# How I hide stocking up from my neighbors



## BillS

I keep a garbage can with a cover in my basement. If I'm buying groceries everyday I take the garbage can out of the basement and put it in my car. After I'm done shopping at Wal-Mart I load the groceries into the garbage can and put the cover on. Then when I get home I haul it out of my car and wheel it back into my house. I also do that on weekday mornings when nobody is around. If anybody sees me and asks me what I'm doing I could say that I was cleaning stuff out of my basement and taking it to Goodwill.


----------



## CapnJack

Great idea!


----------



## JayJay

BillS said:


> I keep a garbage can with a cover in my basement. If I'm buying groceries everyday I take the garbage can out of the basement and put it in my car. After I'm done shopping at Wal-Mart I load the groceries into the garbage can and put the cover on. Then when I get home I haul it out of my car and wheel it back into my house. I also do that on weekday mornings when nobody is around. If anybody sees me and asks me what I'm doing I could say that I was cleaning stuff out of my basement and taking it to Goodwill.


I have the kind of luck that about 6 months or a year into that program, a neighbor would come up behind me as I was putting those into the garbage can...Yeah, then they will be even more suspicious than if they saw me with cases of peas, corn, and green beans.:dunno:


----------



## BillS

JayJay said:


> I have the kind of luck that about 6 months or a year into that program, a neighbor would come up behind me as I was putting those into the garbage can...Yeah, then they will be even more suspicious than if they saw me with cases of peas, corn, and green beans.:dunno:


If that happens you could say that you're taking the food to a food pantry and it's easier to handle that way.


----------



## showmegal

I think if they keep seeing that garbage can again and again it will be even more suspicious. I usually grab any cold food the first run in and go to my car here and there getting the rest.


----------



## UncleJoe

We don't have any neighbors that can see us unloading the truck unless they're walking up the drive.


----------



## Emerald

showmegal said:


> I think if they keep seeing that garbage can again and again it will be even more suspicious. I usually grab any cold food the first run in and go to my car here and there getting the rest.


If your neighbors are that nosy you are pretty much screwed then.. cuz they already know something is up.
Just have a couple of different bins like the big rubbermaid type. switch them out.. or stop bringing stuff in and out of the car in the daylight. But then again with nosy neighbors even the middle of the night is an attraction draw.


----------



## OldCootHillbilly

Mine be to stupid ta care. Sides any of em ever asked I'd tell em I'm stockpilin fer the comin apocalypse an that I be the high bidder on the howitzer an I sure hope I get it!

Really, we been at it so long folk round here don't know the difference.


----------



## Magus

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Mine be to stupid ta care. Sides any of em ever asked I'd tell em I'm stockpilin fer the comin apocalypse an that I be the high bidder on the howitzer an I sure hope I get it!
> 
> Really, we been at it so long folk round here don't know the difference.


Ka-ching!

Bill does have a good plan though, but a better one is to shop at the 24-7 late, after 1 AM the only people you see is wallmartians.


----------



## oliverturtle

My neighbors wouldn't notice if I was wheeling a cannon into my house? Much less how many groceries I am carrying in. How much do you really think they see and actually "see"? But if I go to long without mowing my lawn....a whole other story.


----------



## machinist

We only have one neighbor in sight of our place. That is two old ladies that don't care what goes on at our house. I ran a farm repair shop for 10 years here, so everybody is used to strange things sitting in the driveway and me carrying around whatever. No problem.

The other good thing is, this is farm country and everybody stocks up. you'd stick out like a sore thumb if you did NOT stock up. Folks worry if my woodpile gets too low.


----------



## gypsysue

Sounds like a lot of work, lugging the garbage can up and down to and from the basement. But Bill, you don't sound stressed out by it, so it must be a system that works for you.

I was going to suggest that those with an attached garage could pull your car/truck in there to unload it, but then I thought about our garage... I'm not sure I could even get my bicycle in it let alone our car!

If a person wanted to use Rubbermaid totes they could always take a marker and write something on the sides like "Recycling" or "Goodwill". Though like someone else said, if they go in and out of the house enough, someone might wonder. :hmmm:

How much do any of you notice about what your neighbors take to or from their cars? :scratch: Maybe most of the time no one notices or cares? :dunno:

Turtle, I love the comment about the cannon! :lolsmash:


----------



## hdb90

Like a couple of others we don't have any neighbors that close to notice. I have found that the best place to hide is in plain sight. When you try to sneak thing around you draw attention to yourself. Then they will watch to see what your up to.


