Steps To Surviving Economic Collapse

Step One: Get educated. Don't rely on the mainstream media for accurate and unbiased information. Start looking around at independent news sources. Open your mind. Don't let your predetermined positions filter the information. Look at the trends, dissect the facts. A favorite tactic of the government is to change formulas when calculating economic indicators.

Challenge the figures. Check out wheat the results would be using the same calculations used when the metric was introduced. You'll be sickened at the deceitful and misleading tactics called information.

Step Two: Deduce worst case scenarios. Make sure you take your blinders off and confront it head on. Your family depends on it. What is the worst that could happen? To help you understand, look at areas of the world affected by hyperinflation, epidemics, civil unrest, and government tyranny. Look at how the people were affected. Then, start putting those scenarios in your neighborhood, city, state, and country. These worst case scenarios will be the foundation to survival.

Step Three: Make plans. For each of your worst case scenarios, make a plan. Will you stay at home or go somewhere safer? How will you travel? What will you do when you get there? How will you live? Can your family actually perform the plan? Is Grandma in a wheelchair and you plan on walking to cousin Fred's through the woods. Make it real and make it doable.

Step Four: Prepare for life. Once you decide where you'll end up waiting out the disaster, you'll have to plan on living. What will you eat? How will you wash? Is there clean water available? Make sure you refer back to your worst case scenarios. Without electricity water and sewer are sure to fail. Your plans should address cleanliness for disease-free living. An illness during a state of collapse could be a death sentence. Address security concerns. What will you do when confronted with the unsavory element coming to take your food, water, wife, husband, or children? Can you defend yourself? Can your family members defend themselves? If you purchase firearms make sure all family members know how to use them well and use them safely.

Step Five: Be realistic. If part of your plan relies on hunting for food make sure you have an appropriate weapon and know how to use it. Hunt before you need it to learn how. It is not as easy as people think. Fishing is the same. The time to learn gardening, fishing, animal husbandry, and hunting is not when your life depends on it.

Step Six: Get your family members involved. Start practicing by living a sustainable lifestyle.
Follow these five steps and you'll be way ahead of the rest of the crowd when disaster strikes. It is only a matter of time, not IF.

By Kelli A Otting 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7624492

Food For Families - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Hunger is on the rise in America. Food stamp, or SNAP, usage reached 46.7 million in June, 2012. With this record-high number of families receiving assistance, it's no wonder that many are looking for information on qualifying for, and receiving, this benefit.

Qualifying for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) means that your household must meet specific requirements. Income guidelines apply, as do resource limits, employment verification, and information on all household members applying for benefits. Age, disability, and immigration status can also affect your eligibility.

The income requirement guidelines include both gross and net limits. Your household income must fall within the ranges specified for your household size, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Some of these circumstances may include elderly or disabled household members, deductions allowed, or receipt of other benefits. Income qualifications can be extensive and confusing. For most households, it is best to speak to someone at your local office. Web-based help is also available, at the USDA-SNAP website.

Resource limits also impact eligibility for SNAP. Your personal belongings and home are exempted, but your car is considered a resource, as are any bank accounts, stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, burial plots, or a host of other assets. These resources cannot total more than $2,000 in most cases. If they do, your household will not qualify for assistance, unless a member of the household is elderly or disabled.

Your household will also be subject to specific employment requirements. Pay stubs or employer verification will be required, if you are currently employed. This will be required of all employed members of your household. There are also employment requirements for currently unemployed, able-bodied members filing for benefits. You must be conducting a job search, willing to accept retraining, and able to take advantage of any job placement opportunities that may be offered to you.

There are limits to the benefits you can receive if you do not meet these requirements. Your benefits will be for no more than three months in any 36 month period.

Special consideration is given to the elderly and the disabled. SNAP requirements for able-bodied adults are very different from those for the disabled and elderly people. Understanding all the restrictions and exemptions for the elderly or disabled can be quite difficult, and it is recommended that you contact a worker at your local office if you fall into these categories. Benefits are also available for immigrants, but this eligibility depends on your status. It can't hurt to check and see if you qualify.

By JS Alexa 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7672922

Getting Your Kids To Clean Their Room

Kids can be quite messy at times and they hate it if someone tries to clear up their things around the room or ask them to do it. Parents find it very difficult to get their kids to clean their rooms. Below are a few ways that can help you get your kids to clean their rooms.
Start Early

Children start learning habits at a very early age. If, as toddlers, you never trained them to clear up their toys after playing, they will certainly never clear up after themselves. You have to start training them and ingraining in their minds the importance of cleanliness, at a very young age. If they develop it as a habit in their early years, they will not find it difficult to clean their rooms when asked. Also, they will be less messy so they will not have much to clean after themselves.

