Reason with me about downsizing more

[Bushman]

I didn't want to post this in prepping to avoid the bias of preppers who say, keep it all. I became a hoarder over the years. Last move I used a 26 foot moving truck AND made 30+ trips in my car loaded with stuff. Examples of things I overdid? I bought 25 camo hunting jackets because I got a killer deal on. I've since gotten rid of 40 boxes of stuff, sold most of it and got 12K out of it. The rest was donated it it was not worth selling.
I still have another 40+ boxes of stuff that is excessive set aside in a room to get rid of. I've basically gotten rid of about a 10 foot moving truck worth of stuff stacked to the ceiling, if not more....I'm now down to my core preps. Knives, food, tactical, magazines, etc. I even sold 10K of premium JHP ammo, keeping only a few cases for myself.

I don't need 500 Pmags and 500 pistol mags. I'm debating selling some off. Also same with food. I have 150 lbs of rice and same for beans, plus 100 cans of spam and chicken and 200 lbs of pancake mix. Salt, pasta, you name it.
It has been LIBERATING to look at a decluttered house and not dread the chore of moving so much. I feel more mobile. Moving won't be an all day chore anymore with a friend. I think I can get it done with a 15 foot moving truck next time. I can also find things easier.

What is a reasonable amount of spare mags, food, etc. to keep on hand? I ask because I lived through the AWB that expired in 2004. I remember paying $100 for used Glock mags. Once they hit $15 I bought in bulk...but here I am nearly 2 decades later and I'm still using the same three mags for my EDC. Good to have spares, but not when you have 10 boxes of them to move...
Tell me what is reasonable prepping. What should I get rid of? How much of my food should I keep? How many months worth?
Example of my hoarding: I have over 200 knives..100 of them fixed blades like the Cold Steel Bushman.

Prepping has been my hobby since I was 14. I got myself into it. But I think it has become an all consuming obsession that has taken over my life. It has begun to dictate how big of a house I need, how I move, etc. I post this because although I'm glad I've gotten rid of what I've gotten rid of to date, I stopped to look at more stuff in my house today to go through and thought, ok, I've gone through a lot already. Moving is much easier now and it could be even easier if I get rid of another 30 boxes of stuff like knives, mags, food, etc. But then I thought to myself...I move once every couple years (I own but I'm a nomad) and it's a one day task with a friend to move. Realistically it's usually taken me 2 hours to load and 2 hours to unload. Am I getting rid of TOO much stuff by downsizing more just to make moving easier? It's not ENTIRELY about moving, but that's the majority of it. Part of it is also about just living more simply and practically.

I will also add to that so far it has been LIBERATING. You have no idea. I look at my house now and I feel like moving is more manageable. Life is simpler. I just have one room left to go through and downsize and at that point, moving might take me an hour to load a moving truck.

When I was 28, I was a prepper but it literally took me only 6 truck loads in my pickup truck to move. Live was SUPER simple. But there is a point where too simple is also not good. I think there has to be a balance. I want to remain a prepper, but more practical.

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[bigbearbear]

To start with, here's my recommendation: Wait for Spring because weather is better and we tend to do more stuff. Then for a month, keep track of every thing you've used. Mark those down. Everything else is a candidate for selling.

Glock magazines are very popular so you can easily sell those and keep 10 or so for yourself. Heck, I don't own a Glock (yet) but have bought Glock magazines (long story, something to do with freedom week in California when standard cap mag ban was lifted).

The no. of magazine you should keep largely depends on the amount of shooting you do. Glock magazines are typically very reliable so I think 10 will last you a very long time even if you shoot regularly. So maybe even make it standard for yourself, just keep 10 of all type of magazines and sell the rest.

200 knives is a bit of a problem....maybe again keep 10 of those and sell the rest?

Food is more of an issue because they are perishable. I'll say keep a month's supply and stick with a rotation. So start drawing down your rice/spam/cake mix supply. Or if they're close to expiration, you can donate those.

 

[L84Cabo]

I understand the desire to downsize and live more simply. And nothing will reinforce this and the notion of, "you can't take it with you," as having to clean out a loved one's home after they pass (if you have ever had to do that).

With that said, my answer today is a whole lot different than the answer I would have given you a year ago. Life under pandemic living and seeing the state that our government is in has changed my opinions on things. I very much see a large scale civil unrest situation as being very possible over the next several years.

For food, my goal would be to have a minimum of a year's supply on hand for everyone I was taking care of. And I don't think there is any such thing as having too much food.

