Today I was reading on one of the news pages and it was something to the effect that preppers have endured years of mockery but now, preppers are being asked to help others with their plans.
Just a couple of days ago on another news channel, a lady was talking about people stocking up and one of the other ladies said “oh, the hoarders” and kinda laughed about it. I thought . . She who laughs last laughs best! I did feel she was being very condescending, as well as uninformed.
I was thinking – what if it was a mindset that had been taught – to be as self-reliant as possible? What if something happened like what’s happening now and there were no rushes on the grocery stores and big box stores? What if we all had at least a couple of weeks worth of food and personal care products at home?
I am aware that there are religious groups that teach to have certain amounts of supplies stored. I think that’s great!
For those who are worried about the coronavirus – are they more worried about not being able to get food/supplies if they end up stuck at home for weeks? Or, are they more concerned about what will happen if they get the virus? Maybe some of both but I wonder.
I’ve heard from some who say they don’t have the room to store supplies, and some who don’t have the money to buy extra supplies. I understand that totally. I’ve been in both positions and in both instances, having supplies for the next two weeks was the least of my concerns. Feeding myself and a hungry 6 year old boy was about all that mattered. So if you find yourself with no spare room and no spare money, you’re not alone. I’m sure there are others in that same position but hopefully, once all this has passed, and it will, you can keep that thought of getting more prepared in the back of your mind and when circumstances allow, slowly start adding the items that will make you feel more confident and secure in your abilities to make it through something like this or worse.
While I have no idea about anyone else’s circumstances, I have plenty of friends who have the room and have the finances and couldn’t cobble together meals for a few days from their pantries and probably buy toilet paper only after they’ve put their last roll in the bathroom.
I don’t have answers . . just thoughts and questions. If one good thing can come out of this . . well, at least two things! I hope (1) more manufacturing moves back to the U. S. or at least several countries and so much of what we depend on isn’t manufactured in one location and (2) people do figure out a way to be more self-reliant, whether it’s growing some portion of their own foods and/or deciding to be a little more vigilant about keeping more necessary supplies at home under their own control.
Just a reminder – remember when we moved here and couldn’t find a house? We about drove ourselves over the brink but we knew what we wanted and held out, through having to store most of our belongings in a storage unit while living in a rental and moving twice, all to get what we wanted.
- We knew water was expensive here and there were often water restrictions so if we wanted vegetables and fruit trees, we needed a well.
- We wanted land. We knew the approximate price per acre in the area, knew what we could afford to pay so set our sights on finding “x” number of acres.
- We wanted a gas stove so we could cook if the power was out.
- We wanted a fireplace for heat if the propane was running low or we couldn’t afford to fill the tanks or the power was out (even gas heat needs electricity for the unit/blowers to run).
We weren’t concerned with huge, luxurious bathrooms, though that would have been nice, or the size of the house – just so it fit within our budget. We ended up with less than half the square feet we’d had in MO and half the number of bathrooms we had there.
We finally found the place that had everything on our list and despite wanting to be nearer to Chad, this is a place we haven’t been able to leave behind yet.
We’re older and probably would have made totally different decisions 20 or 30 years ago. I’ve been the one in line at grocery stores to buy things when a hurricane was headed our way or an ice storm was predicted. I’m not criticizing anyone. I just feel like overall, we all need to take a look at how we live our lives. Basically, if you can face the lines at the grocery store, the fear of running out of things, and not wish you had done things differently, then you’re probably good (and probably no longer reading anyway). But, if you’re thinking . . dang it, I should have stocked up on toilet paper and canned tuna a month ago . . all we can do is look forward and be more prepared next time.
vivoaks says
The older I get, the more I think like you. I even went so far as to buy a big pile of dehydrated food with a three-month payment plan this past summer. I didn’t even mention it to hubby, but when it arrived and he asked what it was and what I’d paid for it, he didn’t have a heart attack when I told him the price, but he surprised me by actually being interested in what was in the packages and what everything looked like. It’s all nicely stashed in a closet now, It’s supposed to last for 25 years, so I don’t plan to open any of it anytime soon. 🙂
Judy Laquidara says
That’s so great that he took an interest in it. I hope you never need it but it’s nice to know it’s there if you do need it.
