Photo by quiplash Feature photo by laughing squid

Released in 2008 , When Technology Fails has quickly become the definitive guide to surviving a long-term disaster.

And yet the author, Matthew Stein , a mechanical engineer and MIT grad, had no intention of ever writing such a handbook. The idea came to him in a vision, presented in the form of “a pictorial storyboard outline, from start to finish.” He would spend the next two years researching the earth’s most prominent threats, as well as ways to combat them.

Cover of When Technology Fails

You’ve said that this book originally came about because of a voice you heard while meditating?

I’ve had a practice of daily prayer and meditation. I’ve often used the prayer for help in seeking solutions for difficult engineering problems.

When I would get answers to these problems, pictures would snap into my head with solutions. In 1997 I made a generic request for inspiration and I got this bomb dropped into my lap.

My first thought was no way. I can’t possibly do this. But the little voice basically said that nobody knows all of this stuff. It assured me that I had the skills and talent, and that I would get the help that I needed to take this project to completion.

You probably learned much more than you wanted to know about the way the world was going.

Yes. The internal voice said that I had to focus on The Future Of the World chapter, and that these trends will all end in collapse of the natural systems on this planet, if we do not start doing things differently. If we continue with business as usual most of the people on the planet will die. But it can be shifted and changed.

The average American really doesn’t think that an event could have an impact on their life beyond one week. How wrong are they?

They’re totally wrong. History has shown huge events that have been civilization-busters, that have caused massive unrest. The thing is that America is soft because we haven’t had a war on our land since the Civil War. We’ve gotten used to everything working very well in our country. When things collapse here, we’ve got a lot further to fall.

Hopefully it won’t happen. Given the ecological trends, the chances are really high that we’re going to see some huge disruption in central services for a month, six months, a year. I’m hoping that all of the right things happen in this new government and that we make the shift to sustainability.

I’m hopeful that we can avoid out-and-out collapse. But if we don’t do the right things, in my mind, it’s a guaranteed recipe for collapse.

What happens to us after day five of a major emergency, when systems start breaking down and when water starts becoming a huge commodity?

Most of us can last at least a month without food. Without water, in a hot climate, in three days people are going to start dying. If the water stops flowing, then you’re going to be drinking out of the local ditch, if that’s all that is around.

If you’re prepared, you’ve got your little grab and run kit with a backcountry filter that removes bacteria and viruses from the water. If you’re really prepared you’ve also got a Steripen and fifteen seconds later it’s been zapped free of viruses.

The Four Horsemen Wikipedia.org

With all of our advanced medical science, why do you believe that the possibility of a severe pandemic is so large?

One reason is that some genius figured out that if we fed sub-clinical doses of antibiotics to our farm animals, the return on your investment would be better.

The animals grow fatter, quicker and got sick less often. By feeding these antibiotics to animals daily, we’re developing antibiotic resistant bugs within the farm animals.

The other thing is simply the over-use of antibiotics in this country. Bacteria are able to develop resistance to antibiotics at a faster rate than we’re able to develop antibiotics.

But how real of a threat is a pandemic?

This is a real, viable threat. It’s not just a pandemic. You can be one of the unlucky ones who picks up an antibiotic resistant bug, like Miss Brazil just did. They cut her hands and feet off trying to save her life and she died anyway.

If you’re not armed with some of the alternatives and if you believe that western medicine is the Only Way, then when one of these bugs hits you, you’re going to end up like Miss Brazil. This is where having a variety of super-viral resistant things on hand is so important.

Things like oregano oil, colloidal silver, olive leaf extract or having a blood electrifier. I believe in the shotgun effect – there’s no one right answer there but arming yourself with these alternatives is really important.

Photo by andronicusmax

Consult Mat’s website for his advice on what to include in a 72 Hour Survival Kit.

