By the author of Be Ready for Anything and The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide
As a prepper, even though our numbers are growing, we have a pretty unique view of the world. Because of that view, there are things people outside our sphere say to us over and over when they learn of our survival mindset. And if you are one of those unprepared folks, let me put you on notice. There are some things preppers are sick of hearing.
Don’t get me wrong. Most of us love to answer questions if you’re really serious about becoming more self-reliant. (If you want to get started prepping, check out this guide.) But if you’re just asking about your “crazy friend” out of morbid curiosity, we’re not too interested in satisfying that.
10 things preppers are sick of hearing
Have you heard any of the following things preppers are sick of hearing from a significant other, a family member, friend, or acquaintance? I’ve heard all these things more than once, so I can’t be alone, right? (For more prepper solidarity, check out this article.)
I’ve included my responses to the top 10 things preppers are sick of hearing.
10.) Don’t you already have enough X?
Have you ever thrown something in your grocery cart only for the person at the store with you to say, “Don’t we have enough toilet paper/soup/rice/Oreo cookies?” Or perhaps you open the hall closet and dodge the avalanche of paper towel rolls and your visitor says, “Got enough paper towels?”
No.
No, I don’t have enough. There’s no such thing as “enough” if I feel like I’m facing a long haul ahead.
9.) Do you think it’s morally okay to have all this stuff when other people can’t buy any? Save some for everyone else.
I can see your eyes rolling from here. Don’t you just love the morally superior folks who feel as though you are personally responsible for any shortages in the stores, as opposed to governmental policies, mandates, port closures, and transportation issues?
If we preppers are taking care of ourselves, then the self-proclaimed “morally superior” will have less competition when it comes to getting their government-rationed supplies in the future. I’d much rather take care of my family than stand in line waiting for a handout, and I also don’t want to take those handouts from people who truly need them if I’m able to supply them myself.
8.) Isn’t this selfish?
The media loves to portray preppers as selfish folks grabbing the last case of water and the last roll of toilet paper off the shelves during an emergency. But here’s the thing. We already got our stuff. We are not the ones out there clearing the shelves like a horde of hungry locusts.
Preparing to take care of your family is anything but selfish. It shows a sense of responsibility and forethought. Prepping is one of the most loving things you can do for your family members and I can’t understand those who deem that “selfish.”
7.) Are you a hoarder?
Yep, sometimes there’s a fine line between hoarding and prepping and we try to be careful not to fall onto the wrong side of that line. I consider prepping items that you need currently or potentially, not just piles of old newspapers and rubber bands. As well, if your supplies are well organized and you can walk through your home without tripping over supplies, you are on the prepper side of that line.
Hoarding is no laughing matter and actually a serious obsessive-compulsive psychological disorder.
Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of actual value, occurs.
Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Countertops, sinks, stoves, desks, stairways and virtually all other surfaces are usually piled with stuff. And when there’s no more room inside, the clutter may spread to the garage, vehicles, yard and other storage facilities. (source)
If you believe that you may be suffering from hoarding disorder, here are some resources for getting help.
If you find yourself with more stuff than you can keep organized, here are some tips for organizing your stockpile.
6.) You are never going to be able eat/use/drink all this.
Some folks can’t imagine stocking more food than they could eat in a month. They can’t fathom stashing away a year’s worth of food or more.
These folks don’t understand that prepping is a system of first-in/first-out. Most preppers keep careful track of “use by” or “expiration” dates and rotate their supplies accordingly. We’re not investing all this money just to waste our supplies. We also spend a great deal of time and effort properly storing our food for the longest possible lifespan.
I have rarely thrown away food (except for an unfortunate dehydrated hash brown/weevil incident – don’t ask) and occasionally, when things are getting closer to the end of their lifespan, I donate them to a food bank or someone in need.
5.) Do you have a bunker?
Thanks to overblown television shows like “Doomsday Preppers,” ordinary folks often think preppers have a WW2-era bunker or bomb shelter in their basement. (This is NOT to say I wouldn’t love to find a house with an existing bunker.) But most of us are pretty ordinary and while we might have a storm cellar or supply room, we don’t have a full-on, self-sufficient bunker in which to ride out the apocalypse.
The correct answer to this question is, “Yes. But if I tell you where it is I have to kill you.”
4.) Do you have guns?
If the uninitiated find out you’re a prepper, they usually think you have a dedicated Hollywood-style weapons room. (Alas, like the bunker, it’s not like I’d turn this down.)
Just about every time I am interviewed by someone in the mainstream media, they ask me, “How many guns do you have?” My go-to response is a sweet smile accompanied by, “That’s the prepper equivalent of asking a lady her age.”
