Are you a prepper?

Tororider · Dec 9, 2012

I just posted a blog with the same title, and I am wondering what people on here would say. The term prepper has become so loaded that I don't like to use it anymore, if I ever did. I prefer to say that I am prepared. And probably not as prepared as I should be, but what do you guys say? Having some food set aside in case of disaster(natural or otherwise), some water, a way to cook, doesn't seem all that crazy does it? With how public services have performed during the last couple natural disasters it only seems prudent to make sure you can take care of you and yours for a little while. What kind of preparations have you guys made?

dmccarty · Dec 9, 2012

There was a thread on TBN this time last year on the same subject.

What scares me is how many TBNers are concerned enough about current events to have made some serious preparations. What scares me more is that it is not just TBNers. I noticed last year that Sportsmans Guide, which has for decades sold MREs and other long storage foods, but was now selling bulk food to supply a person meal for months. Sportmans Guide is not putting this stuff for sale unless people are buying. Last years TBN thread caused me to look at long term food storage. A quick search on Amazon had quite a few hits on mylar bags, five gallon buckets, O2 eater pills, etc. That says there is a serious number of people storing food.

There are quite a few bulk food sellers on the Internet. Soybeans, peanuts, and oatmeal provide a heck of a lot of calories per pound per dollar.

Another scary thing to me, is how many people will tell me they are worried about the future and how they will feed their families. I don't start these conversations, people will just tell me for some reason which I think indicates how much they are worried. They are not talking about just loosing their job but an economic meltdown.

Later,
Dan

EE_Bota · Dec 9, 2012

I have been making preparations for a while. I find it interesting, satisfying, and it does offer some peace of mind. I have had times when there was less than 3 days of food at my house. Our grandparents would have thought I am being stupid. Then I decided one day that it was indeed stupid to have such a low supply of food around. If I have money to buy food, but very little actual food, why shouldn't I have more food and less money?

And if you do have food around, and you don't let it go bad, but instead you really do eat it, then at least your first large purchase may have protected you from a bit of inflation. Having food around can protect you from price spikes too...since if you have the product, and the price is too high right now, you just put off buying more until the price is more reasonable.

Last, if a massive storm comes and people flock to the stores to stock up, my not being there competing against them helps us both.

brin · Dec 9, 2012

dmccarty said:
There was a thread on TBN this time last year on the same subject.

What scares me is how many TBNers are concerned enough about current events to have made some serious preparations. What scares me more is that it is not just TBNers. I noticed last year that Sportsmans Guide, which has for decades sold MREs and other long storage foods, but was now selling bulk food to supply a person meal for months. Sportmans Guide is not putting this stuff for sale unless people are buying. Last years TBN thread caused me to look at long term food storage. A quick search on Amazon had quite a few hits on mylar bags, five gallon buckets, O2 eater pills, etc. That says there is a serious number of people storing food.

There are quite a few bulk food sellers on the Internet. Soybeans, peanuts, and oatmeal provide a heck of a lot of calories per pound per dollar.

Another scary thing to me, is how many people will tell me they are worried about the future and how they will feed their families. I don't start these conversations, people will just tell me for some reason which I think indicates how much they are worried. They are not talking about just loosing their job but an economic meltdown.

Later,
Dan

Dan...All I have to do is Ditto everything you said....I feel exactly the same....

To me the scariest thing of all...If enough people are this worried and believe this sucker is going down as Pres. Geo. W. Bush once speculated it could then this could end up happening and being a Self Fulfilling Prophecy....

Tororider · Dec 9, 2012

EE_Bota said:
I have been making preparations for a while. I find it interesting, satisfying, and it does offer some peace of mind. I have had times when there was less than 3 days of food at my house. Our grandparents would have thought I am being stupid. Then I decided one day that it was indeed stupid to have such a low supply of food around. If I have money to buy food, but very little actual food, why shouldn't I have more food and less money?

And if you do have food around, and you don't let it go bad, but instead you really do eat it, then at least your first large purchase may have protected you from a bit of inflation. Having food around can protect you from price spikes too...since if you have the product, and the price is too high right now, you just put off buying more until the price is more reasonable.

Last, if a massive storm comes and people flock to the stores to stock up, my not being there competing against them helps us both.

I agree that it is almost a generational thing. My parents and grandparents are/were preppers without even knowing it. Being prepared is just common sense.

dave1949 · Dec 9, 2012

I watched "Preppers" last night, they mentioned a survey that found 51% think that there is a good chance of a fiscal meltdown. It could become a self-fulfilling prophesy with those numbers whether there is a real cause or not.

One thing I have thought about doing is to add a hand pump to our well, or drill a second well and put just a hand pump on it. We use the generator if power is out, but eventually fuel will run out, or the generator could fail.

We have a couple of ponds that could supply water with filtering and disinfecting, but the well would be the preferred source.

EE_Bota · Dec 9, 2012

I just ordered two 45 lb pails for red wheat that is packaged to be good for up to 30 years. I had no grains previously. It wasn't cheap, though...will cost me 75 bucks for the two pails delivered, and believe it or not, that is half the cost I found from a general search. I got the tip from our thread in Friendly Politics. We are sorting some options there. I haven't picked out my grain mill yet, but I will find a good one. It will take a bit more thought than I have given it so far.

One of the motivations is that I hear that bread made from grinding your own wheat tastes much better than when made from pre-ground flour. I doubt I will open one of the super pails I ordered to find out, but I will most definitely get less elaborately packaged wheat to try out.

Pete Judd · Dec 9, 2012

We have been flooded in 3 times in the last 20+ years. Once 9 days without power as well. Didn't want for anything. So I guess I am a prepper. Don't do anything different than normal for us.

cqaigy2 · Dec 9, 2012

For years, ive known people that might be classified as "preppers" But i think tv has a lot to do with bringing it to most people's attention. Get a bunch of "outrageous" acting people on tv, get some ratings, sell some stuff. I suppose some people would think im outrageous but i don't think im pretty enough to bring ratings up.