What are Preppers Prepping For?
Some people think we preppers are intense, and I get asked all the time what we are preppers prepping for. Do they think there’s going to be a zombie apocalypse? Although I doubt we will have a zombie apocalypse, an apocalypse could be one reason preppers prep. However, most preppers are not just prepping for a disaster scenario or a zombie apocalypse. Prepping is much, much more than that.
I’m not a doomsday prepper. I prepare for everyday problems, routine emergencies, and worldwide events, but what does that mean? In case you missed this post, here are the top five Emergency Preparedness Tips for Older People.
Related: Common Misconceptions About Preppers
Items I Highly Recommend
- “Prepare Your Family For Survival” by Linda Loosli
- Solar Flashlights
- Solar Yard Lights (bring them inside when the power goes out)
- Head Lamps
- In case you missed this post, Power Grid Failure: What You Will Need
What are Preppers Prepping For?
This year will go down in history as the year of the global pandemic. It wasn’t just COVID that was a problem for people this year, though. Think about it: worldwide, there were shortages of groceries, interruptions in our supply chains, job loss, money shortages, not to mention no toilet paper!
Do you know who really didn’t have to get out much during this pandemic and who wasn’t affected as much by the shortages? Preppers!
This year is a prime example of why preppers prep, but it’s just one of many. Here are several things we prep for:
Power Outages
If the power goes out, preppers are prepared with candles, flashlights, and backup generators to keep their food cold. In some areas, power has gone out for days or weeks. Being prepared allows you to live somewhat comfortably until the power is restored.
Snow Storms
Whether it’s a blizzard, an ice storm, or just nasty weather, a prepper doesn’t have to try to figure out how to get to the store for needed supplies. Instead, they have necessities such as food, water, and OTC medicines at home.
Hurricanes
When a hurricane hits, power can go out, stores may be wiped out or just cleared out of inventory, and it can be almost impossible to get the things you need. A prepper tries to be prepared for a hurricane before it hits.
Tornadoes
Tornadoes may not seem worth prepping for, but if a prepper lives in an area with tornadoes, they are prepared for one. Everything they could need, including food and water for several days, will be stored in the basement or another appropriate location near the house. You never know how long it could take someone to rescue you from the basement after a tornado.
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are another natural disaster that can leave you wondering how you will get food and water when the power is out, or the road is torn up. Preppers are prepared for this.
Sickness
When you get sick, you may be out of work for several days or weeks. It comes out of your paycheck if you aren’t fortunate enough to have any sick time. Many of us live paycheck to paycheck, so missing a week’s pay could prompt the decision to buy food or pay the rent. A prepper is prepared for this and has saved extra food storage, so they don’t have to make that decision.
Job Loss
As we have seen with a former pandemic, many people were laid off or lost their jobs because their employer went out of business. Unemployment ran out quickly, and typically, unemployment doesn’t cover all the bills. Preppers know it can take about two months or longer to get a job and start getting paid. Thus, they have food and savings that will last them for at least 2 to 3 months during that job loss period.
Pandemics
We were prepared for this! Did we know it was coming? No, but we had food, water, and OTC medications and could go to the store minimally. When there was no TP, we had storage, so we didn’t need to buy anything. Pandemics can wreak havoc, causing shortages of everything we need daily, but preppers prepare for this.
Civil Unrest
We also saw this in 2020. Stores were looted, and there were riots in the streets. Not only is it unsafe to go to the store during these times, but when there’s looting, many times, there isn’t anything left to buy in your favorite store. Not only are preppers prepared with food and water, but they are also prepared to protect their families, their homes, and their storage.
Tight Times
We’ve all had tough times when money was tight. Maybe you had an unexpected bill, your car broke down, or your pipes burst. Preppers are preparing for these times when they may not have the money to go grocery shopping. Since they already have what they need, there is no need to worry nearly as much.
Fires
You may not know when a house will fire, but you can be prepared for one. Ensure you practice fire drills with your family and know where to meet. If you live in an area with dry trees or brush, you are especially susceptible to wildfires. Plan ahead to either bug in or, if directed, bug out.
Are You Ready to Be Prepared?
If you haven’t started prepping, it is never too late to start. You don’t even have to have extra money to start preparing for everyday emergencies. All you have to do is buy a few extra things each time you go to the store. Remember, buy and store what you eat, and then plan on ways to prepare that food when needed. Here are some things you can get today:
- Extra canned goods. You can start with just one extra can a week.
