15 Reasons to Prep
Most people can spend an enormous amount of time reading about prepping, survivalist, and homesteading and still not know if they need to prep. We have decided to enclose a list of 15 Reasons to Prep.
I. Everyday Emergencies kill MILLIONS of people each year!
The most common of any type of disasters are the Everyday Emergencies. These emergencies literally happen every single day and they kill millions of people worldwide each year. Everyday Emergencies are; severe storms, drought, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, waterborne illnesses, home fires, home invasion, forest fires, personal assault or injury, unemployment, terrorism, street crime, medium levels of organized crime, and hundreds more.
The majority of deaths contributed to Everyday Emergencies could have easily been prevented. Prepping simple ways; to collect and treat water, learn personal defense, obtaining and maintaining a First Aid Kit and skills, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, storm shelters, deadbolts and security systems for your home, etc, could aid you in surviving many Everyday Emergencies. Note: Terrorism is considered an Everyday Emergency not because it is more common in this day and age( however it is more common) but because terrorism has been a part of our lives for almost a hundred years.
II. Emergencies turn into Disasters
Frequently disasters occur outside the realm of what society would deem "normal", upgrading them from Everyday Emergency to Large-Scale Disaster in the blink of an eye. Many people have the potential of death because they have no backup plan when; (a) A small grassfire spreads into a housing addition destroying many homes and livelihoods. (b) A hurricane hits land and destroys infrastructure and services for several days or weeks. (c) Floods backup wastewater treatment facilities and contaminate fresh water service mains, parks, rivers and creeks, lakes and ponds, city streets and even homes.
However, even though these disaster can be quite deadly most people can survive them by adding extra materials to their Prepper Kits. Remember disasters often happen to the world around us, think about what disasters are most likely to impact your area and add equipment and resources to help you overcome them. Here are few items that may save your life. (a) Many people drown trying to evacuate a flooded area in an automobile, on foot as they try to wade across a flooded street, or risen creek. You can never tell how deep the muddy water is, because the street you thought was only a foot below the curb could be missing. If you live in, near, or your evacuation route goes thru a flood plain, one prep you should have is a small rowboat, canoe, or paddleboat. You should still avoid crossing fast moving waters, no matter how good you think you are. (b) Extreme weather, earthquakes, Tsunamis, terrorism, etc can damage infrastructure and services. One service that could become vulnerable and collapse in the right circumstances is cell service. If you have lived through an emergency that has devastated your region you may personally know just how easily your service can be overcrowded with calls. Therefore you might consider two-way radios to help you stay informed within your network of relatives and friends.
III. Perfect Storm
The entire system is ripe for a perfect storm. The biggest problem with Hurricane Katrina was not the hurricane, instead it was the chain of events that killed so many. (1) The local government failed to evacuate the population. (2) The state and federal government failed to respond fast enough. (3) Neglected "Safety Infrastructure", levies. (4) Existing High Crime Rate, prior to Disaster. (5) Existing High Poverty Rate, prior to Disaster. (6) Complacent Population, prior to Disaster. (7) No Plan, No Resources, Few Preppers.
Note: All of this and several other factors created the perfect storm for Hurricane Katrina and it can and will happen again if we do not learn from our mistakes. Most of these factors are common issues in many cities. How would you rate your community?
IV. Who forces the Gov to show Up?
Sometimes the Government is late, and sometimes they do not show up at all. You, like millions of other Americans may assume that the Federal Government will be there when their needed, but the reality is they do not have to show up at all. There is no federal mandate that dictates that the government must respond to any disaster. Simply because they have a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), or Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not mean they will respond. The agencies are not bound by the constitution to do anything, no government agency is. In some instances the disasters did not meet the government standard of enough damage or death for them to show up. (Tornado destroys several neighborhoods in Woodward, Oklahoma 2012).