The following are his absolute musts for travelers:

• Colloidal Silver. “Kills all known pathonagenic material.”
• Grapefruit Seed Extract. “A broadband anti-bacterial and fungal material.”
• Tea Tree Oil “Can penetrate the skin to reach infections/Great for knuckles and toes.”
• Army Knife
• A Steripen
• Headlamp
• Small First Aid Kit
• 1” Cloth Medical Tape/ Stretchy Ace Bandage/Sewing Kit

Feature photo by puroticorico / Above photo by stuartpilbrow

Bed bugs, or Cimex Lectularius feed on human blood. They can be found virtually everywhere on the planet and do not care how many stars your hotel room is rated. Once almost completely eliminated from developed areas, they are now making a huge global return. Increased international travel is thought be a major contributing factor.

Bites

Bed bug bites can range from un-noticed to large, angry, itchy and inflamed welts. Physical reactions to bites varies, with some people have strong reactions and others having no symptoms at all.

The main problem associated with bedbug bites is a local skin infection, brought upon by scratching the bites with dirty fingers. A good cleaning with soap and water, several times per day, can help reduce this risk. Typical bite patterns may be noticed, especially several bites “in line” on the skin.

Itching is the most common problem with these bites and there are several methods to help reduce the need to dig. Oral antihistamines, such as Benadryl, have been used with success. Many have had very good luck with simple cortisone cream, applied directly to the bite sites. Heat has also been shown to work well with hot water, hot compresses and even blow dryers used to heat the area, reducing itch.

Image: Wikipidia Commons

Detection

Check the bed, the pillowcases, carpets, headboard and seams of the mattress. Bed bugs can hide in tiny cracks and are generally not visible during the day.

Evidence of their activity may be noted, such as small blood stains, eggs, droppings or a characteristic odor. Simply looking at the bed sheets may not be good enough. Bed bugs can hide in seams of the mattress, in boxes under the bed or even cracks in the bed posts or frame.

Unfortunately, the best method for bed bug detection is catching them in the act. This is generally accomplished by keeping a flashlight near the bed and shining the light under the covers.

Prime movement time is one hour before dawn. Bed bugs tend to move fast. As stomach-turning as it may sound, try to catch one and show it to the hotel operator. Immediately.

Sleeping With The Enemy

The goal is to keep the bugs from getting to you while you sleep. There are several tricks to this and the key is to isolate yourself from the ground as much as possible.

• Bed bugs hate water and placing the bed posts in a small dish of water helps keep them from climbing up to you.
• Double sided tape, wrapped around bed posts can also help, as can petroleum jelly smeared to the bed frame and legs.
• Wrapping the mattress in plastic also helps the bugs from getting out, thus cutting them off from their food source (your blood).

Image: Wikipedia Commons

Elimination of Infestation

Eliminating the infestation will not happen overnight and adjacent rooms are likely “buggy”, as well. If you are staying in a hotel, ask to change rooms as far away as possible from the original.

It will be safe to assume that the bugs have already infected your luggage and packed clothing. Cleaning with hot water and commercial clothes dryers (at the hottest setting the fabric allows) generally kills all bed bugs. Ironing clothing and sheets can also help with elimination.

Telling A Hotel

Reactions from hotel operators will vary. Some may apologize profusely and not charge you for the stay. Others may accuse you of bringing the bugs with you, in your gear. Some may not care at all.

The important thing to remember is that any place with a bed and fabric can harbor bed bugs, regardless of price paid for the room. Also, remember to approach the hotel operator with a touch of compassion – it may not be their fault.

Community Connection

Check other posts here at Matador where we ask Adventure Doc our health questions:, such as How to Stay Healthy During Flu Season?

Photos courtesy of Samantha Brown

“Hi Samantha how are you!” My voice cracks just a little and I speak entirely too quickly. As an avid Travel Channel viewer, I have been a Samantha Brown fan since I discovered her show one rainy day in Taiwan over three years ago.

