Give the Gift of a Skill

Many preppers have no problem shelling out money for preparedness gear, but how many are will to also put forth some time and physical effort to learn or sharpen a skill? This year don’t just buy yourself and your loved ones gadgets, give the gift of a skill.

Give Yourself the Gift of a Skill

This year instead of just spending money on preparedness gear, invest some time and physical effort into the a skill! This doesn’t have to be a new skill, you can sharpen an existing skill, that you may not be using regularly.

Why give the gift of a skill?

A skill can’t be broken, it can’t be lost or misplaced, you can take it with you, even if you have nothing else and the right skill can better or save your life.

Skills? What Skills?

Essential skills will vary from person to person, based on their abilities and aptitudes. They don’t have to be grueling, tedious or boring skills, they can be interesting things that you always wanted to do, but put off. Here are some simple ideas to get you thinking

Swimming If you or someone in your family don’t swim, this is the perfect time to learn. Find a local class for swimming lessons and get involved. This is one skill that I believe that everyone should know.

Lock picking Believe it or not, there are people who practice lock picking for ethical, educational or professional reasons. Picking a lock teaches you how locks work and gives you a better idea about how that type of security works and how it can fail. It can teach you which locks are worth buying and using, for true security, and can help you save your friends and neighbors a few bucks, when they lock their keys in the house, or lose the key to the lock on their shed.

Archery Archery is a hobby and skill that goes back millennia. This is an interesting hobby that can also put food on the table.

Shooting Not everyone is into guns and shooting, but a class to learn about firearms and firearm safety can be a lifesaver or game changer. If you’ve never fired a gun, and are a prepper, you should at least learn the basics and how to handle them safely.

Tactical Training Maybe you are already familiar with firearms, but haven’t ever been involved in any type of tactical training. I can tell you, as someone who never served in the military, that my eyes were opened after a few tactical training classes. In some areas, there really are no options for Tactical Training Classes, but a tactical training DVD might help to fill in the basics.

Martial Arts Get back in shape, while learning to defend yourself. Walk with confidence knowing that you are a weapon. Do I really need to say more.

Automotive Repair Take an intro class at a local community college or from a friend who works on cars. Learn the basics, like changing your oil and your brake pads. It will save you money in the long run and you might realize it’s something that really interests you.

Small Engine Repair Another handy skill. Take an intro class at a local community college or from a friend who works on small engines. Learn the basics, like changing your oil and replacing the spark plugs. Lawn mowers, pumps, snow blowers, generators and numerous other devices are based on small engines, so this is a great skill to have. It will save you money in the long run and you might realize it’s something that really interests you.

Knife Throwing A hobby that seems to be gaining steam again. It seems that this skill wouldn’t come in handy often, but when it did it would really pay off big time. It would also be a cool skill to demonstrate safely, in a controlled environment. “Did you see Bob totally take out that attacking Ninja at church Sunday? He threw a knife right into his eyeball!” That’s what I’m talking about.

Falconry Be the master of the birds. Make them hunt and bring you prey. This is a skill that’s been around a long long time, and seems like it could be pretty rewarding.

Knitting and Crocheting People have the ability to make clothes, blankets and items out of freaking yarn. I’m not kidding. This is a skill that always impresses me. Honesty I am so envious when I see someone wearing a hand knitted hat, scarf or mittens. This will also allow you to create items for gifts or to sell. If you knit or crochet, I’d love some nice wool stuff  

See all the kills I came up with, just off the top of my head. You should be able to come up with something.. like rappelling (Wow, I just came up with that one too!).

This year instead of shelling out money for gifts or preparedness gear, give yourself or your loved ones the gift of a skill. I know I’d love it if someone put a gift certificate for training in my stocking this year!

Read the Original Post and Much more at: Give Yourself the Gift of a Skill