See the answer to #5 for the answer if the polite version doesn’t work.
3.) You’re crazy.
Who among us has never been called a crazy prepper at least once? My friend Brian at Mind4Survival considers it a badge of honor. I know that more than once after things have happened and people have found themselves unprepared, they’ve come back and said, “I guess you aren’t so crazy after all.”
A lot of the “crazy prepper” hype comes from the mainstream media. Shows like “Doomsday Preppers” and “Naked and Afraid” don’t really do us any favors.
But if there’s been one good thing to come out of the past two years, more people than ever have seen for themselves that we aren’t so crazy after all. We’ve gone through a pandemic complete with lockdowns, an economic crisis, massive job losses, systemic collapse, and supply chain shortages. This doesn’t even include our regularly scheduled apocalypses like wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and freak blizzards. Really, you’d be crazy NOT to prep after all that.
2.) How much food do you actually have?
Has anyone ever gotten a glimpse inside your cupboards or storage area and said, “Holy cow, how much food do you have?” It’s happened to me a couple of times – once with an extended family member and another time with a repair person who had to enter an area I hadn’t expected.
The right answer to that question depends on the person answering it. To the repairman, I truthfully said, “I donate regularly to the food bank.” I do – just not the contents of my basement. To the family member, since it’s someone I expect to house if things went sideways, I said, “I try to stay well-stocked in case of an emergency or a family member going through a difficult time. I buy things when they’re on sale.”
Much like the gun question, I’m not giving anyone specifics that is not personally involved in my preparedness.
1.) If something happens, I’m coming to your house.
Hands down, out of all the things preppers are sick of hearing, this has to be number one. Oh, the dreaded, “I’m coming to your house.” What prepper hasn’t heard that once or twenty times?
Just about everyone knows a feckless non-prepper who blithely thinks that they have no need to prepare because they’re in with you and will just arrive with an overnight bag in hand and be served a steaming hot meal from your stockpile with a space waiting for them in the guest room.
If you have no intention of teaming up with that person, it’s important to set that straight well before it ever happens. It might be time for a sit-down about why they need to be prepared themselves, or about what the requirements and contributions are if they are someone you’d let come to your place. As Selco notes, in a real societal breakdown, more people (as long as they’re willing to work) can be a benefit, so turning them away might not be your best bet. It really depends on the person saying it, but whatever the case, I prefer to set clear expectations.
What can you add to this list of things preppers are sick of hearing?
Have you been asked any of these things preppers are sick of hearing? How do you respond? Do you have anything to add to the list? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at Learn.TheOrganicPrepper.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
Since I’ve moved out of Floydsville to the country I’ve noticed a sizable attitude difference between my citified professional/managerial colleagues and my neighbors down the road. City folks are all into the social/career world; the prospect of leaving Babylon leaves a big hole in their hearts. My rural neighbors are more concerned with scoring that 100 lb beef order, rebuilding pole barns and walking through the woods looking for grouse and turkey. If some of my relatives decide to drop in when it all goes south they’re welcome to do so (we’ve got the room) but they’ll have to leave the city attitude at the door, otherwise they might find the locals less accommodating than they had hoped.
Amigo, my take is, you´re headed for a big disappointment if you believe your relatives will leave that attitude anywhere.
My E x was (supposedly) all over survival and prepping…until the S REALLY hit the F in my country (Venezuela) and when I mentioned the possibility of leaving the city and my formerly well-paid job heading for our cabin in the woods…well, the Manhattan girl inside her (even when she was born in Venezuela!) suddenly woke up and said “I´m NOT going to live in that shack in the woods! I have a life to live, and it won´t be here! I´m LEAVING this country with MY children”. I´ve should kept the younger kiddo, and sent her on her merry way by herself.
15 years of relationship down the drain, but now it feels like a weight off my shoulders. I´ve been able to achieve a few goals I couldn´t when I was the only salary at home. Now, we live with my parents and brothers and we all put food on the table, sharing the weight…because mostly we´re in the same boat and we were honest to each other since the beginning.
But try to be honest, and please do yourself a favor: work in that psychological aspect BEFORE anything happens. Just a conversation, some beers over hamburgers, and let them know what they should have to do, given the case.
It´s my best advice. I know you´re not asking for it, but I would really hate one of our readers to face what I lived, knowing that I could help.
Cheers amigo!
“15 years of relationship down the drain”
did this really take you by surprise?
I feel ya. My ex isn’t invited. I might go to her funeral, if it’s convenient…
I have herd, “why so much ammo?”
I don’t actually have a lot but to some hunters 20 shells for the 30-30 is plenty.
