By the author of Be Ready for Anything and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
Today, I’m coming out of the closet.
No, not that closet.
I’m coming out of the hard-nosed, bad-to-the-bone survivalist prepper closet. Because I think a lot of folks have some misconceptions about what being a prepper really means. It certainly isn’t the same thing for everyone. And our rigidity as a community can scare people away who want to be better prepared.
First, a dozen of my dirty little secrets.
You want to hear a few of my confessions? Here they are, in no particular order of dirt.
- I really enjoy going out to eat. Sure, homemade is delicious but not when I’m always the one making it.
- My favorite food in the entire world is vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. Nope, that wasn’t a typo. I didn’t mean “kale” instead of “cake.” Kale is revolting. Cake is life. #SorryNotSorry
- I read at least 3 novels a week. Bring on the psycho serial killers, criminal masterminds, or post-apocalyptic settings. Fiction is my friend.
- I hate camping with an abiding and fiery passion. This isn’t to say I am incapable of camping, but given the choice, I really would much rather sleep on a nice squishy bed than a sleeping bag. On the ground. In the dirt. With the bugs.
- I love going to the movies. Bring out the popcorn and the 3D glasses, because the big screen is where it’s at. Also, the more explosions, gratuitous violence, and car chases, the more I’m going to like it.
- Peeing outside is really not for me unless it’s actually the end of the world. Don’t get me wrong. I love hiking and nature and stuff. I just pee before I go and when I get back.
- I’m a nomad at heart. I’m not happy unless I’m checking out new places, growing veggies in them, and getting to know the local scene. But don’t think I’m going to settle down because, in a year or so, I’ll be heading somewhere else to learn about another cool place.
- I’m not a right-wing conservative. I know, crazy, right? If I had to choose, I’d say I’m a libertarian with views from all sides of the spectrum. I’m anti-war, anti-tax, and anti-meanness. I believe in compassion, liberty, and the power of people who will stand up and say “no” to injustice. Probably, if I shared all my political thoughts about the laws I believe are totally unnecessary, no one would ever speak to me again.
- I’m a single mom. I’ve been a single mom for 15 years. A lot of folks think I’m a widow, but actually, I was divorced for several years before my children’s father, unfortunately, passed away.
- I cuss sometimes. I try not to do it in front of grandmas and small children, and I don’t do it on my website because I don’t want my message to be lost. But it would be pretty hard not to swear once in a while after spending 10 years working in an automotive shop with a bunch of dudes.
- I am a Netflix addict. I know. We preppers are supposed to eschew all things popular culture but there’s nothing like a good binge-watch at the end of a long day of work.
- I super-love Starbucks. Horrifying – but YUM. A road trip would not be complete without a gigantic coffee frappuccino in my hand. If it helps, I flout the gun-free zone by quietly carrying my concealed firearm in there.
Wait! Don’t leave! Let me redeem myself.
Despite these quirks, I’m still a prepper, and a pretty darned good one.
Those of you who are more typical of the prepper mentality may be wondering why on earth you ever came to my website in the first place. Those of you who guiltily indulge in some of the things I just confessed to may be breathing a deep sigh of relief, glad to hear that you still get to keep your prepper card.
Shoot, I know preppers who:
- Get weekly manicures
- Regularly go on cruises
- Drive fancy cars
- Live in New York City
- Travel to Europe
- Work in show biz
- Voted for a Democrat
- Send their kids to public schools
- Live in California
- Wear suits to work every day
- Dine regularly at 5-star establishments
These aren’t necessarily the things that I do. (Although I did live in California for a while.) But none of those things mean that they aren’t prepared and that they don’t want to take care of their families.
The point of this whole confession is that I think it’s really important that we in the prepper community open our arms to all the people who are interested in being more prepared, not just the ones who fit the typical stereotype. I’ve been guilty of this myself, by poking fun at the “snowflakes.” (But, if you were offended by that, stick around, because I make right-wing conservatives mad too with my opinion that gay people aren’t the devil.)