V. Crop Vulnerability
Our crops in America have not been this vulnerable since the Dust Bowl. There are many reasons you should prep long-term food storage and use methods of self reliance. (1) Many insects are obtaining immunity to pesticides. When they do obtain immunity, it does not immediately mean devastation but a trigger such as an unusually dry season could provide the insects with everything they need. (2) If you have ever lived in the Heartland of Corn and Wheat country you know wind and the occasionally dry seasons cause many fires to spread uncontrolled. We think it impossible for wildfires to spread across the entire Heartland, but arson is becoming an increasing factor. (3) If the corn crops are hit hard by the previous two factors, there will be less out there to feed livestock. You can expect disease among livestock to rise over the next decade because more of the industry will use Animal Bi-products to feed their livestock. This atmosphere becomes ripe for disease outbreaks. (5) Another way diseases in livestock occur in this environment is because "beggars can not be choosey". What I mean is; Normally Animals will avoid eating in areas where other animals have died or defecated. However when food becomes scare animals will eat from these possible, disease infested patches and they may become infected as well.
VI. The High Cost at the Grocery Store
The cost of food is far outpacing the growth of income. Of course we all know that if our wages were to double tomorrow, then our food costs would triple the very next day. It is a violent chain and one with few remedies. People are really struggling to make ends meet and putting food on the table is growing more difficult. That is a perfect reason to prep methods of self-reliance, bring back the homestead!
More and more preppers are increasing their own self-reliance and developing homesteads right in their own backyards. Despite what you might think, not all of these preppers live in the country, in fact most live in suburban neighborhoods. Suburban Homesteading is a growing phenomena across many western nations. These adventurous households are showing that homesteading does not require acres and acres of land to have substantial crop yield nor do they need enormous pastures to graze livestock. The best part is the savings. You produce more of what you need, and buy less. The more you raise the more you save.
VII. You don't have to do it alone
One of the best reasons to begin your prepping adventure are the millions of other like-minded individuals that fill the ranks of preppers, survivalists, and homesteaders. Prepping is starting to make sense to a lot of people and every day more preppers are willing to share the knowledge they have. Years ago it was far more difficult to locate information about prepping, survivalist, and homesteading. I know growing up we did not share much with outsiders, but these days the information is everywhere. Preppers, survivalist, and homesteaders are everywhere. In fact most of these people are beginning to form large networks of local, regional, national, and international members. Many different groups can be found online in an endless barrage of social networking sites. Of course you have to be careful, there are a lot of creeps and phonies looking to scam you or worse.
TIP: I did not want to turn the "20 reasons to prep" into a tips area, but I feel this tip is an extremely important one and necessary because many people are being taken advantage of. (First) I am sure if you look around long enough you will find hundreds of sites, spam, pop-ups, newsletters, advertisements, etc whose ads will show you a bunch of literature and some sort of silver or platinum coin, probably limited edition. They will tell you that "if you buy these already discounted written materials, containing the information you need to survive whatever upheaval, you will receive this coin for free". (Second), let me explain that you will get everything they promise, the material and the coin, maybe even a monthly newsletter. The coin is authentic, the literature is fairly accurate, and it does contain important information. (Third) The dishonesty though is surrounded in the coin and literature; "they are selling the information and giving you the coin". This may not be true, but something they would call an Advertisement Fib. In reality the coin is how they make their money and really what your purchasing when you buy this packet. The information is fairly standard and can be found virtually anywhere online for free. They package it in this format because the Federal Government would come after them for selling a precious metal for the price you will pay for the entire packet. However if they claim they are selling the literature and throwing in the coin, than that is perfectly legal. This is another example how most regulations do not work. Think of a regulation not as a "line businesses, average people, and criminals can not cross", but instead think of a regulation as a series of words and words can have very flexible meanings. I am sure you get the point! (Fourth) How does the scam work? The entire package, according to them is discounted already and you get it for whatever, but for arguments lets say $75. You pay this amount and they "throw" the coin in. The literature is worth, well since it is free online-nothing, but lets give it a price tag of $5 for arguments sake. Remember everything in the literature is accurate, but free almost anywhere. However I would never begrudge anybody the right to make money off of their work. Now if you subtract the $5 from the cost of the package we end up with a $70 dollar coin. The coin will probably be .999 proof and equal about half an ounce of, lets just say silver. This means you paid $140 an ounce for silver, which is currently trading at probably around $30 an ounce. This means you almost paid a 500% markup, which might even be illegal if they did not throw the literature in and claim your paying for the written material and getting the coin for free.
I know this all sounds terrible, you may even have fallen for this. Please do not let it discourage you though. Many people fall for this one, because these entities sell it, and they do so very well. They sell it far better than I can describe it.
