Mar222010
Here’s a pat on the back for the Y2Kers
This may come as a surprise to you, but I want to give all Y2K’ers a big pat on the back, maybe even a little hug. They have really gotten a bum rap since January 1, 20o0.
In 1999, thousands and thousands of Americans, and others around the world, began stocking up on MREs, water, toilet paper, and who knows what else. Many people overspent on their preparations, and when it was obvious that nothing bad was going to come from the clock ticking that final second of 1999, they had to return to work and face their skeptics and put up with the mockery from their own family and friends. Then, had to recoup their financial losses by selling their stocked goods on ebay and in garage sales. That couldn’t have been fun!
image by mykl raventine
Here is where they have my admiration, though. In 1999, our economy was strong, our country was secure, and life in America was great. These cautious Y2Kers looked at the stability around them and went ahead anyway with their stocking up. It took a lot of courage to look at an uncertain future, and in the midst of security and prosperity say, “I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure my family and I are safe.” That’s not much different from preparing for a hurricane that suddenly changes its’ track and heads in a different direction.
It’s very difficult, in this day of instant news, to separate hype from truth, and the media was certainly doing everything it could to increase the hype back in 1999. Heck, the same thing happened last year with the Swine Flu “pandemic.” How many of us were toting bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere we went?
The downfall of Y2K preparedness was that it focused on a single event. Today, preppers are taking a much longer view of things, knowing that preparedness efforts put into place today might not be needed for months or even years. That’s why we talk so much about taking practical steps and putting to use what you store. Some preppers choose to increase their preparedness by becoming trained in practical skills, something always in demand.
Our future now is far more uncertain than it was back in 1999, but many of those who stocked up for Y2K are saying, “Never again!” If you’re in that group, I want to encourage you to take a closer look at our economy, the state of our nation’s security, and even your readiness for severe weather events or a job loss, and take just a few baby steps to prepare. I promise, you don’t have to purchase another MRE if you don’t want. Freeze-dried macaroni and cheese is much tastier!
© 2010, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.
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Oh my goodness Soren you are hilarious! I guess we had better stock up
rightwingmom
Proud Y2Ker! We lived on our stockpile for 6 months. The only item I was "out" was the water I had bottled in 2 liters. We pored it on the azaleas.
Today I've learned that "prepping" is more of a lifestyle and mindset. It's unwise and irresponsible to live life as if nothing bad will ever happen. If (or when) the SHTF, I want to be able to live as comfortably as possible without modern conveniences.
I'm about to let my boys enjoy our MREs from Y2K. They expire this year.
TheSurvivalMom
I know what you mean about being irresponsible! I still hear from people accusing me of not trusting in God because I'm looking ahead and preparing accordingly. It's insanity to live from paycheck to paycheck and believe that nothing bad will ever happen. I don't get it.
LizLong
There's a joke / story about a man in a flood. Someone comes by in a boat to get him out, and he says no God will save me. A second person in a boat comes by, same thing. Then he's up on his roof because the water is so high and a helicopter comes. Still, he says "God will save me." He dies, and berates God for not saving him. God says, "I sent two boats and a helicopter!" Sometimes, God does things in a different way than you're expecting. Prepping is like taking that first boat God sent.
Dave
Interesting about your comment on "not trusting God". It is just the opposite. They are "testing their God" and that should not be done. I wonder if they told Noah to believe God will save him — oops , that is just what happened by preparing!
The entire preparedness mindset is based on faith, forward thinking and alot of charity. Oh how evil of me.
Keep up the good work!
TheSurvivalMom
Dave, that is a great observation and will help me a lot the next time I hear that faith in God means the opposite of preparedness. People with that mindset would never cancel all the insurance policies they have, though. Thanks for the comment.
Rev Long
"I'm about to let my boys enjoy our MREs from Y2K. They expire this year.
