Hello, It looks like Christmas is almost here? How did that happen? Christmas has a way of feeling like it comes about every other month at our house. Prepper juniorette has been growing up so fast and has a busy social life outside of our immediate family and our traditions, that it hardly seems like the Christmas season at all… She asks if we’re going to do the traditional Christmas things and then is off with friends and wonders why the old family stuff just doesn’t get done anymore… Such is life with teenagers, I imagine many of you have experienced this as well! It’ll be up to old Grandma and Grandpa to keep traditions going for our Grand kids before to long…

  

I want to wish all of you the most Merry Christmas and Happy New Year as well. Stick around, I think that we’re in for some real fun in 2010… I can’t wait to see what will unfold in this circus we call modern America!

  

  

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Question #1 -     “Why didn’t I announce who got the book this week?”

 

 

   Sorry, my I knew I’d have a busy day on Wednesday and posted the Guest Article the night before. I hadn’t confirmed who the recipient would be at that point… It was “Jason” and I have emailed him for his address, so I can get the book over to him as soon as possible… Thanks for the reminder!

 

 

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Question #2 -     “Why didn’t I cover the good old candle in my lighting post?”

 

 

  Well, its not that I know something you don’t about the coming candle shortages… Actually candles are a great idea and I do have a stash of these as well as the copious amounts Mrs. Prepper keeps all over the house.

 

   I think that I must have been thinking of light sources that would be more appropriate for room lighting. Candles are a good option for small area, maybe even the bathroom, when a brighter light isn’t really required.

 

   I have a favorite candle that I keep in our stores. I believe it’s used a lot in the Catholic community but can be found at many grocery stores and for about $1.99, last time I checked. These are the tall round candles that come in either a plastic or glass cylinder. I think they are a sort of prayer candle. Maybe some one can straighten me out but that is my understanding. These candles will burn a small flame for 5-7 days. I did a trail on how long they last a few years ago and I think I remember it still going after the sixth day when I lost interest.

 

   Candles won’t put out a lot of heat or light but they do serve a purpose. They have an infinite storage life and don’t spill or smell. I keep a couple of these prayer candles in with my BOV equipment. My thought with these was if I was to get stranded someplace, they would put off at least a small amount of heat inside the car, I think that they have a calming effect too!

 

   If you don’t already have a supply of candles around the house, pick some up! Tea light’s, the little round guys in there own metal tin, come in bags of 100 for $4.99 at many stores – these last for about 2.5-3 hours and would be great for short power outages. So, for not much expense, candles can be added to fill another niche in our back-up lighting plans!

 

Thanks for pointing out my oversight!

 

 

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Question #3 -     “What are the other levels of the Financial Pyramid?”

 

 

  Good question – I have a lot of the ideas/details running through my head and have yet to flesh out how I want to approach everything. I can say that the whole pyramid is going to be built on “Systems”. I like this illustration for the specific areas that we all need in our day to day life. The next level of the pyramid will take us to the 2nd step in each of the 3 areas we began discussing last week. We’ll continue adding and refining these systems as we move up to the top. In the end I want each of us to have a virtually fool-proof lifestyle. We will be required to work in our systems and make financial inputs but our systems will be a multiplier of both our time, money and self-sufficiency.

 

  When we get to the very top, we should all be able to choose some, if not many of the finer things in life. The lake house or high end automobile, vacations and or lots of free-time to pursue our hearts desires. I can’t fill in your specific blanks in this area but on a sound foundation there isn’t much we can’t include in our life, to some level anyway.

 

  It’s my hope that when we’re done with the pyramid exercise, many of us will have a better understanding of our priorities. I see people everyday that undermine their financial foundations by forcing a piece of the puzzle that is meant for higher up the pyramid into a lower level. It’s what society has told them/us to do… Have it all today, worry about paying the bill tomorrow!

 

 

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Sorry, it’s a little short today… Lots to get done before the festivities tonight and tomorrow. Have a Great Christmas and long weekend, I’ll see you all next week!

 

 

Prepper