My Missus Doesnt Take Prepping Seriously

[rik_uk3]

You can't 'make' anyone take prepping seriously, your best bet it to just plod along and so long as you don't make a big dent in the household budget you may well be fine. Explain its a hobby, its cheaper than golf and don't let her read the paranoid posts on prepper sites and you'll be OK £20 obtained with permission is better than £20 of grief when she or he finds out you've spent it on a Millbank bag et al

[lonewolf]

luckily, its not a problem I have, wife is fully supportive, she lived in a cottage completely off the mains until she was nearly 12 years old, then went into farming when she left school(all farms were off grid back then), I have a small budget and TRY to keep to it, but I am beginning to taper off now.

[rik_uk3]

luckily, its not a problem I have, wife is fully supportive, she lived in a cottage completely off the mains until she was nearly 12 years old, then went into farming when she left school(all farms were off grid back then), I have a small budget and TRY to keep to it, but I am beginning to taper off now.

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[cpslashm]

The general opinion is your actually barking mad

If it were the only choice, would I prefer to be barking mad and surviving, or...er...dead?

Even we who are barking may have something worthwhile to contribute.

I usually state that I'm a "climate change nut" and work backwards from there.

[FEISTY]

I think part of the prepping boom if you like is the realization that things can get rough, the older ones like myself forgot the days of power cuts, and all the rationing and hand me down war stories for a while there when things got rather stable, we even had a peace dividend when the cold war ended, which when you look at it was folly, the threats have just shifted and the tools to protect against them changed, only we throw far less money at it without the red demon staring over the Berlin wall at us
I'm 60s born when the power went down, mother said no problem and out came the camping stove and candles, do the same to my children and the nerd withdrawal symptoms would kick in PDQ and you would have a panic then a battle on your hands before the adventure started ( I'm only talking about the half day power cut here).. same sort of thing stocking up for xmas - well to an extent you had to because everybody shut shop for a few days and the weather at that time of year back then could turn soon after so having a winter stock pile was sensible.
This winter's storms show that some of us will feel effects of calamities which prepping can ease, and make good conversation points, I'm not low lying so floods are unlikely in our street yet can cause havoc nearby, if you discuss how you would try and preserve you possessions in such an event ( we did) it does help a natural preparedness mind set to emerge in most people, and I will go as far as to say that those who poo poo the idea and refuse also know it could happen to them but prefer to just bleat for help, which reminds me of how I amused a shop assistant last year, I was shopping for stationary items in yep a stationary shop, the lady came over to me as I was looking around and asked if I needed help? I said perhaps later, I would rather have a good look around and see if I can find what I need myself than bleat for help after 10 seconds, she was most amused, maybe it's the hunter gatherer under the surface I don't know yet it still ticks me off no end when supermarkets keep moving stuff around.
Anyway keep talking to your partners not starting from TEOTWAWKI, little things like why let your petrol tank flirt between a quarter and empty and get caught short when the tanker drivers go on strike- I keep ours between a three quarters and full ( Usually £20 once a fortnight does it or over does it and I keep any change separate for times when we do more miles) my main use for the car is shopping and the shops will be out of stock long before I'm out of petrol so I'm prepared and that is my normal, things which make good sense are the best starting point, if you go from empty cupboards to wanting to buy a bunker next month, no one will take it seriously - the bar is too high, a little discussion and you will both probably come to the conclusion that you're preppers anyway.

I am 50, so born in the same era (hubby 58) and our kids are only 13 and 15. We remember 70s power cuts (cooking on a paraffin stove - that was also the only heat - and candles (thank goodness for the caravan and camping stuff)) and I remember being snowed in in a small village - several feet of snow. It was only 15 years ago we were all queuing at the petrol pumps and some people were turned away when the fuel ran out. Our parents were also older than average and lived through the war - rationing, bombing, etc, etc. My gran was widowed young with a total of 8 children and had to take in lodgers and probably work too to make ends meet. Bloody hard lives. As a result they were very close and looked after each other, unlike nowadays. They always had food "put by", because they knew what it was like to wonder where the next meal was coming from. I was never impressed by Spam and Corned Beef, but I'd eat it. We are pretty much the first generation who haven't "prepped" and think it's a strange thing to do. My parents would have just said they were putting cash and food away "for a rainy day". That's really all we're doing.

