Wife on board.....

[Jessica Ann]

I love pineapple i don't like it bought from the store but when I make it I can eat a whole dehydrated pineapple.We also love fruit roll ups.I use it to dry peppers & spices also.The only things I'm not big on are banana chips & apples.

 

[AimoL]

The first fruit I did was bananas and apples. They were ok but I will try them again another time. I love banana chips. I did onions and bell peppers too I think next time I do those I will put the dehydrator outside lol

 

[sjeanine]

I only have one way that I can think of. It's to close them on the idea with logic. Just as we all know history repeats itself, we know that we will see natural disasters and civil unrest amongst other things. Look at every "Republic" or "Democracy" in history, also. They "Spread the wealth", doling out as much as they can to as many as they can until there is nothing left to give. They quickly transform into a dictatorship. It's just a matter og studying history.

If you show your loved ones the facts, they will almost assuredly see the light. Certain things that sound far fetched are hard to grasp for most folks. Some things, like terrorism, or riots(In places that have seen them in recent history) are easy to convince people to prepare. Really, it's not so much convincing as it is explaining. Again, if you tell someone somehting that sounds kooky, they will likely think you're a kook. If you show someone logically that there are legitimate reasons that will show them they need to prepare for "Doomsday", then they are likely to hop on board..... YMMV

Hah! I've tried all of the above suggestions on my husband and he still thinks nothing will ever happen and seems to think I'm just nuts for wanting to do any prepping of any kind. He's always been the type who just waits until it happens before deciding to make a move....wish I'd have known that before marrying him cuz we are always in debt since he doesnt follow a budget and lives from day to day....trusts the banks to make sure his account is okay...ugh! I cant tell you how many times we've been in the red!! I havent worked since our son was born almost 14 years ago so...I'm basically on my own here...trying to care for and prepare for a disaster....((((sigh))))

 

[Kriptic]

Hah! I've tried all of the above suggestions on my husband and he still thinks nothing will ever happen and seems to think I'm just nuts for wanting to do any prepping of any kind. He's always been the type who just waits until it happens before deciding to make a move....wish I'd have known that before marrying him cuz we are always in debt since he doesnt follow a budget and lives from day to day....trusts the banks to make sure his account is okay...ugh! I cant tell you how many times we've been in the red!! I havent worked since our son was born almost 14 years ago so...I'm basically on my own here...trying to care for and prepare for a disaster....((((sigh))))

Tough call, if your fairly certain theres no way to get him on board for prepping, theres really only 2 options. Don't prep until you get him on board or prep without him. I'm not sure what the dynamic is in your marriage but my wife has her hobbies and I have mine of which the other has zero interest. But thats ok, we are not clones of each other. Sounds like you really want to prep...so prep. Tell him its important to you and hopefully he'll respect that.

And it doesn't have to be expensive. Few extra items of food for prep each trip to the grocery store and check the clearance sales online and in the box stores and you can have a bug out bag set up for pretty cheap. One of the most important things is knowledge. The gear is great but educate yourself (and your son if he's down). There are TONS of videos online dealing with just about every aspect of prepping and survival....and its free.

Not to mention this site. Ask just about anything and someone will be able to answer it for you, or at least point you in the right direction.

Hope that helped ... maybe a little bit

 

[old_anorak]

Jessica Ann, we like dried apples, but I don't do them in the dehydrator. I do them the old way like my Gran did. Leave the peel on, core, an slice sort of thin. String them up with cotton thread and hang behind the woodstove. Nice, soft and chewy. Good for dried apple pies as well.

 

[RV-Kitty]

I work at a grocery store and last month, we had an additonal 20 % off on our own brands ( I normally get a 10% discount). I told hubby I was stocking up. . .and we did. I asked him flat out if he thought I was crazy, he said no or I wouldn't allow it. So now I know he is on board. I don't do it because I think the world is going to end, we have decided to do this as a lifestlye change. We want to be self-suffecient. Hopefully soon, we will be able to forgo the supermarket for most if not all food items. It is nice to have our own "grocery store" here at home. From the talk today, milk is just 1 of the items that will double in price in the near future.

Do you have the land and knowledge to become self-sufficient? Make sure you learn to can what you grow safely. Freezers wont work if and when the SHTF. Get the biggest canner you can find and start buying jar and lids when they're on sale or you have coupons. Start looking for woodstoves suitable for cooking and canning. The chimney must be installed correctly and cleaned out yearly to prevent a fire. Drying food is chancy as mold loves dried veggies and meats.

 

[RV-Kitty]

We bought a large outdoor freezer and we have not paid full price on meats for years. It is so stocked that we can buy whatever is 1/2 off or on sale.

You may want to learn how to can meat since there will likely be no power if the SHTF.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Healthier foods and fresh water,why wouldn't you want that?

Where would you find these things if the SHTF? Are you stocking up on seeds and knowledge of gardening? Of all the different vegetables you plan to grow? Are you stocking up on fertilizer for your garden? Do you have a canner and hundreds of jars and lids stored? Do you have your own well for clean water, for yourself and your garden? Has your well water been tested? Just a few things to think about.......

 

[RV-Kitty]

I found my husband filling up some 55 gallon drums today with water and he started talking about buying some meat rabbits. I would say he is on board now. So looks like tomorrow I will go pick up a few rabbits.

Pick up rabbit pellets and straw the day you get them. And make sure the hutches are easy to clean and LARGE enough. Each doe and buck needs it's own hutch. There must be a nest area filled with straw and an outside area protected from sun, rain and snow with a mesh bottom. Most people try to raise them in small or unsuitable pens and it doesn't work out. Or try to feed them on garden waste and kill them with diarrhea. It must be a protected area also as they will attract many predators that will easily rip up poorly made hutches for a rabbit dinner. Even better made hutches have been torn up by dogs and coyotes.