Every season, Brown takes us vicariously all around the world with programs like Passport to Europe and Great Hotels. Through the lens, she introduces people from diverse backgrounds and captures breathtaking scenes.

Viewers can’t help but be drawn to the natural warmth of Brown’s personality. She seems so down to earth that you almost feel like you’ve met her before, standing in line at the local grocer’s or sitting down at a neighborhood dinner party.

And yet, spending over 200 days traveling each year, Brown can rarely be found in her home in Brooklyn.

“I honestly never thought this would be my job,” Brown said. “I grew up in New Hampshire and came from of background thinking other people got to travel, not me. I didn’t think I had that much to bring to the table.”

In university, Brown studied musical theater and after graduation found her passion in improvisation and sketch comedy. Up until her agent informed her of the Travel Channel audition, Brown had no interest in travel or travel hosting. Unbeknown to her at the time, her theatrical skills that would help her land the job of a lifetime.

“Because we are unscripted, [travel hosts] have to roll with the punches and talk about destinations while somehow forwarding the plot,” Brown explains. “We have to juggle spontaneity with purpose.”

Landing the Gig

Spontaneity and purpose were exactly what drove Brown to stand in front of a commercial airliner poised for take-off in order to make her audition with the Travel Channel. Having missed the plane for her first audition, Brown was given one last chance at a live audition to impress casting directors who were unmoved by her demo reel.

Running late that day, Brown missed final boarding, but doggedly sprinted out onto the tarmac and begged her way onto the plane.

“I was standing at the nose of the plane shouting ‘Please!’,” Brown recalls with laughter. “I wonder about that pilot today [who] saw a little girl standing in front of his plane waving her arms and crying. The moment they let me on [the plane], I knew I had the job.”

Now, 10 years later, it’s hard to imagine anyone but the affable Brown leading us across boundary lines on our televisions. But travel programs were strikingly different during Brown’s audition and it took not only her brave determination, but classic good timing for her to land the hosting job.

“I was lucky that Travel Channel wanted a change,” Brown admits. “Back then, travel hosts were poised, perfect people, like Stepford wives, and I thought ‘I’m nothing like that!’ Now, you see a diversity of hosts, but back then it was a pretty boring pot of soup to be in.”

Becoming a Travel Host Today

With the advantages of today’s new media and web 2.0 technologies, aspiring travel hosts don’t necessarily need agents or the cajones to stand in front of airplanes to grab network attention. For those who are interested in travel hosting, Brown recommends taking full advantage of the omnipresent internet and building a fan base from there.

“I think people have a lot more going for them than I did 10 years ago,” Brown said. “[Use] YouTube, Facebook, any of those programs to get your name out there. If you develop your own steady fan base and bring it to the Travel Channel or any other network, you can grassroots your own career. You just have to show your point of view is different and compelling.”

It’s encouraging advice, but Brown warns that the naive that travel hosting is not simply a vacation with the camera crew. Travel hosts are on their feet around 10 hours a day, shooting and re-shooting takes, dealing with hecklers that inevitably follow, and overcoming technological snags along the way.

“We were just in Key West filming aerobatics,” Brown said. “I get nauseous pretty easily and was glad when we finally [landed], but we found out none of it was caught on tape so we had to go up and do it all over again. Through the years, I’ve learned that you definitely have to roll with the punches.”

A Life on Camera

In addition to juggling complications at work, Brown struggles to not let her personal life get overwhelmed by her career, not an easy feat for someone who spends most of the year away from home. This past year has been especially trying since Brown spent 240 days traveling, 20 days over her annual average.

Recently married, Brown is determined to make her personal life the focus of 2009.

“It’s tough, very tough,” Brown admits. “My life is literally on camera. When I go home, I’m just catching up with bills, but this year my big project is my personal life.”

Don’t get her wrong, though, Brown absolutely loves her job. It has taught her not only gratitude in her everyday life, but also the immense importance of communication.

