I'm a homesteader/prepper ask me anything

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ftheog
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The thread explores the lifestyle and perspectives of homesteaders and preppers, focusing on their motivations, practices, and community interactions. Participants discuss various aspects of prepping, including budgeting, skills, and the social dynamics surrounding the lifestyle, while avoiding doomsday scenarios.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a preference for the term "homesteader" over "survivalist," emphasizing a positive outlook on community thriving rather than a focus on pessimism.
  • Several participants inquire about the specific events or scenarios for which the OP is preparing, as well as the extent of their preparations.
  • Questions arise regarding the prevalence of prepping outside the U.S., with some participants suggesting it may be more common in America due to cultural factors.
  • Concerns about socio-economic collapse are mentioned as a significant motivation for prepping by one participant.
  • Discussions about living expenses and frugality in homesteading practices are raised, with some participants questioning the authenticity of those portrayed in media.
  • Participants share their skills and experiences related to homesteading, including discussions about tools and safety, such as chainsaws.
  • There is curiosity about the social aspects of prepping, including how openly participants discuss their lifestyle with family and friends.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the motivations and practices of homesteaders and preppers, with no clear consensus on the definitions or implications of these lifestyles. Multiple competing perspectives on the cultural context of prepping exist, particularly regarding its prevalence in different countries.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the term "homesteading" can have different legal implications depending on the state, and there are various interpretations of what constitutes prepping or survivalism.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in homesteading, prepping, or community resilience may find the discussions relevant, particularly those exploring the social dynamics and practical aspects of these lifestyles.

  • #91
HowlerMonkey said:
If the prepping is for a lesser event, best advice is to leave the population centers because, 15 minutes after the last delivery truck brings it's last load of egg mcmuffins or fuel, all bets are off.

true, society only has a thin veneer of civilization on it, sometimes I think it's getting thinner and thinner. I can't watch the news anymore, it's to negative and it's not even news, it's entertainment.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #92
Hi Ftheog. This was an interesting read this morning. Welcome to the forum.

I have now read the entire thread, but one thing that still puzzles me, is what do you see the difference between you and your "group", and us? Many here have stated they live the life currently, have lived that way in the past, or are working towards a life of what I want to call self sustainability. Why do you label yourselves as "preppers?" Why do you feel the NEED for the label? I find it very curious. I would like to understand the difference between you and your wife and community, and turbo and his wife and local community.

(also, dumb question - what is og?)
 
  • #93
Ms Music said:
Hi Ftheog. This was an interesting read this morning. Welcome to the forum.

I have now read the entire thread, but one thing that still puzzles me, is what do you see the difference between you and your "group", and us? Many here have stated they live the life currently, have lived that way in the past, or are working towards a life of what I want to call self sustainability. Why do you label yourselves as "preppers?" Why do you feel the NEED for the label? I find it very curious. I would like to understand the difference between you and your wife and community, and turbo and his wife and local community.

(also, dumb question - what is og?)
I have a similar confusion. Why is raising most of your food, hunting for game, catching fish, etc somehow worthy of a name or category? I am of French-Catholic-Canadian-Indian heritage on my mother's side and Hessian-Irish-Indian heritage on my father's side (the Irish emigrated during the potato famine), and I have lived this way all my life. Pick fiddleheads, wild berries in season, apples from long-abandoned farms, and grow as much food as possible. Make preserves, can foods, and freeze what can't be canned easily. This is not a survivalist mentality - it is a pretty sustainable life-style with minimal impact on the land and environment. I like to burn wood for heat because it's carbon-neutral (negative, actually), with trees on my 10 acres sequestering carbon faster than I can burn it. I love living this way, but never thought it would end up being a fad, wrapped up with a defensive (stay away or I'll shoot you) mentality.

My wife and I are both pretty competent with our pistols, not just because we want to be able to defend against home-invasions and burglary, but because that's the responsible thing to do. If you are a gun-owner, and you are not keeping up with your range-time to keep your skills up, that is irresponsible IMO. She doesn't like to practice with the 10mm Glock (recoil!), but you sure don't want to be downrange if she's got the P38 in her hands. Still, we regard our neighbors as partners, not threats, and if things went to hell we'd be teaming up with them to stretch out our resources and make sure everybody got fair shares of support.
 
  • #94
For the record turbo, I envy what you and your wife have!