VIII. Self-Reliance is far more stable investment than anything on Wall Street
In a major economic recession or depression much of the values of Wall Street shrink considerably. In 2007, the DOW lost nearly half its value in just a couple months, and during the Great Depression Wall Street was virtually worthless. I am not going to get to much into the why or how of Wall Street, to tell you the truth I have lost interest in investing this way.
Today I feel the perfect investments are precious metals (no more than 10%), resources, cash, property, business revenue, and last but not least are the methods of Self-Reliance. Being self-reliant means independence and freedom. It also means simultaneously lowering your monthly bills while providing you with ways of self support. For example, retirement for most people does not mean ease of life or the lack of bills. Instead monthly utilities, grocery, and other consumables still arrive to keep you from enjoying that long sought-after retirement. Many Americans work like dogs all their lives to make ends meet, only to find "retirement" much the same.
Imagine, if you had the forethought to prep means of self-reliance years before you reached retirement. But you do not need to spend a lot and eliminate them all right away, focus on what it means to cut your monthly bills in half. Consider how much more money you could put away for retirement if you eliminated 50% of your electric, water, gas, and monthly grocery bills right now. How much are your bills? Add them up and subtract only 50% of that cost. Do you see an enormous savings? Most people do and you probably will to.
Now that you have that fresh in your mind think about what it would be like to have 50% less monthly bills when you retire. Even if you decide against putting your monthly savings away for the future, surely you can see the benefit of having at least 50% less monthly bills. Self Reliance is an investment for today and tomorrow. Note: You really should put some of the money aside, much of the equipment and resources we buy to provide us with a measure of self-reliance today may need to be replaced later.
IX. Turn your Homestead into a Money Maker
Homesteaders are growing and expanding their own personal operations to include a Home-Based Business setup. For example; many homesteaders produce a variety of crops they need, but they might also grow a little extra and sell commercially or only to family and family. Note: Federal, state, and local licenses and regulations apply.
These homesteaders will never be able to quit their day jobs, or retire off of the produce they sell. However they will make money, and much of that revenue will probably go back into another Self-Reliance projects. That being said, there are a number of stay-home-moms or dads that do this everyday to supplement their spouses income. What better way to do so than make money from your own garden, goats, fruit or nut trees, fabrication shop, and many, many other ways. Note: Before you dive into something this big make sure you have the right skills, drive, capital, and time to do it. For example; a garden you use to make money is never as easy as throwing seedlings out and setting back to collect the money.
X. Your Family is depending on you
It seems almost inappropriate to bring a persons family into this, or use their family as a way to get them to do something. Unfortunately it is a necessary tactic in order for some to understand the importance of prepping. Maybe I am to close to the subject of prepping, survivalist, homesteading, or this business to tell you their importance without my personal bias. Maybe I fall right into the category of the rest of them, telling you whatever I can, in order to get you to buy what I want you too. Maybe my honesty is a trick, where I lure you in just as others. You can feel however you wish when it comes to determining my motives, but it does not change the outcome. "I am not responsible for you or yours. I believe wholeheartedly in; Give a Man a fish and he eats for day, but teach a man to fish and he will not become a Disaster Zombie and steal your fish". You can judge my motives however you wish when I use your family as a reason to prep, but remember no matter how you spin it, the truth is you are liable and responsible for your family.
XI. Prep because of history
World history, what more could I say! You can deny all you want that one thing or another will not happen, but if history has logged it than your already proven wrong and my work is done.
XII. Prep for Peace of Mind
I have known many preppers and I can tell you that they are a very diverse group of people. They come from all backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, religions, or areas of the globe. They are probably the most diverse group of people on the planet, other than being "male' or "female". Of course there are many attributes that also unite them, the most important being the need to survive.
The diversity starts with the "Why" of prepping. Many prep for Everyday Emergencies, some prep for Large-Scale Disasters, others prep for Protraction, and yet several others prep for Apocalyptic or Armageddon, the end of the world as we know it-as the lyrics go. No matter what preppers prepare for you can peg their efforts to self-reliance, survival, thrival, and/ or peace of mind. Peace of mind sells it for many people. Imagine if you can take any worries you might have for emergencies or disasters and place the majority of that worry into a 72-hour pack.
XIII. Prep because of the feeling you have that this world is not heading in the right direction!
Your not alone! Millions of people see the direction of America and other western governments and are growing very disillusioned with our direction. This feeling in the pit of your stomach and mine has less to do with physical disasters and more to do with economic vulnerability. Something does not feel right.
