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Knuckle Head, in another thread, suggested the following:
So... how did you convert your spouse/family member/partner/whatever to become a prepper?
I'm not sure my wife is a "prepper" yet, but she puts up with it & lets me use household money to improve our supplies. I've gradually moved her in this direction - here's how I did it (in theory):
1) I was into "prepping" before we even met: not hard-core prepping, but 3-day disaster prep type of stuff. We met shortly before Y2K and I started getting supplies ready "just in case" - nothing fancy, and not as comprehensive as I am today, but I set the tone early in our relationship to prepare for disasters - natural and man-made. So, later additions to our disaster supply kit - MRE's, Water Storage, #10 cans, etc., weren't frowned upon.
1a) This goes for firearms too: she knew I was into firearms before we got married, so additions to my "armory" for prep purposes weren't necessarily frowned upon; just an expansion of my existing hobby.
2) Use current events to make your point: never let a disaster go to waste - every time something happens somewhere in the world, use it as an object lesson on what you don't want to happen. Katrina? Law-and-order breaks down, so what would we do in that situation? Nisqually Earthquake? What if things got really bad & we didn't have help for more than three days? Ice Storm? What if power was out all week & we couldn't get out of the house because of the storm? All of these conversations lead to: what can we do to improve our odds in X situation, and then some kind of purchase to increase our supplies.
3) Changing Mindset: this has been the hardest part for me. She's been "ok" with stockpiling various items that may be used for disasters, but getting her to fundamentally change her attitude is a work in progress. For example, keeping the gas tank full - she's getting much better with that, but still isn't as religious about this as I'd like. Our friend was out of gas after the Nisqually Earthquake & had a hard time getting any because gas stations were ka-put or didn't take credit cards; she barely made it home. I keep reminding my wife about this, and it's slowing sinking in... but, it's a work in progress. The use of firearms? I have no idea where she'll land on this. She's actually a pretty good shot - bought her a G19 because she shot it so well. However, would she pull the trigger on someone in a time of need? Hard to say - fight or flight, I'd guess that she'd choose "flight".
So...that's where we are in my family. We have probably 70+ days worth of food, an ample supply of guns/ammo/useful-tools, and some recognition that we're on our own in a bad event. This, coming from maybe 3-days worth of food and a few firearms ten years ago. Still have a ways to go, but not bad progress.
Hopefully some of those who have converted their spouse over to a prepper can help, maybe you should a new thread asking how to convert or convince your spouse,
So... how did you convert your spouse/family member/partner/whatever to become a prepper?
I'm not sure my wife is a "prepper" yet, but she puts up with it & lets me use household money to improve our supplies. I've gradually moved her in this direction - here's how I did it (in theory):
1) I was into "prepping" before we even met: not hard-core prepping, but 3-day disaster prep type of stuff. We met shortly before Y2K and I started getting supplies ready "just in case" - nothing fancy, and not as comprehensive as I am today, but I set the tone early in our relationship to prepare for disasters - natural and man-made. So, later additions to our disaster supply kit - MRE's, Water Storage, #10 cans, etc., weren't frowned upon.
1a) This goes for firearms too: she knew I was into firearms before we got married, so additions to my "armory" for prep purposes weren't necessarily frowned upon; just an expansion of my existing hobby.
2) Use current events to make your point: never let a disaster go to waste - every time something happens somewhere in the world, use it as an object lesson on what you don't want to happen. Katrina? Law-and-order breaks down, so what would we do in that situation? Nisqually Earthquake? What if things got really bad & we didn't have help for more than three days? Ice Storm? What if power was out all week & we couldn't get out of the house because of the storm? All of these conversations lead to: what can we do to improve our odds in X situation, and then some kind of purchase to increase our supplies.
3) Changing Mindset: this has been the hardest part for me. She's been "ok" with stockpiling various items that may be used for disasters, but getting her to fundamentally change her attitude is a work in progress. For example, keeping the gas tank full - she's getting much better with that, but still isn't as religious about this as I'd like. Our friend was out of gas after the Nisqually Earthquake & had a hard time getting any because gas stations were ka-put or didn't take credit cards; she barely made it home. I keep reminding my wife about this, and it's slowing sinking in... but, it's a work in progress. The use of firearms? I have no idea where she'll land on this. She's actually a pretty good shot - bought her a G19 because she shot it so well. However, would she pull the trigger on someone in a time of need? Hard to say - fight or flight, I'd guess that she'd choose "flight".
So...that's where we are in my family. We have probably 70+ days worth of food, an ample supply of guns/ammo/useful-tools, and some recognition that we're on our own in a bad event. This, coming from maybe 3-days worth of food and a few firearms ten years ago. Still have a ways to go, but not bad progress.