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22 Comments

  1. A very good point indeed. My calculations have always balanced cost, storage space, portability and severity of the potential threats. To save a lot of time and space, I landed with 90 days meaning an absolute 90-day, no-other-supplies, don’t leave your secured ground 90 day lockdown. Think about it. This would be something more severe than a fast-moving pandemic and more severe than any kind of storm or even local disruption has occurred. Anything that exceeds a 90-day lockdown is a truly severe occurrence and there is simply no planning for anything that severe. If it is local, you need to leave, hence the portability factor.

    I know some scenarios like social unrest or the “slow apocalypse” can last longer than 90 days. In those situations, food and some supplies will be intermittently available, perhaps at some risk. This will stretch the stores longer and possibly much longer. It’s all a judgment call based on your situation and your perceived risk.

  2. Man, are you thoughtfully writing for a time we are in. One – God is in this time as much as any. And the good or happiness or joy we have is always a choice to do with what we are given. Because life is a gift.
    Your analogy of focusing is beautiful and as a man I’m guilty. We are called to envision the direction our family needs and lead by example. However, being too much a Martha and not enough of a Mary doesn’t lend itself to appreciating the beauty of relationships. Our Creator and our family both desire us to cultivate this skill. Hand well played ~ Aces & Eights.

    1. G.W.D., i agre with you and CORD7.

      First, I so appreciate this from the article: Rather than it being an opportunity to “be right”, it’s better for it to be a time to discuss honestly about the gaps in our preps so we can all work towards filling those gaps, whether it be through simple hard work or seeking alternatives.

      I’m wondering how you came to that realization about the shallowness of “being right”. We men certainly have been taught to hang our hat on “being right” as a way of being.

      The CORD7, you advise balance: However, being too much a Martha and not enough of a Mary doesn’t lend itself to appreciating the beauty of relationships.

      I am grateful to have the wisdom you both bring into my mornng.

      Carry on, in grace

  3. Excellent points, since successful prepping is not just about the THINGS we accumulate, but our day-to-day BEHAVIORS and THOUGHTS. Thanks for keeping our sights on the right horizon.

  5. Hey G.W.D. great article. By far, the most wisdom packed into the fewest words I’ve seen in a long time.

    On “organizing,” the best thing I’ve done for myself in this category in years was a Swedish Death Cleaning last summer, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. We have SO much useless clutter in our lives. I basically went through everything I own while thinking, “When I’m dead, what will my kids do with this?” A ton of stuff went to Goodwill. Anything that I was going to give to my kids/grandkids I gave to them on their next visit or got boxed up and sent to them. A lot of stuff went into the burn pile. It was very liberating and opened up more storage space for useful things like food and my beekeeping supplies that need to be kept in the house and not in a shed. And there’s a whole lot less junk to look through when I’m trying to find something now.

    I too have enough yard and garden tools for three homesteads, but those are going to be needed if the SHTF so they are stored in the garden shed in the “extras” section.

    I love your grandma’s philosophy, “Happiness is a decision,” and I’ve noticed having a cat or a dog makes the decision easier. 🙂

    1. St Funogas,

      Swedish Death Cleaning! Love It!
      I’m totally gonna do this. Now if I could just get hubby on board.

      Maybe he will come around when he sees me start purging.

      I’ve actually started doing some of this at mom and dads but I have to be careful, they are in their 80’s so I do it a little at a time so they don’t think I’m cleaning them out.
      I did find three older pistols in dads dresser drawer. I have to figure out what they are as they will be mine sometime in the not so distant future.
      I’m excited about researching these. Who knows, maybe they are real gems as Dad was a top competitive shooter in the 60’s & 70’s (Retired Police after 35 years of service).

      Take care and have a Rockin great day

      1. RKRGRL68, since I have become quite fond of you, I offer unsolicited advice.

        I strongly encourage you to practice OPSEC very stringently regarding the firearms.