----------



## lhalfcent

well finally we are buying a house! it is in town but sits on 1/2 an acre just on the outskirts. we live in a small town way south of the major metropolitan area. 
anyway, the house was built in 1910 even tho updated it has a extra storage area in the basement that is perfect for our stock up.
bigger than what we have now with renting.
we move in first part of September! 
so when i saw this thread to share how i am going to bring stuff in, our driveway sets pretty far back and i can wheel stuff in through the basement from an outside door. lol and that door is covered with an old fashioned wood storm cellar door with a padlock. nice set up for an in town thing.


----------



## weedygarden

*I often use a rolling suitcase*

When I say often, I don't mean daily or even weekly. I have to go outside to get to the basement and I really work it as far as when I move my preps. I stage my stuff in the garage or in my house until I know they are not home (weekends). Then I really get after it.

I have an unusual situation in that I usually park in the garage and walk down the alley to my front door. I could go through the garage people door and go in my back door. My backyard is like a fishbowl and I have neighbors ask me about things that I thought were completely private and no one should know. One neighbor has a two story and the other has a 3 story home. They have many windows that overlook my yard. I hate it!

I also use those reuseable grocery bags and move smaller items that way. I use them sometimes if I am running some errand. I will take a water bottle, camera, dog leash, notebook, whatever else is relative to my errands in the bag. I have made it the kind of thing that if I use it enough times, they don't know what is in the bag.


----------



## bigpaul

i dont think any of my neighbours notice when i bring in shopping, most people around here only stock about 3 days worth of food anyway so their always shopping anyway. i can park on my drive, rear nearest the door and just take it straight in, most people are at work when i go to the shops so there arent that many people about.


----------



## PopPop

My neighbors are worried about becoming groceries, the place is kind of out there. I have counted 53 turkeys and 8 deer in the front yard at one time.


----------



## Jason

I'm another one without neighbors. We live on a farm and the house sits right in the middle of 125 acres and is surrounded by other farms. We have the luxury of being able to pull the Jeep right up to the cellar door and unloading whatever we want with no attention at all, other than the spy satellites.


----------



## Moby76065

Seems a little paranoid to me. In a SHTF senario, they'll smell the cookin.
A shotgun will work better. Just my thoughts. I don't think most notice or care.
Remember, these people are your neighbors. If your any kind of decent neighbor you know them. You know their children.
Having some give aways as a good Christain ain't a bad idea. A pint jar of meat and a mylar bag of rice might go a long way in good relations.
You might need an extra gun guarding your home. I'll do a little prepping for mine. Should I need to Bug out, I've a group of folks to meet up with. I'll drop off a "cya later" package to the neighbors and hit the trail. Now that this has come up I think I'll have a 5 gallon bucket with a weeks worth of food in each one. Low cost stuff. Some rice, some beans, some protien powder, maybe some powdered eggs and milk. If I gotta go, I'll drop one off at each neighbors house. Thanks for the idea.


----------



## JerryMac

We are blessed to live on a small road, with only 5 houses close enough to see what were doing, and we ae all like minded people, so if shtf, we will come togather as a group, and we already have a plan for that....


----------



## ApocAndy

How bout just going on the 1st and 15th of the month. That way you just look like every one else on foodstamp day.


----------



## artman556

No one is ever home arround here so loading in and out is not an issue


----------



## Frugal_Farmers

If I had to worry about what the neighbors saw around my house, the warning bells would be ringing to alert me to get the hell out of where I was living.


----------



## Salekdarling

UncleJoe said:


> We don't have any neighbors that can see us unloading the truck unless they're walking up the drive.


I always prefer shopping at night. All my neighbors are tucked away in their homes plus the lighting in our section of the apartment complex is really crummy.


----------



## Marcus

I like to go early in the morning (6-7.) The working folks are either getting ready to go in or already on their way. The layabouts are either still stoned, still drunk, or still sleeping.


