Making, Doing, Getting By....

& Becoming Self Reliant

April 23, 2020

Taking a further break from the never-ending doom & gloom called COVID19, I realized that after such a long time of not being able to go out or have anyone in, some of us might be in need of having some things done, that we have never done before and might have to do ourselves now for the first time in our lives.  So I wanted to provide some sites and ebooks that might help in that endeavor, whatever that might be, from doing your own taxes (yes unfortunately we still have to do those even if there is a one month deadline extension - but if you want your GST payment in July, you'll still have to do them before the end of April), to fixing your own plumbing, or other household issues that needs repairs, or even just filling in the hours with something more productive than browsing the net or watching TV. 

File Taxes Online For Free With H&R Block  I've been using this site for the past few years and of all the online free file tax sites, I found them to be the easiest to use. They've found the most refunds and credits possible for us and I got our income taxes (for the both of us) done in half the time it used to take me on other free income tax sites where I missed or wasn't shown the various refunds and credits we qualified for. So I highly recommend this site to those who have to do their own income taxes for themselves, by themselves and for the first time ever, maybe. There aren't any other easier sites to use for income taxes, that I know of.

62 Ways to Make Something New Out of Something Old  Part of getting by is not wasting things that can be reused for other purposes, so you might find some interesting and useful ideas for those old things you have piling up but don't know what to do with. 

5 Simple Ways to Get Rid of Fruit Flies in Your Home  With gardening season fast approaching you know what that means? It means an abundance of unwanted pests in the house - among others there's fruit flies to deal with. Others like ants and earwigs are easy enough to deal with, by making your own ant/earwig traps by mixing a tiny bit of sugar in with borax or boric acid and filling tiny bottle caps (like on 500ml water bottles or beer bottles) with the mixture and putting it down where you have a problem with such pests (make sure to keep it out of reach of pets and children though).  They'll get into it to get the sugar but in doing so coat their bodies with the boric acid or borax which is lethal to them and take it back to their nest and contaminate the nest with it. It usually only takes a couple of weeks to permanently rid yourself of that pest problem at least for the rest of the season. You may have to repeat the procedure the following year, but you may not have to depending on how many nests were in the vicinity and how thoroughly they were wiped out the previous year.  

48 DIY Chicken Coops That Are Easy to Build  If you have the space and the means and are serious about being self-sufficient then maybe you'll be interested in starting a chicken coop for your own benefit, to have fresh eggs whenever needed and possibly a boiling fowl sometime off in the distant future when a laying hen no longer produces eggs.

The Virtual Cooking Classes That'll Get You Excited to Make Dinner Tonight  Perhaps cooking was never your thing, but now that you have to cook for yourself you realize that maybe you should've paid closer attention to your mother when she was trying to teach you to cook, but didn't. Well like they say it's never too late to learn, so here's a few virtual cooking classes you can avail yourself of if you wish. I will probably be posting more later on too, so if you don't like the selection offered here, don't despair.

Virtual Birthday Party Ideas for Celebrating at a Distance - Because it's hard enough being alone on ordinary days it's even worse on special days like birthdays.

4 Simple Tips for Hosting a Better Virtual Happy Hour  Why drink alone when you can drink with friends and commiserate about being kept apart because of COVID19, together virtually speaking? 

Fun Ideas for a Virtual Baby Shower  It'll be difficult enough with all the restrictions hospitals are putting on new moms and birthing partners these days on account of COVID19 and basically going through the pregnancy without any female relatives or friends to support the soon to be new mom, she will need a baby shower, for more than just the required baby items but for her own sense of wellbeing and happiness. So if you have a friend or relative that's expecting please don't let COVID19 deny her the much needed financial and psychological support baby showers afford expecting moms, and plan an over the top virtual baby shower for her. 

52 Easy DIY Flower Arrangements That'll Instantly Brighten up Any Room  For your own cheer and sanity, to not only brighten up any room but your mood as well.

30 DIY Summer Wreath Ideas to Transform Your Front Door  And add a little cheer to the neighbourhood and for your neighbours to look at. 

Wondering How To Make A Will When It Feels So Scary? Here's Where To Start.  None of us make it out of this world alive and we all need a will if we don't want the government arbitrarily deciding where our possessions winds up. So whether COVID19 gets us or not, we all need one and this article might help you figure out how to do it and where to start. - Okay good, now I've gotten the death and taxes out of the way.... Things can't be any worse than those 2 subjects. Or can they? 

The Coronavirus Handbook (1st Edition) - April 2020 - Thrive At Home is a PDF ebook downloadable at the "longfiles" link. 

The Prepper's Guide to the End of the World  is an epub ebook that some of you may be interested in. It's downloadable using the "longfiles" link as well.

The Gun Digest Book of Survival Guns  An azw3 ebook, that I am totally against although I can see why some might be interested in it. If things deteriorate and go to hell in a handbasket (like my dad used to say) we might be needing one too, despite how I feel about it. I guess I found out about things getting worse than death & taxes.  It too is downloadable at the longfiles link.