        They are the item most likely to lead to a violent burglery. Even telling one person easily leads to a casual comment leading to an exagerrated story leading to a painful outcome. Also, unless you have a trustworthy gunsafe, store them dismantled, with parts in separate places. Make them useless to a thief.

        Carry on, in grace

        1. Once a Marine,

          I’m always receptive to the advice that you offer me as I have a great deal of respect for you!!

          I’m taking your advice and I will be moving these items to my secure safe at my home and at some point I will see what I have
          I’m the only person that knows about these. My husband doesn’t even know of them. The reason for this is as you described above. these items are something that belong to my father and they are not in a secure setting right now and that concerns me. With dad having memory & sometimes mobility issues it’s not safe for him to be around them unsecured so your advice is actually prudent.
          In our state you also are required to have a valid FOID card. Dad hasn’t renewed his in a few years but I have a valid card.

          Thank you for always thinking of me, I appreciate your friendship. I love reading your posts, the thoughts you have always make me stop and ponder in ways that I didn’t consider

          Have a Rockin great day

          1. Thanks for your kind words, RKRGRL68.

            Please be aware the although your husband doesn’t know, anybody who reads this blog does. And yes, even as I count on our being able to maintain a certain anonymity through this site, I assume very little. At the same time, you may note as Lily and JWR do, I never say what state I live in or offer any details that could give someone who means harm a clue. Perhaps I am over cautious. I’ll live with that.

            Carry on, in grace

  6. Thank you. Your words and comparison to Zero have helped me to step back and examine the whole kit and kaboodle along with some things I’ve been neglecting. Even though 4/5ths of my kids are off in distant locations, they are not alone. Just the same, I have a new opportunity to talk to them about topics previously untouched.

  7. I appreciate the “balanced” approach. It seems often hard to hit the middle ground when endeavoring to be prepared. Also since my husband loves guns I appreciated the gun references. As a side note, I can’t see how we can escape great inflation in the next few months since we’re busy printing all this empty money. So, if you’re at all able to, start getting extra of your basic items. Meat will probably be an issue , so you have a freezer you might consider getting more now. The more you can get now then the more room you’ll have in purchasing future items since prices are very likely to increase. Also, if you’re able to pressure can getting markdown meat ( you can usually find it at the meat department early in the morning,It just looks a little darker )canning it will come in handy .

  8. Thank you, GWD! This was an entirely delightful article with tremendous wisdom and perspective. We enjoyed it thoroughly start to finish!

    Life is a gift. In the good times. In the harder times. Life is a gift, and we are so very blessed for it. On our homestead, we are using this time also for much of what you’ve described… We continue to deepen our relationships with one another, and with God. We’re assessing and reassessing our supplies, and back-filling those in so far as this is safely possible. We’re engaged in spring cleaning and organizing. We’re problem solving along the way as we work through projects including maintenance, repairs, and improvements. We are living in the present while also keeping an eye to the future — understanding that life is both fragile and sturdy, and time is both long and short.

    Remain steady. Be safe. Stay well everyone!

    1. Telesilla, you have contributed your own wisdom: We are living in the present while also keeping an eye to the future — understanding that life is both fragile and sturdy, and time is both long and short.

      I often enjoy your posts.

      Carry on, in grace

  9. Dear GWD/How to Zero Your Preps –

    I read your article this morning over coffee. I read it again slowly. I read it again. I shared it with my husband and then the rest of our family.

    We cannot thank you enough for your article (and this terrific venue it is posted on). What a beautiful thoughtful engaging challenging reflective assembly of words with a message.

    T.R. and family

  10. Fabulous! I was just pondering some of these very issues last night so I’m amazed at the timeliness of this article.

    PS: Congratulations on having a daughter at Hillsdale! Most excellent!

  12. What a great article. Thank you for taking the time to write it. “happiness is just a decision”. Great stuff.

    Hope you will follow up with other articles.

    Cheers

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