Have you told your Family Yet?

I finally started talking seriously with my family about preparation for SitX a few weeks ago. My father got on board immediately with the idea and has even talked about getting chickens and building a bunker. My mother had a hard time coming to terms with the need, but she recognizes it. I've started training my younger brother and sister on survival skills-it's great to spend quality time educating them, even though the threat is real. I make sure they know that I have real confidence in our family and God, but it's a good idea to be prepared and ready anyways. So nobody here is panicking, just taking it one step at a time.

[edit on 26-2-2009 by Eisley]

It pissess me off that WTSHTF, I most likely will not be old enough to live my life at all...hiding out in an underground bunker while I should be hanging out with freinds and living my life? Not cool, not cool at all.
The world should wait to end untill I'm around 30 and have a clue about what the hell I'm going to do with my life...

Anyway, no I haven't been stockpiling. My parents haven't, either. I live in an area where woods are abundant, so if things get really really bad maybe me and my family could live in the woods and hide it out...I don't know. I don't even know if it will happen, but if it does, I wont be ready.

The least I can do is learn some survival stuff and get in shape, right?

I have a cool design in my head to build a nice bunker under my pool (all in concrete of course) that way all my neighbors will think im just putting in a pool.

My problem is that I am remarried, but have 4 precious children with the ex. My wife is awesome, she is totally in with me on anything. I don't know if she really agrees with me 100% or it's just supportive mental assent. It doesn't matter, we love, and support each other in everything. I don't agree with her sometimes, but support her decisions anyway, without resentment, and vice versa. If I said "It hit the fan. We're buggin' out!" tomorrow she would be packing food, supplies, and ammo in 5 min. The problem is that I won't leave without my children, and my ex is a TOTAL sheeple. She believes nothing bad will ever happen, credit cards are a good thing, and the government is here to help. I don't look forward to the day we knock on her door at an odd hour asking for the children, and making a last ditch offer for her to save her own worthless skin, and follow us. I really don't know what I'll do if she refuses. Major rock, and a hard place conundrum. But, I won't leave without my kids. Maybe good fortune will shine on me and SitX will go down on a week I have them.

Originally posted by way2slo
I have a cool design in my head to build a nice bunker under my pool (all in concrete of course) that way all my neighbors will think im just putting in a pool.

That's a good idea, though you may want to expedite it. With the current administration spending money as fast as they are, this thing isn't going to be far off. I wish you the best of luck engineering it and getting the whole thing together.

Originally posted by summerdreary
It pissess me off that WTSHTF, I most likely will not be old enough to live my life at all...hiding out in an underground bunker while I should be hanging out with freinds and living my life? Not cool, not cool at all.
The world should wait to end untill I'm around 30 and have a clue about what the hell I'm going to do with my life...

Anyway, no I haven't been stockpiling. My parents haven't, either. I live in an area where woods are abundant, so if things get really really bad maybe me and my family could live in the woods and hide it out...I don't know. I don't even know if it will happen, but if it does, I wont be ready.

The least I can do is learn some survival stuff and get in shape, right?

I'm not sure how old you are, but it sounds like you're young enough that you are probably still in school. I suppose the one consolation I could give you regarding having to face this at such a young age is that when our nation was founded, it was a rather common occurrence to find land owners in their teens. Of course, people are living far longer than they used to in those times, but those people faced what was probably, to them, the insurmountable odds of fighting the British. I can only imagine what that must have been like at that age, yet they did it as heads of households.

I'm confident that you'll find yourself rather capable when you're faced with the challenges of survival in a collapsed America. I have cousins that are Sophomores in college and they are completely freaked about about all of this and what they'll have to face and endure. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but we are all going to have to play the hand we're dealt. Stock up on what you can. Every little bit helps.

In the guise of purely environmental concerns (which technically is part of my belief in sustainability), I've started gardening and storing spare/rain water. I've also gone vegan so I've stored up bags of lentils, beans, etc...when meat isn't available, I want something that isn't perishable that is loaded with protein, iron, fiber, etc. I'm pre-training myself (also, cause I don't trust the meat packing and dairy companies with all their hormones and modifications). I live in the midst of extended family. I don't want them to think I'm nuts. Mostly because the ones who "think" they are aware of what's going on think that way because they watch FoxNews OR CNN - respectively depending on their "party affiliation", laughable. Anyway, with the economy they are distracted by the present situation and caught up with Obama sucks (Fox News watchers) and Bush screwed everything up (CNN watchers). I just think the system sucks, personally...