- Water. You will want to store at least 4 gallons of water per person per day.
- Toilet paper. Grab an extra package of toilet paper each time you buy it.
- OTC medications. Grab an extra container of tylenol, ibuprofen, and benadryl. You can get other OTC medications that you use as well.
- Hygiene products. Shampoo, soap, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, and even pads are always good to have stored away.
If you are a beginner, I suggest you read my post: Prepping for Beginners: A Guide to Get You Started!
Final Word
What are Preppers Prepping For?
Being prepared means being prepared for all kinds of events or circumstances, from job loss to a natural disaster. A prepper doesn’t need to worry when bad things happen because they can likely ride out the problems from their home. Being prepared means you have what you need for you and your family to weather the storm, whatever it may be. What are you doing to make sure your family is adequately prepared? I’d love to hear about your efforts. May God Bless this world, Linda
Copyright Images: House Damaged by Disaster Deposit photos_166834788_s-2019
The majority of mine is geared towards natural threats as they happen continuously and your list is a good one.
Let’s face it I’m in Oklahoma and tornadoes happen sometimes as many as 70 a day so to not prepare for them is just idiotic. In fact it’s so dumb I won’t be around you if you don’t have at least have a plan. Life’s too short for stupid people.
I try not to be a “doomsday” but then just over a year ago I started hearing about a disease spreading and I did hit the panic button a little harder than needed but as I told my family it’s a lot easier to correct that direction than the other. If y’all remember initial predictions were 2 million dead in just the USA by spring not the less than 1/2 percent it really is. BUT there is no one who can say their lives haven’t changed.
Now we are fielding a time untested vaccine and if that works or doesn’t do terrible then we know how to fast track everything else. Yeah that’s not helping me stay off the doomsday track.
You mentioned “civil unrest” and yeah the localized silliness is there but the elections fiasco from ALL sides is building up to a large scale event. That’s not helping me stay off the doomsday track.
I think there’s a difference in being the conductor of the crazy train and being an occasional passenger though. I’m reacting to my environment rather than living it constantly. I am a reactionary person which is a product of my training, careers and experiences.
Trust me I don’t want any of it because I love my recliner, AC and a good bowl of ice cream while watching my grandkids play.
Hi Matt, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment as always. I love ice cream and watching my grandkids too! Life is good if we are prepared! Linda
I prepare for whatever is going to happen. Natural disasters, and man made either one. Loss of power. Whatever is to come. I feel good that I can also help out our non prepper children when needed. At least they won’t be hungry.
Hi Deborah, I totally agree with you. It’s hard when you have neighbors that do not get it. My family lives too far away but they have been taught to take care of themselves. I wish everyone would understand the need to prepare, you would hope that 2020 opened many eyes. Linda
Linda, I’ve got a couple of kids that are barely making it from pay check to paycheck. The daughter is doing much better now. They no longer have 8 children to support. They each had 4 when they got married. The other one just got a job after 9 months of unemployment. His wife was supporting them with her job at a nursing facility. He now has a job, praise God. They’re doing much better now, too. My mother helped me when I was a single mom and I’ve got to do the same for mine. We have 2 that have never needed us to help with food. One is a prepper. The other is working for an oil company.
I prep mostly for snowstorms with loss of power. We live in the country, and we are low on the list of priorities when the power goes out.
I also prepare for the disruption of distribution. The average meal comes from 1500 miles away. There doesn’t have to be a storm here, for our food deliveries to be interrupted.
Hi Janet, wow! Your statement is awesome! People need to understand that the average meal comes from 1500 miles away! I use to live where we had snowstorms and a few ice storms. I worry about our trucker’s safety for sure in that weather. They are the ones that supply us with so many items we must have. The disruption of distribution is real. Great comment, Linda
Don’t forget the freight trains. Some of them carry the trailers for the big rigs. In snow country, it’s hard to maneuver at times. And sometimes the crews are stranded of a while. Not just from snow storms. My husband used to be a train engineer. Luckily he’s worked in Texas his whole career. Now retired after 36 years of service.
Deborah, yes! Exactly this! My husband is a freight rail engineer. Most folks don’t realize that a HUGE chunk of what truckers haul is initially brought by freight trains. The majority of his trains are intermodal or stack trains. They pick up some of their intermodals from cargo ships. Our supply chain is fragile for sure.