XIV. You should prep because it is a fun activity to do with your family.
I love prepping with my family. It is not a part of everything we do, but we love to do it. It is quality family time and I love seeing my family learn new ways of surviving, thriving, and self reliance. My wife did not grow up in this setting. I previously mentioned my mother in-law and her efforts at stockpiling, which would put many preppers to shame. However my wife's mother does it to provide herself with piece of mind, and she did not force my wife to learn it. Now my wife does it all the time and she is really good at it. She comes up with something new all the time.
Prepping is a great learning experience. I have been doing this all my life, but even I do not know all there is to know! I learn something new all the time and I look forward to what I might learn in the future. When you first dig into prepping set aside an evening each week to spend with your family learning about prepping.
XV. Make these skills apart of who you are, and you will not fail!
I will end "20 Reasons to Prep" with a personal note. When I was younger, just a young boy my family spent a great deal of time hunting, fishing, and camping. These activities were a part of everything we did, because it was as much a part of who we were as our names. When your raised in this environment the skills you learn are all part of the life, you may not know of any other way to live. So when disaster strikes your fairly prepared, because these skills and way of life are the fabric of who you are.
Occasionally when I was younger my family would be forced to flee to the woods and live out of our Coleman Cabin Tent. For whatever reason we would not be able to afford the rent or utilities, so we would pack our gear and go. We would fish or hunt for our food, and we lived the camping lifestyle. We did not suffer even though we would occasionally stay for up to five or six months at a time. We did not suffer because these skills were a part of our lives already, the transition from camping for enjoyment to camping for survival is fairly easy.
If you wish to read more about my Bio please navigate to the Forum "Prepper Bio" and please post your own. I hope that you have taken these "15 reasons to prep" seriously. We want you to prep and do so safely. If you choose not to buy your supplies and equipment from us, please do so somewhere. We are a business and we would of course prefer you buy your prep items from us, but it is absolutely necessary that you buy them. It is your responsibility to prepare for emergencies, not the government nor somebody else. Not prepping for your family for a minimal of 72 hours is wrong. Please do not put your life or your families lives in someone else's hands. Good luck on your prepping adventure and God Bless!
I. Everyday Emergencies kill MILLIONS of people each year!
The most common of any type of disasters are the Everyday Emergencies. These emergencies literally happen every single day and they kill millions of people worldwide each year. Everyday Emergencies are; severe storms, drought, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, waterborne illnesses, home fires, home invasion, forest fires, personal assault or injury, unemployment, terrorism, street crime, medium levels of organized crime, and hundreds more.
The majority of deaths contributed to Everyday Emergencies could have easily been prevented. Prepping simple ways; to collect and treat water, learn personal defense, obtaining and maintaining a First Aid Kit and skills, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, storm shelters, deadbolts and security systems for your home, etc, could aid you in surviving many Everyday Emergencies. Note: Terrorism is considered an Everyday Emergency not because it is more common in this day and age( however it is more common) but because terrorism has been a part of our lives for almost a hundred years.
II. Emergencies turn into Disasters
Frequently disasters occur outside the realm of what society would deem "normal", upgrading them from Everyday Emergency to Large-Scale Disaster in the blink of an eye. Many people have the potential of death because they have no backup plan when; (a) A small grassfire spreads into a housing addition destroying many homes and livelihoods. (b) A hurricane hits land and destroys infrastructure and services for several days or weeks. (c) Floods backup wastewater treatment facilities and contaminate fresh water service mains, parks, rivers and creeks, lakes and ponds, city streets and even homes.
However, even though these disaster can be quite deadly most people can survive them by adding extra materials to their Prepper Kits. Remember disasters often happen to the world around us, think about what disasters are most likely to impact your area and add equipment and resources to help you overcome them. Here are few items that may save your life. (a) Many people drown trying to evacuate a flooded area in an automobile, on foot as they try to wade across a flooded street, or risen creek. You can never tell how deep the muddy water is, because the street you thought was only a foot below the curb could be missing. If you live in, near, or your evacuation route goes thru a flood plain, one prep you should have is a small rowboat, canoe, or paddleboat. You should still avoid crossing fast moving waters, no matter how good you think you are. (b) Extreme weather, earthquakes, Tsunamis, terrorism, etc can damage infrastructure and services. One service that could become vulnerable and collapse in the right circumstances is cell service. If you have lived through an emergency that has devastated your region you may personally know just how easily your service can be overcrowded with calls. Therefore you might consider two-way radios to help you stay informed within your network of relatives and friends.