Delegate Responsibilities
If your child is about four years old, you can delegate small and easy tasks to them like picking up their toys, or putting their dirty clothes in the hamper. As your child grows, you can increase the responsibility and give them other work around the house like setting the table or clearing it or cleaning up their own room.
In case there are two or more than two children in a house, divide the duties among them fairly. Make sure that the chores are age appropriate and each chore is carried out.

Give them Credit!
This is very important to keep your children motivated and encourage them to help you out. Praise and reward your kids from time to time to keep their spirits up. Recognize their efforts and appreciate them for their work. If children feel that helping around the house and cleaning their rooms is actually important work and that they are being praised for their hard work, they will do it with more fervor and enthusiasm.

Help them out
Children get bored very quickly. If you have asked them to clear their room and they lose interest in it after a while, go and help out with them. Engage them in interesting conversation while you work and before they realize it, the work will be done.
If the cleaning involves vacuuming and moving furniture, you can ask your children to lend a hand while you work as they will not be able to execute such difficult tasks by themselves.

By Jonathan Bergstein 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7657784

Leaving A Home After Foreclosure

For most a foreclosure is not something that you ever plan to deal with or think that you will. However it is something that people all over the country are having to deal with all the time. If you tried to avoid the foreclosure but did not have any success here are a few tips you should follow when leaving your home.

As a homeowner and even as a renter, you have rights. If you are going through a foreclosure, there is no need to panic or leave the house immediately when you get the foreclosure notice. You are entitled to leave the home in a dignified manner and to give yourself the chance to move on with your future. You can't always avoid foreclosure, but you can retain your dignity.

1. Check with the bank or lending company to see if they are offering an incentive for leaving the house in order. Many homeowners are angry when leaving their home after a foreclosure notice and may decide to destroy the house, take the appliances to sell, or leaving messes for the bank to clean. The incentives being offered are usually several hundred dollars; think about how that money would help you during this time and leave the house in order. According to a recent article in CNBC Financial Times, these incentives can range from $1000-$20,000 towards a fresh start.

2. Pack ahead of time. From the time you receive the notice until you actually have to be out of the house can vary by state and bank, but you can choose to be prepared. By organizing and cleaning out your belongings ahead of time, you can move in a calm and rational manner. If you wait until you have a tight deadline, you may feel overwhelmed and unable to pack efficiently. This can lead to poor packing, broken items, and including items that you could very well sell or give away. In a study done by MSN real estate, most people could purge their homes of 30% of items and not notice a difference.

3. According to the real estate site, Trulia.com, only the bank can tell you when to vacate the house. You are able to stay in the house until an actual eviction is filed. This basically means that you could have several weeks or even months before the bank will take possession of the house. If you are out before that day, you can move out in a dignified manner, just as you would had you sold the house in a real estate transaction. There is no need to leave in a dramatic rush but you also shouldn't wait until the day of eviction as law enforcement may pay a visit to the property. The best plan of action is to take the foreclosure notice seriously and plan as quickly as possible to leave the home. You don't want to wait until the sheriff shows up with the eviction notice.

4. Homeowners can take certain items from the house. There are certain things you cannot take. Before you decide to take an item, ask yourself if removing the item will render the room or accessory unusable. For example, you cannot remove the sink from the kitchen because that would mean the kitchen would not be a functioning kitchen. You can, however, remove the shelving you had installed in the office that was not present when you first purchased the house.

The idea of a foreclosure is not one that you want to deal with but in reality, it can happen to even the most vigilant homeowners. When it does, you do not have to leave the house in frenzy or wait for the sheriff to come and start throwing out your belongings. Take the time to plan and be proactive for your future.

By Melissa Gifford 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7684297

Teaching Our Kids To Recognize Tyranny And Stand Up For Their Rights

We've all seen the letter floating around on Facebook. You know the one where the teacher suspends a student for disagreeing. The student would not accept that a kilometer was longer than a mile. The teacher threatened the student with suspension but the student was adamant, a mile is longer than a kilometer. The letter to the parents detailed that the student was suspended for disagreeing with the teacher. What?

We, as parents are busy. Grandparents can help. Our children need to learn how to critically dissect information and assimilate facts. Just look at our headlines today. Look where they come from. Our so-called news is bent either far to the left or far to the right. Facts are rarely part of news anymore. Even the weather has turned sensationalist. Kids cheer blizzards, not fear them! They're being indoctrinated into the rolls of the public controlled by fear. Look at what happened in Boston. The whole city was under house arrest out of fear. And they stayed there. What next? When a serial killer is on the loose, do we shut down the city and tell everyone to stay home? Or just those that fit the profile of a potential victim. Come on folks! Our thinking skills have been destroyed and replaced with 'obey at all costs' skills.