Freight rail moves approximately 40% of all goods in the USA. If freight trains are disrupted/not moving, our country would be in big trouble. In ton-miles:
Air – 0.30%
Water – 12%
Pipeline – 19.60%
Truck – 28.60%
Freight Rail – 39.50%
Hi Amy, oh I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment! Thanks for sharing this information. I agree, our supply chain is very fragile. Great comment, Linda
I live in western New York and my particular neck of the woods doesn’t get tornadoes or hurricanes, we can get some really hefty snow storms or ice storms. Thunderstorms are also a concern. My prepping started out with weather related concerns, and then evolved into supply chain interruptions, pandemic, or even money problems. All of that happened in 2020. As things get better in 2021, I will be replenishing my food storage, building my skills for cooking, and start pressure canning meats.
Hi Julie, great comment! 2020 has been so rough for the ordinary person. I just hope the families, restaurants, bars, cafes, can dig out of this mess. The employees may never get out of this disaster hole. I wish the government leaders could try living without a paycheck for a month. Life is different for the rest of us. I love hearing you will be replenishing your food storage and building your cooking skills. Pressure canning meat is actually very easy! Just make sure you follow the USDA canning guides. You will love it! Linda
I was rereading this post, because I get so much from it. It’s funny to read Julies’post from 2020, because we have had over 20 tornadoes including 1 near downtown Buffalo, so far this year. Emergencies are often unexpected but something to be prepared for.
We too try to focus our preparedness efforts on most likely scenarios. Here in NW Florida, in 2020 that was the 7 hurricanes that hit along the Gulf Coast, 2 or 3 that had major impact on our area. Really glad hurricane season is over for a few months and we can just deal with the normal flood & tornado warnings & power outages.
We’ve been really building up our inventory of livestock & pet supplies, canned goods & pantry basics this year. Pretty much set on other categories.
Have shopped for friends and family who were at high risk of the Virus & encouraged each of them to build up their in home stockpiles. It was eye opening for some of them when grocery stores were empty of almost everything & they only had a few days of food in their cabinets when the lockdown hit our state in March.
Just FYI, the Sam’s Club in our area has begun limiting paper products & disinfectant wipes again. ….
Hi BDN, Sam’s Club is limiting on paper products and wipes, wow!! It’s interesting that people only have a few days of food in their cabinets. You and I don’t understand that for sure. I get emails from church leaders here in Utah to ask how to light a fire under their members. I sometimes think they must think that the government will drop off food???? They won’t be. I agree it has been an eye-opener for many. I just hope they remember to keep stocking up the food they will eat. Crazy year for sure. Linda
Hi Linda, great info as usual! I think 2020 was an eye opener for a lot of people. They at least got some what prepped. I still see too many people scoff at being prepared and really, I think we will never be able to change their minds but we still keep on trying. I also think that a lot of people are attracted to your web site because you project prepping in a really positive light! I know it keeps me coming back.
Thanks and (stay safe) Bill
Hi Bill, thank you for your kind words. For you and me, it’s a way of life to prep. I really hope people remember the empty shelves. Or the items we were shocked to see in short supply. And not just the toilet paper. I have never been more shocked to see the overpriced #10 cans in my life. I would not pay $85.00 for ONE #10 can of ground beef. I will become a vegetarian until the prices come back down. Stay safe, stay well, my friend, Linda
I love Matt’s comment, especially the part about only being an occasional passenger on the crazy train.
For me prepping is emergency situation insurance. I have car insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and home insurance. Why wouldn’t I want emergency situation insurance. Just common sense.
Hey, I once rode the crazy train too! I was following some other nut!
We ALL have insurance just in case!
Sorry couldn’t resist (stay safe) Bill
Hi Bill. LOL LOL LOL, we all ride the crazy train occaionally, it’s our job!! Love it!! Linda
Bill, a friend of mine once accused me of wanting an apocalyptic event to happen. He actually thought I was prepping because then I would be proven “right.” I told him I had smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in my house too, and that didn’t mean I wanted it to catch on fire. That was when he got the point of my insurance spiel.
Hi Ray, I totally agree with you, it is insurance. And I want it! As do you, we are the smart ones. We all ride the crazy train just like Matt! Life is so good when you’re prepared! Stay well, stay safe, my friend, Linda
Ray – I started prepping years ago as an insurance policy as well. But, I know a few around me who don’t even carry insurance on their apartment contents! I told them they are crazy!
How would you go about getting renters insurance? I have heard of this but never knew who to ask or where to look. Is it different for every state? Who would be the person to contact about that?