 

[old_anorak]

Pick up rabbit pellets and straw the day you get them. And make sure the hutches are easy to clean and LARGE enough. Each doe and buck needs it's own hutch. There must be a nest area filled with straw and an outside area protected from sun, rain and snow with a mesh bottom. Most people try to raise them in small or unsuitable pens and it doesn't work out. Or try to feed them on garden waste and kill them with diarrhea. It must be a protected area also as they will attract many predators that will easily rip up poorly made hutches for a rabbit dinner. Even better made hutches have been torn up by dogs and coyotes.

Our hutches are inside the chicken runs which are inside the backyard fence patrolled by the dogs. Dogs haven't bothered anything, been trained not. They do keep other varmints on the run. The gardens are in the same backyard and fenced as well.

[Where would you find these things if the SHTF? Are you stocking up on seeds and knowledge of gardening? Of all the different vegetables you plan to grow? Are you stocking up on fertilizer for your garden? Do you have a canner and hundreds of jars and lids stored? Do you have your own well for clean water, for yourself and your garden? Has your well water been tested? Just a few things to think about....... /QUOTE]

Got it covered here in MO.

Do you have the land and knowledge to become self-sufficient? Make sure you learn to can what you grow safely. Freezers wont work if and when the SHTF. Get the biggest canner you can find and start buying jar and lids when they're on sale or you have coupons. Start looking for woodstoves suitable for cooking and canning. The chimney must be installed correctly and cleaned out yearly to prevent a fire. Drying food is chancy as mold loves dried veggies and meats.

Yes we do. Grew up doing this.

 

[Danil54grl]

Do you have the land and knowledge to become self-sufficient? Make sure you learn to can what you grow safely. Freezers wont work if and when the SHTF. Get the biggest canner you can find and start buying jar and lids when they're on sale or you have coupons. Start looking for woodstoves suitable for cooking and canning. The chimney must be installed correctly and cleaned out yearly to prevent a fire. Drying food is chancy as mold loves dried veggies and meats.

I have been canning and drying for years now.

 

[Danil54grl]

I have been canning and drying for years now.

and yes we have the land.

 

[jeepgirl]

Prepping almost seems like introducing a new religion into someone's life...like above stated, each person is different when they reach that point. Although I'm a woman and grew up with a prepper grandfather, I found it hard to introduce this subject to a partner and friends. My advice for telling a woman is don't sound like a lunatic..baby steps! All of this is hard to process and the idea of losing everything you have just to live out of a bag isn't what we want to hear. I just found a website called www.survivalmom.com. It's not dark and scary, no zombies and it reads well to women. I highly recommend it. Also, I would say that come from the idea of protecting yourself against natural disaster's. We were in the Hurricane Sandy and our entire town was flooded....it woke a lot of people up!

 

[old_anorak]

Yeah, you get the 'We'll take care of you, little lady' look. Just makes you want to slap them with a dried fish. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out in the morning.

 

[Jessica Ann]

Where would you find these things if the SHTF? Are you stocking up on seeds and knowledge of gardening? Of all the different vegetables you plan to grow? Are you stocking up on fertilizer for your garden? Do you have a canner and hundreds of jars and lids stored? Do you have your own well for clean water, for yourself and your garden? Has your well water been tested? Just a few things to think about.......

Been gardening my whole life although there are always things to learn.Not all foods have to be canned especially if you have a root cellar and corn can be dried and rehydrated.my fertilizer comes from compost and yes I do have a well,a hand dug one.I have switched my seeds to almost entirely heirloom so I can save seeds each year.

 

[tcar999]

Tell her not to worry about us from california, our state government doesn't allow us to think for ourselves.

I hear ya... and the idiots keep electing more idiots!

 

[Trapper]

My wife has been on board with prepping from the very start. We both come from a country background. We both had gardens and our parents canned. Our family's also hunt. Prepping is just an extension of what we already do. We just made a plan of what we wanted put away and began filling the list. Im glad I dont have to try to convince her to prep, she can be stubborn when she wants to. As far as guns and ammo, she likes to shoot and hunt. She leaves that area up to me to keep prepared. She has bought me some nice guns over the years though too!

 

[Danil54grl]

My wife has been on board with prepping from the very start. We both come from a country background. We both had gardens and our parents canned. Our family's also hunt. Prepping is just an extension of what we already do. We just made a plan of what we wanted put away and began filling the list. Im glad I dont have to try to convince her to prep, she can be stubborn when she wants to. As far as guns and ammo, she likes to shoot and hunt. She leaves that area up to me to keep prepared. She has bought me some nice guns over the years though too!

Trapper, you and your wife are very fortunate to come from that kind of lifestyle. Not all here can say that. You were blessed with that knowledge growing up and it is just your lifestyle which is awesome.

 

[Trapper]

We spent most of today putting out maple tree taps. The snow is deep, up to your butt in some places. My wife put on the snowshoes and blazed a trail so I would not sink in as far. It was easier to wear the snow shoes than go without so I let her take them. We put in about 60 taps. Now how many wives would go out and help with that kind of work??

 

[Danil54grl]

We spent most of today putting out maple tree taps. The snow is deep, up to your butt in some places. My wife put on the snowshoes and blazed a trail so I would not sink in as far. It was easier to wear the snow shoes than go without so I let her take them. We put in about 60 taps. Now how many wives would go out and help with that kind of work??

When a woman loves her man, she will do and help support as much as she can.