My response, ” why do you keep breathing”
“I have herd, ‘why so much ammo?’”
it’s all perspective. casual hunters buy maybe a box a year. some preppers have 100,000 cartridges and talk about “one shot one kill” – and they MEAN it.
Don’t you think we have over done it with ___________________
Question round here is “why don’t you have a gun?” Not “why do you have a gun?”
I’ll admit too many don’t carry ALL THE TIME but ya can’t fix stupid n lazy. It’s a world of convenience and comfort.
I can’t understand living like y’all do with that nonsense. I’ve lived in a lot of places and always came back to free America by choice.
Do I have bunker? Like I’m gonna say “yes” ????
Not showing up for the government cheese may be noticed. Better to show up like everyone else so you don’t stand out. If you’ve moved away from your normal area that’s different. You can always give the handout to someone you know could use it, chances are the handouts won’t be enough.
“Not showing up for the government cheese may be noticed. Better to show up like everyone else so you don’t stand out.”
spot on.
there are two kinds of trigger data. the first is data that shouldn’t be there but is – it stands out like a tree on an open plain. the second is data that should be there but isn’t – it stands out like a meadow in a forest.
This!!! People are obvious by thr absence…see Left of Bang for a discussion on baseline patterns
yep, good book.
I’ve seen other posts about even prepper’s family members making comments about hoarding, or why they need all that stuff (your 7, 8, and 9 items).
Haven’t had that (yet) myself, but my plan is to ask, “Do you have a 401(k) or retirement plan?” Most everyone I know does. Seems like a good follow-up is asking, “Why do you hoard all that money? How much do you really need? Shouldn’t you share with people less fortunate?”
I can imagine likely answers, such as preparing for the future and retirement. Or just as likely, “Well, that’s different.” Okay, but if you put less in your retirement plan and store some food and toilet paper (now, while there’s plenty to go around) what’s the difference? You don’t really want the MONEY in your account, you want the things you can buy with that money in the future. Buying now just makes sense, especially for things that don’t expire.
If anyone has better replies, I’m open to ideas!
“‘Shouldn’t you share with people less fortunate?’ I can imagine likely answers”
the firm and resolute answer you’ll get is, “that’s my money, I earned it.” your stuff, however, is up for grabs.
there really is no good answer. for most people everything starts and ends with them. when times are good they’ll be friendly and go with the flow, but when the situation is desperate they won’t hesitate to advance their interests at your expense. breaking anyone out of that approach to life with just a few words is an uphill effort.
My response EXACTLY, one i especially like to use on the condescending Christian family members who tell me I don’t trust God enough.
Any person today who doesn’t have vehicle, home, life, health, etc, etc insurance is NUTS!
I trust God alright. It’s this system I don’t trust!
In 2020, I told my sister that my food supplies were an investment that paid way better than money in the bank. She was thoughtful and could see the sense in that. This year, food is paying impressively while money in the bank is almost like flushing it down the toilet. Not quite, but food is growing more expensive rapidly enough so that this ought be be very effective this year, while less essential goods are also “rising,” meaning that your money in the bank is currently losing at least 6% a year.
Excellent response, DAGR.
It makes people who are quick to criticize, THINK.
Thankfully my partner and I live in a community where preparedness is the norm, not the exception. I grew up in a prepper household and still use those skills to this day. But we do have several friends whose idea of prepping is all paper products and no food. We also have friends whose idea of prep is last minute- and I’ve had to tell both of them that they are not coming to our house. I love these guys, but I’ve stressed to them that I’m not taking care of anyone who isn’t myself, my partner or our neighbors (if needed). As an example, I’ve tried to walk both these sets of friends towards being able to cook food without electricity- charcoal/wood grill, fireplace, etc. Even investing in a propane stove or camp set. The resultant remark is always “but why, it won’t be that bad”. I even asked one of them if they knew how to bake a loaf of bread. The answer, “I can learn”. My response was along the lines of “Bro, do you want to learn while you can still find flour and afford to have a crap loaf, or when what you need is so scarce you can’t afford to pitch the bad loaf?” Silence. I am grateful for having a family that prepped and taught me those skills, and a partner that supports all our prep activities. I’m not terribly religious, but we are blessed to have multiple resources to sustain our household and I am very pleased to be on a site that shows so much to the community that allows for preparedness across multiple levels of economy.
“We also have friends whose idea of prep is last minute”
and they have friends. and those have friends ….
And God’s favorite idiot blesses us with his presence again. Of course they do, jackass. I would imagine you might be one of those “ones”.
“would imagine you might be one of those ‘ones’”
the more the merrier ….
As I said, god’s favorite idiot. Did you pick your own colors, or were they on the incel discount rack?
the most dangerous friends a prepper can have is other preppers.
