# Why do you prep?



## idahofreedom (Nov 3, 2008)

It's always interesting to me why people prepare.....

Why do you prepare? 

Me? The future is uncertain and I hate to get caught with my pants down. Preparing for potentials gives me peace of mind and a sense of freedom.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

The shortest answer possible to you question.

*Because I can.*

Now - to expand a bit on that. The government has put into place laws that state that we need insurance on just about everything. Life insurance. House insurance. Apartment insurance. Liability insurance. Car insurance. And the list goes on for all these "insurance policies" that are there to protect us, but, we keep paying into these policies and there has been nothing "given back" to me for the money that I have spent.

I decided that I need my own "insurance policy". I purchase buckets as an insurance policy that the stuff I put into them will stay good. I put stuff into the buckets that will insure that my stomach is taken care of. I put stuff onto shelves to insure that I smell and look nice (razor, soaps, etc). I put stuff on other shelves to insure that I can keep my pots, pans and dishes clean.

I don't expect anyone to insure me on the day-to-day items - I take care of that myself.


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## idahofreedom (Nov 3, 2008)

I like the short answer 

At least for now......who knows what kind of "hoarding" laws may be enacted in the future.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

idahofreedom said:


> ......who knows what kind of "hoarding" laws may be enacted in the future.


That's why our preps rely heavily on the ability to continually produce food, with only small amounts of long-term food storage. We don't have the money to buy a lot of storage food, but we do have the ambition, knowledge, and tools to produce, procure, and process food.

Besides...then there isn't much for anyone to want to take.

As for "why"? Because nothing in this world is certain! I see just as much likelihood of natural disasters as of man-made/economic disasters. It only makes sense to me to be prepared to be comfortable in uncomfortable times.


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## hardrock (May 19, 2010)

idahofreedom said:


> It's always interesting to me why people prepare.....
> 
> Why do you prepare?
> 
> Me? The future is uncertain and I hate to get caught with my pants down. Preparing for potentials gives me peace of mind and a sense of freedom.


 I was a Boy Scout.....The future looks scary and it would be wrong if I didn't prepare to the best of my ability to take care of the ones I love.

If you don't need them,you can eat a lot cheaper for a long time. Also think of all the new things you learned while getting prepped.


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## WildMist (Nov 13, 2008)

My Mom always prepared as long as I can remember. I think it had to do with being born at the end of the depression which instilled the need in that generation to be ready for anything.
I learned alot from my Mom and that was one of those things. I prepare while I can so that when hard times hit, my family and I will being able to weather the storm.
I recently learned that somehow my daughter has inherited that same habit.
I truly hope we never have to use our preps for hard times but if we do, we'll be prepared and hopefully have enough to keep my family going too.
:canflag:


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## HarleyRider (Mar 1, 2010)

I prep, therefore I am. :wave:


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## OldFashionedMama (Jun 18, 2009)

I was raised in a prepper family. I never really understood why my parents were so passionate about prepping until I had a family of my own. We are just starting out, but being the aware observer of current events that I am, I can see the world is an increasingly uncertain place. I've got three young children who are absolutely dependent upon me to protect and provide for them, and the way I see it I would be a selfish, neglectful parent if I did not take the necessary steps to ensure their safety when SHTF.


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## Littlebit (Apr 20, 2010)

I think my family were always prepers, but they did call it that. "Never know when a bad storm may come" Is what my Grandparents always said. I have just taken that saying a step further and started preping for anything that may happen.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

WildMist said:


> My Mom always prepared as long as I can remember. I think it had to do with being born at the end of the depression which instilled the need in that generation to be ready for anything.I learned alot from my Mom and that was one of those things. I prepare while I can so that when hard times hit, my family and I will being able to weather the storm.
> I recently learned that somehow my daughter has inherited that same habit.
> I truly hope we never have to use our preps for hard times but if we do, we'll be prepared and hopefully have enough to keep my family going too.
> :canflag:


That little bit of information right there may be the secret formula to willingness to be responsible for your own comfort/survival. If a person has never experienced lack then it is just a far off academic conscept ,but when you have been broke or hungry you learn to look ahead with the experiantial (is that a word?) knowledge that times do in fact get hard. On the other hand if all you have experienced is an easy graceful flow of life, you would tend to expect it to continue.......


