Browsed by
Author: Living Life in Rural Iowa

Shop Small Businesses This Holidays!

Shop Small Businesses This Holidays!

Comments 4 comments

The day after Black Friday is Small Business Saturday. Why do corporate businesses come before small businesses? Because they have the money for advertising and mind control. They have bigger budgets, more staff, and more time to infiltrate your consciousness and convince you to spend your hard-earned money on them. However, small businesses should be taking precedence this holiday season and all year round. Why? Because small businesses are the backbone of this country. We couldn’t live without them. All…

Read More Read More

Stay Home on Black Friday. Shop Small. Shop Local.

Stay Home on Black Friday. Shop Small. Shop Local.

Comments 3 comments

(Originally posted in 2013. Revised and expanded for 2018. The views of the author haven’t changed!)Black Friday shopping can be crazy. Stores opening at midnight if they even closed at all. Standing in line and getting a ticket to buy an item at significant savings. Most of the time people are buying things they don’t really need. They are missing out on time with family and friends to go shopping. Employees are missing out on time with family and friends…

Read More Read More

20 Books To Give Your Favorite Preppers (and Non-Preppers) For The Holidays!

20 Books To Give Your Favorite Preppers (and Non-Preppers) For The Holidays!

Comments 2 comments

Update 5/18/2025 Books are among my favorite gifts to give and receive for any holiday or birthday! Almost everyone reads books. Beyond that, reading increases knowledge, brings pleasure, and is generally a good way to relax.  These are my favorite prepping fiction and nonfiction books to read and to give. You can give most of them as e-books, but I recommend a hard copy to keep in the home library. If you can give the e-books as downloadable books, this…

Read More Read More

Prepping Is About The Little Things

Prepping Is About The Little Things

Comments 0 Comment

Prepping can seem like such an expensive adventure. Many people think that in order to be a good prepper you need the big things: a whole house generator, a safe room, a bug out shelter in a hidden location, every gun known to man with several hundred rounds for each gun, and more. With that thought, we scare away more people from prepping or feeling like they are prepared because they don’t have the biggest prepping ticket items.In fact, I…

Read More Read More

15 Tips For You To Reset Your Finances and Get Back on Track

15 Tips For You To Reset Your Finances and Get Back on Track

Comments 1 comment

Sometimes you go through life like you own it. You have your priorities right, your life in order, and everything going well.

Then, wham! You get hit with a medical emergency. You lose your spouse. You get divorced or separated. You have to suddenly move. You are faced with bills you did not realize you owed and now are in collections.

55 Ways to Save Money on Your Utilities

55 Ways to Save Money on Your Utilities

Comments 2 comments

In the twenty-plus years of paying utility bills and growing up in a house that was very conscious of its water and electricity use, I have learned some tips and tricks to reduce those costs. Some of these tips will not cost you a thing and will provide immediate results. Some results will not be immediately seen. For some of these tips, you will need to pay to save. You will need to purchase items that will pay for themselves over time.