“My life has completely changed [due to my job],” Brown said. “When I started, I thought travel meant checking things off a list. But I’ve learned that it’s all about connecting with people, looking at their everyday life. It’s about unlocking that and celebrating the small everyday moments; that’s my passion.”

For more information on Samantha Brown, including her taping schedule, you can visit her page on the Travel Channel website.

Photo by Thinkpanama Feature photo by Thomas Hawk

Here are 10 suggestions to get you started.

1. Establish investment goals.

Understand exactly what it is you are investing for. A college fund might look very different from a retirement account. The longer in advance you can start planning for your future needs, the better chance you have to realize these goals.

2. Make a budget.

Before you choose an investment strategy, you need to determine how much money you will have available each month to put away. If the amount available for investment after expenses is less than desired, look for items you might consider doing without. Smokers, for example, could save a couple thousand dollars a year by cutting a pack a day.

Photo by Thinkpanama

3. Eliminate debts.

Unfortunately, the ending of Fight Club was just a pre 9-11 fantasy. If you owe the man, the best investment you can make is eliminating your debt to him. Tackle the debts with the greatest interest rates first. As credit card debt can cost 20% or more a year, it would be pointless to invest money before paying off a certain loss.

4. Understand the risks.

Any investment with a higher return than a savings account (which is guaranteed up to a certain value in most countries) has an accompanying amount of risk. A general rule of thumb for determining the stability of an investment is the higher the promised returns, the higher the risk is that you could lose your initial investment.

A corporate bond that pays you a 15% annual return is doing so because the company that backs the bond has been deemed more likely to go bankrupt than a company whose bonds pay a 10% return.

Photo by Steve Wampler

5. Diversify.

Temper the risks you are making as an investor by spreading out your money over a variety of investments. Any given stock, bond, real estate purchase or financial instrument could swing dramatically in value.

One excellent way to buy a broad representation of the market is to invest in a mutual fund. The Vanguard Total Stock Market Fund, for example, is a passive index that mirrors the average return of thousands of American stocks.

Vanguard also happens to be an investment company with a reputation for charging the lowest management fees in the mutual fund business. The logic behind a Vanguard TSM investment is that average performance with less than average fees yields a better than average return.

6. A penny saved…

Don´t worry about the staggering number of choices available for your money. The simple act of setting money aside is an investment as it is money for future use. In the short term, markets are volatile.

If you started stuffing bills in the mattress six months ago you would have gotten a pretty return vis a vis any mutual fund you could have purchased. This does not mean that there aren’t better opportunities for your money. Take time in studying your options and invest in increments.

Even hiding money in the mattress has risks–your house could burn down.

7. In the long run…

A new investor is right to be wary of investing at a time when some economists are predicting a second Great Depression. Over the long run, however, most investments will outperform your mattress.

Even the unlucky soul who put all his money into the stock market in 1929 would have seen a return on that investment if he had waited 25 years. Assuming that capitalism survives the current crisis, the longer your time frame, the better chance you should have of seeing your money appreciate in value.

Photo by rednuht

8. Don´t try to beat the market.

Bottom line, capitalism is a system that seeks the accrual of riches. Overwhelming brainpower and resources in our society are devoted to competition for the highest possible financial returns. Keep in mind markets are a zero sum game–for every buyer there must be a seller.

A smart and well educated individual is no match for the massive computer systems, avaricious investment houses, and opaque hedge funds that make up Wall Street. Rather than actively competing with every last Gordon Gecko or trusting in the likes of a Bernard Madoff, passive investments like index funds are a safer alternative.

An index fund will piggyback off these machinations and yield the average return of the broader market.

9. You are what you invest.

Remember how your money is working for you and what it represents. Those wary of backing Philip Morris or the Carlyle Group may consider a firm that offers a path to ethical investments. You might sleep better knowing your money is invested in companies seeking solutions to tomorrow’s problems, not creating them.