Dottie says
My grandparents and parents always “stored” items way back when. My grandparents had a farm, raised cattle, chickens and had a garden and fruit trees. Once a year, a calf was killed, meat went to the meat locker in town (no freezer back then), chickens were bought, killed when they go so big and they went into the meat locker, too. My grandmother canned vegetables and fruit and those items usually held us for the year. The extra items (flour, sugar, etc.) were bought and stored, especially when the items were on sale.
When I grew up, I tried to do the same things, when we could afford it. We struggled, like most young couples, but we did ok and never felt like we were “doing without”. We do stock up on most things because we have had instances where we were without power, couldn’t get out because of weather and also the few times we’ve had to stay home because of surgery recoveries – sure was nice to have things ready to heat and eat, etc.
Susan Nixon says
I’ve always found space somewhere! In my apartment as a 20-something, I had cans covered with contact paper holding up boards as bookcases. Those could be stacked 3 high if something heavy was in the cans, and the contact paper told me what was in the cans. It was food storage, so I wasn’t using it all the time. I’ve slid things under the bed, and piled them in the bottom of a closet with a shelf over them to put my shoes. You can get pretty creative! Now they are just in boxes under the stairs.
As for affording it, I started by tithing my grocery budget – 10% of my grocery money went to things for storing – first the rotating cans in the 3 month supply on shelving. Then I worked at the storehouse once a week for a year, and every week I’d buy $10 worth of something – milk, pasta, oats, vegetables … whatever. It adds up over time.
You don’t have to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to buy from the storehouse, either. Anyone can go and buy basic things there. Many cities have them (101 throughout the US and Canada), but not all. They are not for profit, so the cost is lower than Thrive and some of the others – and the variety is less, too, of course, but it’s things you could survive and stay healthy. Home Storage Centers is the place to start – locations are linked in the body of the information. If you look at the price list on line, bear in mind those are *case* prices! Usually 6 number 10 cans – the big gallon size can.
Judy Laquidara says
Their shipping is very low too!
Heidi says
I think a big problem is going to be lack of cooking skills. People might stock up on dry beans because they saw a list or someone told them to but if they don’t know what to do with beans it’s not likely to be useful. Suddenly introducing your family to a big pot of beans when they’ve only been eating packaged foods isn’t going to go well. Years ago I mentioned to someone I was making chicken soup and she had no idea that meant boiling the bones to get broth. Never occurred to her that it’s was something that could be made from scratch.
Judy Laquidara says
I would hope that people know how to use anything they’re stocking up on and are only buying what they know they will eat. It’s like the vienna sausage we used to buy . . I guess if we get hungry enough, we’d eat them but we never got hungry enough and they were a wasted investment.
What you’re saying is the same with cookstoves, lanterns, outdoor showers, etc. Know how to use everything you plan to use in an emergency. The internet may not be there for instructions.
Rhonda Russell says
Thank you for reminding me why I need to keep my stove top pressure cooker! I learned how to prepare pressure cooker meals on a stove top version but switched over to electric pressure cookers years ago for their convenience. At first I kept the stove top version because I wasn’t sure if I would like the electric version and then just forgot about them shoved to the back of my cabinets. Recently I was cleaning and was reminded about them and contemplated getting rid of them. I have a gas stove for the same reason you do, in case of an electric outage, and I will keep my stove top pressure cookers for the same reason! I’m not a prepper but after growing up poor and having my own years of struggle, I’ve always kept extra food in the house because I buy multiples when an item is on sale. I didn’t realize how useful this was until the panic that spread in 1999 going into 2000. Just about everyone I worked was going to the store and stocking up on stuff that I already had due to my shopping habits. There was also a big blizzard in my area that shut things down for a couple of days and some of my co-workers couldn’t even make it through that, but not I!!! Same thing now–I’m not concerned because I have enough to get me by if I needed to stay home for more than a month! I call it saving money by buying stuff on sale but it has a happy side effect of being prepared if an emergency were to occur!
Judy Laquidara says
It is definitely comforting to know that when others are in a panic, or buying stuff just because it’s all that’s left, we definitely have enough food to get us through at least short term problems, whether those problems be a pandemic, a weather related crisis,a financial issue at our own house or wider spread or . . who knows what may happen.
Yes, keep those stovetop pressure cookers. You never know when you may need them.