"
MRE's expire???didnt know that ,i still have mine from 1998..i too am a Y2K refugee and havent stopped prepping..idid slow down and even go backwards a tad but even that was in the name of survivial..
donna
I think some of us are called to be Josephs. The Lord showed him the 7-year's famine and had him prep for it. Then, when it indeed did come, those who didn't prepare, brought everything they owned to Joseph to trade for provisions. Perhaps, the Lord is using us the same way and the wealth of the nations will be given to us? I don't really need all their belongings personally, but rather hope to be able to help at least a few people during that time.
Rhiannon Mackey
Hey! I saw this and thought I would post a bit of my story… I was 13 when My mom was prepping us for Y2K. I remember the Billings Gazette coming to our house to interview her and take our picture for the paper. I vaguely remember the article painting us in a not so good light. I also remember eating mac'n'cheese for the next 6 months. I love my mother for what she did for our family and for showing me how to put things away for a later date. She has over the years taught me to store a number of foods and to can jams and jellies. I was glad to have that experience in my younger years, god never played a part in our prepping, I dont remember catching hell for it other than from a few friends of the family who didnt understand why we were making a big deal.
TheSurvivalMom
The only prepping I did back in 1999 was stock up on extra TP and bottled water. However, as a new mom, that was my first encounter with the fierce, protective emotions that come with motherhood. Ever since, I've been, well, a SurvivalMom! What a heritage you have in preparedness, both the mindset and practical skills. Good for your mom for passing that down to you!
Linda
Back in 1999 my husband and I were parents of two young children and had a mortgage. We were concerned about Y2K but couldn't afford MREs, so we grew a HUGE garden and we canned. I put up more than 500 quarts of food, bought oil lamps, made quilts AND tworked extra to buy a wood cookstove. We were prepared, but were very relieved on January 1st to find that the world hadn't ended. Nobody we knew had made preparations, so we took some good-natured ribbing, but we believed then (and still do) that we'd been prudent. We ate the food we'd stored. The quilts are still used today. And the wood cookstove is great on cold winter days and whenever the power goes out.
Our situation is different now. Our mortgage is paid, our baby's in college. But last year we began prepping again and we aren't letting past experiences deter us. We're back to growing a big garden and canning — only this time, we're adding superpails and #10 cans. We've increased our chickens and will get rabbits and goats. My husband and I aren't sure if we're being crazy or smart, but we feel better for having something stashed away.
TheSurvivalMom
Linda, your last sentence illustrates perfectly the need for prepping communities like this one. We desperately need to have reality checks with others who think like we do, but at the same time, there's a high level of paranoia that keeps us from revealing very little, if anything. I believe in OPSEC, and in spite of my interviews and this blog, have kept a good deal of information to myself. My guess is that all of us wonder if we're crazy. And then we listen to the news and pay attention to economic and world events and think we haven't done enough!
Linda
So true, Survival Mom! I'm not usually the paranoid sort. If you met me, you'd believe me the sunniest person you know. I'm rarely far from optimism. Nor am I easily led into foolishness. I have a master's degree in Administration and teach Spanish to high-school students by day, so I'm no dummy and I'm not prone to strangeness. But I'm watching the news and I'm just appalled. The way the Fed is printing money . . . it's crazy. No country that's tried that has EVER failed to plunge their nation into chaos. The only thing I don't know is how much time we have to prepare for the bad stuff to come, so I'm not wasting precious time.
Thanks for your blog. You're doing us all a lot of good even though I know it's hard to put yourself "out there".
Linda
TheSurvivalMom
Linda, you could be describing me! I am so normal and optimistic, spontaneous, fun-loving. That's why when people sometimes accuse me of being paranoid or a worry-wart, I just have to laugh. I attribute my preparedness attitude to being a realist, and it sounds like you're the same way. As much as I'd love to live in fantasy land, I can't ignore what's happening in our country and in our world. So, what do you do? You go out and buy extra groceries, store water, take a first aid class, buy some silver coins, etc.