[Plymtom]

Spam and Corned beef almost luxury items nowadays your gran sounds like one of the many war widows my mother spoke of from WW1 era, hard times indeed, she's gone now but I did get her sat down talking of the past on video for an hour or two, when I was doing a family tree.

My parents would have just said they were putting cash and food away "for a rainy day". That's really all we're doing.

My mother's words exactly, we are just emerging from a period say the 80s onward and particularly after the cold war where things have been too good to be true in some ways, prepping needs looking from the viewpoint that if you are somewhat prepared for a fairly major problem, then you are almost sitting pretty or at least have ne need to panic when minor calamities strike, if you want to get a sceptic on board then the worst case scenarios that if we are using as best prepared targets which might, only might happen in our lifetimes, and as I often imply when you are over 50 the good news is that the chances of dying from SHTF greatly reduce, the down side to that is of course we are closer to popping our clogs naturally first

[lonewolf]

But to he honest, your a tad paranoid? The general opinion is your actually barking mad acording to my inbox...its only a view or ten and means nothing in the great scheme of things.

no not paranoid, I just have a different view to that of your goodself, the world would be a tad bland if we all thought and acted the same wouldn't it? you are probably prepping for a set scenario of events, where I try to make my plans all encompassing(except total nuclear war and a massive meteor strike-neither of which I think are survivable-so I don't include them) better to think the worst and be proved wrong (by events) than not include it and be caught out.

[rik_uk3]

But to he honest, your a tad paranoid? The general opinion is your actually barking mad acording to my inbox...its only a view or ten and means nothing in the great scheme of things.

no not paranoid, I just have a different view to that of your goodself, the world would be a tad bland if we all thought and acted the same wouldn't it? you are probably prepping for a set scenario of events, where I try to make my plans all encompassing(except total nuclear war and a massive meteor strike-neither of which I think are survivable-so I don't include them) better to think the worst and be proved wrong (by events) than not include it and be caught out.

All my plans are based upon a small cadre of three families who share a common goal, people we know and trust and of course mobility, each family is capable of surviving on their own or providing food/shelter to the other one or two families. We have no set events in mind, we just plan to be able to move as and when needed and maintain ourselves, or at least those of us who survive a 'big kill' event or major social upheaval. Mobility and flexibility are vital to the prepper mindset, lack either and broadly speaking your stuffed. How long could you defend your home if under a credible attack by the 'rioters' on the street, a scenario much put about on prepper sites by those in 'panic mode', what is the real chance of that happening?

Lonewolf, you may well be a lovely and well balanced person, dare say mom and dad loved you but you are just so negative in your outlook. Your posts often feed the negativity of members old and new to 'prepping' when in fact we should all be neutral in our outlooks and promote just 'BE PREPARED.'

Just cheer up a bit and look on the bright side, life is good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrY_vhNUI88
Watch it all and not just you, those here who feel a bit down in the dumps.

[lonewolf]

Lonewolf, you may well be a lovely and well balanced person, dare say mom and dad loved you but you are just so negative in your outlook. Your posts often feed the negativity of members old and new to 'prepping' when in fact we should all be neutral in our outlooks and promote just 'BE PREPARED.'

Just cheer up a bit and look on the bright side, life is good.

I have always thought of myself as an optimist, but whatever I say on this forum and others is coloured by what I have seen in my life. generally speaking people are no damn good, and if you give them the chance they will screw you over and up. I just like to be prepared for every eventuality. I have always said I can work with most people especially in a post SHTF situation -if I had too, but whether I would "want" to is another matter.

[rik_uk3]

Lonewolf, you may well be a lovely and well balanced person, dare say mom and dad loved you but you are just so negative in your outlook. Your posts often feed the negativity of members old and new to 'prepping' when in fact we should all be neutral in our outlooks and promote just 'BE PREPARED.'

Just cheer up a bit and look on the bright side, life is good.

I have always thought of myself as an optimist, but whatever I say on this forum and others is coloured by what I have seen in my life. generally speaking people are no damn good, and if you give them the chance they will screw you over and up. I just like to be prepared for every eventuality. I have always said I can work with most people especially in a post SHTF situation -if I had too, but whether I would "want" to is another matter.

What have you seen to narrow your views so much, can you share with us? I'm only a retired nurse and have seen more people die than most soldiers, but its just the way things are, be optimistic, look on the good sides of life and cheer up chap.