Converting Family

[dannydela91]

So over the last few months I have been slowly prepping i.e. reading, practising building whilst the partner is out and buying very small quantities of preps so they don't notice the bank balance go down as they are not a prepper. However after months of subtle hints and apocalyptic films I have converted them and they now consider themselves a prepper and tonight we have gone out and bought more preps in one night than I have in the last few months I am now a much more prepared prepper and a proud to say my partner is prepper to. . . . .

anyone else have any other techniques and guidance to allow others to convert their loved ones and friends to being preppers ???

[unsure]

i found that just talking to the mrs had the right results .
just by looking back on tough times we had together made all the difference .like the time the heating packed up and we had no other heaters at all , taking the family camping and sending the kids with a two ltr bottle every time we needed water would a treat .

[junmist]

Just talking about the power cuts has got everyone thinking and trying to prep for them. And a casual remark by me about peak oil has one of the younger generation thinking and looking into it

[Plymtom]

My lot are of varying belief in the likelihood of any major SHTF scenario happening to us ( and I include myself in that), but can all see the sense in being as prepared as budget and space allows, a diet of doomsday films and prepper shows, plus time spent around here for me and we are all as on board as we need to be, you don't need to start with a bunker and a bug out location, but you can soon convince them of the need to not be running out of essentials in a crisis, try hiding the toilet paper, or saying the car's broken down, don't drag it out but say what if?
For me as a carer and the only driver or walk to the shops-er I can easily remind them of the sense of them not having to panic should I twist my ankle or worse, you and they soon will be finding ways of being prepared for more possibilities.

[jansman]

Getting family'On Board' is relatively easy IMO. When I started my prepping journey, it was not long before it became our journey. Let me explain.
For a year or so I stashed grub, batteries, water etc etc. I got a bit scary, I must admit, banging on about the end of the world (believe me I am a LOT more chilled out these days), and then my Wife took ill. She was 6 months laid up, and when she went out it was in a wheelchair.
That was the end of the world at that time. I was trying to juggle a very full time job with childcare (six and nine year daughters), and the loss of Jan's job, as the Disability Act was not in force back then, so her scum bag boss sacked her. All that Grub and the cash I had stashed really came into play!
Well, in the fullness of time Jan got better, got a job and our personal economy improved greatly. We both understood then the value of resources we could fall back on.
Me, I chilled out and stopped worrying about Asteroid strikes/Zombies/Black Death etc. I now 'Think' about potential problems-which in the here and now are largely economic, and the preps came into play for us earlier in 2013 on that basis.
Right now, Jan is the one stressing about low coal stocks (I am running it down on purpose) but I am more concerned about a dwindling wine rack!
Times are tougher than ever now, and that is reason enough to lay a few resources by.

[m89r]

Iv been suggesting to the wife about getting a little stove and some long life food candles water and bits for a kitchen cupboard and she thought i was losing the plot a bit. When i said it would be better having that than the 23 spare plates and broken slow cooker in there i received a very blank look.

Its looking like an uphill battle, might turn the electric off one night and see how she copes then

[preppingsu]

You could always quote examples of other places that have lost power for days (think that recent storm we had- don't talk about places abroad as it tends to turn them off!). It's always that what if situation but its better to have it then wish you had it.

My OH thought I was nuts at first but I've taken the self sufficiency route and he's on board with that.
The kids still roll their eyes at me and my projects though...

[m89r]

Yeah iv given that a go in the past, im a spark by day and told her about a few people who have been left without power for one day and its been chaos. So im guessing shes just putting it down to a paranoid mindset.

It would be nice to be like that, i live in a 2nd floor flat though so it would be a task.
I imagine it takes a while to set up that sort of life style, the plus sides of it would outweigh that though

[izzy_mack]

Your story was much like mine and I too bought little extra and stashed it away. Then came a financial disaster (not of our making but an incompetent bank manager) which took weeks to sort out. because I had stashed a small amount of cash away, we were able to buy fuel for our vehicle,which living in the country is a neccesity. We ate because my cupboards were full and suddenly my husband saw where I was coming from. He's still not a prepper exactly but he is much more tolerant of my prepping and slowly becoming more helpful with my schemes, almost there! The only advice I would give is that you can't MAKE someone a prepper, it's better if they get their by themselves, even if it is slower than you'd like, just do what you can yourself and ask for tolerance.

[bettersafethansorry]

I get the rolling eyes everytime i get a new prep/gadget/stock Im afraid there is no converting my OH but bless her she lets me do what i want to make me feel better. Its all daisy's n rose's to her tho. "Im just Man "