10. Invest, then spend.

Don’t forget that despite the hours and years you devote to building your investment portfolio, it is only a means to future consumption. If you don´t spend the fruits of your labors, someone else will.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If you’re not ready to start investing, there are still ways you can cope with the current economic downturn. Check out our tips for exercising without a gym membership or read about ways you can cut costs here.

Photo by discosour

Snow and ice clung to the dock as whitecaps churned atop a colorless harbor. ‘I hope I never have to live in this God forsaken place,’ thought my mother in the blustery, frigid January of 1960. ‘The boondocks, the middle of nowhere…’

This fearful plea perhaps caught the gently ironic attention of The Man Upstairs, and my folks moved to Westport Point, MA in 1961. The city girl from bustling Ft. Lauderdale found herself living in a massive converted barn, 15 “country miles” from Central Village, sledding Gamble’s Hill on the winter snow, leaping from Elephant Rock under the summer sun at the beach club.

The old cow paths, Sodom Road and Cornell Road, wind and weave forever across the hilly terrain, carving an obscure kind of geography into the cornfields, cow pastures, and acres and acres of woodlands rich in Norway maple, red oak, and white birch, such that it is not uncommon to hear a landowner remark, “I’m not for certain where my property ends, but…”

Photo by PhillipC

Drift Road and River Road parallel the East and West branches of the Westport River, which divide the landscape into three long, wide fingers poking into Buzzard’s Bay.

Almost a hundred years ago the rumrunners would slide their boats past the Point of Rocks and utilize their local knowledge to navigate the broad marshes and hidden shallows of the West Branch and evade capture. The descendants of these bootleggers would turn the town into the Chop Shop Capital of the World.

But Westport’s citizens are essentially honest and industrious growers, harvesters, caretakers.

At the core of Westport’s evolution is a group of families that can trace their heritage back to the settling of the town, names like Gifford, Macomber, Manchester, and Tripp. The sons and daughters of these Swamp Yankees continue to take care of their own and honor their stubborn ancestry, like fixing the same sewing machine or hay baler twenty-seven times or like taking a grudge to the grave.

My folks slowly wove their way into the community. My mother directed the church choir for thirty-five years and served in the public school system, while my father’s commercial fishing ventures employed hundreds of sturdy Westport men.

Photo by PhillipC

So while the fixtures symbolize the town’s character – the ancient Bell Schoolhouse, the historic Acoaxet Chapel – it’s the characters who truly embody the town’s spirit, from Cukie, the local historian/storyteller whose memory ought to be a national treasure, to Fast Jack, a mildly eccentric veteran who runs a continuous yard sale from his front yard on Main Street that no one can shop because of the fierce goat he keeps there.

The farmers still predict the weather better than any meteorologist and the fishermen still congregate on Lees Wharf to discuss The Way Things Used To Be.

Of course Westport has grown and changed significantly over the last half-century, but it remains a place rich in resources, inhabited by resourceful people. The fertile soil supports vineyards now, in addition to the working farms. Kayak tours float awestruck visitors downriver in concert with local fishermen wielding clam rakes or picking green crab traps.

Photo by dougtone

The summer crowd rushes in from Boston and New York to frequent the Westport Lobster Co. for fresh scallops and the roadside produce stands for sweet corn. Months later will find Westport’s own retired to their barns, repairing equipment and mending gear.

As new housing developments continue to morph the town into a kind of rustic bedroom community, the traditional Westport lifestyle prevails, private but not secluded, slow but certainly never dull.

My mother laughs at her first recollection of my hometown. January here is no longer bitter or desolate, but peaceful. She enjoys the Concerts at the Point, the Harvest Festival, and Wildcat basketball games, as well as the fact that she can’t get through the market or the post office without encountering half-a-dozen friends.

And as she considers retirement now and her golden years, she’s overwhelmed by one particular sentiment: ‘I can’t imagine living anywhere else.’

