# Help thy neighbor prep



## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Part of most everyone's preps should include helping or getting to know your neighbors. If/when SHTF you are going to be alot better off if you are friendly and can depend on your neighbors. The time to start that trust is now as that will be alot easier than after any bad stuff happens. Just getting to know them and getting into the help-thy-neighbor mentality would be a huge help. Many people don't even know how many are living in the house next door. If there was a house fire how would you know if everyone was out? If a tornado ripped the roof off your house wouldn't be comforting to know your that neighbor would be right there to check to see if you were OK?

Don't have much money? This is a free prep. 
I know from my reading that most of you on here do this as a way of life already. This was/is the way of life in most rural areas but it has been dying out for years. Personally I think it is one of the many causes of the downfall of the USA. Please try to bring this back in your neighborhood. Who knows your life may depend on it.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

That only works if you dont live in a neighborhood where your neighbor was busted selling crack a couple of weeks ago. Yes I am moving next week.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I have to disagree with you. It only makes sense to get together with other people who've prepared. Otherwise it's dangerous after TSHTF. We're the only ones in our neighborhood that are prepping as far as I know. We only have enough food for the people we're preparing for. If we had more food we'd feed our unprepared relatives. We're not farmers. We don't have a garden. All we have is stored food so my neighbors can't trade their labor for our food. I'm also not about to let other people know that we're prepping and then ask them if they are.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

Well crack remind me not to ask you how you picked your name. But good point... Ive gotten my family on board and gotta talk to the neighbors as after the shtf they will either be an ally or your enemy.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

BillS, getting to know your neighbors doesn't mean you have to feed them. They won't know you have preps if you don't tell them. 

I agree with Hiwall. Knowing your neighbors is good prepping and building a sense of community repays in so many ways.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Before I found this site or even knew what a "Prepper" was, I went to neighbors I knew and talked to them about the uncertain times hat were coming. Since I knew considerably more than they did about canning, gardening and generally preparing I offered my help in learning some of these things. I even offered to till garden plots and help plant gardens.

I have not heard from ANY of them since. When TSHTF, it will be me and mine(family) and not anyone of them. I offered my assistance, in a very humble manner and had no takers. By the time they realize their mistake it will be too late to do anything anyway. Sooooo, so much for the "Local Group" for me.

That may be a self centered and even cruel position to take but the old saying is valid "You can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink" and applies here.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

I'm not talking about getting your neighbors on board with prepping. I simply saying that knowing your neighbors and building relationships pays off. Maybe if you had had a relationship with them before you brought up prepping they might have been interested. Frankly, if you came to my door and offered to "teach" me anything, I'd blow you off.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

BillS said:


> I have to disagree with you. It only makes sense to get together with other people who've prepared. Otherwise it's dangerous after TSHTF. We're the only ones in our neighborhood that are prepping as far as I know. We only have enough food for the people we're preparing for. If we had more food we'd feed our unprepared relatives. We're not farmers. We don't have a garden. All we have is stored food so my neighbors can't trade their labor for our food. I'm also not about to let other people know that we're prepping and then ask them if they are.


I must agree with Bill on this topic.
You are setting yourself up to be robbed if the neighbor isn't preparing.
I am pretty sure we are the only one prepping; topic brought up with 3 and no go and they'll tell you real fast--one's husband refuses to let her prep(and it's HER s.s. check), one says he'll go to his church (which has a big membership of 40!!), and the wealthy neighbors with 25 weapons says they, as of 3 months ago, aren't stocking food.
I just keep to myself. Doors will stay locked when disaster comes to this neighborhood.
They don't associate with us now, why in bad times??
Look, with this sounding as crass as it probably is, I don't want them because they will only be a burden for me; there is nothing I need from them.
My husband just last Tuesday had carotid endarterectomy...any neighbors offering anything so far??
I don't think so..and I'm in a country setting with 11 houses on this street.
NOT ONE inquiry, not one!!
And last May when I broke my toes, the neighbor next door actually came to me on the third day--I couldn't walk or get off the sofa ---and asked ME to watch his house while they went to the beach for the weekend...geeze. What a**holes!!!


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

hiwall said:


> Part of most everyone's preps should include helping or getting to know your neighbors. If/when SHTF you are going to be alot better off if you are friendly and can depend on your neighbors. The time to start that trust is now as that will be alot easier than after any bad stuff happens. Just getting to know them and getting into the help-thy-neighbor mentality would be a huge help. Many people don't even know how many are living in the house next door. If there was a house fire how would you know if everyone was out? If a tornado ripped the roof off your house wouldn't be comforting to know your that neighbor would be right there to check to see if you were OK?
> 
> Don't have much money? This is a free prep.
> I know from my reading that most of you on here do this as a way of life already. This was/is the way of life in most rural areas but it has been dying out for years. Personally I think it is one of the many causes of the downfall of the USA. Please try to bring this back in your neighborhood. Who knows your life may depend on it.


I've talked to those dome headed zoners for 25 years, let my neighbor eat rats.


