Survival & Self-Defense

Water, fire, shelter, navigation and the lawful defense of yourself and your family. Skills you carry, taught safety-first, for men and women.

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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She Started Thawing the Turkey on Saturday and I Laughed

Eleven Thanksgivings in, I've learned the holiday dinner runs on her quiet competence, and on a thermometer I used to ignore.

StoryDadsSam Ortiz7 Oct 20266 min

She packs the car backward, and she's right every time

Six hundred miles, two kids, one cooler. On a road trip, my wife's system beats my Tetris skills, and her rules work for any family car.

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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StoryBRO for HerNina Castellan7 Oct 20266 min

He knows which side the gas cap is on without looking

Eleven years married to a man who checks tire pressure for fun. Everything I've learned about the car, mostly by getting it wrong first.

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

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Marriage6 min read

She Knew the Quiet Meant Trouble. I Thought It Meant Peace.

The field trip form had eleven lines and I knew three. A dad on what his wife knows about their own kids, and how he's catching up.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

StoryBRO SeniorsCal Brennan7 Oct 20266 min

The moon doesn't follow the car, and other things I looked up later

The grandkids assume you know why the sky is blue and how to change a tire. By the end of this, you actually will.

StoryDadsSam Ortiz7 Oct 20266 min

Why the dog spins, and other things I said with total confidence

Stars, storms and one circling dog. A dad's bluffs exposed on the back porch, with the real answers you can use tonight.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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StoryMarriageSam Ortiz7 Oct 20266 min

She Fixed My Dinner From Across the Room

Nine kitchen rules my wife never had to look up, from grease fires to raw chicken, and the night I finally started writing them down.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

StoryMomsNina Castellan7 Oct 20266 min

Answered With Total Confidence and Absolutely No Idea

Gum in hair, a fever at 2 a.m., and why the sky is blue. First the bluff, then the real answer you can use tonight.

StoryDadsSam Ortiz7 Oct 20266 min

Fractions, Pluto and the capital I got wrong at dinner

A fourth-grade worksheet, a seventh-grade essay and a dad bluffing his way through both. The real answers are in here, too.

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Plan a cook for eight people

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GuideGadgetsRay Okonkwo7 Oct 20265 min

Two-year phone upgrades versus running it into the ground

The driveway version says keeping your old phone saves two grand. The real version still says keep it, just with a lot less swagger.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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GuideFamilyRay Okonkwo7 Oct 20265 min

The lake cabin beat the theme park, and I kept the receipts

Two vacations, one spreadsheet and the only unit that counts: the stories your kids still tell a year later.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

StoryDadsSam Ortiz7 Oct 20267 min

How the car goes, where wind comes from, and other bluffs

Eight questions from the back seat I couldn't answer, plus the real answers you can give your kids tonight.

GuideAutosRay Okonkwo7 Oct 20265 min

The transmission quote that almost bought me a new truck

One $3,200 repair bill made a new truck payment look like a bargain. Then somebody asked what the truck costs besides the payment.

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

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GuideMoneyRay Okonkwo7 Oct 20265 min

The ten-cent gas station that costs you eight dollars

Crossing town for cheaper gas feels like beating the system. Run the real numbers once and you'll never pass three stations again.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Tools & Organizing5 min

The Weekend Rate Isn't a Personal Challenge

Woodworking5 min

Nobody at the lumber yard thinks your 2x4 is two by four

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Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

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StoryAutosDean Shaw7 Oct 20265 min

Nobody at the parts counter can guess which engine you have

A Saturday morning in line at the auto parts counter, where every wrong guess comes with a lesson you can use before your next oil change.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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Tools & Organizing5 min read

What Gets Said in Aisle Nine Before the Coffee Kicks In

A breaker labeled with a question mark, a paint chip called "wall color," and the real lessons hiding behind every line at the Saturday counter.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

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