Photo by germanyengland. Feature image by sixintheworld.

My eight year old daughter went on her first plane trip at eight weeks. My six year old son has been to Mexico six times. As a family, we take three or four plane trips a year, not to mention several weekend getaways. We’ve traveled by plane, train, houseboat, ferry, and car (15+ hours from Colorado to California; thank God for portable DVD players).

On our vacations, my kids have come down with croup and motion sickness (read: vomit at 30,000 feet). They’ve been stung by jellyfish. They’ve gotten freakish blistery sunburns after sticking their hands in cups of lemonade and then playing on the beach (something about the strength of citrus south of the border…).

But my children have also been exposed to different cultures, eaten varied foods, learned important travel etiquette (You can only ask “Are we there yet?” once a day; Don’t kick the plane seat in front of you.), and, most importantly, spent time with Mom and Dad.

To me, that’s what family vacations are all about—no work, no school, no computer, no housework, no errands, no carpooling… just a focus on the family.

It doesn’t matter if we’re jumping from bed to bed in a $39-a-night hotel room in Nevada, eating lobster in New England, building sand castles in Hawaii, or standing in line at Sea World; we’re together, we’re having fun, we’re—dare I use a couple of the most over-used terms in parenting today?—bonding with some good, old-fashioned quality time.

And I love it.

Start Them Young

Photo by a4gpa

If you’re expecting a child and wondering whether toting a baby along on your backpacking adventures through Europe is going to cramp your style, I’m here to tell you it will.

The concept of independent travel as you know it will change drastically when you’ve got an infant strapped to your chest and you’re touring the Louvre, sampling tapas in Spain, or admiring the scenery in Ireland.

But don’t let that stop you!

In fact, the baby stage is a brilliant time to travel, whether it’s an overseas trek or a weekend trip to Grandma’s, since infants are so portable and they sleep in front-packs or strollers (all the better for enjoying a quiet café meal, just the two of you).

Babies also make great ambassadors, especially in foreign countries where you don’t know the language. Young children are magnets for friendly waitstaff, shopkeepers, and other kids.

If you do plan to raise worldly children, you may as well get them accustomed to the concept of different time zones, trying new foods, and sleeping in strange beds early in their lives.

You just need to keep a few things in mind:

Take it slow.

The pace of your days will decrease considerably when you need to take into account diaper changes, toddler naps, lengthy meals (“Just one more bite of banana, please!”) and other detours for kid fun.

Trying to hit three restaurants, two museums, a park and a shopping area in one day with a child in tow will be a frustrating exercise at best. Think about what you’d have done before kids, and then cut your itinerary in half.

Be flexible.

Recognize that your already shortened itinerary just might be thrown out the window if you wake up to a cranky preschooler or a baby who has developed diaper rash overnight. Travel with kids is an exercise in “going with the flow.” Rigid schedules that don’t take into account the uncertain nature of young children just aren’t going to work anymore.

Strike a balance.

On our family trips, we remind the kids that we’re all in this together and we’re going to do some things that appeal more to Mom and Dad, and some activities that are just for them.

Since they were toddlers, we’ve planned days that might include a morning at a playground or a visit to the make-your-own-sundae place. You can use these kid-focused activities to “buy time” for taking a hike, hitting local stores, and eating at a sophisticated sit-down restaurant.

This teaches children to be accommodating and try new things – things they may actually like!

Photo by sixintheworld

Reap the benefits.

Bringing your children along can mean extra work and extra expense, but the benefits are undoubtedly worth it. As they grow older, and life at home is filled with school and work obligations, escaping on vacation together is one way to reconnect as a family.

Once they’re school-age, they’ll be introduced to different cultures and foods, learning so much more than if they’d simply read about the locales in textbooks.

