Aug112012
5 Ways How NOT to be a Prepper
Print 
PDF
For tips for being a prepper, watch for my webinar, “How to be a prepper.”
1. Don’t believe every wild conspiracy you read on the internet or receive via forwarded emails. Sure the YouTube video of a trainload of tanks could be headed in your direction, just waiting orders for Civil War 2. Or, perhaps they’re being shipped to a storage area since they are no longer needed in Afghanistan. You’ll drive yourself and your family crazy if you let your emotions and imagination run wild. Now is the time for deliberate, rational thought and planning and that’s hard to do with one eye on the sky watching for drones and the other watching hours of Alex Jones and Glenn Beck. Everything in moderation, please!
2. Firearms and ammo are part of a well thought out survival and preparedness plan but shouldn’t take the top spot unless you live in a war zone like, say, Chicago. True preparedness is all about balance. Having 500 cans of freeze-dried meals but no extra stored water, for example, is a recipe for disaster since the food requires water for preparation and not everyone has a 100% reliable water source. If you’ve been using your limited funds on buying yet another AK-47 instead of paying off bills, you just might be a little crazy. And don’t tell me, “When hyperinflation hits, I’m going to pay off all my debts for pennies on the dollar.” Watch this video to see why that may not be a very smart plan.
3. Don’t model your, “preps” after those of some person or family on “Doomsday Preppers.” First of all, the shows are heavily edited and skewed toward portraying preppers as nutters. Second, their circumstances, locations, and priorities are not your circumstances, location, and priorities! Being prepared is all about doing the best that you can, where you are, and with what you have!
4. Don’t stash a few #10 cans of Mountain House, buy a Glock and a few boxes of ammo, a bottle of bleach, and call it good. Preparedness is more a way of life and a perspective than a purchase or an event. Even long time survivalists are constantly tweaking and looking for ways to improve…something!!
5. Don’t think that purchasing power equals preparedness. In a worst case scenario, many of the wealthiest will be the least equipped to survive. Survival isn’t about amassing stuff. Yes, you will have to make some purchases, but get beyond the mindset that having the most stuff is the name of the game. See how many new, practical skills you can learn and teach your kids and grandkids. Establish friendships, either online or in person, with people who think like you do.
© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.
(34) Readers Comments
Leave a Reply
Space-Saving and Effective Sub-Irrigated Planters (SIPS)
Mosquitos are definitely an issue with this type of design. There are
Space-Saving and Effective Sub-Irrigated Planters (SIPS)
mine has a watering tube running up the inside wall of the pot, which
Space-Saving and Effective Sub-Irrigated Planters (SIPS)
How do you control for mosquitos breeding in the stagnant water at the
jim h.
keep in mind—water, water everywhere…but not a drop to drink!
mensa141
Do not forget your hot water tank. Refreshed water daily!
Leia
Refreshed until the water is shut off! There is only about 5o gal of water in a hot water tank and I don’t know about your family but mine would use a lot more than that in just 2 weeks. Better to buy a few Super Tankers to store water. We are a family of 4 and we have 6-250gal Super Tankers in our basement and 16- 55 gal barrels in the garage. I wish I had room for more but unless I started putting them in the rest of the house, which I have considered, I am limited to what I now have on hand. We have even considered installing a pool for back up water because in this state you can’t have a catchment system, other than a pool
.
Steve
Yikes!
If I lived in a state that didn’t allow a catchment system, I’d find another that DID!
Tammy L.
Thank you for being a voice of reason! There is so much crazy making in the prepper community. It had such a negative connotation that I stayed away. But you look at it from a more day-to-day perspective, as opposed to some people’s (ideal) SHTF scenario where suddenly they are going to be living off the land. You emphasize comfort and doing what we can with the resources we have and in the environment where we are.
What a delightfully different perspective!
Glenn
Amen, Amen, Amen!!!
Sharon
I call myself a prepper, but I by no means am an extremist. I prepare for rainy days and hard times. Every summer, I am without a job. So, I prepare for when money is tight and I get through without having wolves knocking at my door.
Being from New England, I was raised to always prepare for a hard winter. At the time we would not know whether or not it would be. You never know when a storm will knock you down. Always plan for the worst but expect the best and you will be ready no matter what.
Brooklyn
Thank you for posting this! I think as preppers we do get portrayed as a little nutty but it really is just another word for self reliant, self sufficient, etc. I also like that you posted not only WHAT TO DO but WHAT NOT TO DO.
Well written! Would you mind if I shared this post on my blog? Fridays are Guest Post Friday and I’d love to share this.
holly
Perfectly said with your wonderful tongue-in-cheekiness! =)
Brenda@Coffeeteabooksandme
I agree with everything (love your blog!) but said a real Hallelujah to #1.
I still remember all the rumors that went around prior to y2K.
Although all of the people I know who did any prepping found it to be a great learning tool as to what we would eat and what we would not in an emergency, the one thing we all would agree is not to believe half of what we read online.
