The Adventures Of Writer Girl

Keep Yourself (and Uncle Larry) Safe this Independence Day

For Americans, the 4th of July holiday can be a magical time. What other time of year is it considered acceptable to drink beer, barbecue, have raucous fun with the neighbors, and set off explosives in the backyard?

In many towns and cities across the country, local leaders even get involved, lighting up huge fireworks displays that delight young audiences and send our pets running for cover.

Unf…

Today, I came to a tough decision.  As much as I love researching and writing the posts for The Suburban Survivalist, for now at least, it must end.

Between my family, my work, my search for additional work, and other half-completed projects awaiting my attention, I simply don’t have the time to devote to it that it deserves.

This blog will remain in place as a resource, and I will add to it as I…

Keeping Your Cool When the Power Goes Out

The weather is heating up, and for some of us, that means higher electric costs because of fans, air conditioning and the like. Most of us go to great lengths to keep ourselves comfortable when the weather gets hot but what do you do if the power went out or you don’t have convenient access to HVAC systems?

Do you suffer in silence? Do you complain loudly (like I do)?

You don’t have to.

Our…

What to Do In An Active Shooter Situation

As I write this, people are dying at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. It’s another mass shooting. The 105th so far this year. To date, 120 people have been killed, and 387 have been wounded.

And it’s only April.

It seems that nearly every day some lunatic with a gun emerges, hell-bent on sewing chaos and taking innocent lives in order to gain their 15 minutes of fame. The trend saddens…

Cleaning Up Water Damage After the Storm

Whether a leaky window or roof caused the water damage you’re dealing with, or it was the result of your living room being under three feet of water, cleaning up quickly – and thoroughly – will not only make your home more immediately livable, it will prevent additional damage down the road. Doing it right could even save you thousands in repairs and preserve your health too, making it well worth…

Preparing for Flood Season – Our Best Tips

The winter of 2018 will be remembered as one of the coldest, wettest, most damaging cold seasons we’ve had in years.

Unfortunately, Spring 2019 isn’t looking to be much kinder.

With much of the country predicted to receive above-average rainfall this spring, and even drier regions still recovering from the damage the frigid winter brought, are bound to experience some unpleasant surprises when…

Seed Starting for Absolute Beginners

It’s that time of year again. The world is finally starting to thaw out, and we’re beginning to think about the greening of our gardens.

At least we should be.

If you’re serious about learning suburban survival and providing for yourself should the shit hit the fan, then growing a rudimentary garden should be at the top of your list of skills. It saved many a family from hunger during World War…

There is No Excuse for Being Unprepared for the Weather

Winter is here, but you already know that

We have touched on this topic several times, but we thought that it was worth mentioning again. Natural and man-made emergencies happen. It is difficult to prepare for everything, this is true. But certain events come with alarming regularity, and you have no excuse to be caught off guard.

Winter is one of those events.

Like clockwork in the northern half…

A Free, Printable E-Book to Get You Started

One of our most popular posts was about what you should pack in your emergency go-bag. It was so popular, in fact, that we decided to turn it into an e-book you could download and refer back to when you needed a refresher.

To get yours (no purchase necessary) just click on our link for  75+ things your emergency bag must haveand grab your free .pdf – but only while supplies last!  (just kidding,…

How to Make a Washing Machine from a Bucket

So, it finally happened, the power went out, and you need to find a way to clean your family’s clothes without electricity, or you’re living/camping off-grid and want to do some laundry without heading into town.

Or, like us, your washer started making a chainsaw grinding noise while you were washing a load of jeans and died a loud, painful, inglorious death.

If any of these scenarios describe…

DIY Firestarters You Can Make Today

For most of us, heating, cooking, and purifying water will involve flames of one sort or another. For those using a gas connection, getting things going is as simple as striking a match or using a lighter to ignite the burner.

If you’re cooking with wood, however, having a way to get your fire started without wasting valuable tinder will save you time, energy, and most importantly, supplies…

Preparing to Survive a Hurricane

Hurricane season is in full swing and, if you’re one of the millions who live in an area prone to storms, then you need to know how to protect yourself and your property to minimize the damage and ensure you come out of it in one piece.

  Prepare in Advance

No matter where you live, you should have an emergency evacuation plan in place in case you need to bug-out in a hurry. This plan should…

10 Survival Skills Every Kid Should Know Now

For some parents, the idea of teaching our children survival skills is a daunting one. We’re concerned we might scare them. Distressed we could turn them into apprehensive teens, afraid of the world around them.

The reality is that teaching your kids these skills is empowering. By providing children with the tools they need to take care of themselves in an emergency, they’ll be better able to…

Apps that Can Save Your Life in an Emergency

Communication in the 21st Century is complex. With family and friends spread far and wide, keeping informed means staying connected to a network you can rely on to be available around the clock. But what happens when the power goes out, and you lose access to the network, or the system becomes overwhelmed with callers trying to dial out – or in?

With Florence bearing down on the outer banks and…

Preparing a Disaster Plan for Those with Special Needs

If you’ve read our about page, you know we started Three Mountains Safety and Survival because we realized how poorly prepared we were to take care of our son’s diabetes if we found ourselves in an emergency situation.

What’s more, we realized we weren’t alone in our lack of readiness.

Over the years, we’ve spoken to dozens of families, from those with medically fragile family members like ours…

How to Stay Warm When the Power Fails

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the winter of 2018/2019 is set to have above-average precipitation and below-average temperatures for much of the U.S. That’s a bad combination if you live in an area that’s prone to power outages and don’t have a backup system in place.

Fortunately, there are a few easy things you can do now to get your home and your family ready so you can handle life without…