As well as having a tyre pump, what else will I want in the car?

With me taking the kids in the car most of the time, I seem to keep adding all sorts of things. It’s now getting fuller and fuller and everyone seems to have a different opinion about what should and shouldn’t be kept in the car.

From a safety perspective there are various things that should and could be in the car. Having kids in the car, depending on their height and age, could mean you should have car seats. Keeping them safe is a key priority. Having sunshades on their windows might be helpful to stop the sun getting in their eyes. As well as this, the best thing for me is keeping them entertained so I can fully focus on driving.

One of the things that the kids seem to be very happy about with is getting to use their devices on our journeys. Having now got a multiple USB adaptor in the car means we can charge them up. So, if we get caught up in traffic or are travelling a longer distance than we usually do, no matter how much time the journey takes they can keep using their things and it keeps them happy! Despite this, some parents seem to think that kids being on devices is unhelpful for various reasons, so we all make our decisions about what we think are the best things to have and do. The alternatives I have in the car are travel games, books to read and things to spot and tick off whilst travelling.

Not only do I think about what I need for the kids, I also need to think about what I need for the car itself! For example, having a spare tyre or something to fill the tyre if its punctured. Essential. I’ve also found that having a car pump stops me from needing to go a garage instantly or call the breakdown service. The one I’ve got shows my tyre pressure so I can spot any deflating tyres and sort myself out. Its also handy if I spot the tyres going down and there’s nowhere to pump up nearby. This one I feel happy to have.

I’ve got some anti-freeze liquid in the screen wash with some spare wiper liquid in the boot. There’s also a screen cover to put over the front screen when its freezing or there’s mega sunshine to stop the screen from freezing or try and keep the car cool inside. Again, another handy set of items to make me feel comfortable. I’ve also got the car manual in the glove box which helps me to find out more about specific features of the car, from small things like the needed tyre pressure to things such as what the different warning signs on the dashboard are showing me.

On top of having the things to look after the car, I’ve got all sorts from a sat nav to OS maps and even a first aid kit to use in any situation if its needed. So, I know there are now obviously some things I have in the car that stick in my mind that I find helpful and seem to use quiet a lot, but I’m sure there are even more, I just can’t remember.

Help With Finding A Cheap Family Car

If you are just about to have your first child you will know the pressures of the many things you have to prepare for their arrival. Among these is upgrading that sporty little car you have for something a bit more family orientated such as an estate or saloon car. This is the practical choice of car for the average family man, you can wave goodbye to those two seater convertibles and pimped out street cars. Welcome to a world of kids asking, “Are we there yet?” every thirty seconds a dog in the boot and your wife nonchalantly tutting as you miss your turn on the motorway. I’m only joking around, there are some great saloon cars which will keep you and your family happy.

A great place to start looking for a cheap family care is the internet. You can search for a used car onlineĀ from the comfort of your own home with your favourite beverage in one hand and your mouse in the other. A great family car to take a look at is the Ford Focus or Fiesta. They are a good solid build and have engines which often last close to two hundred thousand miles without requiring a rebuild. In any case, whatever car you pick, you need to make sure it is in good working order and safe to transport your little ones around in.

To make sure you are going to get the best deal you could consider part exchanging your old car. There are websites which do used car valuationsĀ so you can see how much your old car is worth. It’s vital you get a good selection of quotes to make sure you are not going to get ripped off my anyone. All this should be part of a good father’s thinking though, to provide the best for your family in the most practical way possible. Just remember not to tell your wife about the twin turbocharged engine your brilliant new family car is going to have though. Take it from me, she won’t be impressed.

What Happens When Law Enforcement Fails?

There’s been countless films predicting the end of civilization as we know it, and the one consistent factor is the rise of crime and the growth of the ‘every man for himself’ mentality.

We’re lucky to live in a part of the world that’s among the most wealthy, and property rights are enshrined in law (see the fifth amendment property rights) and protected by law enforcement. If the predictions are correct that sooner or later the authorities will lose control, whether by self destructing or as the result of a huge event, we could suddenly find that the foundations upon which our lives and beliefs are built are gone, and the world as we know it is too.

Think about it – without the protection of law enforcement, law itself is worthless. Your home is no longer your own, your car could be taken at any moment, and the only person who will (or can) do anything about it is you. Could you stop a violent mob from ransacking your home and stealing your belongings? Is it even stealing if there’s no real law left to determine right from wrong? Ethically perhaps, but what good are ethics in the face of danger?

There’s a rising force in America today, with people spending more and more time considering what they can do to protect themselves in the face of such lawlessness, and its something that could be useful in our daily lives right now. For example, we rely heavily upon our gas and electricity supplies, along with fresh water being piped into our homes. Those are services we consider to be essentials, but may soon fail in the event of societal collapse. What would you do? If you’re like most Americans, the answer is probably to panic. On the other hand, if you’d invested in solar panels and either electric heaters or bottled gas, you’d be comfortable for at least the short term. Water purification techniques are also surprisingly easy to learn, so a local stream or the ability to harvest rain water would literally be a life saving resource.

Rooftop Solar Panels
Solar panels are so affordable that they make sense to reduce bills, but protect your family if power is lost

As we said, more and more people are becoming familiar with these preparations and putting them into place – that’s why they’re known as Preppers. It doesn’t take a genius to work out either that solar energy sources can reduce your outgoings too – for every kilowatt of electricity your panels supply, that’s one kilowatt you don’t have to pay the power company to supply. In the same way, using collected rainwater on your garden veggies is both cheaper and more environmentally friendly than using the fresh, clean drinking water you buy from the water company.

Makes a lot of sense really when you think about things, doesn’t it? With a little thought and investment of time and money, you could be more resilient in the future and also reduce those monthly bills too. In a few hundred words, we’ve already summed up how easy it is to keep your family fed, watered and warm in the event of a complete collapse of civilization, and it’s really not as difficult as you might think to achieve.

You might be wondering where to start to move on from today’s vulnerabilities to tomorrows relative safety and protection from over reliance upon society. How do you even know where to start if you don’t know what to do?

Fortunately one of the greatest inventions of our time – the internet – is on your side. Websites give you an insight into everything from the green energy and water purification techniques we referred to earlier, to how to protect yourself and your family. These bite sized chunks of information and ideas can stack up to a really comprehensive plan very quickly, and are designed to give you a rounded set of survival skills in the shortest possible time. What’s more the time and financial investment required is surprisingly small too.

There’s even extensive information on what to store away in terms of food, helping you to keep your family from starvation and even maintain a relatively healthy diet, all while sticking to foods with very long shelf life.

While all this stems from a few simple (and far from unlikely) events leading to societal breakdown, the domino effect is easy to predict. A population that is getting ever more desperate will take increasingly less consideration for their neighbors, and friends can fast become enemies. In the same way that you teach your children escape routes by planning for events like a fire in the home, parents should at the very least consider what they would do in these situations too. It might seem far fetched and unlikely, but a little time spent considering outcomes and planning for them now could be the difference between your family being the one that thrives and being the ones that struggle should that day arrive.

The Grumpy Shop Is Open For Business

Don’t be happy. Be Grumpy.

The Grumpy shop is ready to serve all and sundry that prefer life on the negative side. Don’t be fooled, we’re not a gimmick. We represent the world that’s usually associated with male pensioners that find everyone else at least mildly irritating.

Still don’t be fooled, though. We’re not all men, and we’re certainly not all pensioners. In fact, many of us are especially grumpy with male pensioners.

You know who we are, and we know who you are. Join us and our grumpy ways today.