Tami
There is a widely known person both on Doomsday Preppers and facebook who needs to read this. This person is always sensationalizing the news. If you believed all of it, you’d not live for making preps. Like you said… balance is essential.
Martha
You just never know when something totally unexpected will jump out and yell ‘boo!’…so you prepare. Case in point: my daughter, who thinks her mom is just a tad crackers, very unexpectedly got her water turned off…with three little girls in the house, this is a very not-good thing. I got the ‘what am I going to do’ phone call…and over she came to get two cases of bottled water and to fill up old milk jugs with water to flush the toilet, NOT to drink or cook with. I also told her to go next door and ask the neighbors if they could hook up a hose until the water got turned back on. So she has water, I didn’t tell her that if you change the fitting and hook it up to a spigot you can have water in the whole house…I think hauling water and heating it would be a good object lesson. But what if I wasn’t available? Maybe old mom isn’t so nuts after all.
Nick
Number 1 can’t be emphasized enough. I think its safe to say that most preppres would like to see the movement spread and one of the keys to that is people being able to identify with us. That’s tough to do with an eye twitch and constant mumblings about conspiracy theories.
Charley
I have family who think i”m a bit crackers too. And others who are right there with me. (of the ones who even know we live this ‘lifestyle’). Right now we are in the midst of the worst drought since 1956 and on the strictest water restrictions ever. My rain barrels have come in handy. In getting to know some neighbors I would be willing to bet that they are of like mind, although none of us will put it out there. Do I think the world will end? No. Do I think I could lose my power to a storm? Yes. It just happened the other evening and I was prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally without skipping a beat. That’s why we are ‘preppers”
Becky
Self reliant, that is a wonderful term for us who wish to keep our independence.
We strive not request hand outs, we look to improving our lives through our own hard work. My parents taught me how to can, sew, grow a garden and raise farm animals to eat (no, I can not butcher the animals). I have tried to keep extra groceries, clothing, bedding, medical supplies whatever we needed on hand. Only to loose it all in a wildfire in 2004, and start all over. For those who have lost everything and had to start over again, it can be done, do not loose hope. If we can do it so can you, a little at a time. We feel blessed every day, and we are not young!
Charley
I lost everything last summer in a flash flood. It gives you a new perspective. Rebuilding your live can be overwhelming but is totally do-able.
Pingback: Sunday SHTF Survival Prepper's Summary Week 11 | The Home For Survival
Gary Wolf
Stuff is GREAT! C’mon Really?? It’s great. I’m all about rat holing stuff. it’ll make life better… The problems is things break down, fail, get stolen or simply wear out. you can buy 500 water filters. and it will last you a long time. that’s great. the problem is when there all used up wacha gonna do?
i’ll know to use some charcoal from my campfire, some sand from the creak and Make water filters. I have a rototiller stashed away. it’ll make life easier but i know it’s eventually going to fail.
jenn
check out Life Straw personal water filtration….. I have one to take in my pack when we go camping or hiking…or just in case
Lindyrb
Thanks, Lisa! I’ve started explaining the difference between my friends and the “out there”, Doomsday Prepper-types as “Logic vs Panic”. We plan for self-reliance, basing our plans on what we would need if the delicate grid of technology and government funded services suddenly failed. And that happens every year in numerous communities. Ice storms, floods, hurricanes, even bankrupted cities and labor strikes can disrupt the flow of products and services for days, weeks, or longer.
So thank you, Lisa, for putting it in terms everyone can understand! We aren’t crazies – we’re just taking responsibility for our families.
Howard
Thank you for the voice of reason, some people get so wrapped up in conspiracy theories and buying guns that they ignore the really important things food and water. Keep everything in balance. You need both.
Padre
Lisa, we’ve gone around once or twice on this already but I still think you are missing the point on hyper-inflation. You can’t have hyperinflation without instability in the value of currency. Prices go up not because some one is mean but because it is perceived that their is too much money out there and that it is not worth the goods and services that is being traded for it. HOWEVER… Inflation can only become hyper-inflation if wages go up, always out paced by prices of course.
That is the crux of the debt argument (particularly unsecured debt).
If prices went up and wages stayed the same for long enough they would eventually come down bases on the laws of supply and demand. However, as confidence is lost and they shoot up some companies will experience windfall prophets and these companies hoping to cash in on these profits will increase wages, it’s this feedback loop that feeds hyperinflation. So if you owe $X and you reasonably could expect your company to a) stay in business and therefore b) increase wages you could quickly end up with plenty of money to pay $X but not enough to buy the staples that are inflating faster than your wages. Therefore buy the staples now, pay the debt later. It’s a theory, and it’s dependent on hyperinflation happening, but as I like to say I’ll take a sack of beans, bullets, and band aids over being debt free any day. That being said I am not saying being debt free is bad, just that being prepless is worse.
thesurvivalmom
You almost make it sound like hyperinflation is a desirable thing when every time it has occurred in recent history, the results have been devastating. Going into debt with the idea that you’ll pay everything off is taking a gamble that not many American families can take in this economy.