Thank you so much for any help!
Hi Audrey, in most states, you call your car insurance agent and check out the prices for renters insurance. Linda
If you are renting an apartment or home, the home/apartment owners are responsible for the structure. They will not cover the contents, however. So without renter’s insurance, you are out of luck if the building burns. Also, renter’s insurance will cover other things like theft, etc.
When I started renting (prior to this, I was a home owner with my husband), I checked with a number of insurance companies. Most companies that offer homeowners insurance will offer renter’s insurance. I currently pay about $125 per year for $60,000 in personal property loss with a $500 deductible (my portion in a loss). Not everyone needs as much coverage as I do but I have some very high end computerized sewing machines. So call your auto insurance agent if you have one and that company might offer renter’s insurance – mine does both auto and home. Anytime you can bundle, in my case auto insurance and renter’s insurance, you will likely get a discount for multiple lines.
Before you talk to your agent, though, I suggest you and your husband (if you have one) sort of figure out how much coverage you need. I don’t have to cover household appliances as they are owned by the apartment complex but I do need to cover my TV, computer, furniture, clothing, sewing machines, etc. If you have guns, jewelry, art work, antiques and those sorts of things, you might have to get them appraised by a bona fide appraiser to get coverage that extends to them or purchase a “rider” that covers things like that.
To name a few companies that I know for a fact offer renter’s insurance: Allstate, Farmers, State Farm. Once you have figured out about how much coverage you need, call and get a quote then decide. Be aware, some companies have better reputations than others.
Thank you! I have some research to do! I appreciate your knowledge!
Hi Leanne, great advice! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas on renters insurance. Linda
Hey Ray,
I have said this before, but there are folks who lament when they have to throw away “truly expired” food stuffs from their preps. To me, those are just like paying insurance premiums and then not needing to file a claim. Those disposed food stuff were my insurance premium against going hungry. If the had been needed, they were there. If they did “truly expire” then so be it. I say “truly expire” because too many folks throw away food that is past its “Best By” date which is not an expiration. I posted this before, but it needs a repeat. Some time ago, I found a can of Spam that had gotten pushed to the back of our pantry. The “Best By” date was several years hence. I opened it, it looked good, it smelled good, it tasted good, I ate it and there were no repercussions from eating it. LOL!!!
Hi Harry, I totally get the expired food as far as insurance. Once I explained to Mark about the “insurance”, for instance, we rarely use our car insurance for accidents or whatever, but we still need to purchase car insurance just in case. I explained to Mark it’s okay if we need to toss these cans that are 4 years old. Let it go, Mark! So there we are. Linda
Yep, we have been down this road before. LOL!!!
Hi Harry, I love hearing you have gone through the same thing!! LOL! Linda
Harry, I’ve personally eaten canned food that was eight years out of date with no ill effects. I know one blogger who is a prepper who ate canned beans that were 15 years out of date with no ill effects.
So long as the cans aren’t bulging or damaged I consider them safe to eat. Most of those dates are set by lawyers or marketing types who want to sell you more product. Using common sense is your best bet in any situation.
Hi Ray, I can’t show this to Mark! LOL!! 15 years out of date, oh my gosh, I had to giggle over this one. Right on! Linda
Linda, once again you’ve written a great article. And I agree with Matt too. I live in Kansas and have survived 2 tornadoes and if that doesn’t put the fear of God in a person, I don’t know what will! My husband and I have been preppers but never thought it was weird until it was brought to our attention by well-meaning friends. Oh well! We can sleep at night knowing we’ve done the best we can and can help others if needed.
Hi Paula, I love your attitude! We were preppers before we even heard the word, right? I have only been through one tornado, and I was so young (16 years old), but I can still picture the colors of the sky! Yes, indeed, we can sleep at night knowing we’ve done the best we can do and can help others if needed. Great comment! Linda
Linda – Great post. It reminds me of what to say to someone who asks me that question!
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we don’t or haven’t had many natural disasters lately. Of course, we are still overdue for “the Big One”!! The earthquake to end all earthquakes! If/when it occurs, the prediction is that anything west of Interstate 5 will be destroyed. That would be me! I cannot afford to move at this time so I am not sure all the preps I have would be insurance enough to withstand that event. I do like to monitor the earthquake activity and the Cascade mountains tend to have several small earthquakes on a daily basis. I know before Mount St Helens erupted 40 years ago (40 YEARS??) there were clusters of earthquakes on/near the mountain so I can safely say that the mountains are NOT quiet!! Anyway, if I am still living here when the big one hits, my preps won’t likely suffice!