----------



## LongRider

BillS said:


> I keep a garbage can with a cover in my basement. If I'm buying groceries everyday I take the garbage can out of the basement and put it in my car. After I'm done shopping at Wal-Mart I load the groceries into the garbage can and put the cover on. Then when I get home I haul it out of my car and wheel it back into my house. I also do that on weekday mornings when nobody is around. If anybody sees me and asks me what I'm doing I could say that I was cleaning stuff out of my basement and taking it to Goodwill.


Thank you for reminding me how blessed we are. Having just stepped in from shooting some skeet off of my back deck. I can not even begin to imagine having neighbors so close or nosy to need hiding what I pick up at the grocery store.


----------



## DJgang

Personally, I'm more worried about hiding my guns or at least them knowing what all we have...Our neighbors know because we are shooting all the time. I mentioned to hubby but he has no concern. 

I'm at odds of the whole ... Get to know your neighbors, etc. Now my neighbors are not right beside my house if that makes sense, we live on 15 acres, but they are close enough. A few we do know and we will have to help, but I'm worried about some others.... in the aspect of 'turning you in' if you know what I mean... Should that day come.


----------



## Londoner

Carrying in groceries is not suspicious, people don't see the obvious things. They are more likely to wonder what you keep doing with the trash can.


----------



## tsrwivey

Stuff-itis is so rampant, hauling in lots of bags from the Walmart is normal.


----------



## Jason

tsrwivey said:


> Stuff-itis is so rampant, hauling in lots of bags from the Walmart is normal.


This is a really good point.


----------



## Meerkat

If you live in the country,maybe its a good idea to inform your nieghbors instead of hiding?Don't know.I know one is in a church here that is tellign everyone to get prepared for the worse.
And if the zombies come they will be ready for them too.I know Y2K we had lots of people talking about guarding the roads,etc..Don't know about since then.


----------



## LongRider

Meerkat said:


> If you live in the country,maybe its a good idea to inform your nieghbors instead of hiding?Don't know.I know one is in a church here that is tellign everyone to get prepared for the worse.
> And if the zombies come they will be ready for them too.I know Y2K we had lots of people talking about guarding the roads,etc..Don't know about since then.


Back during the Y2K scare a group of guys are standing around talking about their preps, they ask my bro if he has food water and generator etc stored. He says nope but I have lots of guns and ammo AND I know where everything I need is, looking around the group smiling. They kept their pie holes shut after that. Unless there is a need to know never ever tell anyone what you do or do not have. The nicest people turn into rapid dogs when they see their little baby starving.


----------



## Londoner

LongRider said:


> Back during the Y2K scare a group of guys are standing around talking about their preps, they ask my bro if he has food water and generator etc stored. He says nope but I have lots of guns and ammo AND I know where everything I need is, looking around the group smiling. They kept their pie holes shut after that. *Unless there is a need to know never ever tell anyone what you do or do not have. The nicest people turn into rapid dogs when they see their little baby starving*.


That is exactly right, your neighbours potentially are your first problem


----------



## ksmama10

All the houses on our street are on five acre lots, and we have rows of trees ringing our property, and the neighbors directly across the road have trees bteween them and the folks just north of them, which partially blocks their view of us..the people south of them are never home. Everyone else zooms on by...the only ones who might be spying probably have their own preps in place, if not here, in their home away from home. People here are used to us shopping for a big crowd, with occassional UPS deliveries, thanks to years of homeschooling. I don't think they think about us too much.


----------



## cnsper

Easy way to stop the looks is to get bags from like Macy's, Dillards etc and put the groceries in those bags. They will not be thinking it is food.


----------



## Dakine

cnsper said:


> Easy way to stop the looks is to get bags from like Macy's, Dillards etc and put the groceries in those bags. They will not be thinking it is food.


In my neighborhood thats what 30 pack beer boxes are for. If you got a Macy's bag, someone just might think you have something worth taking lol!


----------



## Grimm

I just park in front of my garage and unload the food that needs to be in the fridge. It goes straight in to the garage fridge and the rest I take into our apartment. 

My neighbors are very nosy so there is no point in hiding anything. They are more that likely asking them selves why we need 10 cases of fire logs without a fireplace...


----------



## dixiemama

We live in the head of a holler and our only neighbors are family that know we're prepping. We have them spaced out between the house, garage and storage building on our 13 acres. 

