Help From The Ladies

[RossA]

I know that there are several very active and knowledgeable ladies who participate here. I've learned good things from you already.
Maybe y'all can help me "persuade" my wife about the importance of more thorough preparation. She understands that the economy is going to hell, that we have a government which is taking us into the gutter, and that society in general just ain't what it used to be.
However, she isn't as convinced as I am that regular preparation now could save our butts later on. I'm not talking about anything drastic, but things like spending $20 a week on extra supplies to store away. That can add up after awhile and give you a good supply of necessities.
It's not so much the money, it's the space. We have a large attic, but I don't want to use the attic to store food, water, and other things which will probably go bad there. Remember, we live in Houston where the summers are LONG and HOT. I think the extreme heat in the attic will cause things to go bad more quickly.
If we lived in the country and we could store stuff in the barn or someplace she probably wouldn't mind as much. But I think she envisions the entire garage (which is already pretty packed with assorted tools, camping equipment, etc.) being stuffed with canned goods, TP, etc. Then she sees it overflowing into the house. Of course, if we prepare long enough, she could be right.
Ladies, help me approach her with your feminine wisdom.

[Moira]

Hurricane Katrina should have taught her a lot about being prepared.
Storage under beds, in closets, behind furniture is always easy.
I wish you luck.

[herbalpagan]

For me, I hate going to the grocery store, so I try to buy in bulk. It's usually cheaper and easier. I also hate being caught with "nothing in the house" if I'm sick or company shows up. Being prepared makes that not an issue.
Surely she can see the good point to stocking up on sale items? If she could see preparedness that way, she won't mind. The space issue is a problem though...perhaps you could find space to build a pantry or build hidden storage. If she had that, she might not be so closed minded. From what you are saying, it sounds like she is just worried that the house will never look neat if she stockpiles a bunch of stuff. She might envision pallets of canned food and walls of TP. Being prepared doesn't have to look like that, but she might not know that. Do a search for pantries and things people have built to hold there supplies and maybe she'll come around.:)

[Loshali]

Persuade her huh...

I planned for y2k. I had toilet paper for two years, and actually saved money because I stocked up when they had it on sale, as well as canned goods, etc. I took that money for two years that I didnt have to buy groceries, on something special.

You didnt mention if you have children. is she willing to go beg from neighbors to keep them fed and warm, or would she rather know that she has set aside enough food for them to keep their bellies full at least a little while, in case a catastrophe happens?

Does she think that the government is gonna be right there, as soon as the lights go out, to bring candles, blankets, food, some way to prepare it (cooking), and every other need she may have? Why would the government do that for her when they couldnt get to Katrina victims or get to all those millions of people without power for a month in the ice storms up north? How many had to rely on someone else to meet their needs, and why? All because they did not have the foresight, or were just to lazy or selfish, to set aside a little bit of money each month to take care of themselves.

With or without her help and support, do it for your family. Get her used to the idea that you want provisions for 30 days.. then add enough to make it 60 days. then 90. You'll rotate everything out anyway, so its not like all this food is gonna sit in a bunker somewhere. You'll be saving money by buying in bulk, and always having a fully stocked pantry. Think of how many trips to the store you'll save...

Fake walls for canned goods take up about 6-8" of space.

Root cellars are the best bet for produce as well as canned goods.. just seal them in parafin or coat them to keep from rusting.

DO NOT store any type of food in an attic. the temerature up there can get up to 140 degrees.

[Brosia]

First off, clean out the garage and organize your tools and camping equipment, something she's probably been after you to do for 2 years now..... and set up a space dedicated for preps. THAT will show her you are serious.


then ditto what everyone else above has said. great tips.

[teach]

insurance

You probably spend thousands of dollars every year for health, home and auto insurance. Do you spend this because you want illness, loss of property or a wreck? No , it's because you want to be safe and protected. Storing essentials is just like insurance, you may not want to spend the money and hope not to use them, but you sure don't want to be without them.

[Loshali]

What if you were in a really bad accident together? Or one of you, for that matter. Say you broke both your legs and you couldnt work for two months, and she had injuries to her back or neck, making it so that she couldnt work for six months. Most people would seriously struggle just to make ends meet, buying medicine and food, heat, house payment, and all the other out of pocket expenses that insurance wont cover. It would be nice to know that at least you have food and alternative heating while you are injured.