So basically, as Ray said, prepping is insurance. I have plenty for short to moderate events – a few days to a few months. I am down to only having enough fresh coffee for a couple of days though! Gotta stop at the store today!
Hi Leanne, we are all aware and waiting for the BIG ONE! That will probably take out all of Utah. You are closer to it than me but, we have done all we can to prepare. It seems like yesterday when Mount St. Helens erupted!! Wow, 40 years!! Yes, go get some coffee!! Lol! Life is good! Linda
Another great article Linda! I prep for…whatever comes my way. I was raised by grandparents who went through the depression and WWII. When the pandemic hit I didn’t have to shop for anything. Friends and coworkers always called me crazy. I ask them “Now who’s crazy?”
We pressure can lits of meat. I buy it on sale. Can potatoes, most anything you can think of. Have lots of hygiene and other stuff. Life is just so much easier when you know you won’t have to scramble for needed supplies!
Hi Beth, thank you, great comment, whatever comes our way. I love hearing you didn’t have to shop for anything. I had to laugh over the “Now who’s crazy” comment. I’m so glad to hear you are canning everything you get your hands on. Life is wonderful when you are prepared!! Good job, Linda
Linda:
What do you do when your husband absolutely sticks his head in the sand and refuses to smell the roses. My husband has a real fit when we buy more than he has on the shopping list. I try to buy extra and so does my daughter but it it tough to get a stock of food built up. If I have our daughter buy 1 or 2 extra he just lists less on the next list. I am ready to pull my hair out
Hi Jackie, wow, that is a tough one. First of all, can you shop without him? There is no way that Mark is going to tell me what I can’t buy to stock our home. I feel bad you have to deal with that. It should be a team effort. I stick to a list for sure, but if I see items on sale that we are low on, I will purchase them. I would be pulling my hair out as well. I would be totally bald. LOL! In all honesty, it’s going to take a major disaster for him to pull his head out of the sand, and it will be too late. Hugs from Utah! I’m sorry you have to deal with this, Linda
You could always tell him the extra is for your comfort in the event of a disaster and since he doesn’t want to purchase it, he doesn’t have to eat it or use it!! LOL! I am truly kidding but…
Leanne:
That would not work with my husband. Simply because either my daughter or my husband has to do the grocery shopping. You see I am a 100% NSC Disabled Veteran and due to Osteo Penia which is also called brittle bone disease (I call it Swiss Cheese disease because that is what your bones look like) If I were to go shopping and bump into anything I could really break a bone or 2 or 3. It takes me forever to heal with this problem. Now If I could just get them to read labels for the things I am allergic to I would be so excited. If you check your labels from food to beauty products, to cleaning products you will find that they have Sulfites, Sulfates, and sulfonamides in them and if you have arthritis, or allergies I can guarantee that it is from those additives because they don’t effect you the same way as most allergies. They attack your bones, and other major organs.
Hi Jackie, oh yeah this would make a difference! Dang! They do the shopping, I’m so sorry, my friend. Linda
Jackie – Thank you for serving. I understand and I really was joking. I can only pray for you in your condition! I totally understand about the cra* in store bought beauty products and all those things we use on a daily basis. I stopped using store bought products a few years ago because of the chemicals. Since our skin is the largest and most vulnerable of our organs, it is important to protect it. I am currently fighting stress induced eczema – brought on most likely from COVID-19 stress (haven’t had the disease but the stress most likely brought it on according to my dermatologist). So, I am using a prescription topical ointment for the itching which was driving me totally batty and destroying the skin on my feet! Hoping to have this under control soon though and it is way better but … My dermatologist is very open to more natural products but he did say we need to get the itching under control before we can really work on the skin itself!
So, I make a lot of my own products such as moisturizer using coconut oil, shea butter, coco butter, jojoba oil, beeswax and tea tree oil. Of course, one does need to know what they are allergic to and try things on small patches before drenching the body.
Leanne:
I knew you were just kidding. My daughter does her best to get extras when she goes shopping. Right now my husband is just cranky because he can’t do what he wants to do. You see he is also a disabled Veteran (we met in service) and we love each other to the max. But he had Pulmonary Edema which in turned into his having to have quadruple bypass and that night he had a stroke. He is just frustrated because he can’t do what he used to do and he is also frustrated that he can’t take care of me the way he wants to. We bought a money black hole 20 years ago and now it is costing us money to repair things because he can’t repair them himself., We have been married 50 years as of last July 8th. We actually have 2 anniversaries because I am a Messianic Jew and we count our anniversary from our Betrothal but we also have a Wedding Ceremony to do things legally. So I count it from July 8th and then we have another anniversary from April 3rd .