On a positive note, our neighbor just down the road is willing to sell her 15 acres to us for $30,000! It has 2 wells, 1 large storage building and great pasture land for our animals this spring. That wld put us beside the only other family in our area that I know preps. He hunts every season and has so many freezers/tools I'm sure he pays our local Sears payroll at least once a quarter.


----------



## mma800

Oooooo Dixie! I am so jealous! Keep us posted


----------



## fishparts2003

I have nosy neighbors, needy neighbors, disabled neighbors who want any means of off the radar income. When I went shopping for a fire pit for a gift for my wife to add a little to the side yard I made sure to skip anything with a copper bowl knowing the value it has in potential scrap metal. Mine are not the kind of neighbors who are receptive to kindness and friendly behavior. Mine are the kind that view people like that as someone to take advantage of, it is sad but true. I tried to be the quiet guy that kept to myself and didn't give anyone reason to bother me. Apparently last word is I am too quiet, and everyone thinks I'm nuts and need to be kept an eye on. Sometimes there is no winning, just prepping for what ever may be coming...


----------



## MetalPrepper

No one can see our house or what we bring into it. I always go in the garage to unload my car anyway and carry stuff through the house to the basement.


----------



## LongRider

dixiemama said:


> our neighbor just down the road is willing to sell her 15 acres to us for $30,000! It has 2 wells, 1 large storage building and great pasture land for our animals this spring.


That is sweet about half of the least expensive land out here. What part of the country are you in?


dixiemama said:


> I'm sure he pays our local Sears payroll at least once a quarter.


Thats what the wife says about me



Frugal_Farmers said:


> If I had to worry about what the neighbors saw around my house, the warning bells would be ringing to alert me to get the hell out of where I was living.


Exactly one of the reasons we moved to the sticks



fishparts2003 said:


> Mine are the kind that view people like that as someone to take advantage of, it is sad but true.


Sounds like you live in one of those place where some decorative bear traps might be in order. Many years ago I lived in an area where brick or stone walls was mandatory to stop stray bullets. One day walking out to grab some smokes out of the car I realized I had a .45 in one hand and a .357 in the other. It was than I decided it was time for me to move to the sticks before I ended up insane or in prison. Now many of the precautions folks need to take is very alien to me. I can not imagine how difficult it would be to survive long term in such an environment.


----------



## dixiemama

Eastern KY. She has said she's gonna sale it, but hasn't decided when. She's 90 and still lives alone, doing everything herself.


----------



## LongRider

dixiemama said:


> Eastern KY. She has said she's gonna sale it, but hasn't decided when. She's 90 and still lives alone, doing everything herself.


That sounds like a dream deal. How far away from the nearest town? From a city? Is that all of her land or is she parting her property out? Is there a house on the property? Or what is the ballpark to build a 2K sq ft home?

Isn't Kentucky home to "Justified" moonshine, Bourbon whiskey, rolling hills and blue grass, the original gun tooting ******* hillbillies :beercheer: 
Could definitely be someones slice of heaven.


----------



## labotomi

I just eliminate any people that see me unloading my vehicle... or mowing the yard, checking the mail etc.


----------



## crabapple

I store under the stairs.


----------



## sewingcreations15

We have the ultimate in opsec, we live in the most rundown unpainted shitty looking 100yr old plus rental cottage in the street with new builds across the road. They will rob the houses across the street rather than ours. It is so small no-one would think we could store anything in here.

When visitors arrive they come into the lounge room and all other doors to the house are shut so everything is out of sight. Only close like minded friends come into the kitchen too where there is a fair food storage, they still would have no idea of just what we have stored either.

For opsec reasons we don't tell anyone what we stock apart from highly paid professionals who stock more than us, and of whom we compare notes with.


----------



## rhrobert

Everyone around here preps. Even people you may not know, if they see you in the store with bulk goods, might make a good suggestion or 2. 

