PREPPING TOGETHER

 

My wife, Mama Donna, doesn't really think of herself as a Prepper, but she possesses a lot of the basic ideas and skills. She can crochet outfits and sweaters, cook up a storm and can scratch bake like you wouldn't believe. She doesn't get into firearms, but she'll let fly with the 12 gauge shotgun or anything else we have if someone breaks in.  But, tell her to put on camo or sleep in a tent, and she'll laugh at you. The idea of her with a combat knife in her hand is like a politician admitting they are wrong. But tell her she needs to help defend her home or get us all to safety, and she'll be there to do all she can in her own way.

I introduced her to prepping slowly, starting off by showing her how little things work together to build up our supplies and how we could do it a few dollars at a time. With yard sales, “two can” buying and sales on everything from aspirin to flashlights, we have put together what we have. She saw our water supplies be stocked up from 2 Lt Soda bottles washed out and refilled.

But what really won her over was when my prepping saved our vacation a few years back. We had gone to the beach, and on the first day she cut her foot. I had my big first aid kit in my "Big Bob" that was in our Jeep and was able to bandage her foot well enough that she had no problem with it.

Since then she has seen us ready for any type of power outages from snow and ice storms, flooding in the valley below us, and even Hurricane Sandy.  She even came up with a shoulder bag that could carry 4 or more .5 Lt bottles of water that she could sling over her shoulder in a bug out or bounce back. She can't wait to go "yard Saleing "  each year to see what we can find. I  She enjoys the rain barrels for watering her flowers, and the fresh veggies our gardens. She especially loves being able to put together one of her fine recipes from the stocks we have on the shelves.

You may have a significant other who is not yet a Prepper and would like to have them join you in prepping.  I offer these suggestions. Show them that you "prep to live and not live to prep" and that not every dollar you have goes into the expensive prepping items. Create or get them a "BOB" for their car, and show them what's involved. Show them in little ways and by example how prepping is a combination of a lot of little inexpensive items, and display how it fits in with regular living. A good example of that is  show them how keeping ice cubes in zip lock bags in the freezer makes them handier for drinks and protects the frozen foods in case of a power outage.  Get them a little mini flashlight for a key chain. Let them use it once to find something and they'll wonder how they got along without it.

If, however, they still aren't "into it", don't poison the well! If they can stay mellow with what you do and you don't use up a lot of money, it's better than nothing. As long as they are not negative, they may come around as a lot of people are doing now as they see what is happening around them.