While I haven't canned in many many years, I dream of getting back to that point in my life, where I have a pantry, and time to can. I grew up canning. My parents had a small vegetable garden at our house, and big gardens at two of my brother's houses, plus fruit trees. What we couldn't grow locally, we would go to Eastern Washington every summer and pick from the fields. Then can it (or freeze) all over the next few days. I was so spoiled on home grown and fresh picked orchard fruit and veggies, that I can not stand fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. I would love to get back to the point where I have enough to can for winter. Right now, we only grow enough food to barely make it. There were many times last winter that I bought kale from the store, because it just didn't grow quick enough to quench our craving for winter greens. But hey, I live in the city. We have doubled garden space this year, and should be able to live a little more off winter greens and squash. But I don't do this for armageddon, I do this because it is more nutritious and better tasting than store bought stuff. But I do know that my gardening skills and my survival skills would mean I will be fine if armageddon DOES happen. But I am not holding my breath waiting for anything to happen. And I keep praying that SOME day I get to live on my 5 acres!
 
  • #95
Ms Music said:
For the record turbo, I envy what you and your wife have!
Thanks! We love living here and sharing with the neighbors. My first greenhouse planting of sweet peppers didn't "take" this spring, but a neighbor planted all kinds of extras in his greenhouse so we got all kinds of plants. When we had both planted enough plants for ourselves, he decided to give away the excess, and I alerted our new neighbors (recently purchased the place on a road across from us) and Amy rode down on her 4-wheeler and picked up an entire flat of plants. I tilled up their garden spot this spring, and expected mediocre yields for the first year, but those pepper plants are looking fantastic. Welcome, new neighbors from Weymouth, MA! I think they'll fit right in.
 
  • #96
Ms Music said:
I have now read the entire thread, but one thing that still puzzles me, is what do you see the difference between you and your "group", and us? Many here have stated they live the life currently, have lived that way in the past, or are working towards a life of what I want to call self sustainability. Why do you label yourselves as "preppers?" Why do you feel the NEED for the label? I find it very curious. I would like to understand the difference between you and your wife and community, and turbo and his wife and local community.

Unfortunately anything outside of the mainstream is given a label, it is not normal for people in society to do what was considered normal just a generation ago. I don't consider what turbo does and what I do any different. We have different reasons why we do certain things but the outcome is the same. Like I said earlier in the thread, I'm not preparing for 2012, CME, invasion of aliens from planet x, ect. I am preparing for my own personal shtf moment. Loss of spouse, job, pension, ect. Since I prepare for different things that I feel will personally impact the well being of my loved ones and myself, I am a prepper. I assume most people here study physics or science, would they not be a physicist or scientist? Everyone has a label.

Let's be real though, most people in society live paycheck to paycheck and their idea of prepping is planning friday nights visit to olive garden. A IRA is nothing but a 3 letter word because the government is going to give me social security and medicaid. Do you get the projected social security statements that they send out based on your contributions? The last one I received said on the bottom that based on projected funding they expect only a 75% payment. What a Racket! Didn't Bernie Madoff just get convicted of a ponzi scheme? Yet we are forced to contribute into the biggest on in history perpetuated by our Government.

In 2007 my wife and I moved our IRA contributions into cd's that were giving us 3% and my accountant laughed at me and said we were leaving money on the table. When the market crashed in 2008, he wasn't laughing then.

My father in law retired and had his pension wiped out after the market crash in 2001. It was rebuilding and then 2008 happened, He's now back to working at the age of 70, I don't want that story to be mine.

As a child I loved Aesop's Fable, the ant and the grasshopper, I knew I was going to be a ant, unfortunately there a huge amount of grasshoppers in the world.

So since I try and prepare to minimize any hardships that can potentially harm the well being of myself and loved ones, I assume the mantle of prepper.

But hey, if things happen as they do in films and SHTF on a global scale, the crazy survivalist/prepper is the first one to die, and the smart brainy scientist comes and saves the day, at least you guys have that
going for you! :)

Seriously though I am quite impressed with the amount of people here with the same mindset.

Have a safe and happy independence day all!
 
  • #97
turbo-1 said:
Thanks! We love living here and sharing with the neighbors. My first greenhouse planting of sweet peppers didn't "take" this spring, but a neighbor planted all kinds of extras in his greenhouse so we got all kinds of plants. When we had both planted enough plants for ourselves, he decided to give away the excess, and I alerted our new neighbors (recently purchased the place on a road across from us) and Amy rode down on her 4-wheeler and picked up an entire flat of plants. I tilled up their garden spot this spring, and expected mediocre yields for the first year, but those pepper plants are looking fantastic. Welcome, new neighbors from Weymouth, MA! I think they'll fit right in.

it's been a weird spring with rain and cold, but all my warm crops took right off, while my cold crops I had to replant, but strawberries have been of biblical proportions, blackberries look they will be great in august as well
 
  • #98
Evo said:
When I think back to WWII and all of the people that lost their lives to take in and protect complete strangers, it brings tears to my eyes. I don't know if I would ever have that much courage.

I meant to comment on this. I think the biggest difference is a sense of community and self reliance. There is none today. Look how many people today live in cookie cutter sub-divisions and don't even know their neighbors 3 house down.