‘specially those like ghostviking.
#8 is the one that kills me. We’ve had a lot of grocery shortages on and off the past two years; the preppers are NOT the ones I know that randomly show up and wipe out this or that. Every prepper I know has spent the last 2+ years taking maybe one or two extra things here and there when they are available. Slowly, rationally building a stockpile is the way to do it. The people cleaning out the shelves are the ones that are used to getting things within a week of eating them, never plan ahead, and then panic buy as soon as things get short. Preppers are not the problem. But people don’t want to hear it. . .
After the “lockdowns” began in 2020, which spawned the “Great Toilet Paper Shortage,” which then gave birth to The Great Everything Shortage, several of my coworkers told me “I’ll never make fun of you again.”
“I’m coming to your house!” My reply; “Why do that? Just put some stuff aside for your family.” It’ll be easier for you and me both!”
“You’re crazy;” Yeah, and according to certain people I’m racist, homophobic, xenophobic, deplorable… Derogatories bounce off me like water off the back of a duck. For the record, I feel that anyone who doesn’t have enough of… whatever… to ride out a storm, power outage, earthquake, or the like… THEY’RE the ones who are crazy!
“Morally OK…” Folks, y’makes yer choices. If you eschew preparedness in favor of the latest IPhone, y’better hope the lights don’t go out… I don’t spend my hard-earned money to lay stuff up just to give it away to those who thought “it” could never happen…
…I could go on all day…
” I don’t spend my hard-earned money to lay stuff up just to give it away to those who thought “it” could never happen”
sure. but the problem is there’ll be a hundred of ’em, half with guns and a few bullets, and it’ll be hard to hold ’em all off.
“8.) Isn’t this selfish?”
well, factually, most preppers/survivalists are on the loner/isolate/semi-sociopath end of the social spectrum.
Ok, that’s it. No we aren’t. And while you posit that, it’s wishful thinking. You might be a loner (who dates you?), you might be an isolate (incel), you might like to believe that you are a semi-sociopath ( no such MFing thing- read DSMV 5), but for the sake of all that one MIGHT find holy, bro- you are projecting. Go the F home. You have never actually contributed to this site. Daisy lets it go. Most of us let it go- freedom of speech, etc. You’ve already demonstrated in previous posts that the freedoms we enjoy here in America are ones you abhor but are perfectly prepared to take advantage of. Whether its at your job with the Navy (gone) or with Amazon (current)- the only thing you try to do it stir up bullshit. The day you make a post you don’t have to start a quote from is the day you MIGHT demonstrate that you have at least a GED (which is kind of insulting to people who have GEDs). I bet there’s a part of you waiting for this fight, waiting to see who you piss off enough to have a rant dedicated to you. Well guess what- its me. YOU are everything wrong with freedom of thought. YOU are everything wrong with freedom of speech. You are the ABSOLUTE ANTITHISIS of civic discourse, you unhanded Muppet. Please, keep quoting. Please, pretend you understand the world with your twitter-length bullshit posts. Please, come back so that we can understand what TRUE ignorance looks like- because in this world of MSM saturation, we forgot what what stupidity looks like in the wild. Its a good reminder, ant7, that we should never take for granted the number of idiots it circulation at any one time.
“No we aren’t”
oh yes many, perhaps most, of you most definitely are. been watching it for a decade …
” YOU are everything wrong with freedom of thought. YOU are everything wrong with freedom of speech.”
… for example.
“You have never actually contributed to this site.”
in a way, you’re absolutely right. most sites say they’re about this or that, but in the comments it quickly becomes obvious that the real purpose of the site is to provide an entertainment venue for a small group of insiders. you’re right, I don’t contribute to that.
like I’ve said before. people present their grand plans and ideas here, and it’s like they’re presenting their fragile alter-egos – any criticism or even bare-bones simple questioning is met with ad hominem hostility. “have you consulted with your neighbors regarding your plans for them?” “you’re racist!” – “how are you going to pay for that?” “you’re incel!” – “have you thought about what will happen with certain individuals in your group when there’s no more law enforcement and they get to do whatever they want?” “you don’t know anything about teamwork!” they are unable to critically asses their plans, rather they seek approval and “understanding” and freak out when confronted with any objective assessment. if their concern is prepping then this is a certain route to failure.
Says Dr. Ant…
You know NOTHING about me… Absolutely NOTHING…
“You know NOTHING about me…”
no, I don’t. but you’re reacting like it bothers you, so maybe you ought to think about it.
“well, factually, most preppers/survivalists are on the loner/isolate/semi-sociopath end of the social spectrum.”
Care to cite your evidence on that one, idiot?