For weapons, mags and such, I would want enough to outfit my tribe with backups in case anything fails, gets lost, etc. And it will. I'd want enough supplies to keep those weapons running indefinitely. I would also want to have a reserve for outfitting a few others.

I would also keep a sharp eye towards things that could be used as currency to barter and trade with. While you probably don't need 500 PMags, those could be very valuable to barter with for other supplies.

Keep in mind that moving...at least relatively locally...isn't a huge deal. I mean it sucks and we all hate it. But the cost of the next size up U-Haul isn't that much and for a few hundred bucks you can hire a couple guys to help you load and unload the truck. You can hire these guys directly from U-Haul's site.

And if I knew I was going to be moving every couple of years, I would structure/pack things with that in mind. For example, there's no need to unpack 500 P-Mags. Those can sit in quality storage containers indefinitely until they're needed. When it's time to move, just grab your hand-truck and wheel them onto the truck.

 

[albin25]

Simplifying/downsizing requires you and those you directly care for, to sit down together to determine your NEEDS and WANTS.
Fill your NEEDS first,
and
Then, if you have the time/money/room then take care of your WANTS.

Even if you never completely follow through, It's a good family mental exercise and at least it can help everyone mentally prepare.
eg...To teen daughter,
"No, you don't need high heels, just sturdy boots and lots of cotton/wool socks and NO! Your makeup ISN"T essential."

Hey...I got an idea.... Does anybody want to market a PREP-OPOLY game?
Could be a fun way to get the family thinking, y'know, "pass GO and collect 200 canned goods" and CHANCE, "you broke a bone so pay the doctor 200 9mm". Instead of paper money you get a basic supply of food and supplies to use/trade. Instead of real estate you acquire skills/supplies/shelter.

 

[frank linkh]

Had a friend years ago that had a brain defeck. She never had enough of whatever she had. Hoarder, clutter queen. Just like the tv show. True statement: crazy in the head, crazy in the bed.

 

[Bushman]

I understand the desire to downsize and live more simply. And nothing will reinforce this and the notion of, "you can't take it with you," as having to clean out a loved one's home after they pass (if you have ever had to do that).

With that said, my answer today is a whole lot different than the answer I would have given you a year ago. Life under pandemic living and seeing the state that our government is in has changed my opinions on things. I very much see a large scale civil unrest situation as being very possible over the next several years.

For food, my goal would be to have a minimum of a year's supply on hand for everyone I was taking care of. And I don't think there is any such thing as having too much food.

For weapons, mags and such, I would want enough to outfit my tribe with backups in case anything fails, gets lost, etc. And it will. I'd want enough supplies to keep those weapons running indefinitely. I would also want to have a reserve for outfitting a few others.

I would also keep a sharp eye towards things that could be used as currency to barter and trade with. While you probably don't need 500 PMags, those could be very valuable to barter with for other supplies.

Keep in mind that moving...at least relatively locally...isn't a huge deal. I mean it sucks and we all hate it. But the cost of the next size up U-Haul isn't that much and for a few hundred bucks you can hire a couple guys to help you load and unload the truck. You can hire these guys directly from U-Haul's site.

And if I knew I was going to be moving every couple of years, I would structure/pack things with that in mind. For example, there's no need to unpack 500 P-Mags. Those can sit in quality storage containers indefinitely until they're needed. When it's time to move, just grab your hand-truck and wheel them onto the truck.

It does all stay packed. It's just a lot to move. As is though, my friend and I did an assessment last night and determined I got rid of A LOT of stuff. If I now got rid of some of my prepps, even half of them (but especially all of them) it would be nothing to move. An hour at best to load. Bugging in with your supplies is always first and best, but if you have to bug out, leaving most of your supplies behind because you can't haul them all away so they stay to get burned to the ground or looted.

Sometimes the best strategy is to be mobile..Anyways, I've decided to downsize my preps a lot and keep the momentum going. As it is now, I'm no longer a hoarder with the rest of my stuff. It's much more minimalist and like I said, if it wasn't for preps, my moves would be very simple now. And as I noted, I already had the thought that moving is a once every 2 year one day event, so not a big deal or worth it to get rid of everything just to make that one day easy. But at the same time, I've found living more simply VERY liberating and I'm going to keep downsizing more, in the one area that is still in need of more downsizing: preps.

 

[Member 5605]

My motto: sell while there is still cash in the marketplace.

If I can make a few $$ selling what I don't really need, it's gone.


Hoarding and prepping are different.