 100% of your time and energy for a lot of the day, or the baby is asleep for nap time. 

3. Sleep when the baby is asleep! I cannot stress this enough! My Wife has not perfected this yet. Sleep is a precious thing and when the baby is asleep, that’s your signal that you should be asleep too.

4. To go along with what Jim said about Netflix, it is a great tool for the baby too! I know not many movies are on there for adults but there are TONS of kids shows. I couldn’t believe how many episodes of Sesame Street were on there. Spend the $8/month. It’s worth it.

- Craig www.daddysbroke.com

That’s it everyone! Sorry I couldn’t bring you more tips from other bloggers out there. The other bloggers that I emailed probably thought I was spam or such a newbie on the block, that they didn’t want to waste the time. If I get any more tips from them in my email, I will update this post as I get them.

Don’t be afraid to e-mail me with questions that you have when it comes to being a new Dad. If you have question about being a new Mom, go ahead and ask my wife at www.chillmommy.com She will help you out greatly!

Have a great day everyone!