Or, more likely, no one wants a known racist, anti-Semite, incel like you in their group.
There are a number of people on this blog I would gladly form up with, if it were not for the geophysical distances.
You are not one of them.
“Care to cite your evidence on that one”
sure. you. you once said, “we don’t need their kind around here”, and I asked you, 1) do you control who lives around you, and 2) should you? you never answered, but later it became clear that as sheriff of amishville you would have the power and the intent to do exactly that. I pointed out that grid down many people would be heading out to your region, and you dismissed the entire issue with “I know economics and logistics and tactics” and that they wouldn’t stand a chance against you. and when you stated that your grid down society would need this and that work done and I asked you “how will you pay for all that” you said with volunteers, and when I pointed out that that can’t and won’t happen to any great degree you responded with your stock “known racist, anti-Semite, incel” patter like you always do with anything you can’t answer objectively. if this is how you respond to some internet post then you have no chance of making it as sheriff in a living community of any kind – because you’re on that self-centered end of the spectrum and dismiss anyone and anything that doesn’t fit in with your plans.
which is too bad. you have a fantastic location and a great situation, but you’re going to blow it with your personality. I wouldn’t form up with you either, and some in your community won’t too – and calling them “known racist, anti-Semite, incel” won’t cut it.
I’m sick of hearing that if you prep it means you don’t trust God enough. My husband had that mentality until the 2020 riots showed him our family’s safety and wellbeing were solely in his hands. Up until that point he was sort of an optimistic pollyana who believed everything always ends up alright in the end no matter what you do. He finally figured out it’s not righteous and loving to let a mob break into your house and murder your family, or allow your kids to starve because you assumed grocery stores would never be bare.
Charlotte-
I feel you. Even if I were religious enough to track the bible as a source of anything, survival wouldn’t be it. Death, defeat, sacrifice, blah blah blah. If the gods thought about taking care of us, human sacrifice wouldn’t have been a thing. If you have a god- cool. Please, say nice words, but he/she won’t feed you.
I don’t trust God enough? Joseph told Pharaoh to store up grain during the seven years of plenty to get Egypt through the coming seven years of famine… I rest my case… In fact, in my case, it was during deep prayer that I heard God’s voice. He told me to prepare for something that will have the world “brought to its knees.” I’ve been doing just that.
One can be the world’s most optimistic person and still end up walking if he doesn’t take action when the oil light comes on while driving…
“Joseph told Pharaoh to store up grain during the seven years of plenty to get Egypt through the coming seven years of famine”
and he used that, not to preserve the people, but to buy them as slaves.
heh. he bought them with their own grain. how enterprising and clever.
OPSEC, people. OPSEC.
If your neighbors know you´ve been prepping…you´ve already got a problem.
No matter what country you are in, applies for the entire world.
how would you combine opsec with civic mindedness? or would you?
Well said!
“well said Jose” is what I was trying to communicate!
great article! every one of them is spot on! I grew up during the civil defense era, so since dad was an instructor, we learned how to prep; I remember when we went to store, when we could afford to, we bought 1 and 1 back as dad said. so we always had 1 extra, we’d buy more if we could afford when they went on sale. we were drilled in school and at home on what to do for air raids, hurricanes, storms, etc. we were taught how to handle and shoot guns, shoot bows, trap, track, purify water, setup camp, and all sorts of things. so its still inbred in me to this day, husband thinks I’m nuts, but when I go to store (just the 2 of us and a furball), I still buy 1 and 1 back – again unless its on sale. my only regret now is that I didnt keep my house on the mtn. but I didnt have any idea we’d be in this position today….hse was secluded, quiet, and we trusted our “mtn folks” to protect each other. oh well…..
I’ve got a small homestead, so everyone who lets me know they want to show up post SHTF is told “Always more work than we have hands. Can you come by x weekend, we’ll be doing y project.” Sometimes this results in backpedaling, often it leads to a realistic discussion and some help.
Love that reply!
that is an awesome reply, sir. simple, honest, and gets right to the heart of the matter. share far and wide.
Great article Daisy!
Prepping owes a lot to the Wine Drinker’s Credo:
“Enough is enough…and too much is just right.”
when this crazy fake pandemic started taking hold in the U.S in January 2020, I was paying attention (Thanks Daisy, ’cause you did that) we already had a good storage system going but I decided to bump it up a notch. Was watching the news and what do you know, the panic started. Not to be sarcastic or anything but we could have sat in the parking lot of our nearest grocery store and watched the shoppers walking out with what they could get of what was left, now that would have been entertainment. Yes we are preppers, and yes we hoard what we know we’ll use. Golden Rule: 2 is 1 and 1 is none. We share what we are willing to, we talk with our friends about being prepared, if they don’t listen than don’t come knocking unless you have a skill that will help us. And we would never let an elderly neighbor or child go hungry, but they won’t get the “good” stuff. Thanks to this website and the forward thinking expectations of the world, we fared pretty well through all of this. And many thanks to my husband who never questioned my urgency at the beginning of 2020, and I imagine he thanks me when he said “we need more ammo” and I said get two. ’cause 2 is 1 and 1 is none.