I feel I view it differently from them, perhaps because I've already lived in a "3rd world country" and they haven't. I know what it's like and what to expect. It's not that the 3rd-world experience is that bad [provided it's not somewhere in subsaharan Africa]. The problem is the inequity that will arise, coupled with the few who control all the wonderful, privatized goods and services, and the many who go with out. Now, most Americans are do not understand what this scenario "feels" like. Likely, many will be in shock [not surprising considering the "doctrine"].

sooooo whats going on prepared for what? i haven't heard anything

Thats the point of being prepared, if you "heard something" its too late

reply to post by ^anubis^


what have you been listening for, its there all around you

www.abovetopsecret.com...

have your family watch this and they will help you prepare for what could happen.

reply to post by cnichols


He's trying to make you happy. I'll go ahead and tear down a wall here by expressing this, but we men are problem solvers and for some of us, nothing makes us happier than to solve the problems and worries of our wife or girlfriend. I've got a problem with that myself and it has caused numerous arguments. The wife will tell me something that's bothering her, I go fix it, and then she either thinks I went overboard or tells me she didn't want action by me, just for me to listen to her. I may be wrong and hopefully I'm not out of line or butting into business that's none of mine, but I'd bet your man is trying to do the same and probably is left very confused as to why his actions on problems you're laying out (ie: we need to prepare for the worst) aren't being greeted with huge hugs, kisses, and cries of "my hero!"

ive tried to tell my parents but i think theyre starting to think im nuts, so ive had to back off a bit. I think theyre not totally closed minded to it, but just think there's nothing they can do, and what will be will be..also maybe they're scared i dont know. I tried to tell them to move and buy land up high (altitude) and inland, but they wont take it seriously; so all ive managed to do is to plant a vegetable garden. Altho i might start working on the storing food suggestion. i think they do realize there could be riots and that in that case food storage is sensible. they are probably waiting to see how bad its going to get. id rather be prepared, even if i look dumb.

reply to post by elston


If I made my family watch that, there would be a intervetionist at the house in hours

I was actually helped by the government
The Dutch have started to push disaster preparedness. They are even offering standard BOB's now. So I 'jumped on their bandwagon' so to speak.
Convincing the wife that a BOB isn't enough was easy enough. And because she likes to work in the garden I asked her to start a vegetable-garden. And she was only to happy to.

So now i'm busy getting enough supplies to last us for about 2 years (i'm counting on a failed/stolen crop for the first year). Things will be a lot quieter in the second year.

I guess I'm a very lucky guy. I felt odd mentioning it to my wife and expected her to think that I was nuts, but as soon as I mentioned some preparations she agreed and thought that it made good sense. Her gut along with what she knows about the world told her that it was smart. In fact, she continually thinks of things that I had not considered and makes great suggestions. It has even brought us closer. She respects me and loves me because I care enough about her and our kids to ensure that they will be okay, and I respect her and love her even more because she is strong enough to face potential changes head-on with a great deal of intelligence.

We have 3 kids, and I looked at the preparations in much the same way as I do about my life insurance -- I hope that we don't need it, but it is there if we do.

We've stocked hunting ammo as well as protection ammo and we bought a sidearm for my wife too and she's learned to shoot as well. (Very good too, I might add.) In terms of protecting ourselves, we have covered our bases about as well as one could.

We've also got water, a purifier (as well as chemicals, etc.) and several months of food as well as a way to provide more at a later date. The most important thing is that we have a plan and some contingency options as well. Many of my friends have also started telling me that they are making plans and creating an "insurance package" of their own too. I'm fortunate to have good friends and we formed a "gun club" a couple of years ago, so the preparation and independence mentality is strong in our group. I live in Texas in a suburb, and none of us look or act any differently. We're calm, regular people just like the others that you work with, but we have taken some extra steps and don't intend to have to depend upon government agencies to make decisions for our families.

I do not believe that any of the efforts that we have made have been a waste. Everything that we have can and will be used at some point. We have been reasonable about the amount of money that we have poured into this, and we've done a little bit with every paycheck over the last year or so.

I've found that these efforts have not made me paranoid or insufferable at all, instead, I feel much more secure knowing that we have a plan and that my wife and three kids will be protected and will be able to subsist. It is a comforting feeling. We can go on with our lives knowing that if things take a bad turn -- and each week makes me feel more certain about that outcome -- that we will be able to take care of ourselves. My kids will have clean water to drink and healthy food to eat.

If our society does collapse, liberty will be for those that are prepared. The good news is that you still have some time to prepare. Prepare different plans, you'll need a bug-out plan, but you'll need a bug-in plan too. You'll need a plan for the first few days, for the first month and for longer term survival. I'll shut up because there are tons of sites with great information, but don't leave your security and survival to someone else.

I have been storing tap water in 2-liter pop bottles for a few months, does anyone know how long water stored this way would remain safe to drink? I figure if nothing else at least it would be ok for washing with.

If you are storing food and have a Big Lots in your area, they carry as a regular item Armour Treet (like SPAM) for one dollar a can. It isn't as good as SPAM, but SPAM is about $2.50 a can, and if you are hungry the Armour Treet would do fine. I tried it, I fried some and ate a sandwich and it wasn't bad at all.

reply to post by Bombeni

I not 100% about the stored water, but if need be, when needed you could bring it to a boil, then it would for sure be good to drink Edit I asked a similar question regarding lake water, my bug out spot is my cottage on a well used lake, 80 miles from a city


[edit on 3-3-2009 by branty]

reply to post by branty


Thanks. Do you think you could boil lake water to use for drinking? I don't know but ya know what we need to be serious about finding these things out now. We may look like the character in the Dylan song soon:

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.





[edit on 3-3-2009 by Bombeni]