Many parents are not doing a good job of teaching by example. Parents are buys with their electronic gadgets, work, commuting, and friends. Children are loaded into the van for practice of one kind or another and then sequestered in their rooms for homework. They spend time with their parents in the same room not talking, not looking at each other, and not communicating at all. We all fail when our children care more about what some uneducated promiscuous foul-mouthed sitcom actress is wearing than the fact our President just signed another executive order, which may be illegal.
Educators are failing our children by insisting they believe lies, passing children through the grades that can't even read, let alone think, and resigning themselves to exist in a system that rewards the status quo. The few educators that do rock-the-boat, end up without a job. Parents can't afford private schools so take responsibility to turn off your devices for a few minutes each day and talk about something important for five minutes. Help your children dissect the propaganda and slanted sensationalist news. For the sake of our next generation, and the ones to follow, we have to teach the children to ask, 'why'?

The 'Liberty Dying' Book Series crosses genres from contemporary to dystopic as tomorrows America makes today's headlines! Read, "Jingling Our Change" for a disturbing, enlightening, enjoyable experience.

By Kelli A Otting 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7671896

How To Make The Most Of Your Home Storage

It doesn't matter if you have a large home or if you have one that is small, you are going to need to consider the amount of space that you have available. This is especially the case, however, when your home is smaller and you need to ensure that you have the room necessary to store all of the items that you have to store. Here are a few tips that can help you to save space in the home and to make the most out of what you have available.

Perhaps the most important thing that needs to be considered when looking for additional space in the home are your organizational skills. If you have things organized properly, they are going to utilize less space in the home which will allow you to store more items. From time to time, it is necessary for you to step back and to take a good look at the organization that is available. Making small changes, including having some organizational tools will help to make a large difference. What are some of those tools that should be considered?

Almost any area of the home is going to benefit from the use of storage boxes. It is important for you to consider, however, that not all of the items that need to be stored should be kept in a box. In some cases, you may even damage those items if they do not have access to fresh air. There are plenty of options that are available which will help you to store those items without causing any damage. In some areas of the home, you may also want to consider hanging a peg board. If you use the right types of pegboard hooks, you would be surprised with how much space you are able to gain and how organized your home will be.

In many cases, it is also necessary for you to utilize the closet space that you have available to the greatest extent possible. It may even be necessary for you to redesign the closet so that it is able to hold your items properly. Each of us have different needs when it comes to our closets, with some using them for storage space and boxes and others using them to store clothes. You can purchase closet components at most hardware stores for a relatively low price. Measure the space that you have carefully and take it with you to the hardware store, they should be able to assist you in choosing the components that you need.

One other suggestion that I would have for you is to utilize some of the unusual spaces in the home, such as under the beds. There are storage boxes that are available which will fit in those unusual spaces. Even though you are going to be using almost every area that is possible, it is still necessary for you to avoid using corners that are in the open. Try to keep your home as clutter free as possible and you will find that it is more comfortable to live in.

By David V Garcia 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7632355

Do You Know The Best Way To Sell Your Home?

One of the aspects of selling a house is how and when you will get an offer. Some sellers will get an offer within the first week the house is listed while others will have to wait for weeks, even months. Regardless of how long you have to wait, when that first offer comes in you are giddy with excitement when your agent calls to tell you the good news.

Hopefully the amount offered is close to the asking price so you can just take the deal and be done with the process. Sadly the offer is much lower then you would like to accept right at the moment. What do you do now? Do you bother to counter the offer or do you just let the buyer know that they are way off the mark?

Your agent will likely recommend that you counter with some reasonable middle ground offer. You don't want to give the house away but you do have the ability to come down off of the asking price. You have run the numbers and know you can go down to a certain price but with no concessions and no closing cost. You let your agent know and together you come up with a fair counter offer. This is the art of negotiating which is something that your agent should be able to help walk you through.

Here are a few quick tips in order to get you through a difficult negotiation and reach your ultimate goal of selling the house:

1. Make sure you are in constant communication with your agent. Do not walk away angry if the price is too low or if the potential buyer is asking for a lot of concessions. Your agent is on your side and they will want to know why you didn't like the offer and what could be done to fix it. After all they make money when you sell and not until then.

2. Take a few deep breaths. If you get some unexpected news about the price or something you have to do to close the sale take a deep breath. You might want to take some time and do some exercising like running or riding a bike. There is sometimes a limit on the offer but that is typically at least 24 hours. You don't have to make a decision in the first few minutes.

3. Take your emotional attachment from the house and look at your situation logically. Do you want your house? Are you ready to move into a new place? You are trying to move on with your life so stop feeling so attached to it and come down on the price so you can sell it and move on.

4. Be patient during the sale. After you make a counter offer you want to give the buyer time to digest everything. If you get impatient and barrage the buyer with request they might just walk away. You have waited this long already just wait another 24 hours.

5. Respond to every offer that you are sent. Always respond with a fair offer. You don't have to give it away but don't respond with the straight list price. Come down something, even if it is only a few thousand dollars. It shows respect for the buyer and for their time and effort and it could end in a sale in time.

By Melissa Gifford 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7691630