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it and love talking to other people even if it is only online.
Love
Jackie
Hi Jackie, I’m with you we miss talking to other humans! The isolation is terrible. I did not realize you and your husband are Veterans, thank you for your service. I pray this mess will blow over soon. Hugs, Linda
Couldn’t reply directly to your latest note! I understand about black hole property!! When my husband was alive, we purchased a beautiful, old home and I absolutely loved it (no longer in my possession) but it had a lot of things “wrong” with it. Well, my hubs was a carpenter so we tackled the bathroom first – BIG mistake. He was a carpenter NOT a plumber!!! Cannot recall how many days we were without running water!! Fortunately, though, he was able to re-roof the house when that time came and it saved us a ton. But for the interior, he was not so handy!!
Like Julie, we are in Western New York. I have prepared for snow and blizzards since 1977. We were planning a house warming party that night. If the storm had hit 8 hours later we would have been stuck with our families for a week…..My husband is one of 6 boys…..lol…
I have read that the Amish try to always have sufficient supplies for one year. Their reasoning, it that no matter what the emergency, fire, flood, weather, financial or medical, if they are prepared they won’t be tempted to break God’s laws. The security and sense of peace I find being prepared is a true blessing.
Chris, I love your comment about the Amish being prepared so “they won’t be tempted to break God’s laws.” An excellent reason that I’ll add to my own!
Hi Roxanne, I love this too! Somehow I missed that! Thank you! Linda
We prepare for hurricanes and the usual expected power loss that often occurs even though we are far inland. It requires the usual planning which is to mostly to survive without power and full utilities and with the possibility of being ordered to stay at home and off the streets until the local governmental geniuses tell us it’s safe to go out again at our own volition.
Again, being far from the coast, we rarely experience any damage and even when we do it’s minor compared to those who live close to the beaches and the ocean.
My main concern now is social unrest, attacks by foreign enemies and economic slumps.
That’s not to say I’m not also ready for intelligent apes, zombies or a Mad Max style apocalypse. 🙂
Hi Frank, I have to agree with you on the civil unrest, cyberspace attacks, and an economic collapse. The next 45-60 days may prove us right or wrong. God help us. Stay safe, Linda
Hey Linda! Wonderful article as usual! I mainly prep for storms and power outages but 2020 has taught me to step up my game. 2021 is going to be the year I up my A game. I’m looking into a side hustle to make money to put into savings so not everything is going to be coming out of my husbands paychecks. I will be doing more de-cluttering to make room for the items we will truly need to survive. It also has me wanting to save more money so we can eventually get our own house and land. I won’t get on my soapbox about our politicians and them living off what they think is enough to survive on! This year has given me the kick in the pants I needed to get my rear end in gear.
I hope you all have a fabulous New Year!!!
Hi Audrey, it sounds like you have a wonderful plan for 2021! I think we are all decluttering to make room for the really important stuff! I would love to get on a soapbox about our politicians but it won’t help, I wish it would help but it won’t. I hope 2021 brings us a fabulous New Year! Linda
I have been fortunate in that I have a “little” side job – actually I am retired but have so much time on my hands that I just really need to get out a bit. So, I go into a building to disinfect high traffic areas, door knobs, light switches, bathrooms, etc. I am NOT the janitor, I follow the janitor. It is only for about 3 hours a week (2 days for 1- 1 1/12 hours each day). It gives me a couple hundred $$ extra each month and is so easy. The building is only occupied by 2-3 people on Mondays and Thursdays; everyone else works from home so it is really easy! You might look for something like that??
I crochet as a hobby and I have been selling homemade dish cloths here and there. I am now looking to expand that and maybe figure out some local marketing ideas to get more things sold. I plan on increasing my stock of dish cloths over the winter and work on some other misc. projects that have been on my mind.
I love love the crocheted dish cloths – I don’t use anything else! But they have all been gifts. I tried both crocheted and knitted and discovered I do NOT have a gift for these two crafts!!! I learned to knit and crochet when I was a child and didn’t like either then and definitely not now! My sister (well one of the 3 sisters) makes these as well as the crocheted scrubbies that I also love. Perhaps you could make a cleaning “kit” that would include dish cloth and scrubby that coordinate? If shipping was not so high, I would totally buy a couple of your hand made dish cloths! Mine are starting to look well “used”!!