JL
I confess, sometimes I worry about some of the conspiracy theories. I try not to but I believe we have been lied to so much I don’t always know what to believe.
I think the point Padre was trying to make is paying down all your debt and having no preps is a bad thing. We can double mortgage payments and car payments, we will be debt free sooner but then there is no prep money. So instead maybe pay a little extra and prep. That’s what we do.
koensayr
I’m inclined to agree with you, JL. My perspective is balance. I live by myself in an apartment, so I don’t have a mortgage, but I do have to worry about rent. I don’t make much (despite having two bachelor degrees), so I have to make priorities as to what I’m going to do. I’m NOT going to borrow every cent I can, spend it on preps, and then worry about paying it off later. SCREW THAT! What I’m doing is paying off my debts as fast as I can while spending what I can on preps (only a very limited amount, I’m sorry to say). And I’m making slow, but steady, progress on both fronts. Just last month, I got out of credit card debt, giving me that much more flexibility in the future; I’ve also managed to store about a month’s worth of canned food. I’ve also made substantial progress in saving up a $1,000 emergency fund for life’s unpredictable emergencies, so that I don’t have to whip out the plastic every time something comes up. Granted, I’ve got a LONG ways to go; I still have my student loan to pay off yet, and that’s going to take another couple of years, and I’m making over double the monthly payments. I won’t be able to survive TEOTWAWKI, and probably not SHTF yet, either, but I’m still much better prepared than 80-90% of the people in my apartment complex.
I’m becoming more convinced that preparedness is more of a journey, and not a destination. Nobody can be completely prepared for every possible contingency; those ultra-survivalist Rambo wannabes with a retreat somewhere in Montana running around in military fatigues, spouting stuff like SOP, OPSEC,
NICKNACKPATTYWACKetc. are either rich, obsessed, or (in my humble opinion) BOTH.Jenna M.
Might I just say that not all folks walking around in fatigues and “spouting stuff like SOP, OPSEC,” etc. are rich and/or obsessed. Has it ever crossed your mind that some of them might actually have military service in their (and their family’s) history and such phrases and behavior has been ingrained into their lives. As a person with more history of military service in my family than I care to elaborate on, I grew up hearing and using such acronyms and there is most definitely nothing wrong with that. And if you are out in the wilderness, fatigues are great from a strictly practical point-of-view.
I find it slightly disturbing that you yourself admit that you “won’t be able to survive TEOTWAWKI, and probably not SHTF,” but you are more than willing to ridicule those who have made it a high priority to secure their family’s ability to survive and thrive said situations. Everyone must find what works best for their life and situation and when preppers put down other preppers for the way they’ve chosen to equip themselves, it only furthers the popular idea that ALL of us are a bit touched in the head.
Charley
one of my co workers received a call from DH the other day saying that his union may strike very shortly. They are not prepared at all for the loss of income and are now in semi panic mode. I guess full blown panic comes once you actually lose the income. Not sure what to tell her about being prepared except “I informed you thusly”
Craig
Always tweak, always look for ways to improve your skills, gear and mostly importantly your mindset. Anything in the news these days can be “spun” Nothing wrong with listening to Glenn Beck or Alex Jones or so many others but dont take what they say at face value…do research, think for yourself. Dont make assumptions.
guest
careful…..I am sure you have double the readers and buyers of your book because of Glenn Beck
teri
I would say it is safe to say she has a lot of readers because she has valuable and insightful information to pass on to those of us who are new to preparing for our families and for those who already prep and are looking for educated material that does not just scream “we’re all gonna die” from this or from that.
Glenn Beck has nothing to do with her successful book. Play nice.
Dave
I have just stumbled on to this site. When ever this subject comes up, and I try to talk sensibly about it, there is the eyeroll and deep sigh. Another one of those! I feel like I’ve come home
Pingback: 5 Ways How NOT to be a Prepper | Knowledge Weighs Nothing
Doreen
I’m in the position of being the one in the family who tries to be ready for anything (or at least the things that are likely to happen). The family as a whole is convinced that I’m nuts. At least, they were until we hit a rough economic patch a couple of months ago when our income was barely enough to pay our utilities (we don’t have a mortgage, rent or car payments). They were all surprised when we had plenty to eat and enough oil in the tank to stay warm. They’re starting to come around, I think–before Hurricane Sandy, my daughter got us a couple of Coleman stoves and some propane bottles. Fortunately, we didn’t need them this time, but we might next time.
I’m not an alarmist, and I don’t jump on every conspiracy theory to come down the line, but sometimes these things can be useful. I used the “zombie apocalypse” to get my then-high-school-age son to start thinking about preparing for emergencies. Neither of us took it seriously, but it was a great wedge to get him thinking about “what if.”
Michael
LOVE this! Especially the line about buying yet another AK47 when you can’t afford it. Too many “preppers” have an arsenal to protect 4 days worth of food and water. Hello geniuses- YOU are going to be the crazy mob that you’re worried about. Because after a week you’ll be starving, desperate, and well armed. Get what you need, then worry about protecting it.