“Prepping” is a term tossed around in mainstream media constantly these days. Generally speaking, it shows some guy who is an over-the-top type with questionable mental stability showing off his guns in a bunker 10 feet underground. They prepare for disasters that, while possible, are so far fetched as to make them look out of touch with reality. Thank you, Mr. Media!
The truth is, most ‘preppers’ aren’t like this at all. They’re your everyday Joe and Jane, just trying to get by and do the best they can with what they have. If you take a closer look, you’ll likely see that their ‘preps’ are usually applied to non-disaster scenarios. I find that it’s the little things that turn into monster problems. The little pebble that starts the avalanche, if you will. Stop the pebble, stop the avalanche, right?
To illustrate this, I’ll share 3 of my own personal experiences where my foresight has helped to get through instances that had the potential to be much worse than it was. It helped me to open my eyes and realize that our grandparents’ idea of being self-sufficient and prepared was not an antiquated notion.
EXAMPLE 1
I was at the beginning of my lifestyle-changing journey and was starting to carry certain stuff everyday ‘just in case.’ At the time, I hadn’t heard about an EDC (Everyday Carry) bag; it just made sense to me to start carrying certain items such as a multi tool. The ‘aha’ moment happened after a typical day just like any other – wake up, go to work, then college classes, and then home. I was relaxing and reflecting on the day when something occurred to me! That day, I had used my ‘preps’ to:
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Help someone write down some information they really needed. They did not have anything to write with and were on the phone.
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Put a band aid on a kid’s road rash.
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Help a friend with a car repair by using my flashlight so they could see.
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Helped the same friend on the car with my multi-tool because they didn’t have the right screwdriver. I also helped them clean up with the baby wipes I carried.
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This was the big one. I helped a diabetic on the bus who had low blood sugar. No one else had anything on them (no one was speaking up, anyway) but because I had some hard candies and a granola bar, he was able to bring his sugar up quickly and sustain it until he got home. WIN!
None of the above was horrible or life changing – except perhaps the last one. The look of gratitude on that man’s face was worth it all. I upped the items in my EDC bag and it has paid off in many other ways, numerous times since then. That’s just the backpack!
EXAMPLE 2
One day, the hubby and I were out driving around doing our shopping. I noticed the tires were very low on air. We went to the closest gas station only to find their air pump was out of order. We were miles from the nearest pump that we knew worked and I was worried we wouldn’t make it. We certainly didn’t have the money to get new tires and I sat in a state of worry, trying to puzzle it out. Then, Mr. Dreamer turns to me with a little grin and said, “Hey, we have that jump starter in the back mom got us and it has a compressor built in!”
Everyday life is far more chaotic and unpredictable…
The instant rush of relief and elation at being ‘prepared’ for this unforeseen event was a heady tonic as we grinned and popped the back open to reveal the one thing we needed to make sure we could get around without ruining the tires (or worse). It wasn’t a dire situation, it was every day stuff! We likely could have made the drive to the closest working air pump or called for a friend or something but we didn’t need to. We’d already put a tool in the car that could serve multiple purposes and in this, we were able to be self-reliant, using our own solution.
EXAMPLE 3
About a year ago, my brother and his family were living further North on the mainland of Alaska. They were tired of the 8 months of cold and snow and the constant darkness. A family of 7 is not easy to move, even if you have money to spend. They were considering many options but I suggested coming here where they’d have more support. They didn’t have much to move with and basically packed the car with clothes and headed down. 5 came down at first and it took some adjustments to make it all fit into our two bedroom apartment but as family does, we made it work.
Thankfully two months prior, I had made a serious Costco shopping run while in Juneau and we had enough to get by for a goodly while. We weren’t expecting them to move down, nor were we expecting to actually need those preps so soon. It was our stock for the next year as we were just starting to focus on getting out of debt and save money to buy land. Not only did we have enough food, we had enough toilet paper, hygiene supplies, and the little things that make life nicer — all because we ‘prepped.’ It wasn’t a disaster, it was regular old life. We would’ve made it work but it was considerably easier and more comfortable. We were even able to ‘shop’ at home to put food and sundries in their cupboards when they were able to afford (barely) their new place. The feeling of being able to provide and make sure your family is taken care of is something I cannot describe in a single word.
PERSPECTIVE
These are just everyday situations that can happen to anyone at any time. None of it was the ‘end of the world’ or a huge catastrophic event that changes everything you’ve ever known. And perhaps therein lies the truth to it all. Everyday life is far more chaotic and unpredictable than the next nuclear explosion, or a monstrous earthquake that sends miles of the California coast into the ocean, or that the whole world will economically collapse. Each of those scenarios is possible, of course. What is even more possible and more likely to happen is the day to day events you do not foresee. There really is a fine line between ‘homesteading’ and ‘prepping’ (which is better explained in another article found here). For me, that is the best reason to ‘prep’ or be as self-sufficient as possible.