Plus, family trips help create amazing memories. Years and even decades after family vacations, your children will still be able to tell funny stories about the time that Dad tried surfing in Hawaii, or when Grandma climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Introduce the concept of traveling to your young children now, and they’ll grow up understanding that there is a huge world outside of their hometown. They’ll have firsthand experiences that they can take with them to college and beyond, and then pass down their love of travel to their own children and grandchildren!

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For more on families and travel, check out Six in the World: One Family’s Adventure Across Six Continents, Why I Disobeyed My Family and Traveled the World, or 10 Reasons to Travel with your Parents as an Adult.

Photo by Cia de Foto

I’m pretty fed up with big media perpetuating tragic stories of owners abandoning their pets, without offering any solutions for affordable animal care during the recession.

If you’re in dire straits–and I’m not talking about no longer being able to pay your $100+ cable bill, but just scraping by, living paycheck to paycheck–here’s a quick guide to keep your fur-buddy from becoming a burden.

Despite what the pet industry–and it is an industry–tries to peddle, animals do not need that much to be healthy and happy, but they do need consistency and care. Also, keep in mind that cheaper does not mean easier.

Medical

Photo by Paulo Ordoveza

Medical bills can be the biggest expenditure to break a struggling pet companion’s budget, but serious health problems can be avoided or at least mitigated with regular health maintenance.

Don’t skip vaccinations and check-ups. Not only do shots prevent costly diseases such as leukemia, but regular vet visits can catch other maladies in initial, cheaper-to-treat phases.

Some vaccinations are less necessary than others, though. (For instance, if you live in a geographical area with low risk for Lyme disease, then that shot isn’t a pressing concern for your dog.) Talk with your vet about individualizing a preventive care program for your pet.

Here’s a list of vaccinations and their recommended administration schedules.

Food

Don’t think that buying a 20 pound bag of generic commercial pet food is cutting down on anything but your companion’s life-expectancy. Loaded with fillers and light on substance, these foods essentially starve your pet of nutrition.

How long would you expect to stay healthy if you ate fast food for every meal? Ensuring a balanced diet with proper exercise will keep complications associated with obesity, heart disease, and dental disease at bay.

If premium pet food is too expensive, consider making your own pet food. Some animals’ dietary needs lend themselves to homemade meals (like dogs, who actually don’t mind a bit of fruit in their diet), and oftentimes can be cheaper and more nutrient-rich than processed foods.

Experiment with recipes and ingredients to see what works with your budget, but make sure to consult your vet before switching to homemade.

Signing up for special savings programs on manufacturers’ or retailers’ websites, and scanning for coupons also saves more money than you’d think.

Grooming

Photo by Mark

With the exception of certain breeds, most cats and dogs can be groomed easily at home with a consistent routine—and even the more high-maintenance breeds can be home-groomed with a bit of practice.

Daily to weekly brushings, depending on coat lengths and types, help to spread essential oils, remove detritus, and maintain overall coat health. And if you gently ease your pet into having its paws touched, rewarding it with positive reinforcement, nail trimming doesn’t have to be an epic battle, either.

Constant handling of your pet also allows you to feel for any unusual lumps or bumps that can indicate the early onset of medical problems (in addition to, of course, deepening the bond with your ani-pal).

Here are some general tips for dog and cat grooming.

Free or Discount Services

You’ve tried everything to reduce expenditures, but it’s still down to a choice between your pet and your dinner plate.

Check this site and review this list for comprehensive resources regarding financial aid, discount veterinary services, pet food banks, and other charitable assistance for special needs candidates, including the elderly, the ill, the disabled, and the just plain broke.

Even with all these tips and resources, you might find that you’re no longer able to afford or house your pet. If you have to make that difficult decision to relinquish your animal companion, make sure to surrender them to a no-kill shelter. With most shelters, municipal and not, at full-capacity, there’s not much guarantee that your pet will find the home he or she deserves.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

How are you affected by the recession? Do you have any tips for managing pet-related expenses on a shoestring budget? Share your thoughts below!