Anyway, I’m sorry for making people feel unwanted in this community. I’ll try to do better. I really want to see you become better prepared and I want to help.
One thing I’ve learned from my Facebook group recently is how incredibly broad the range is when it comes to preppers. We’re rich, poor, single, married, Christian, not Christian, men, women, conservative, liberal, straight, gay, country dwellers, city slickers, frugal, not frugal,…but there is one place where we all come together. That place where we all want to be prepared, no matter what happens. We all have things to add.
We don’t all want to live on 40 acres in the boondocks where we have to climb a tree to get a phone signal. (More power to ya though, because I’ve done that, minus the tree, and it’s HARD WORK.) We don’t all want to raise every bite of our own food. That’s also hard work. We don’t all can and preserve our food. (But try it! You’ll be amazed at how satisfying it is!) We don’t all live without any form of popular culture, like television, current music, or radios. We don’t all have the same political beliefs, religious beliefs, or social beliefs. We aren’t all wilderness survival gurus who could live off the land indefinitely, or ex-military snipers, or camo-wearing rednecks. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that – we just aren’t all that way.)
You can prep no matter who you are or where you are.
All it requires is the burning desire to be self-reliant and take care of your family come what may.
And I’m here to help you.
Our divisiveness, exclusionary network, and smug superiority don’t help. They isolate us, make us seem like weirdos, and shut out the neighbors who’d also like to be prepared but feel far too intimidated to approach the community. There is no “typical” prepper. We’re all unique.
I’m not asking anyone to change their own political views, religions, or ways of life. I’m just asking you not to be so critical of the choices of others. That’s the beauty of being in America. We get to pick.
THANKS, great article. You tell people you are a Libertarian: you are a drug user and have and carry guns. I am not a Libertarian, but I carry a gun. If you love saving the environment, you are a total nut case. I know that the people of this world have trashed the oceans, land and the air. We can clean up the place and still have some nice stuff. The real proble is that people want to label you to the total and to them there is no middle ground. Like in today’s life it is you are a democrat or a republican, no middle ground
Thanks, Darkwing! I do believe this is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me! 🙂
Well, you pretty much described me! LOL. Definitely a girly-type. Only want to camp in a RV. Used to camp in a tent and I could totally do it in a SHTF, but I don’t like it. Going to get a mani/pedi today. But I prep like crazy and learn skills constantly. Getting good at medicine and herbs. Realized that the best prep I can do is homestead, so we’re on our way to doing just that. Very soon!
I am republican, but I just started figuring out that politics is a smoke-screen to hide some seriously bad things going on. Us fighting is falling into the plan if very bad people. They’re manipulating us! We should stop.
Well thought out and written. Thank you!
No worries. I like to be prepared as things aren’t necessarily as the media portals them…
I read your posts because you seem downtown earth and not an extremist whomi can’t relate to.
Being prepared doesn’t mean having to do whatever. Or having to give up pleasures in live as then what is the point?
I’m a gun owning liberal, who supports gay rights, black lives matter. I butcher my own goats, chickens, and can field dress a rabbit in less than 2 minutes. I believe that the best training I ever had was my time in the Army and fully support those who take a knee. Though I can make my own soap, candles , spin wool, and make butter I never feel like I belong in the prepper crowd. Oh yea I’m a tree hugger too.
Thanks for the article
We could be very good friends!!