“we could have sat in the parking lot of our nearest grocery store and watched the shoppers walking out with what they could get of what was left, now that would have been entertainment”
I did. it was.
I was just finishing up a two year degree after my office closed and I’d spent 6 months looking for work when Covid hit.
I told my SO we’re going to the store, time to stock up while it’s available. I was a bit surprised when I added 10 cans of canned meat to the cart and she didn’t complain. When college went remote we made daily rounds of all the grocery stores stocking up on canned goods.
When they passed the unemployment bonus 95% went to preps. I’d been able to scrape by on a much reduced income and making sure our supplies were topped up was the priority.
I did manage to upgrade a few items.
A local sporting good store had a sale on ammo, the cart complained as I wheeled it to the checkout. Again she didn’t complain.
A couple of months ago she started complaining about all the food and said we needed to start using it. A week after when the her friends started to talk about not being able to find this or that food item she stopped complaining.
There are few people who know I prepare, 99% of them are in my group. When someone mentions prepping or stocking up on things I usally look at them bemused and ask why.
Some people assume I’m a prepper and say they’re coming to my house, I tell them if the world goes to hell be my guest because I won’t be there. If they ask where I’m going I just tell them “I love camping, my backpack and I are heading for the woods” or I tell them a relative who has lots of stuff.
Let them think I’m joking or not prepared. I don’t care. As long as they don’t show up at my door as I’m leaving. If they do they’ll have to deal with the people who are already here before we convoy to our destination.
You are not hoarding. You are stocking up; planning for the future. There’s a HUGE difference!
My wife really doesn’t share my zeal for prepping but does understand why I prep. When the Kung Flu farce started and I saw people panicking over toilet paper on TV, I told my wife to hit the supermarket and think “FOOD.” We were pretty well set, but did have a few holes in our preps. Ironically, one of them WAS toilet paper. She got a flat of that, and stocked up on whatever else she could think of. There was no panic on her part. It was just a shopping trip. By the time the hordes started thinking “Hey; what about FOOD???” we were sitting in front of the TV watching it all and eating popcorn. About the only thing I kicked myself for not getting more of was N95 masks. No, I don’t wear them in fear of Chinky Pox. I live in the Desert Southwest and need them for filtering out dust when I’m doing yard work. I used to get them by the box, 20 masks for $10.00. Now those boxes hold 10 masks and cost $23.99! …DAMMIT…
A couple of my coworkers later on said to me “I’ll never make fun of you again.”
Another way to look at preparedness is to compare it with insurance. There are a lot of disasters that either you can’t buy an insurance policy for, or that insurance won’t pay off in case of such disasters. In contrast, preparedness is all about the DIY efforts you can make (some being more affordable than others) to either prevent various calamities or at least mitigate their severity. Here’s a insufficiently publicized example:
Insurance companies are beginning to see all the deaths and disabilities that are resulting from the inadequately tested Covid-19 vaccines and boosters heavily promoted by governments, mega-pharmaceuticals, and in-their-pocket mainstream media. The result is that some of those insurance companies are announcing they will refuse to pay off on life insurance policies when a death is caused by such a vaccine. Double Ouch!
In contrast, a prepper’s DIY approach could be to learn what preventatives and curatives are available (with some diligent digging and purchasing) that most US hospitals are corruptly forbidden from using or allowing their patients access. Such a DIY approach is described below:
Patient booklet download page for Covid-19 preventative and curative care
https://aapsonline.org/patient-booklet-download-page/
Plus:
Early Treatment Protocols, By c19prot, June 15, 2021
https://c19protocols.com/
Plus:
Physicians/Facilities Offering Early Treatment, By c19prot, June 12, 2021
https://c19protocols.com/physicians-facilities-offering-early-treatment/
My perspective is that preparedness is a lot more than just surviving in the wilderness. The best explanation I know of came from the early 1900s founder of the Boy Scouts, Sir Robert Baden-Powell. He was asked what the “Be Prepared” motto of the Boy Scouts was in preparation for. His answer was “just any old thing.”
I think that fits the legitimate mindset of prepperdom — whether a possible disaster is created by mankind or nature.