Yes, it has been a bit hard at times to be out there, but there are millions of people around the world who are also scared of the future but don't know what to do. One friend confided in me that she has boxes of ramen noodles and a pool full of water, oh, and a gun. That's her idea of preparedness! I've tried to keep my blog user-friendly and rarely venture into hysteria or paranoia.
) If that helps people become more prepared, then I'm happy.
Bille Moon
"I still hear from people accusing me of not trusting in God because I'm looking ahead and preparing accordingly"
And here I find this from the Bible – “Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come,and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.” Ezekiel 33:4
And the Latter Day Saints have a cute "story" they print in the front of their LDS Preparedness Manual – which I won't paste here in interest of SOME brevity! – called "It wasn't raining when Noah Built the Ark!" The story is an expansion on the joke LizLong tells above – Prepping is absolutely TRUSTING IN GOD!
Red Icculus
I sell a good that is inelastic although it should be elastic for a living, and I am very aware of where the money comes from for my industry. It sure isn't big government types that make us feel stable and secure about preparedness.
We don't stock up from a specific even like Y2k, but more of a political climate for our business. Ronald Reagan was the best time for business and the American dollar after Carter broke America. Bush 41 wasn't bad. Most people didn't trust Bill Clinton, even though he was a pragmatic, free market kind of guy. Bush 43 was ok first-term and incited massive paranoia second term. Barry Obama is going to break America financially on the backs of those that actually produce wealth in the economy because he is more interested in Cloward and Piven redistribution of wealth. It's the big things that have affected my business and preparedness plans.
I hate to say that presidents have affected my business, but the attitude they push on people has also affected how I prepare for the future.
TheSurvivalMom
That's an interesting take on how different Presidents have affected your preparedness plans. Our current problems have been a long time in coming, but it looks like our country will reach its' breaking point in the near future. That's why my thinking has turned more towards, "How do we prepare for YEARS of a depressed economy that will probably never recover?" I spent time in the Soviet Union, East Germany, and other Soviet bloc countries many years ago, and their standard of living was so far below America's that it was hard to believe we were living in the same century. Empty store shelves, almost no technology, and some really bad dental work — all that has stayed with me. Still, we're not there yet and may never be. It's more important to put into place long-long-term preparedness plans than just a 72 Hour Kit and a few cases of water bottles. Thanks for a thought provoking comment.
Red Icculus
You should do a post on your experience on other countries and how the economy and access to resources makes you grateful but cautious. I would really appreciate your insight.
I am tired of the president and his attitude on how 'Mericuns should live as freeloaders off of others that actually try to provide for themselves and their families. That's why we save for the future in food, water, gold and cash, and ammunition for hunting and home defense.
TheSurvivalMom
Red, I'll have to do that one day soon. I'm in a major decluttering mode, so any day now I should run into my old travel journals. Mostly what I remember is everything being run-down and gray.
TheSurvivalMom
Red, I'll have to do that one day soon. I'm in a major decluttering mode, so any day now I should run into my old travel journals. Mostly what I remember is everything being run-down and gray.
Barbara
The Christian God never intended anyone to just lay in the grass and wait for their sustenance to fall from heaven on their heads! What is this crap of not trusting God by doing exactly what mankind (and ants, and bees, and squirrels, etc.) have always done: Save the excess of today for the lean of tomorrow. These people think it's wrong to buy greenbeans instead of a newer car? It is more Christ-like of you to buy a motor boat, but evil to buy a bushel of peaches? From the beginning of time, how many truly good God-fearing people have died in times of strife? How many have starved? God didn't save them, he gathered them home.
If God wants me home, then of course I'll go. But if he wants me to survive, to serve him in some way during and after a disaster, then it's MY job to make that happen. God did not build the ark for Noah, he made him use his own money for the lumber and his own sweat.
All of you who think you're so special that God will preserve you in a crisis, start checking your yards for that Ark. It should be showing up any day now.
LizLong
That would be today, apparently. Or at least the news that it's been found is being released today. Warning? Reminder? Simple coincidence? http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/27/noahs-a…