Shayne, it is amazing how close you and I are – but I describe myself as a Conservative – Libertarian. Funny how we have been conditioned to not like each other because of labels.
nice lists.
there is no “one kind” of prepper.
just many different flavors. just as there are many different flavors of what being a prepper means…..
since you mentioned that you are not a democrat, and i am a libertarian/anarchist at heart, i thought i’d point out that democrats can still be preppers but most arent in the same way that some democrats will listen to talk radio but most will not. it’s just not their thing. they are certainly capable and smart enough. just like everybody.
since the election, i have been reading bits and pieces of democrat leaning folks starting to get hip to the idea of guns and prepping. it’s the right thing to do even if it’s for all the wrong reasons……
Good for you, Daisy. My opinions and beliefs lead to me being attacked from all sides. I’m a registered Republican, but I’m mostly a Libertarian at heart. Unlike most Republicans I’m pro-choice, because if I was a woman I wouldn’t want anyone telling me what I could and couldn’t do with my own body. I’m for legalization of all drugs because prohibition creates criminal empires and, being a student of history, I see that a policy of prohibition never accomplishes it’s stated goal. I’m pro gun rights because I fear government tyranny more than I do criminals, because gun control is people control, and because the ability of a person to defend themselves and their loved ones should not be subject to the whims of some bureaucrat. I’m a Prepper because it’s cheap insurance against natural or man-made disasters. I detest war, but having served, I support our men and women in uniform. I love freedom but recognize that true freedom requires respect for the rights of others. I fondly recall when the political party out of power was referred to as the honorable opposition as opposed to those evil scumbags. I vote Republican because Socialist and Communist governments invariably fail (again, student of history) and because I believe Democrats have become Socialists and Communists. And I believe most of the problems we face as Americans stem from too much government power over our daily lives, too much liberal/progressive bias in both our media and in our schools and a ruinous decline in civility. I also agree with whoever (it wasn’t Winston Churchill even though it sounds like him) said, “If you aren’t a liberal when young, you have no heart. And if you aren’t a Conservative by age 35 you have no mind.”
Like you, I read novels, devouring them wholesale while writing a few of my own, enjoy movies so long as the sound track isn’t too loud for me to hear what the actors are saying, and love going out to eat. I like gardening until my back starts killing me and going to the shooting range simply because hitting the target is fun.
I also enjoy reading your articles. Keep up the good work.
I love this article! Big thumbs up. I am absolutely not your “typical” prepper (omg, I’m a democrat) but I have kids that I love and would die protecting. I see the value in being prepared for whatever may come. Typical or not my I am a prepper.
Me too. I loath the NRA and it’s message of no responsibility for mass shootings. I loath Trump and all the lies he tells the chumps. I’m a patriot, a mom, a college grad, an ultra responsible person who has earned every dime I have, and a prepper. And I vote for Democrats.
Can’t say calling someone a “chump” based on who they voted for is very helpful. Also… Did I miss something? When did the NRA commit a mass shooting?
Daisy’s is the only group I have ever found where it did not seem mutually exclusive to be both a prepper and a liberal. My family is my world and I would do anything to protect and care for them if the worst happened but I also firmly believe we have a responsibility to care for those who cannot care for themselves when the world is in the status quo. I believe that people have the right to own guns AND I believe that in order to do so they should have to pass mandatory training and testing, have appropriate safeguards in place to keep the firearm out of the wrong hands and have no criminal record/history of violent tendencies.
I also work my butt off for what my family owns and I have never asked for a handout from anyone.
Miss Daisy, I love all of your posts. This one by far is the best yet! I laughed because many of your confessions are mine also. I wonder if we were separated at birth….
Daisy – Thank you so much for this!! I have, at times, felt very alienated from some of the ‘preppers’. Yet, I have a food and water supply, I can, and am ordering a freeze dryer. I have handguns, rifles and know how to use them. I do not vote Republican because I am a woman and it is my body. I am pretty moderate and do lots of volunteer work for homeless veterans. I am not Christian and am appalled by so many so-called ‘Christians’ who seemingly would let someone starve.
I often wondered if there were any other folks who want to be self-sufficient without having to drink the extreme right-wing Kool-Aid. It is nice to know there are.