III. Perfect Storm
The entire system is ripe for a perfect storm. The biggest problem with Hurricane Katrina was not the hurricane, instead it was the chain of events that killed so many. (1) The local government failed to evacuate the population. (2) The state and federal government failed to respond fast enough. (3) Neglected "Safety Infrastructure", levies. (4) Existing High Crime Rate, prior to Disaster. (5) Existing High Poverty Rate, prior to Disaster. (6) Complacent Population, prior to Disaster. (7) No Plan, No Resources, Few Preppers.
Note: All of this and several other factors created the perfect storm for Hurricane Katrina and it can and will happen again if we do not learn from our mistakes. Most of these factors are common issues in many cities. How would you rate your community?
IV. Who forces the Gov to show Up?
Sometimes the Government is late, and sometimes they do not show up at all. You, like millions of other Americans may assume that the Federal Government will be there when their needed, but the reality is they do not have to show up at all. There is no federal mandate that dictates that the government must respond to any disaster. Simply because they have a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), or Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not mean they will respond. The agencies are not bound by the constitution to do anything, no government agency is. In some instances the disasters did not meet the government standard of enough damage or death for them to show up. (Tornado destroys several neighborhoods in Woodward, Oklahoma 2012).
V. Crop Vulnerability
Our crops in America have not been this vulnerable since the Dust Bowl. There are many reasons you should prep long-term food storage and use methods of self reliance. (1) Many insects are obtaining immunity to pesticides. When they do obtain immunity, it does not immediately mean devastation but a trigger such as an unusually dry season could provide the insects with everything they need. (2) If you have ever lived in the Heartland of Corn and Wheat country you know wind and the occasionally dry seasons cause many fires to spread uncontrolled. We think it impossible for wildfires to spread across the entire Heartland, but arson is becoming an increasing factor. (3) If the corn crops are hit hard by the previous two factors, there will be less out there to feed livestock. You can expect disease among livestock to rise over the next decade because more of the industry will use Animal Bi-products to feed their livestock. This atmosphere becomes ripe for disease outbreaks. (5) Another way diseases in livestock occur in this environment is because "beggars can not be choosey". What I mean is; Normally Animals will avoid eating in areas where other animals have died or defecated. However when food becomes scare animals will eat from these possible, disease infested patches and they may become infected as well.
VI. The High Cost at the Grocery Store
The cost of food is far outpacing the growth of income. Of course we all know that if our wages were to double tomorrow, then our food costs would triple the very next day. It is a violent chain and one with few remedies. People are really struggling to make ends meet and putting food on the table is growing more difficult. That is a perfect reason to prep methods of self-reliance, bring back the homestead!
More and more preppers are increasing their own self-reliance and developing homesteads right in their own backyards. Despite what you might think, not all of these preppers live in the country, in fact most live in suburban neighborhoods. Suburban Homesteading is a growing phenomena across many western nations. These adventurous households are showing that homesteading does not require acres and acres of land to have substantial crop yield nor do they need enormous pastures to graze livestock. The best part is the savings. You produce more of what you need, and buy less. The more you raise the more you save.
VII. You don't have to do it alone
One of the best reasons to begin your prepping adventure are the millions of other like-minded individuals that fill the ranks of preppers, survivalists, and homesteaders. Prepping is starting to make sense to a lot of people and every day more preppers are willing to share the knowledge they have. Years ago it was far more difficult to locate information about prepping, survivalist, and homesteading. I know growing up we did not share much with outsiders, but these days the information is everywhere. Preppers, survivalist, and homesteaders are everywhere. In fact most of these people are beginning to form large networks of local, regional, national, and international members. Many different groups can be found online in an endless barrage of social networking sites. Of course you have to be careful, there are a lot of creeps and phonies looking to scam you or worse.