–Lewis
I have heard the dreaded coming to your house remark more than a few times. My standard reply is Great! I’ll give you a list of the stuff you’ll need to bring and the skills you’ll need to learn before you get here ……. Pretty much puts the end to that conversation.
My reply to any of the 10 queries is “Nunya.”
Nunya, is short for Nunya Fecking Business.
I had a friends wife call me a paranoid delusional nutjob two years ago when I explained why I had so much of everything. I inherited a large sum of money and dropped over 10k alone in freeze dried, and bought a freeze drier of my own as well as the ubiquitous wall of 5 gallon buckets full of bulk. Right after the start of the “pandemic” and then bidens win and all the falderol, these same people came to me and asked if they could buy some freeze dried, ammo etc from me, at pre pandemic prices, of course. I asked them for a heartfelt apology which I kind of got. They then asked again for stuff at my cost from several years ago. I asked them to kindly pound sand.
Great poster name! Proper reply might be, “Sure I’ll sell you some food at old prices. Tell you what – instead of cash, I’ll take some trusses and joists from your living room, also at pre-Biden prices. Just yank ‘em out and drop behind the garage… “
I had a casual friend (who had been taught to prep in the Mormon society we live in) tell me he was coming to my house when I told him about a great food storage sale. Before I could catch myself I told him he’d better be better armed than me. ouch! Kind of embarrassing. It just slipped out. I should have been more diplomatic but I’m so sick of hearing that! It is terribly rude to tell someone you don’t need to buy your own supplies because they expect you to provide. By the way – this man was financially very well off – lived in a mansion. Could have easily called Emergency Essentials and ordered a years supply in one shot.
We don’t talk about prepping to anyone we know. Nobody knows what we really have except God. The only thing we’ve heard, once from a neighbor, was the “I’ll know where to go” one. But we plan to move and leave no forwarding address, so it will do them no good. Started prepping with a rainwater system in 1999. Only trouble is, our stuff is all over the place. Totally disorganized. First in first out? Good luck with that!
Obviously … there are other kind of preppers you do not often hear about. They are a minority which falls into 2 categories. The ‘normal’ seafarers on ships and the sailors crossing oceans and sail around the world for years.
Ask a sailor what he is stockpiling for when he is cruising for month on the seven seas without connection to the ‘normal’ landlubbers … and he will smile. He smiles because the question shows that there is a person diconnected from reality, as many others are, too.
It seems obvious, too, that a ship, cargo, passenger, tanker ship etc have to have a lot of provision on board, as Colombus had it and Magellan and others as they started to sail into the unknown open.
Some folks will start to think and some people will understand that, to a certain extend…
Daisy,
This is a classic Daisy article, thank you!
Well thought out, easy to follow, thought provoking, and things one must consider when preparing, and when responding to questions of those who have their head in their apps.
I suspect that some of the best responses from a prepper to stupid questions come from people who have gone overseas on a missionary type of trip, or who have assisted in relief efforts after some disaster, and members of the military. They have seen what can happen when things go south, and they understand the importance of being prepared should the same happen to them.
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
My house is the rally point for my 2 brothers. So I have not just my stuff but plenty of their stuff. Plus whatever stuff they bring with them. Good thing I have the space
Yup. Number 1 ‘I will come to your house’. I laugh and say ‘no you wont, and if you do you better bring your own supplies and be prepared to do your part’. That’s usually met with a deadpan stare. But that opens up the opportunity of the preparedness discussion and where to start. So I see it as a teaching opportunity.
I think that all of us have heard most of these, or variations, at one time or another. I think my favourite response to #1 was from my wife. My brother-in-law stated that he knew where he was going if things went sideways. My wife calmly took a drink of her coffee, and responded, “That would difficult for me, because I’d have to find out if I could shoot my own brother at the end of the driveway.”
Of course she was not 100% serious, and we don’t condone violence, but it did serve to underline the gravity of the possible situations. Within a week, her brother came to her with questions about how to start stocking his own pantry, and although he is by no means a “Prepper”, he is at least more prepared in the case of an emergency.
LOL
I should have read the comments all the way to the end.
Seems your wife’s response is pretty popular.
I had a close friend say something similar when he saw my food preps. I told him he was welcome to any of it if he needed it. He lives a 10 hour drive away in Texas so I mentioned it might be difficult for him to get to my house in a bad situation. He started prepping himself and was glad he did when Texas had the big freeze last year. I intend to help anyone that asks for it and shoot anyone that tries to take it from me. Even so, only a few people know about my preps.
A prepper I know has a very pointed response to those who say, “When SHTF, I am coming to your place.”
He responds, “That’s a long way to come, just to die in my driveway.”