Even though we're in the Bible Belt, the first assumption around here isn't that it's stocking up for church


----------



## angie_nrs

Moby76065 said:


> Seems a little paranoid to me. In a SHTF senario, they'll smell the cookin.
> A shotgun will work better. Just my thoughts. I don't think most notice or care.
> Remember, these people are your neighbors. If your any kind of decent neighbor you know them. You know their children.
> Having some give aways as a good Christain ain't a bad idea. A pint jar of meat and a mylar bag of rice might go a long way in good relations.
> You might need an extra gun guarding your home. I'll do a little prepping for mine. Should I need to Bug out, I've a group of folks to meet up with. I'll drop off a "cya later" package to the neighbors and hit the trail. Now that this has come up I think I'll have a 5 gallon bucket with a weeks worth of food in each one. Low cost stuff. Some rice, some beans, some protien powder, maybe some powdered eggs and milk. If I gotta go, I'll drop one off at each neighbors house. Thanks for the idea.


I'm a little confused by your post. You say "remember, these folks are your neighbors and you should know them, but say a shotgun will work".:surrender:

I don't think you can have it both ways. I avoid my neighbors and thankfully they are not right on top of me, so I can ignore them for the most part. I have friends and family to socialize with so i don't rely on the neighbors for that. What I do know of my neighbors is them trying to infringe on our property, so I'm quite certain we would not get along. Plus, I'm not real sociable anyways. I prefer my alone time and don't like unannounced visitors. The best way to ensure that is to NOT socialize. I really don't think that makes me a bad christian or person. I'm an introvert, not a mean person. There IS a difference.

It's nice of you to give away buckets but wouldn't that just make you more of a target? If they know you have food buckets, wouldn't they try and track you down to get more? IF you are leaving would they be able to find you? I also hope you don't mind them ransacking your home, b/c if you are gone, your home will suddenly become free game. Perhaps your not concerned about that but I still would not want to advertise the fact that I had preps and that I would not be home. No matter how much you give, it will never be enough. I prefer to let people earn their own way as they will appreciate the fruits of their labor. But that's just me......


----------



## Flight1630

If ever the SHTF in our are well let's put it to you this way my wife and I are the second youngest couple on our street. We're somewhere between 45 and 50 :what: and my wife calls our lane geriatric lane lol. Most of the folks here can hardly even get out of their houses which I truely feel bad for them.


----------



## terri9630

Flight1630 said:


> If ever the SHTF in our are well let's put it to you this way my wife and I are the second youngest couple on our street. We're somewhere between 45 and 50 :what: and my wife calls our lane geriatric lane lol. Most of the folks here can hardly even get out of their houses which I truely feel bad for them.


That's going to make your area a target. Older people who can't fight back and usually have a well stocked medicine cabinet even if there isn't much food.


----------



## AmishHeart

Do old people in Canada have firearms? Do many people in Canada have firearms? I know as I got older, the ninja moves went out the door. I learned to love the firearms.


----------



## Flight1630

AmishHeart said:


> Do old people in Canada have firearms? Do many people in Canada have firearms? I know as I got older, the ninja moves went out the door. I learned to love the firearms.


I don't know for sure but I don't think many people leagaly have guns but I'm sure there are way more guns here that I'm aware of. Ninja moves eh. Lol I think we're all getting into that boat slowly lol


----------



## terri9630

Caribou said:


> Yea, but old people got old for a reason. They have no illusions about being able to muscle through a fight so they are likely to waste anyone that tries to break in. I read survival stories regularly where old folks get the better over young punks that under estimate the old folks. Those little old ladies will drop the hammer on a criminal as fast as you can blink.
> 
> The area might be a target but the chances are fair that it won't be a grave for an old fart that you will be digging. Don't count us old folks out, people under estimate us all the time.


I wish that was true of all the older folks. I've seen far to many that have been injured by punks knocking them over to steal stuff.


----------



## ClemKadiddlehopper

Flight1630 said:


> I don't know for sure but I don't think many people leagaly have guns but I'm sure there are way more guns here that I'm aware of. Ninja moves eh. Lol I think we're all getting into that boat slowly lol


 Lots of people in Canada legally have guns; oldies included. The only difference is assault rifles and hand guns require special permits and stupid rules for even using them. Most people have all the usual hunting rifles.

We do have to get a PAL (possession and acquisition licence) which is just safety training and storage rules. We also have to take a course that covers hunting seasons/regs and how not to shoot at other people in the bush if we wish to hunt. There have been a lot of canoe accidents as well but they still don't cover canoe safety.


----------