Being in FL, I like to be prepped for hurricanes, but my goodness, I didn’t realize what the pandemic would do. People were in shock and then the toilet paper ran out in the stores and the shelves were empty. I took pix of empty shelves and saved them for my kids so they would remember. For the most part, we didn’t buy anything for a couple of months. When you prep for a hurricane, you realize you might not have electricity and maybe no water, but we had both those things. And with a hurricane, you get back to normal faster. Here it’s been almost a year and we aren’t anywhere close to things being normal again. I wish I had mentally prepped for a pandemic better. Sticking at home and missing loved ones we would visit…it’s all very difficult. My daughter is an “at risk” person, so we’ve remained very isolated. It’s hard to prepare for that.
Hi Debbie, you are not alone. This year has been crazy. We can prep for food and water, but the loneliness is horrific. I know I have days, I think I can get through this, then it’s day, weeks, and months without seeing anyone but my husband. We Facetime our kids and grandkids, that helps. I finally started walking (without a mask) with walking sticks so I don’t fall. I need the exercise and I need to see humans. That seems so weird but we need to see other people. Isolation is not fun. We will get through this even if it’s talking to one another through my website. Hugs, Linda
At first my wife was not on board with keeping extra food in the house. We were just barely getting by, and here I was spending more money on food. “Why are you doing that?”, She asked as I was turning the hall closet into a pantry.
I had to explain many times that a pantry saved money. I showed her how I could buy the food we ate in quantity when it was on sale, so that the food bill was less overall. I calculated gas savings from cutting the grocery trips from every other day to once a week.
Finally I demonstrated that cooking from scratch was cheaper and healthier than buying premade dinners. It wasn’t easy, she was stubborn and didn’t like that she had been wrong, but finally agreed that having extra food was a good idea. Spreading the concept to other things wasn’t too bad after that.
Hi Tweell, wow, wow, wow! Way to go, my friend!! I hope people see this comment because it’s awesome! We can sleep at night knowing our pantry is full and we can cook from scratch. Great comment. Linda
I did this with a former partner of mine. He had purchased a large quantity of beef and pork for the freezer and it was really good meat. BUT, he kept buying meat at the grocery store as well. I finally convinced him that we had meat and we should use it up before buying more. We took inventory of the freezer and started cooking what we had. For several months (6 or so) we had actual grocery bills of $35-45 for fresh fruits/veggies and dairy products. He was amazed at the savings.
Helping others learn to prep is awesome. My grandkids are now learning the importance of having what you need in times of a disaster,any type of disaster. They are doing great. Having extra food on hand and knowing how to cook is only part of it.Knowing how to grow a garden and when to plant is just as important My youngest son is learning to do basic home repairs now that he has a home of his own and a growing family.He was here over the weekend and replaced a leaky faucet in the bathroom for me. My oldest son knows a bit of everything ,including,carpentry,electrical,plumbing and some automotive repairs. As does my daughter. They all know to keep extra food and supplies on hand. My daughter and oldest son helped my late husband remodel this house. All of my kids have helped me garden when I had one. ( I still have an asparagus patch). The two older kids both know how to sew,both by hand and with a machine. My thoughts on being prepared are start out small and work your way up. Only buy what food items your family will eat.have a good supply of water and a way to purify some water. Have several ways of cooking,heating and lighting. Buy hand tools as you can. A hammer,ax,hatchet,saw, shovel and rake are good starters. Then add tools for plumbing and electrical repairs. For Christmas this year, I gave Emergency radios (with several ways to charge them) to several family members. I made other gifts for the rest. Holidays don’t have to be lavish and stressful. For our Christmas dinner, we had Garlic butter pork tenderloin,fresh green beans,baked sweet potato fries ,corn,and baked diced potatoes with cheese and bacon.Most of which came from my food storage. And like I said, most of the gifts were hand made. I pray everyone had a good Christmas and that we all have a Blessed New Year.