Thanks for keeping it real, sister! I love your validation that it’s okay to know how to DO things without having to LOVE everything “prepper” (i.e., camping, outdoor “sanitation”, etc.). Yay! My girl-prepping mission still counts in the grand scheme of things.
Toasting you with my venti espresso frappucino!
Love it—particularly #8. Thanks for writing this!
Great article! Very refreshing and “upper arm bone”. Wish more thought this way.
Wow. A lot here resonates with me. I used to make fun of preppers until I went through two hurricanes in two years. They’re getting bigger and more frequent. I don’t think of it a prepping, but common sense. Praying we don’t get a hurricane again this year, but if we do, we’ll be more prepared than last time.
I’ve never felt out of place in the prepper community because it’s mostly a place where my values are shared. I’m glad this is a place for everyone, but I’m also not offended at the idea of people sharing like-beliefs forming their own groups. Everyone does it! It’s what those groups do as a whole that counts — and I’m glad to be part of this one.
I’m just starting out. I live in a big city, I’m Black, a conservative (pro-life, because abortion is destroying the Black community and its women, and pro-family, because the loss of our men as leaders was the beginning of it) and Evangelical Christian. I’ve been reading here for a while, Daisy, and it’s good to have someone who is level-headed and passionate about prepping sharing the information. I can’t count the number of times I’m discounted for either my race or my faith at political/news sites. I fit in here, so I’m happy! Please keep up the good work.
Daisy, I’m very grateful for everything you do for us in the prepper community. We may not agree on everything, but I think you’re a gem! Danielle, although I am white and Catholic, we are kindred spirits. I grieve over the massacre of black babies in the womb and resulting damage to the black community. I pray for an end to the bloodshed and for peace in our world. May God bless us all!
I’m a fully-armed eco-constitutionalist prepper mom who maintains memberships with both the NRA and PETA. I own my paradoxes. I also adore vanilla cake with vanilla frosting.
Heavy on the frosting.
I just loved the post today. It was like sitting in a living room filled with adults who can be honest in their conversation and allow others the same courtesy. And still share experiences with prepping and preparedness without name calling because someone else has a different political or social opinion.
At 73 I’m past the name calling and can’t say how refreshing it is to read articles that help without worrying that I’m in the middle of rude clique who jumps to attack anything that they don’t approve of. Remember how fun those were in high school or junior high?
Yes, I loath Trump, also, because he lies incessantly and attacks our institutions. The first time I ever contributed to the ACLU was when he was elected. I follow the MSN because(not Fox) they generally adhere to journalistic standards and real fact checking. And I grew up in a household that followed the MSN because it was real reporting with clear journalistic standards and consistently won awards for good reporting. The cry of “false news” didn’t exist back then as a distraction to views you didn’t want to hear.
But enough of that. Great article. Really sets the tone for the day. Thanks Daisy.
Assalamo alaikum
Oh boy!
Yep, I am too.
Grew up in Missouri, born in Germany.
I’m a green, libertarian, conservative, democrat, occasionally agree with republicans.
I also practice homeopathy .
When the balloon goes up I will be your doctor.
As soon as I get back from UK I will advertise a book about remedies for emergencies.
Thanks for the clarification that preppers don’t have to be all the same.
Thank you for this post. I’ m a 67 year old female prepper. For those who would disinclude me due to age or gender, let me remind you my age group is the one who knows how, Sewing knitting crocheting, cooking from scratch. maybe farming/ gardening, animal care etc. However this old lady is an army veteran and expert shot with a variety of weapons including bow/crossbow. I get very annoyed at macho man sights, you may have the upper body strength but we have the knowledge.
Kbee, thanks for your service. Us ‘old ladies’ do have I all going’!! lol
So you re all of the above, so what. I don t mean that the way it sounds, to me it just means that you rock.
I tell people that if they ve ever put food, means of preparing it, shelter of some type for local storms, hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, et cetera; whether you call it disaster: prepping, survival, preparations, JIC. You ARE a Prepper -whether it s for yourself or others- you re just hedging the odds.