52 Unique Techniques for Stocking Food for Preppers  A book that teaches you which types of foods to keep and how to stock up for such situations as we now find ourselves in. This book is in azw3 format and downloadable via the longfiles link.

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Plumbing For those who need to fix a plumbing problem on their own, this book should be able to guide you through the process. It's a PDF and downloadable at the longfiles link as well.

The Complete Guide to Wiring for home wiring. It's in epub format and downloadable at the longfiles link.

The Pocket Guide to Prepper Knots  Not quite sure why you'd need this unless you plan on spending the isolation period alone in the woods in a tent or lean-to, or on a sail boat, but hey if that's your thing then this is your book. It's in azw3 format downloadable at the longfiles link.

Black & Decker Here's How Windows  is an epub format ebook offering basic information on window installation and repair, downloadable at the longfiles link again.

The Hunting & Gathering Survival Manual  For those who really want to isolate themselves by taking off into the woods on their own, this is the manual for you. It's in epub format and downloadable at the longfiles link.

How Contagion Works  Is an epub that might explain how this virus is spreading so easily, for those who still can't get their heads around it. Downloadable at the longfiles link. 

Black & Decker Running New Wire  I don't know why you might need this, but if you're facing anything like some of our neighbours are - in that their homes are half built or not finished inside and are waiting for the contractors to be able to resume their work (which they are now but weren't able to for over a month), the owner might be able to run the wire through the house but not connect it and let the electrician do that, to save time and money. This is an epub downloaded at the longfiles link.

Black & Decker Electrical Boxes  I sincerely hope if you use this book to accomplish the tasks set out inside it's pages, that you at least let a qualified electrician check your work before you flip the switch to the on position.  It is another epub downloadable at the longfiles link.

Black & Decker Wiring Diagrams  This book explains how to read  wiring diagrams - which you probably should read first before playing with any electrical projects or home wiring projects.  It too is another epub downloadable at longfiles.

Black & Decker Wiring Repairs  This book is aimed at making wiring repairs in electrical fixtures like lamps and chandeliers and the like. It's in epub format and downloaded at longfiles.

Dr. Jo's Fit in 15 Minutes per Week  This is part of the description: The Fit in 15 program originated in a research project designed to improve bone mass in older ladies with osteoporosis. It worked for them! So ladies, let's try it. I know I need to.  It's an epub downloadable at longfiles as well.

Grow Food at Home: Simple Methods for Small Spaces  To help you have fresh vegetables available at minimal cost and in minimal space. It's in epub format and downloadable from longfiles.

Amazing tricks to revamp your sewing  A short video showing some tricks to keep needles and scissors sharp among a few other things, that you might want to make note of for future use as I don't think the video and link will remain there long.

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Greenhouses & Garden Projects  Is an epub ebook downloadable from longfiles.

Virtual Workout Classes You Can Do at Home for Free  as we all need excercise and to keep in shape the best we can in these difficult times.

28 DIY Small Backyard Ideas That Make a Big Statement Or maybe you want to use this time to spruce up or redo your backyard.

How to Stain a Deck Like a Pro  If your outdoor deck is looking a little weather worn and needs refinishing this article may be of interest to you.

25 DIY Picnic Tables to Make Your Backyard Spring-Ready Or maybe your backyard needs a picnic table more than anything else. If so there's 25 different DIY ideas here to get you started.

Black & Decker Complete Guide to Contemporary Sheds   Perhaps now that you have the time you can finally get that shed you've been wanting built. This book might provide some ideas for such a project. It's a PDF and downloadable at longfiles.

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Roofing Siding & Trim If the exterior of your house needs some repair work or sprucing up, this book ought to be able to provide the know how needed. A PDF that's downloadable at longfiles.

The Wilderness Survival Guide  Those wanting to take isolation to the extreme might be needing this book. It's a mobi ebook downloadable at longfiles.

The Prepper's Guide To Bug Out Bags - Bug Out Bags are bags that people pack to have to take with them when they need to leave in a hurry, due to emergencies, disasters, or as a bag packed to have in the trunk of your vehicle in case of being stuck in your car for a long period of time. This too is a mobi format ebook downloadable at longfiles.

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Patios & Walkways, wanting to get rid of the dirt pathways that years of trodding back & forth between the doorways to other areas have caused and wanting to lay down a decent walkway instead? If so this book is for you. It's a PDF ebook downloadable at longfiles.

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Masonry & Stonework with lots of ideas for such type works including an outdoor kitchen and indoor counter tops along with other projects of interest for those looking to revamp their property. It's a PDF format ebook downloadable at longfiles.

Prepping On A Budget- How to Prepare, Survive, and Protect Your Loved Ones on A Budget   an epub ebook downloadable at longfiles.

No-Till Intensive Vegetable Culture: Pesticide-Free Methods for Restoring Soil and Growing Nutrient-Rich, High-Yielding Crops another epub ebook downloadable at longfiles.

100+ Crafts & DIY Projects Finally there's several different DIY projects and craft ideas here to keep you and the rest of your housebound family busy for a while.