How has your life changed since you started prepping??

I'm more organized. I also look for deals more often. I carry a get home bag in my car now too. I feel like I'm more prepared for local emergencies if they happen.

All of the above. When I used to shop, I was only thinking short-term. If I found a great deal on beef, corn - whatever, I would buy a bunch, and would think - who can I invite for a BBQ. Now I think, how much can I buy (without breaking the budget) to process in order to keep this long term. Canning, dehydrating etc. I still have the bbq but also have a bunch of canning beef and dehydrated corn hidden in my pantry. I used to be terrible about using up the things in the pantry or freezer. Now I try to come up with good tasting recipes using only pantry stuff (some work - some don't).

I used to do a lot wilderness camping in fairly remote areas (would not see people for weeks on end) and thought I had everything I needed (mentally and equipment wise) for an emergency. Boy was I wrong. Roughing it for the short term, is easy. But what would you do long term? A person could get pretty tired of fish for breakfast, lunch and supper (and that is if the fish are biting). Washing with sand - is ok for while but hey, it doesn't smell as good and it does have its limitations. Now I am thinking more along the lines of self-sufficiency. I always had a garden, but used to buy all my vegetables in pots. This year I planted everything from seed. What didn't work, didn't get planted. I refused to buy potted plants.

Now I am looking for a place out of the city so I can pursue a more self-sufficient way of life. I know I am lacking the crucial skills to do this tomorrow, but I figure - one step at a time. Nevertheless, it is still pretty scary. The only animal I ever killed and gutted was a fish. Don't think that will do it. Well I did shoot a porcupine and a partridge once. But when I listen to others (in particular farmgals experiences on killing and preparing meat), I wonder if I have what it takes. I am willing to try but I am still overwhelmed. That is why I like this forum. I don't do many posts, but I do read an awful lot. It gives me ideas and puts everything in perspective. I am a newbie and know it. I have alot to learn.

Good for you Denise, Good post.

Very interesting question. I always felt I was more prepared than the average bear : 72 hour emergency kit, medical and firearm training, some stored food and water, car emergency kits and good first aid kits, that kind of stuff.

However, since becoming a member of the website, I'm realizing how poorly prepared I am. Instead of feeling at peace, I sometimes feel overwhelmed with all the skills I need to learn and all the goods I need to get. I'm getting over this now and just accept I just need to keep chipping at it.

It's kind of funny. I'm sitting in the opposite seat to Helicopilot. Instead of feeling more anxious about all of the possible sh1t that could hit the fan, I feel pretty good about what I've done so far and for what I'm trying to do for the future. Perhaps it is self delusion. I've met a number of committed folks in my area who appear to have it all together and we are working on a network. I don't feel pressured not having all of the necessary skills as our community can pick up my shortcomings just as I can add value with my skill sets. My home is in way better shape for dealing with a number of things that could go wrong than it was a couple of years ago. I'm saving for a rainy day and feel like I'm balancing that against this world we live in today. It's been a good ride so far and I feel better off for the experience.

I'm hoping the same for all of you as well.

I've been through the whole range of emotions that have been expressed over the years. I've always been interested in having extra food around because we're self employed and I figured out a long time ago I don't like worrying where the grocery money is going to come from! When my eyes were first opened to what was happening in the world years ago I was very concerned and felt some panic at the potential for being in a really bad situation with little kids and a clueless husband (love you baby!) It was the reverse for us - I wanted to prep and he didn't. Over time he realized I wasn't crazy and is now actively involved in prepping. Good thing because I convinced him to move from the city to the country!

I think about prepping every day. I don't worry about the future every day but prepping has become a way of life. Perhaps it has morphed into homesteading and sustainability - which to me makes perfect sense and was also a life long dream. I always shop with prepping in mind. I rarely ever buy ONE of something - I buy two or more. The joke is: One for now and one for the end of the world 🙂

I remember feeling so fearful when SARS hit, or winter storms were coming and I knew we were not prepared to deal with it. Now that some of the main worries I had are taken care of (as much as is possible) I worry much less. I enjoy my life and feel like I am doing what I am supposed to do - in other words it is not a burden to prep. Some people go to movies - I plant a garden and can - just as much fun - well even more if you could understand my addiction! 🙂

I still have a long way to go. Looking back there were times I was sure the SHTF was going to happen any day but it didn't in a big way. Slow and steady wins the race. That's how you get out of debt and that how you prep without losing your mind 🙂 Just keep taking baby steps and eventually you will be where Antsy is - feeling good!

Like helicopilot, my anxiety has increased . I feel very aware of exactly how vulnerable a position I am in especially coming from being a single mother for a very long time. I don't feel at my mental/emotional healthiest much due to the anxiety and honestly, I look at other people and how they are going about life and it perplexes me to no end how thoughtless they are of the consequences of their choices . On the plus side, I am actually pretty wide eyed and stable considering my awareness and my lads are now very strong young adults gaining some independence, I have a pretty highly functional homestead and I am actively tending orchards, gardens and livestock with a focus on organic permaculture . I have gone from having few preps (bug out bags, basic camping equipment and basic first aid supplies ) to having most of the basics for a beginner and materials for other things I want to implement . This year I promised myself to focus on nonmaterial things like my health and fitness and organization since it since it seems every shelf is now full and I don't always know where to look for what . I am located wonderfully on a suburban acreage that has served me fabulously up to this point but I always feel some anxiousness that I should relocate to somewhere a bit more remote and I feel totally in my element in the coastal rainforest environment our region offers away from the main living areas. My anxiety and feeling vulnerable does make me defensive and I do not feel comfortable going to any meetups so it is a bit conflictive in my mind , I do understand the advantages of networking and community . I just don't feel I should trust much.