TFDrifter
Hello Daisy, I love reading your articles, I’ve been prepping for over 10 years now, and am always reading, learning more and more. I have provisions for several years, plus radiation detectors, ham and CB radios, ammo for a army, primitive ways to can, dehydrate, smoke, vegies and smoke and salt down meats. Plus I have enough meds to last for years. I live in Kentucky 50 miles south of Cincinnati, on 5 acres, with lots of trees and wildlife. I saw one commenter state that you do drugs, well I do to (prescriptions). I did smoke some pot a couple of times, wow, but it’s too expensive for me. Almost all my books come from the library, and I’m pretty well read, but I’m always on the search for more survival type information. Netflix is my favorite TV channel since it has lots of shows about mother earth, secrete alien files, doomsday, and the “old religions” like the Incas, and other older Indian tribes. I have four encounters with aliens, and yes, I believe! I practice Wicca, I think fear and hate IS NOT very Godly, as taught by the traditional religions, and no, I do not believe in a devil! Keep up your good works.
Amen, sister. We’re spirit animals, I think, although I’d take the mountains over the beach and I don’t mind camping or peeing in the woods (I grew up on a farm, so…). To me, the inability to have civil discourse, and the divisiveness of our country -fully supported by the powers that be on both sides of the aisle- makes our society weaker. I love discussing differing ideas. It’s the best way to learn! I may not always agree, but I respect your opinion. You give great information, and we can do with it what we will.
And, as you said, the important thing is to get people thinking about preparedness for whatever life throws our way. Learning how to be flexible and problem solve.
Thank you so much for your contributions to the prepper network!
I am one of those preppers who lives in New York City, and I have always appreciated it, Daisy, that you don’t tell people they must move to the country, instead you encourage people to get prepped no matter where they live. You have a realistic attitude. I’m a prepper who likes to visit museums and go to the opera and do other citified things.
What a great post! We can all be different in oh-so-many ways, but still be united in our desire to feed and protect our families, our community, and some veneer of “civilized” life. My mom was a nurse, and her attitude was that she was there to save a patient’s life-no matter who, what or where. She was also a great prepper so during many earthquakes, or fires, we fed neighbors, pets, and sheltered everyone. I prefer living in an RV-no matter what size, but I can & have done the bedroll thing. My heart was filled with joy when composting toilets came into their own, as I detest going outside. (My compost toilet is ready & able to fill in for any disaster, set up in a hidden area, with plenty of coco coir in reserve. Again-some sort of civility!) I prep to be able to survive not only a famine, a war, or a SHTF event-but plain old disasterous weather, loss of income, or a grandparents gone wild event at the senior center. I enjoy the blessings of today and prep for lean times. And I love Starbucks too!
Wow! I’m not alone! I can now say I’m a prepper and a democrat. Nothing gets me off a prepping website faster than being made to feel like I am evil incarnate because of the way I vote. I go to prepper sites to learn about prepping, not to have political views thrown at me.This country is supposed to be about freedom to think for ourselves and (attention congress) working together for the common good of everyone. I prefer getting my news from PBS and the BBC because I feel like I’m getting the whole bird rather than just the right or left wing. I’m a grandma on the downhill slope to sixty, still married to my high school sweetheart, and happily live my life conservatively even though I tend to be very open minded with how other people choose to live theirs. To the democratic preppers who left comments, thank you for letting me know I’m not alone out here. Daisy, thank you for another great article. And to everyone, happy prepping!
Another great one, from one of the greatest. Thanks Daisy… ☕
Dave
How serendipitous. I had literally just looked at a newish prepper site before I read this article. I looked at the new site for all of 15 seconds before I saw an article on what gun you should put in your bug out bag. I instantly closed the page. That seems to be a popular topic – along with what gun and what caliber, the trifecta of boring gun / survival discussions. This should be a comedy routine, the 10 most boring but often written on prepper topics.
