I am not a prepper. Do you know the term? The dictionary defines prepper as a person who believes a disaster or emergency will occur in the future and makes active preparations for it. Preppers typically stockpile food and other supplies. I am the opposite of this. I clean my refrigerator and pantry out often, I usually don’t cook enough to have leftovers, and I don’t buy clothes on sale the season before. Furthermore, if I’m not doing those basic things, I for sure don’t have some underground bunker in my backyard full of supplies (nor do I want to be this person) Me, not a prepper.
What Changed?
While I don’t fear a world disaster, I am an 80’s baby and have seen my fair share of them. Also, I am a planner and a realist. Planning for possibilities gives me a sense of control when the world feels out of control. With war raging across the globe, supply chain disruptions, a seemingly unending pandemic, and inflation closing in around us, I realize there is a time and a place to prepare a safety net for your family. This will look different for every family.
Remember the Great Toilet Papergate of 2020? Back then, I had the mindset of, “This is crazy. I am not participating in this.” That thinking was all well and good until my family actually ran out of toilet paper. I wasn’t able to buy more anywhere! Thank goodness a friend gave us a few rolls to tide us over. So, you know, lesson learned. It’s better to be prepared, even if the probability of needing said supplies is small.
Starting Small
I am focusing my prepping and stockpiling with food. The weekly grocery budget is where we already see price increases. Also, I know there have been multiple times where my grocery store has been completely out of an item I need. My personal opinion is that things will get worse before better (but take heart, they WILL get better). So, I am starting small and simple. When I do my grocery shopping each week, I am going to get a few extra items for the purposes of storing them for a rainy day.
All of the food in the picture above costed less than $15. Kroger had a sale that week of BOGO roasts, so the two in the photo were free! These items are going in to my pantry and freezer, and I will save them in case our finances become stretched or store shelves become more sparse. Furthermore, these things will come in super handy if I am having a day where we just need a quick and easy dinner. I don’t plan to purchase this many extra groceries every time I go to the store. However, little by little, it will all add up.
How Can You Start?
So, how should you start preparing a safety net if you’re also not a prepper? This will be different for every person and family. The question you need to ask yourself is what resource are you most concerned about? For me, it is groceries and finances, which are linked in my mind. Inflation and rising gas prices mean our dollars won’t stretch as far as they used to. There will be an adjustment period for this, and I have peace of mind knowing I have a stocked pantry and freezer if my dollars need to be allocated to somewhere else.
Additionally, I learned you can easily go deep down the rabbit hole with this topic. The motivating factors leading someone to begin stockpiling supples are all over the map and can be (in my opinion) quite far fetched. However, I believe there is value in storing extra supplies if it bring you peace of mind. Maybe you feel the need to prep and be prepared for something else. I would love to know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends. Also, check me out on Instagram, where I share more of our daily life.
Just like you, I am a prepper. I do have a stockpile of food in my pantry for rainy days, or for days when I just don’t have time to run out to grab supplies. Like you mentioned, inflation has definitely resulted in higher food prices, so I’m glad that I stockpiled a little in the past. I’m hoping prices will go down a little, and that’s when I will start purchasing a little more again. Thanks for sharing this post!
Great suggestions for prepping without going extreme.
I’m also not a prepper. It was really nice to read about what you do and how to prep a little here and there without going overboard. We got really lucky with not running out of toilet paper in 2020. My husband’s parents had just become Costco members literally a week before toilet paper was gone off the shelves. They are so thoughtful and had just bought us a huge pack of toilet paper when they were at Costco, so we were fine. But now we are mindful of being prepared.
Very informative and easy to read post. I moved to the East Coast after living in the Southwest for many years, and have learned to keep a backstock of certain items as well as keep emergency kits for my family because we have definitely had our share of not so awesome weather-especially in the Winter! Always better to be prepared.
You’re so right! With everything going on, it’s good to be prepared because things are unpredictable. When making life changes it’s great to start small, and your advice is spot-on 🙂
I read this post and smiled because I became a prepper in 2020 as well during the Great Toilet Paper Rush (as I like to call it). The thing is you never know what can happen so it’s good to have some non-perishable food in the cupboards.
I’m not a prepper but after reading this post I definitely think I need to start. I don’t think the world is ending either but who else predicted the toilet paper running out in 2020? Thanks for the tips in stockpiling!