I did not know I was a prepper until I found this place.

The storage of food, canning etc is due to being raised that way. I also have done the food, and goods storage because of costs. For example if the runners I liked were on sale for a very good price I would buy 3 or 4 pairs. Lol

I have always been worried about running out of something or the "what if" things. I have been having dreams since I was a kid about TSHF. When I saw the movie "The Panic Room", I realized that there was more to my dreams then I knew. I had no idea that there was such a thing as a panic room. Those dreams have been my driving force my whole life.

I'm prepping for huge inflation driven by the currency collapse.
I don't think there will be a collapse of society, no roving bands, no lawlessness. Tougher times for sure, maybe some supply disruptions but not to the point where anyone will have to break out the shootin' irons.
Just much more expensive food, energy and manufactured goods.
People will die when they can't afford nutritious food or winter heat because they will choose to stay a slave to the system that delivers it.

I'll supply as much as I can for myself thanks.

I've got to agree with Perfesser (the reasons outlined above have been my main reasons for prepping) - I'm hoping that it won't get any worse than that...but, we'll see! Not taking any chances though and working on other aspects (just in case) - I'd rather have the skills and not need them, than be at a disadvantage and need skills that I didn't bother learning!

I've been a Prepper for as long as I can remember.....my food storage, etc came in handy a few years ago when we had a personal SHTF crisis (terminal disease/death) and had to depend on our storage/savings. Now I've been slowly rebuilding my Preps, singlehandedly.....
I was grateful that I had my preps to depend on when I was unable to 'shop', have a full garden, etc. It's more challenging now, to rebuild my supplies, on only my meager income but it's moving forward all the time. And I'm continuing to learn new skills......like yesterday when I fixed the shower....
So I guess, I've really experienced the SHTF in the worst personal way a few years ago.....but I believe that we are in for an Economic SHTF....well, in fact, I'm already experiencing it.......with all the price increases and income 'frozen'. I'm sure it'll get worse, too, so I'm making my way towards self-reliance: paying off mortgage by next year, pay off credit card every month (I only use it for the points=free stuff), save as much as possible (not as much these days), increase firewood supply, increase food supply, garden,.....etc,etc.
I'm doubting that there's going to be a catastrophic TEOTWAWKI event like a meteorite and if there is....oh well, I guess it'll be my time....but for anything else, I want to be prepared.

I'm sorry for your loss PrepHer.

Thank you susannah755.

Interesting. I love diversity. Are any of you posting vids on youtube like 90% of the people in the states...?

Just the way the weather has been going, is reason enough. Climate change, solar maximum, economic collapse of most western nations, homeland militarization. Do people need GOD, to tap them on the shoulder and say you had better start prepping, like he did to Noah. Now there was the ultimate prepper.

Yes, very good point, i have to agree. Pretty screwed up and unreliable/stable times we live in.

Prepping to be "resilient," like a generalist plant/animal, to be able to handle adverse situations both expected and unexpected, to have options (skills, tools, stockpiles of consumables).

I am concerned about everything from slow to fast economic collapse scenarios, to world wars (that could go EMP or fully Nuclear), to solar flares, to some other types of natural disasters (pole shifts, climate change, etc etc), to peak oil...

Also for me "prepping" also just involves doing things I would like to do anyways regardless of my concerns. I.e. hunting, foraging, gardening, practicing "bugging out" by going on hiking, canoeing, cycling trips.

People, visit this site, it has all the information that we preppers have been talking about. It is NOT just about Solar storms and CME's it about survival after a major collapse. Even if it is old news to most of us, it is essential for all of us to review what we know, in order to keep it fresh in our minds. As I have found when I was instructing in the military, "teaching is refreshing, what the teacher thought they knew".

http://www.solarstormwarning.com/

My motivation was a series of events that made me realize I needed to be better prepared.

I grew up (for the most part) on a farm and took for granted that we had food, we bartered and we lived cheap. Once out on my own, I struggled because I failed to plan properly. I am a Mom of 3 and I am responsible for these guys regardless of age. I have been through ice storms, power outages, personal crisis (death of a child, brutal divorce, death of parent, starting over) more than once and each time my preps are better and better than they were the last time the SHTF in our world. Now, I wish I could say with 100% confidence that "YUP I am ready!" but I am not but, I know I am a hell of alot more prepared than most people I know.

I have had to use my entire stock up and had to start over (it is an awful feeling), I have lost sleep counting canned food in my head some nights. It became an obsession for me and now I have to step back and think "OK No need for things to go to waste... what do you NEED Iz?? What HAS to happen now? The rest has to wait pick 3 things for now and then do the rest later" or I go bonkers and buy too much of something and have no place or use for it immediately all because it was on sale or I had a coupon or my inner wingnut has decided that we need 300 cans of black eyed peas JIC. (and yes I do talk to myself out loud... it is a part of my charm LOL)
My kids will hopefully never ever have to worry about not having a meal again, I work hard and efficiently to make my stock work out for us and have organized it so that we can even live on a meal plan if and when the SHTF again.
We do drills JIC (I am expecting a brutal and vicious summer storm season) we also talk about/practice that if we had 15 minutes to leave what would we take? (we have a quick list and a bit longer list) How would we get out of here? We have it down to 6 minutes til we are in the car and then about 7 more til the city limits and that is hitting one traffic light, 8 stop signs until country back roads and we have traveled those enough that we are confident we could get through with little to no resistance. Reaction time if we have to go is key. I just wish I had a bigger vehicle.
So, I guess the motivation is basically how badly do we want to survive? How badly do I NOT want my kiddos to ever suffer again? I never want to see that look on their faces that the cupboards are empty ever again. I do not want to see the disappointment. It is a family thing now. We work on it together as much as we can to make it happen.

Sorry to hear all that you went through.

Mamaizzy, I know of a couple of people who didn't go through half as much and they broke. Good on you, you have iron in you.