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

While I might not believe in the end coming as a "nuclear holocaust" or a "Zombie invasion" there is always the chance that our "world of finance's " will collapse and we will be stuck without a way to feed ourselves and without power etc... I am assuming that it will be a pay for the home or food but not both! But knowing how to bake bread from flour which will still be cheaper than a loaf of bread will help.
Plus the fact that I am not that far out in the country yet still lose power several times a year-spring, summer, fall and winter, that keeps me wanting to make sure that I can at least survive a months worth of no power with out severely flipping out. While I have food to last- I do have to work on the clean drinking water. The animals all prefer to drink out of the mud-hole(I give them clean water and still catch them in the puddles) so not worried about them with the river so close- but I would have to build a filter(I do have all the necessary stuff on hand) and then boil the river water before I drank it.

But I have this niggling feeling of dread lately that just will not go away-- like something bad is coming down the pike and those who are not paying attention are gonna regret it..


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Emerald said:


> But I have this niggling feeling of dread lately that just will not go away-- like something bad is coming down the pike and those who are not paying attention are gonna regret it..


That sums it up pretty well. 
My "nagging feeling" started a few years ago when we went to the store and noticed the packaging of food was shrinking. I said to aunt unclejoe, as horseman09 called her, something is going on when companies feel the need to hide their price increases this way. That's when we started buying extra when it was on sale. That's also when I began to educate myself on how our financial system and food chain worked. It took my breath away.  
Ever since, we have been slowly preparing for what we believe is the inevitable collapse of the economy.


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

I have been hungry. During that time I would go to sleep and dream of buying groceries.

I am preparing so the ones I love hopefully won't ever have to experience that.


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## Diego2112 (Aug 18, 2010)

I look around, and I do NOT like what I see. I want to be ready when it all comes crashing down. I want my daughter to be able to survive through the coming storm with NO problems, I want her to have a GOOD life.

I'm not off the grid. Unfortunatly, that's not an option for me, due to finances. That's alright though, because you dont NEED power to live. I've done without, and that's no big deal, and she dont mind power outs herself! She likes daddy reading to her by candlelight!  She just climbs up in my lap, crosses her little ankles, and points to a book.

As long as she has her food, and her comfort items (security blanket, and a handfull of select toys she CANNOT do without), she'll come through whatever life throws her way just fine. 

Everything I do, I do for her, and for my wife. They are my reasons for living, my reasons for laughing, my reasons for loving, and my reasons for prepping.

I pray every DAY that nothing will happen, that nothing will fall apart, that she'll get to grow up with ALL that this CURRENT world has to offer... 

But I prepare none the less... just in case.


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## booter (Jan 23, 2010)

My Wife, my Son, and my Daughter.... Together with my Wife, we made two beautiful children, I delivered both my children, I am responsible for their lives and the welfare of my Family. I would like to believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I sure would like to see my Grandchildren one day. 



There's some Good left in this world, and its' Worth fighting for! - Samwise Gamge


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

booter said:


> There's some Good left in this world, and its' Worth fighting for! - Samwise Gamge


Love the quote.


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## rflood (Aug 19, 2010)

Deigo and booter hit the nail on the head for me. I do it for my family, plus I enjoy the challenge of putting a plan together and tools required to handle things. I still have a very long way to go but both my wife and I are getting to the same mindset on it all and that also makes a big difference in making things work.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Clarice said:


> I have been hungry. During that time I would go to sleep and dream of buying groceries.
> 
> I am preparing so the ones I love hopefully won't ever have to experience that.


DITTO to THAT... I remember a time when we were living on the $$$ from the vending machines in my Dad's gas station/garage, full servicing peoples cars & charging them by the quart for oil which we had fortunately bought by the drum


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

Seeing what happened to the people in N.O. during Katrina helped accelerate my prepping. Last years Ice storms made me glad I prepped. Lost time at work due to an injury this year had me make use of my preps. ( financial) BUT as for why I prep. Like some said a form of insurance "just in case" But more than that as peace of mind.


