- I read your “Brand new to prepping…where do I start?” article and I wish I had read something like that before I started prepping. My wife isn’t exactly on the same page as I am when it comes to buying and storing preps. What should I do?
Firsts off…a marriage is far, far more important than prepping…any prepping…period! Second…I am really glad you enjoyed and found value in the brand new article. It’s great to hear folks feedback when they find useful info.
Couple thoughts from personal experience…stay balanced. Don’t become a prepper fanatic or obsessed with any single aspect of prepping. An abrupt change of behavior, and especially fanaticism, can scare any spouse…and children.
Also, I found it helpful to share an idea with my wife…I told her that food storage can help reduce household expenses come retirement time. And during one conversation my wife shared the following, “At least you aren’t spending money on booze, cigarettes, or gambling.” I took it as kind of a compliment.
Another strategy I found helpful was using the layering method. Buying only what I needed in an organized fashion kinda kept it all under control while still prepping. <click here to learn more about layering>
After a couple of years my wife started seeing the value in prepping based on current events at the time. She has become more and more sold ever since.She is 100% onboard now. But I had to be patient, understanding, cautious, and remember that my marriage to her was far more important than prepping. There is a lot to be said for, “Happy wife, happy life.”
The key was communication and not getting her mad at me or frustrated with what I was doing…and being balanced.
So how do you handle “balance” in a prepper life?
The concept comes from a class I took many decades ago. The speaker talked about wagon wheels and how each spoke had to be the same diameter, length, and strength. And the spokes had to be contained within a rim to hold it all together. I think the same concept can be applied to prepping.
I also think that there is a good case for the spoked wheel approach after an event occurs…be it an emergency, disaster, or a grid-down incident.
Yes, I included a lot of religious focus because I am a believer. If your not…then modify the wheel accordingly…or consider becoming a believer.
Related Articles –
- Layering & the Common 7: Introduction
- OODA (Out of the Loop)
- Situational Awareness
- 7 Common Risks/Threats
- GOOD – BOB (Get Out Of Dodge – Bug Out Bag)
- Get Home Bag (GHB)
- My “Go Bag” and myth buster!
- Vehicle Emergency Bag/Box (VEB)
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A.H. Trimble - Emergency preparedness information for disasters and grid-down 
These are some great tips! I remember during the Y2K fiasco, my mom was hiding prep supplies in my bedroom closet because my father just wasn’t sold. I was sure that having an ample supply of toilet paper during the pandemic would finally sway him, but no. Sometimes, one partner may want to be prepared while the other stubbornly sticks their head in the sand and pretends there’s no risk. While I don’t think secrets in marriage are good, there may be some situations in which one party may need to look out for their family without the blessing of the other… as long as the decisions are prudent, like storing food and water, rather than spending on frivolous tactical gear.
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esoterica,
“…frivolous tactical gear…” ??????? !!!!!!!! ??????? YOU ARE HEREBY BANNED !!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE A HERETIC !!!!!!!!!!
OK, sorry for my knee-jerk reaction…well, kinda 😉
The thing that saved you was the word “frivolous”…so I guess you are not banned after all. Maybe just a bit of timeout in the corner while you consider your ways. You got dangerously close to the edge.
The rest of your post was great…loved it.
AH
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Haha!! We have a friend who has about 40 guns, 10 ill-fitting gas masks bought at government auctions, and a closet filled with buckets of nickels… but no food or water, so that was a bit of a jab at *that* type. Tactical and com gear are most fun part of prepping!
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OK, you redeemed yourself.
40 guns???? That’s too bad…so limiting.
Nickels???? Please explain the reasoning.
“…no food or water,…” come on, you’re kidding me, right? None?
AH
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The guy believes that the nickel content exceeds the face value of the coin, which may be true, but I honestly don’t know what he thinks he’s going do with thousands of nickels. I believe he has a few MREs, but his plan is more in line with “sit on the roof and shoot trespassers” than “hunker down and stay safe”… to each his own, I guess.
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Sounds like a guy with a plan. A somewhat strange plan…but a plan.
So what would people do with nickel in an emergency, disaster, or grid-down? I wouldn’t want it for anything such as trade/barter. I guess it could be considered a “precious” metal, but not along the lines of gold & silver. And you certainly can’t eat it 🙂
With the “sit on the roof and shoot trespassers” agenda…maybe he is planning on going all cannibal when push comes to shove.
Oh, well…as you said…to each his own.
AH
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