TIP: I did not want to turn the "20 reasons to prep" into a tips area, but I feel this tip is an extremely important one and necessary because many people are being taken advantage of. (First) I am sure if you look around long enough you will find hundreds of sites, spam, pop-ups, newsletters, advertisements, etc whose ads will show you a bunch of literature and some sort of silver or platinum coin, probably limited edition. They will tell you that "if you buy these already discounted written materials, containing the information you need to survive whatever upheaval, you will receive this coin for free". (Second), let me explain that you will get everything they promise, the material and the coin, maybe even a monthly newsletter. The coin is authentic, the literature is fairly accurate, and it does contain important information. (Third) The dishonesty though is surrounded in the coin and literature; "they are selling the information and giving you the coin". This may not be true, but something they would call an Advertisement Fib. In reality the coin is how they make their money and really what your purchasing when you buy this packet. The information is fairly standard and can be found virtually anywhere online for free. They package it in this format because the Federal Government would come after them for selling a precious metal for the price you will pay for the entire packet. However if they claim they are selling the literature and throwing in the coin, than that is perfectly legal. This is another example how most regulations do not work. Think of a regulation not as a "line businesses, average people, and criminals can not cross", but instead think of a regulation as a series of words and words can have very flexible meanings. I am sure you get the point! (Fourth) How does the scam work? The entire package, according to them is discounted already and you get it for whatever, but for arguments lets say $75. You pay this amount and they "throw" the coin in. The literature is worth, well since it is free online-nothing, but lets give it a price tag of $5 for arguments sake. Remember everything in the literature is accurate, but free almost anywhere. However I would never begrudge anybody the right to make money off of their work. Now if you subtract the $5 from the cost of the package we end up with a $70 dollar coin. The coin will probably be .999 proof and equal about half an ounce of, lets just say silver. This means you paid $140 an ounce for silver, which is currently trading at probably around $30 an ounce. This means you almost paid a 500% markup, which might even be illegal if they did not throw the literature in and claim your paying for the written material and getting the coin for free.
I know this all sounds terrible, you may even have fallen for this. Please do not let it discourage you though. Many people fall for this one, because these entities sell it, and they do so very well. They sell it far better than I can describe it.
VIII. Self-Reliance is far more stable investment than anything on Wall Street
In a major economic recession or depression much of the values of Wall Street shrink considerably. In 2007, the DOW lost nearly half its value in just a couple months, and during the Great Depression Wall Street was virtually worthless. I am not going to get to much into the why or how of Wall Street, to tell you the truth I have lost interest in investing this way.
Today I feel the perfect investments are precious metals (no more than 10%), resources, cash, property, business revenue, and last but not least are the methods of Self-Reliance. Being self-reliant means independence and freedom. It also means simultaneously lowering your monthly bills while providing you with ways of self support. For example, retirement for most people does not mean ease of life or the lack of bills. Instead monthly utilities, grocery, and other consumables still arrive to keep you from enjoying that long sought-after retirement. Many Americans work like dogs all their lives to make ends meet, only to find "retirement" much the same.
Imagine, if you had the forethought to prep means of self-reliance years before you reached retirement. But you do not need to spend a lot and eliminate them all right away, focus on what it means to cut your monthly bills in half. Consider how much more money you could put away for retirement if you eliminated 50% of your electric, water, gas, and monthly grocery bills right now. How much are your bills? Add them up and subtract only 50% of that cost. Do you see an enormous savings? Most people do and you probably will to.
Now that you have that fresh in your mind think about what it would be like to have 50% less monthly bills when you retire. Even if you decide against putting your monthly savings away for the future, surely you can see the benefit of having at least 50% less monthly bills. Self Reliance is an investment for today and tomorrow. Note: You really should put some of the money aside, much of the equipment and resources we buy to provide us with a measure of self-reliance today may need to be replaced later.
IX. Turn your Homestead into a Money Maker
Homesteaders are growing and expanding their own personal operations to include a Home-Based Business setup. For example; many homesteaders produce a variety of crops they need, but they might also grow a little extra and sell commercially or only to family and family. Note: Federal, state, and local licenses and regulations apply.
These homesteaders will never be able to quit their day jobs, or retire off of the produce they sell. However they will make money, and much of that revenue will probably go back into another Self-Reliance projects. That being said, there are a number of stay-home-moms or dads that do this everyday to supplement their spouses income. What better way to do so than make money from your own garden, goats, fruit or nut trees, fabrication shop, and many, many other ways. Note: Before you dive into something this big make sure you have the right skills, drive, capital, and time to do it. For example; a garden you use to make money is never as easy as throwing seedlings out and setting back to collect the money.