I have a number of thoughts on this. I find it very easy in the mainstream world to "forget" how bad things are getting. Every once in a while I will find myself saying to myself, it's really not going to get that bad. LOL. But then I give my head a shake and think of how much food prices have gone up already, how whacky the weather has been, and what would have happened if there had been another serious drought this summer. Nope, things will get bad, perhaps over time, but in my lifetime and definitely for my kids and their kids. I know I have a LONG way to go to be fully prepared, if there is such a thing, but I also know that the level of knowledge and skills I have accumulated will hold me in good stead. In a SHTF scenario, I could survive better that 99% of the rest of the population. I know what to look for, I know how to react quickly, and I have put a lot of thought into how to blend in and look like everyone else while surviving and planning to GOOD. I do need more material preps, such as good BOBs for my family, but I also have put aside some supplies and food and water. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but mostly I feel really good that I have prepared as much as I have. I just need to get my crossbow this fall and start learning how to use it as a weapon 😉

My life has changed considerably since I started "prepping" in 2008. I spent my life totally unprepared for anything. If the power went out, I sat in the dark waiting anxiously for it to come back on. no candles, no flashlights, lol. the power would come back on and I would then forget that I had told myself to get some flashlights. I never had stored food or water. I ordered in fast food a lot. I spent money foolishly. then one day I woke up to our entire city water supply contaminated. we were told not to drink it, not even to bathe or wash hair in it. and there I was, not even a jug of water in the fridge. no water. nothing. I ran out to the store but by then, all the bottled water was gone. I had a friend with a car who drove to another city to get us both water. After that disaster was cleared up, I started storing water in my apt, in empty soda bottles. It got me thinking. what about food? what about some kind of disaster that might keep trucks from bringing food to the stores? I began searching on the internet and I found that there were these people called "preppers"...and they were storing food and water and other supplies. So I began to store food and water.
Now I live much differently. I spend my money carefully. I eat more frugally, more healthily, and am losing some of my excess weight. I am walking every day now for exercise and strenghtening my body. For a while, at first, I spent a lot of time reading end-time survival websites and scaring myself half to death with the bad news. Now while I believe SHTF is coming at some point, I am not as afraid. the things I cant prepare for, I no longer worry about, I can only do what I am able to do. IN the end I must trust God to protect and keep me safe, I do what I am able to, and He does the rest.

My life has changed considerably since I started "prepping" in 2008. I spent my life totally unprepared for anything. If the power went out, I sat in the dark waiting anxiously for it to come back on. no candles, no flashlights, lol. the power would come back on and I would then forget that I had told myself to get some flashlights. I never had stored food or water. I ordered in fast food a lot. I spent money foolishly. then one day I woke up to our entire city water supply contaminated. we were told not to drink it, not even to bathe or wash hair in it. and there I was, not even a jug of water in the fridge. no water. nothing. I ran out to the store but by then, all the bottled water was gone. I had a friend with a car who drove to another city to get us both water. After that disaster was cleared up, I started storing water in my apt, in empty soda bottles. It got me thinking. what about food? what about some kind of disaster that might keep trucks from bringing food to the stores? I began searching on the internet and I found that there were these people called "preppers"...and they were storing food and water and other supplies. So I began to store food and water.
Now I live much differently. I spend my money carefully. I eat more frugally, more healthily, and am losing some of my excess weight. I am walking every day now for exercise and strenghtening my body. For a while, at first, I spent a lot of time reading end-time survival websites and scaring myself half to death with the bad news. Now while I believe SHTF is coming at some point, I am not as afraid. the things I cant prepare for, I no longer worry about, I can only do what I am able to do. IN the end I must trust God to protect and keep me safe, I do what I am able to, and He does the rest.

Ya, you gotta watch out for those end of times websites...they'll get ya every time!
One perfect example is how Niburu DID NOT come crashing into Earth on August 17th!

Congratulations Missmarple, for having the will to change lifelong habits to better your health and welfare.

thanks! I wish I could get some of my family members to be prepared but well, they are still as I was...

I'll be honest. I've made some not so smart decisions in my life. I wanted to be an illustrator, and although I achieved that, got over 7000 hours in training, self published a graphic novel on how to fight a regime nonviolently with propaganda, which was my goal, ever since I started prepping, things HAVE been different.

For one. I need more money. Before it was food, partying, drugs, and rent. Then I started saving and realized... this isn't enough for me. I realized it'd take months to create a full on bugout bag.

And two. And this is a huge one... My family has inherited a 25 acre farm of field, forest and wetlands. They pretty much tried to establish me there, to the dismay of others. I was a labourer for years, so i could've easily handled it. I said no, I want to be an illustrator.

Now that I'm older I'm kicking myself. It was the chance of a lifetime, all I had to do was find a trade or career that woulda helped me afford it. I don't even know what to say. This place not only woulda been a great bug in location, but homesteading galore, I'm talking everything, wheat, corn, vegetables, fruit, honey, maple syrup, chickens, and maybe even some cows. A tractor.

Lately I've been thinking of leaving the city forever. Finding a fortune out west doing something god awful, oil or even worse, railroading, just so I'd be able to afford to live there. Would I want to abandon my social life in order to full fill the chance of a lifetime, to have a property bigger, better more beautiful and more free then of anyone I know? To be the last bastion of hope in the worst of worst situations. More so, my grandfather woulda been so proud if I had decided to live there.

I wish I was smarter when I was younger. Thinking about the future and stuff.

You have to stop kicking yourself for past decisions. Yeah, true it would have been nice to have that piece of land (given what you know now), but had you gotten it back then, you may not have lived the other life experiences (good or bad) which have made you the person you are today. Sometimes things happen for a reason. P.S. I'll bet your grandfather is/was still proud of you (you are your own person).