A former girlfriend always used to say she was coming to my house, and while we were serious I included her in my “family”. After ending the relationship we’ve stayed friends for years but when I told her she wasn’t on the list of people I could protect she replied, “Well, I’m still coming. And even if you won’t take me I know you’ll take my daughter.” As if I’d take a 5-year old girl who’d be a nervous wreck without her mother. She always had, and still has, an excuse of why she can’t save any money and start putting aside some emergency food. I feel bad about her (just a little) but she’s had years of hearing me talk about being prepared and not a word has ever sunk in.
Two things:
1) very few people know that I prep, and nobody besides myself knows the extent of my preps.
2) when I tell others to prep, I put it in context of having lived in California—first we were told to prep for 3 days, then a week, then shortly before I left 2 weeks. So I tell them I hope I have two weeks of supplies.
3) and I can’t count, I haven’t bought any of the “prepper” buckets, rather I bought the types of food I like. For example, I like the short grain, sticky brown rice mixed with chili instead of the long grain white rice found in most prepared concoctions. When I walk out of the grocery store, my cart doesn’t look like a prepper’s cart.
Bottom line, I’ve received zero responses to my prepping and hope to keep it that way.
“Your neighbors are going to kill you and tall all your stuff!!!!!”
My elderly, retired, neighbors? The ones who have huge garden? The ones who gives me the scraps from canning for my hogs?
Or the neighbors in the suburbs with the Obama/Clinton/Biden signs in their lawn? The ones that called the cops on kids playing with Nerf guns?
“If you dont have (insert name of weapon here), with (insert number of rounds of ammo per weapon here) and so many years of MREs, you are a fool! Only fools garden!”
“Stay in you home for at least a year! Never leave!”
“What about going to the bathroom?”
“I will dig a hole near the back fence!”
“How many in your family?”
“Me, my wife and daughter!”
“The average person craps about 1,200lbs a year. X 3 people. How big is your backyard?”
“. . . . . “
I tell folks that it’s a hedge against inflation, and point out that my preps have a rate of return far better than any bank.
Nailed it! I’ve heard all of these, several times over. I’m usually good with replies, but the one that left me gasping like a fish outta water when they saw my pantry was … “I thought you were poor! How can you afford all this stuff!?!” I was shocked at their train of thought. I pointed to the home-canned meat on the shelf and said, “there’s the new iphone I wanted. The jars I got from not going to the Packers game. It’s true I don’t have a lot of money, but I don’t have a lot of debt and if the bottom fell, it will all have been worth it, I’ll be set. Will you?” They now have a garden and last summer I taught them how to can!
I am speaking US only -there are those that are prepared for an economic downturn in his/her/their life and then there are those who are convinced all hell will break loose because a certain political party won, a non-Caucasian is president, nefarious government plots, EMPs, etc.
Regardless of the reason, how does anyone know what you are doing unless you blab? Pre-covid, I had relatives and friends at my house but none of them went into every room in my house. No one beside the people living in the house knew how much of anything we had. IMHO, if you’re hearing questions, it is because you have loose lips (sink ships a la WWII).
People always say, “If something happens, I’m coming to your house”.
I always tell them, Bad idea!
During the initial panic buying of 2020, a neighbor who is a very kind person that has regularly collected things for local shelters, etc. did a collection. As you can imagine, the shelter was in serious need of a lot of essentials (tp, hand soap, cleaner, etc.) and I was proud to be able to donate some things that many people were struggling to keep stocked for their own house. I still had plenty even after donating, and if I wasn’t a prepper I wouldn’t have been able to share with the less fortunate. In retrospect, I could have been more generous, but giving up any amount of precious TP was certainly not an act of selfishness.
When ever I get the 1.) I’m coming to your house. I set people straight by saying ” Sure when the SHTF happens you have free access to what I have, if you make it t the front door.” They usually get the idea that most are not welcome if they haven’t contributed. Last thing you want is someone letting others know what you have. All of a sudden it will be like you opened a soup kitchen.
Most of my friends have no clue. Some of my friends know I’m a prepper and only one of them asked some of those same questions (#2, #4, #5). My answer is, “Sorry, that’s on a need to know basis.” A few others ask me better questions. “How did you get into prepping? Do you think I should do some prepping? What are some places to get prepping stuff/supplies? Isn’t prepping expensive? How did you get your wife to say yes?”
I don’t hear any of these comments. That’s because my wife and I do not tell people about our prepping. You really shouldn’t, you know.
Some months ago, we tried to urge some of our family members to stock up in case of food shortages and we were basically told “you don’t really believe that, do you?” Then the grocery shelves started going empty. We thought the point was made. So we don’t bring the subject up any more.
The story of the ant and the grasshopper is as old as humanity, I think.