Hi Judy, you rock with the way you raised your kids!! I love it!! I love homemade gifts, and your dinner sounds fabulous! Happy New Year! Linda
I do not prep for harsh weather events, they don’t last long unless your house gets blown away. I prep for EMP, nuclear, pandemic events. Also in case an economic collapse, civil war, food shortages, another ice age hits, or WW3 flares up. If one can afford the cost, an underground stocked bunker would be the best insurance, that would be only for the elites. I’m retired so it be best if I stay in place at home, with provisions to last 2 or 3 years, really. Plus I can homestead, garden, hunt, make herbs and medicines, purify water, cook, make electricity, talk around the world on the ham radio, and monitor nuclear radiation. all my back-ups have more backups. Mother earth is so fragile that any event can spin it out of control, into doomsday. It would take decades for the air, water, good soil to recover, to sustain good life again, survival will be tough. A very good idea would be to procure garden tools, seeds, and have access to a garden spot for food growing. A big plus would be if one lived out of the city. City dwellers will fare worse off. So everyone, be wise, watchful, read up on survival, read, read, read, and act for your own survival. No one else will.
Hi Henry, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment! You nailed it! I feel exactly the same way. We must be prepared for everything and all you are talking about. Thank you, Linda
We are prepping for . . . as Thomas Paine so eloquently stated, “. . . the times that try men’s souls.” And, today, I think we all realize that we are definitely at that point. Everyone, please pray hard for our country and humanity!
Hi Harry, thank you for sharing this my friend! This weekend has been rough and emotions have soared over the safety of our country. God Bless America! We must all pray, Linda
As a semi-rural resident of a small island I also prep for laziness and keeping up with sales. Sometimes it’s just too much effort to leave the island for items not available here, or, as someone who has no vehicle, sometimes it’s just too much effort to arrange a ride to local sources. The more necessary items I have on hand the less I need to disrupt whatever I’m doing (or not doing) to deal with the situation. Also handy for power failures, bad weather, ferry issues and a host of other situations. In shorter term storage I try to have at least one item in use and one in reserve which also hopefully gives time to wait for it to go on sale again. If the BB dates are good I’ll get a couple of extras if I know I’ll use them up. I recently added a short term storage shelf unit to more easily keep most frequently used items in proper rotation. I love just walking over to the shelf to get more condiments or baking ingredients and to know I won’t have to worry about running out of anything. I will need to get more large canning jars to vacuum seal more things now that I have the equipment to do that.
Hi Alice, that’s a great plan! So many people have no plans, are caught without food or water. Good job, keep up the good work, Linda
So many reasons to prep… the main reasons I started were winter storms (multi-day blizzards or ice storms) and Y2K. I knew either one could cause disruptions in deliveries and so many stores had moved to just in time delivery systems which couldn’t handle any disruptions without a bit of chaos.
Then I slowly started adding items to the LTS in case this happens or that happens. Didn’t need a lot extra since I already had food, water and the means to cook off grid.
Fast forward to 2019 when China was reporting a novel flu in Wuhan and the BBC report had too much placating double-speak, so I got more hand sanitizer and some sanitizing wipes – other than that I knew I was in good shape. When the lockdowns started my wife was wondering why I wasn’t freaking out – simple answer was I knew I was as ready as I could be (it helped that a few years earlier the Ebola scare popped up and I got my disinfection supplies for that – bleach granules, spray bottles, chemical resistant gloves, goggles and apron, etc.)
So by prepping for local hazards then slowly adding a few items here and there for other possibilities I was making sure we were ready for known and unknown events. And given the level of division in the US these days I am glad of my LTS and try to make sure my family is as safe as we can be in troubled times. Hopefully things calm down and we can go about our lives as normal, but if we need to hunker down to weather a literal or proverbial storm, we’re in good shape.
Thanks for bringing this article back up!
Hi DMWalsh, thank you for your kind words. I’m with you about feeling confident I’ve done what I could to be prepared. We moved into our new little home 2 days ago and even though everything is in boxes everywhere, all of my food storage is in my home. It’s been in a climate controlled storage unit for almost 3 years. The anxiety it gave me about not having my preps and food storage is now over. I still need to fill my water tanks but the tanks are here. I’m with you there has been something every year that we must be prepared for and if its toilet paper or hand sanitizer, we are set. Good job, my friend. Linda
I have been reading an older (published about 15-20 years ago) series of books when the power grid goes down. The author is Terri Blackstock, and the books are:
1. Last Light
2. Night Light
3. True Light
4. Dawn’s Light
Story of a family and how they survive when the grid goes down. Gives you lots to think about and how they made it. Thought you and your readers might enjoy these.
HI CJ, thank you for the list of these books, I will try and find them, I love stuff like this! LOVE it, Linda