X. Your Family is depending on you
It seems almost inappropriate to bring a persons family into this, or use their family as a way to get them to do something. Unfortunately it is a necessary tactic in order for some to understand the importance of prepping. Maybe I am to close to the subject of prepping, survivalist, homesteading, or this business to tell you their importance without my personal bias. Maybe I fall right into the category of the rest of them, telling you whatever I can, in order to get you to buy what I want you too. Maybe my honesty is a trick, where I lure you in just as others. You can feel however you wish when it comes to determining my motives, but it does not change the outcome. "I am not responsible for you or yours. I believe wholeheartedly in; Give a Man a fish and he eats for day, but teach a man to fish and he will not become a Disaster Zombie and steal your fish". You can judge my motives however you wish when I use your family as a reason to prep, but remember no matter how you spin it, the truth is you are liable and responsible for your family.
XI. Prep because of history
World history, what more could I say! You can deny all you want that one thing or another will not happen, but if history has logged it than your already proven wrong and my work is done.
XII. Prep for Peace of Mind
I have known many preppers and I can tell you that they are a very diverse group of people. They come from all backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, religions, or areas of the globe. They are probably the most diverse group of people on the planet, other than being "male' or "female". Of course there are many attributes that also unite them, the most important being the need to survive.
The diversity starts with the "Why" of prepping. Many prep for Everyday Emergencies, some prep for Large-Scale Disasters, others prep for Protraction, and yet several others prep for Apocalyptic or Armageddon, the end of the world as we know it-as the lyrics go. No matter what preppers prepare for you can peg their efforts to self-reliance, survival, thrival, and/ or peace of mind. Peace of mind sells it for many people. Imagine if you can take any worries you might have for emergencies or disasters and place the majority of that worry into a 72-hour pack.
XIII. Prep because of the feeling you have that this world is not heading in the right direction!
Your not alone! Millions of people see the direction of America and other western governments and are growing very disillusioned with our direction. This feeling in the pit of your stomach and mine has less to do with physical disasters and more to do with economic vulnerability. Something does not feel right.
XIV. You should prep because it is a fun activity to do with your family.
I love prepping with my family. It is not a part of everything we do, but we love to do it. It is quality family time and I love seeing my family learn new ways of surviving, thriving, and self reliance. My wife did not grow up in this setting. I previously mentioned my mother in-law and her efforts at stockpiling, which would put many preppers to shame. However my wife's mother does it to provide herself with piece of mind, and she did not force my wife to learn it. Now my wife does it all the time and she is really good at it. She comes up with something new all the time.
Prepping is a great learning experience. I have been doing this all my life, but even I do not know all there is to know! I learn something new all the time and I look forward to what I might learn in the future. When you first dig into prepping set aside an evening each week to spend with your family learning about prepping.
XV. Make these skills apart of who you are, and you will not fail!
I will end "20 Reasons to Prep" with a personal note. When I was younger, just a young boy my family spent a great deal of time hunting, fishing, and camping. These activities were a part of everything we did, because it was as much a part of who we were as our names. When your raised in this environment the skills you learn are all part of the life, you may not know of any other way to live. So when disaster strikes your fairly prepared, because these skills and way of life are the fabric of who you are.
Occasionally when I was younger my family would be forced to flee to the woods and live out of our Coleman Cabin Tent. For whatever reason we would not be able to afford the rent or utilities, so we would pack our gear and go. We would fish or hunt for our food, and we lived the camping lifestyle. We did not suffer even though we would occasionally stay for up to five or six months at a time. We did not suffer because these skills were a part of our lives already, the transition from camping for enjoyment to camping for survival is fairly easy.
If you wish to read more about my Bio please navigate to the Forum "Prepper Bio" and please post your own. I hope that you have taken these "15 reasons to prep" seriously. We want you to prep and do so safely. If you choose not to buy your supplies and equipment from us, please do so somewhere. We are a business and we would of course prefer you buy your prep items from us, but it is absolutely necessary that you buy them. It is your responsibility to prepare for emergencies, not the government nor somebody else. Not prepping for your family for a minimal of 72 hours is wrong. Please do not put your life or your families lives in someone else's hands. Good luck on your prepping adventure and God Bless!