Preparedness

Storms, outages, emergencies. Calm, practical readiness for the household, without the paranoia.

The BRO Survival & Preparedness GuideThe printable family manual: a kit and go-bag builder, water and food calculators, the core skills and a family emergency plan.Get ready, calmly

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Plant Asparagus Now and Eat Well for Twenty Years

It asks for three years of patience and almost nothing else. After that, a well-sited bed feeds your family every spring for two decades.

GuideHomeWes DunbarNov 6, 20266 min

The lint trap isn't the part that starts the fire

The screen you clean every load catches the easy lint. The fire risk sits in the duct behind the wall, and most of the fix is how it was installed.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

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GuideRecipesWes DunbarNov 6, 20266 min

Meatball Subs Hot From the Oven That Don't Soak Through

Toast the roll, wall it off with cheese, and use a sauce thick enough to sit on a spoon. Four subs in about 50 minutes, and the bread holds.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

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Meal Plans7 min read

Seven Sheet Pan Dinners, One Pan to Wash

A full week of one-pan dinners for dads who cook after work, with breakfasts, lunches, snacks, a grocery list and a Sunday prep plan.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideLifeCal BrennanNov 6, 20265 min

Face-down is still on the table

A flipped-over phone still says you might leave. Fix that before you sit down, and the conversation gets a lot better.

GuideCivicsMarcus ValeNov 6, 20266 min

Voters can recall a governor in 19 states, not a senator

Recall is a power you hold at the state and local level only. Here's who it reaches, what it takes, and when it's the wrong tool.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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StoryHistoryMarcus ValeNov 6, 20265 min

Teddy Roosevelt Quit a Safe Job to Go and Get Shot At

He was 39, had six kids and a corner office. The way Roosevelt got to Cuba tells you more than the charge up the hill.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarNov 6, 20266 min

Build the floor first, and leave a hole in the roof

The cold comes up through the ground, and the real danger is a shelter that's too airtight. Get both right and you'll sleep warm.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarNov 6, 20266 min

Fix the Water Outside Before You Patch the Crack Inside

A basement crack that weeps after rain is telling you something. Read it first, then plug it, then fix whatever's feeding it.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

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GuideFoodWes DunbarNov 5, 20265 min

Buy the ugly chuck roast and cook it past done

It's marbled, stringy-looking and ignored by most shoppers. Cooked right, a chuck roast feeds your family for days and beats most steaks.

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GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarNov 5, 20265 min

Plant Garlic in Fall and Mostly Forget About It Until Summer

Garlic is the laziest crop you can grow and the only one you plant now to eat next year. Here's how to time it for your zone and not rot the bulbs.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideHomeWes DunbarNov 5, 20266 min

Seal the gaps that let water in, not the ones that let it out

Most people caulk every crack along the bottom of the house. Some of those gaps are drains, and sealing them traps water behind the wall.

GuideRecipesWes DunbarNov 5, 20266 min

Braised Short Ribs That Fall Apart After Three Hours

Four pounds of bone-in short ribs, one heavy pot, 325 degrees. The oven does the work while you do almost nothing.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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GuideMeal PlansCal BrennanNov 5, 20266 min

One Dinner, Four Plates: A Week for the Picky Eater's Family

Stop cooking two dinners. A week of build-your-own meals where the pickiest kid always has something to eat and nobody runs a short-order kitchen.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

Life5 min

Nobody teaches you how to show up for bad news

Guides & Checklists7 min

Build a fire pit your kids can sit around without you flinching

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuideHow ToRay OkonkwoNov 5, 20266 min

How to fight a denied insurance claim and get it paid

A denial letter looks final and usually isn't. Answer the reason they gave, in writing, before the deadline, and know who to call when they dig in.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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Books5 min read

Six American novels, read in the order it happened

From Boston in 1774 to a Wyoming valley in the 1880s, a clean shelf of historical fiction that teaches our story better than a textbook did.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

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