Or: The Time I Cooked Eggs on a Shovel and Felt Like a Genius (Sorta)

I’ve always said that survival isn’t just about gear—it’s about grit. It’s about figuring things out when everything around you has gone sideways and the instructions blew away in the wind. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good emergency kit and I’ll nerd out on bug-out bags with the best of ’em, but the truth is, the real magic? It’s in the hacks. The little tricks. The weird workarounds. The stuff you figure out because you had to—or because some brilliant (and possibly slightly unhinged) friend shared it over coffee one day.

This book is a collection of those hacks.

Not the ones you’ll find in every prepping article online or the same recycled “use a soda can to cook food” stuff that’s been floating around the internet since dial-up. No sir. These are the ones no one told you about. The ones you stumble on by accident, or that came to me during some of my less-than-glorious survival moments—like the time I found myself cooking eggs on a rusty shovel over a firepit because the propane ran out and Trish had just finished saying, “You’ve got this, right?” (Spoiler: I did. Eventually. The eggs were… smoky.)

Over the years, I’ve learned that sometimes it’s the little things that get you through. A pack of crayons that doubles as emergency candles. A plastic shower curtain that becomes your windbreak. That crusty old Altoids tin in your glove box that ends up being a mini survival kit when you’re stuck overnight with a dead battery and no cell service. I’ve been there. More than once.

And look—I’m not a Navy SEAL or a wilderness survival guru who eats moss for breakfast. I’m just a guy who wants to keep his family safe, warm, and fed when things go sideways. I’ve got a wonderful wife, Trish, who’s equal parts patience and practicality, and two amazing daughters—Stephanie and Alexandria—who’ve grown up watching their dad turn baking soda and vinegar into a clogged-drain solution and a science experiment.

This book isn’t about perfection. It’s about prepared imperfection. It’s about using what you have, where you are, and making it work—even if it looks ridiculous. Heck, some of the best survival moments come with a little duct tape, a lot of improvising, and a deep sigh of relief when it actually works.

Each chapter in this book breaks down a different category of overlooked survival hacks—from food and fire to staying clean when there’s no plumbing, and even keeping your brain from falling apart when the world feels upside down. Every hack comes with a story, because if you know me, you know I can’t pass up the chance to share a lesson learned the hard (and usually hilarious) way.

So pull up a chair, grab a notepad (or the back of an old grocery list), and let’s talk survival—not the kind where you need $2,000 worth of gear and a bunker, but the kind that makes you say, “Huh. I never thought of that.”

Let’s get into the hacks that no one told you—but that you’ll be really glad you know.