As survivalists / preppers / homesteaders, we do need to know that gun and rights stuff. But when new people research the topic, they may immediately be turned off by seeing gun articles. I love my 2A rights and my extensive gun collection, but there is so much more to prepping than guns and the ever looming Apocalypse. This is similar to my hunter friend who insisted it was his right to field dress his deer in full view of the neighbors, who were very repulsed. Those actions did not advance hunter’s or 2A rights, they just pushed people further away. We have to remember that a person’s perception is their reality.
Great article Daisy!
I think it will help us all be less judgmental. thanks
Thanks Daisy. Honest Confession is Good For The Soul.” You are terrific. Stay at it.
We love ya!
Great article!
There seems to be this strange idea that if you are a prepper, you live in a bunker, surrounded by years worth of MREs, ammo, pawing your guns, dreaming of some SHTF event, to be able to tell all the others who laughed at you, “I TOLD YOU SO!”
Yeah.
Even in the prepper community there seems to be this “I am a better prepper than you!” attitude.
One guy was putting himself through a strict exercise regime, to the point of, ” . . . alcohol shall not touch these lips!”
No, really, he posted words to that effect.
The point of being a prepper is to be prepared. But enjoy and appreciate that which we have in the here and now with all its modern conveniences.
Dinning out and being waited on, movie theaters, book stores, even Starbucks.
SHTF, yep, a lot of those things will be gone. Depending on the event, maybe forever. But given a long enough timeline, some or similar things may make a return.
In the meantime, prep to ensure your survival. And learn how to make do with what you have to replace those modern luxury things if you can.
It is the little things.
Love the unity message, and coffee but not Starbucks, I prefer those small coffee shops nobody in another state has heard of…. And chocolate cake with chocolate Icing. Anyways I’m in a developing country right now and I’m watching the news we get about the US and if it were not for the fact I know my own country (or TX at least) I’d think the division was so bad its past repairing. I hope that’s just the media cos I dont remember it like that personally, I’m a conservative but not Republican (never Democrat because I’m totally pro life and thats the biggest difference between the two for me), I consider myself a free thinker. I knew a lot of Democrats and we never even argued. So what’s up with this drama these days? I know people Democrat or Republican are both rational, able to have different opinions and still respect themselves and others (unlike third world countries politics) but what we see happening there from here (CNN) looks like a country that is falling apart from many internal angles.
I’m new to prepping but definitely won’t stop doing what I enjoy (many of them you mentioned). I was never one to judge anyone for wanting to prepare for when SHTF but I never thought of doing it myself… Until I had my daughter. I’ve started on my bug out bag and I’m looking to learn more about prepping 🙂 Thank you for this!
Great read for a Sunday morning! I am more republican, Trump supporter, freedom/equal rights supporter and 60 yr old grandma. and I am a prepper – one who chooses to be prepared for any disaster that may come my way. I don’t live out in the country on 40 acres, instead living on 1 acre in a subdivision community because I believe we will need a small community to get through the next disaster. I haven’t stocked an arsenal, instead only a few select pieces hopefully to get me through if needed. And I stock canned goods figuring I would learn the canning stuff when needed.
It is nice to have a place we can all go to share ideas and stories of what works and what doesn’t… and we can still enjoy life like eating out, going to the movies and eating real good old fashion chocolate cake!
Good article. I also love a good post-apocalyptic novel and read a lot of them. It has to be a good story, but also I enjoy learning something from them. I’ve been disappointed with the last few I read. You have any recommendations?
I’m a big fan of anything written by A. American. https://amzn.to/2OMUaQq
I like A. American’s books too, but I think you’d like my “The Dying Time: Impact” and “After the Dying Time” as well. Both books contain multiple page appendices that list links and other books of interest to Preppers. Visit my website and check them out, please.
Thank you! I’ll check those out 🙂