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

*This is not the best answer... but*

I think there is really no short answer if you really get into it, you can say "because" but that begs for the "Because why" follow up.

For me it started back in the 60's , watching the crazy chit the "hippies" were doing and how it paralyzed the PTB's ,then there was the riots in Watts and Detroit. things like the big black out in NY.. the way small areas just fell apart for any reason.

Example.. White cop shoots Black felon in a shoot out, the "hood" riots, burns their own homes to the ground, fools running laughing with the biggest TV they can carry... why? how is it they get away with it? is there no real power in the law? is there no willingness to stop it when it happens?

Sure Rodney King got the crap beat out of him, and that was wrong but should the entire city burn because of it? not one of those rioters would have pissed in his mouth is he was dying of thirst yet they riot and burn and kill?

I'm sorry if this seems racist, but I can't remember the last time a white community was burned by the folks living there for any reason much less because some BG got his ass handed to him by the cops...

Now... here's where I'm going with this... I've heard all the story's about the bad old days, the great depression etc...but you know what I remember my mom telling me? that hobos would walk up to the door and offer to trade a sack of coal for a meal, where did they get the coal? they picked it up while walking the rails, all they wanted was a chance to wash up at the well and something to eat and for this they had spent the day walking the tracks picking up coal that fell from the trains ... sure there was crime, but men were willing to work all day for a bit of change to buy food for their families.

Today we have able bodied young men sitting on corners holding signs begging for money when they could find something to earn it.. and yes there are jobs out there..you just have to have enough pride to take a bath in a creek and wash your cloths and try to look like your trying.. in my home town there's a place called "Gods Love" they offer beds and food for homeless people, they can clean up, they get clean cloths and a chance to try to get off the streets, most don't bother, but they will sit around smoking at $5.00 a pack and go beg for money...

So, it came to me one day that we didn't need a nuke war to destroy the country, we are doing it too ourselves if the dollar crash's again if there is another great depression, the average person today will just go out to take what he wants, the moral's factor of today is at a all time bottom, people are stealing who have no need , killing for no reason , think of the LA riots and then multiply by as many numbers as you wish and it will not be enough and once it starts there is no way to stop it. sure the military can come in and just start shooting folks and will! but folks will be shooting back and sooner or later even a tank can be turned over with enough pissed off people working at it against their common enemy..

Long winded way of saying I believe a smart person would have taken steps to prepare ahead of the need. you buy home owners insurance , car insurance, wear your seat belt, don't walk down dark alleys at night.... so why would you expect the government that can't deal with a small riot in LA to deal with the collapse of the entire country? Why would you expect people living in a collapsed nation to be nice and offer to mow your lawn for a meal? OR get hurt trying to protect your daughter who decided to walk to the Mall in a riot against your orders?

Times have changed since the great depression, we have changed , the entire world has changed and not for the better..

It's up to you to deal with all these problems..nobody's going to help you and as the PTB proved during Katrina, they can't or won't help but will work to put you at the mercy of the BG's..

It's just you and yours against the world and the world is living the eat, drink and be "Mary" life and not thinking...

If your here your already a prepper just thinking enough to be here makes you one and there is no denying it, it's a small bug biting your ass and no amount of scratching will make it go away.. but every time you put another can of beans on the shelf the itch goes down a tiny bit ..and you feel better!! and that's a good thing.. pile it deep and pile it high... and then start on another pile...

All those words to say almost nothing... MORE COFFEE!!


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Like others have noted, I do it because I don't like what I see and I want to be able to take care of my family.

Having been a prepper for years, our family has had no problem getting through what's been tossed at us _so far_ (tornado/micro-burst, floods, ice storms, blizzards, week-long power outages...). I keep things going where Mrs. Zoom only finds things to be a minor inconvenience and the kids think of it as an adventure.

I have been piling higher and deeper as I don't know what the future may bring.


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