Prepping and Hoarding are two different things. While hoarding is a psychological disorder and leads to unhealthy (in extreme cases) living conditions, prepping is making sure your family has what it needs in cases of emergency.
Emergencies are not only natural disasters. They can also be a financial crisis, illness, or a number of other things that can go wrong on any given day.
While you cannot know what may befall you, having items to help get you through a crisis is a necessity that you just cannot do without. Many people are preppers without even knowing it. Just because they do not have a surplus of items or bunkers, does not mean that they are not prepared for some emergency.
Forms of prepping
Prepping comes in many forms. In the pup house, we make sure that there is always food in the deep freezer, cases of water available for everyday use, and other items like candles and flashlights at the ready.
This comes to play from the time when we lived in a 100-year-old farmhouse. We did not have a well and relied only on a cistern that got filled when either we drove to the spring with a 250-gallon water tank on our truck, or it rained, and the gutter system filled it up. If we didn’t have rain and Pup dad was at work with the truck, guess what we ran the risk of running out of water. This is why I always keep jugs of water on hand for just in case.
Just because we are in a house with a well now does not mean that we cannot lose electricity (which runs our well pump). With 3 growing boy pups here, the bathroom gets used with or without power. I know, I know, tell them to go outside and find a tree. That is fine, but I do not fancy using a tree in my back yard and sometimes, it just isn’t an option.
Also please remember this is prepping with pups. This means we have a small homestead with multiple animals. They need water to survive too.
Start Small
You do not need to have massive stock to be into prepping either. I am actually in the process of minimizing our house. Haven’t touched or used it in several months? Yard sale. Growing kids? Yard sale, or hand it down and if it is from the smallest, find a neighbor or someone in the community to give it to. If it is food and it is still in date, donate it to your local food bank.
My Reason
We had a change in life when I quit my job of 6 years to stay at home and pursue my own interests. This led to us using savings to make sure we had plenty of items in our pantry and freezer just in case we needed it if my venture didn’t pan out. While we wait for the dust to settle on this new venture, I am finding ways to utilize what we have here for everything we need.
This is why I prep. Am I afraid of what may happen? Yes and no. While I fear for the world my boys are growing up in, I know with what I have taught them they will have the knowledge needed to be prepared for most anything that comes their way.
Some may think I am a hoarder since I stock food, water, and paper goods. Remember 2020?? I am honestly just trying to make sure we are ready to survive and thrive. I know several people who are preppers and follow them on social media like a champ. They have helped to make me the person I am today.
Want advice? Don’t know where to start? Let me know or find me on Instagram We can chat, and I can help!