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## zracer7 (Apr 17, 2012)

Sometimes we have neighbors like the one in Jerry D. Young's story

http://www.preparedsociety.com/foru...049-jdy-fiction-low-profile-low-profile_a.pdf

Btw. Gotta love your stories Jerry. On my way to reading them all.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

kejmack said:


> I'm not talking about getting your neighbors on board with prepping. I simply saying that knowing your neighbors and building relationships pays off. Maybe if you had had a relationship with them before you brought up prepping they might have been interested. Frankly, if you came to my door and offered to "teach" me anything, I'd blow you off.


You know kejmack, you have a valid point, I really dont THINK I presented it that way though but it is a possibility that it may have been taken as such.

I guess I will go to those people, touch base with them and try to see whats up. I have known them for quite some time but I am not an extremely social person so it may have seemed out of character for me to bring up something like that.

Thanks for the reality check.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

my neighbors who are up side down with everything they have and owe everyone on the rd just came back from a week in Cape Cod on more borrowed money, I can't wait to help those sorry ^%$^&*&%.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

kejmack said:


> BillS, getting to know your neighbors doesn't mean you have to feed them. They won't know you have preps if you don't tell them.
> 
> I agree with Hiwall. Knowing your neighbors is good prepping and building a sense of community repays in so many ways.


It's nice to get to know your neighbors but it's not prepping. Building a sense of community is good now but it's not useful later.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

Maybe I have a little bit different take on this topic than most, but I do think it's a good idea to get to know your neighbors.
Why? 
1. You can chat with them about food prices and validate their decision to try to beat price increases by couponing or buying now for later consumption. You never mention prepping to them though.
Benefit to you: They'll survive a bit longer than most folks so they can also help you survive the famished hordes.
2. By getting to know them through visiting, you'll come up with a general idea of what they own......or rather what you can scavenge/ forage later after they're gone.
Benefit to you: Common household items like TP will become very valuable. Even a couple of extra rolls/neighbor will be worth it long before you run out. Should they happen to own a swimming pool, you have a new source for water.
3. They might actually get into prepping themselves. Now you're starting to build your own survivability.

Prepping is all about gathering resouces (beyond the mindset, that is) so why would you not wish to gather as much intel as possible about resources in your immediate area? Especially if those resources are available for scavenging or bartering before before their true value is recognized by the current owners.


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## valannb22 (Jan 6, 2012)

I guess that I'm fortunate to live in the country surrounded by farmers. I haven't really discussed it with them, but I know they have livestock and can at least grow their own food


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

The closest thing my neighbors get to "prepping" is their small hobby gardens (better than nothing). They store nothing extra.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

BillS said:


> It's nice to get to know your neighbors but it's not prepping. Building a sense of community is good now but it's not useful later.


No, but it WILL help you with which to seriously AVOID!!!:congrat:


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## bigpaul (Jun 16, 2012)

JayJay said:


> No, but it WILL help you with which to seriously AVOID!!!:congrat:


after 3 years i KNOW which ones to avoid!!:2thumb:


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

perhaps it depends on where you live on whether this would be a realistic good idea?? I say realistic because ideally; especially if you plan on buggin in and live in a neighborhood, neighbors will either be enemies or allies. If one is proactive in building relationships, sharing skills, helping eachother out *BEFORE* shtf...you already have a solid base relationship to work with which would be ideal.

However, reality is we dont live in a era that fosters community much anymore as part of american culture...while maybe technology and other things have improved, relationships have taken a dive to the shithole...

Although I live in Ca (please dont hold against me  ) I feel fortunate to live in a smallish isolated town that has happened to have had it's share of natural disasters over the years, some smaller ones some big. Largely it's been a community effort to deal with it because we're kinda on our own while it's happening and immediately after.

With that said..there are some a few places in this town that I would not reach out to neighbors..but ever town has..that part of town.

Personally, I've live here through a few floods..big floods. One large harbor destroying tsumani, quite a few power outages and days of highways being blocked due to many huge trees blown down over them and some various landslides that make travel a no go for awhile and earthquakes where half the town has to get out like...now.

For example..when the 2011 Tsumani rolled into town and completely demolished out harbor


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

I have to agree with BillS....if word even gets out to the neighbors that you MIGHT have extra food, this news could spread like wildfire when people are faced with starvation...I wouldn't be able to trust anyone in our residential neighborhood NOT to try to take what's mine in order to survive...
DB


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

gosh dangit...I went to finish the post and it logged me out..I hate that feature on here...

has everyone forgotten we as preppers have preps and plans for zombies and sheeple?? 

As if I or anyone else who preps doesn't have plans for those who try to take what I/we have? I have no issue "protecting" what I had the forsight to aquire to ensure my survival from hard times with...geesh...

and folks still are acting as if anyone would advertise what they have to begin with...No one knows what I really have except my immediate family and no one in their right mind would violate opsec... so getting with neighbors on a neighbor hood watch, or sharing canning or gardening skills..developing relationships with those like minded would make bugging in alot eaiser if you know so n so joe n jane neighbors in your hood are proactive enough to care about security like a neighborhood watch group..

But in some towns and neighborhoods...maybe its a bad idea and a better one to act as SOL as everyone else who is clueless about whats comming down the pike, hole up and bust out big bertha boom boom when shtf n hope you have nuff ammo n people to cover all your bases when the zombies come 'a callin...


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