Hey, Folks.

[Tonya]

Hi, there. My name is Tonya. I live in Missouri with my husband and 4 kids. I am very, very new to prepping and pretty much still in the planning/list making stage. I have been telling my husband for quite awhile that things are going to get bad at some point. I don't know what it will be, but I know I don't want to be sitting here with 4 kids counting on me and no way to feed them and keep them safe when it comes. He didn't really take me seriously, but he is finally on board. He finally watched an episode of Doomsday Preppers (I know some people don't like the show, but I take what I need and leave what I don't) with me and things started clicking for him just how fragile our nice, convenient life is and how quickly it can all be taken away. What if you can't go to the store anymore? What if the lights go out indefinitely? What is there is no gas at the pump? What if people get desperate? How will we protect our family and what is ours? He is a firearms instructor so that last one is the easiest for us. We took our reluctant kids (range from age 7-14) shooting for the first time last week. They ended up absolutely loving it. We sat down and talked to them about why being prepared is so important. They went from thinking, "Oh no. We are going to be a "crazy" prepper family!" to understanding why and being okay with it. I am so happy to have the entire family onboard. We live on 19 acres that is mostly wooded. Even though we are 5 miles outside of town, we do have a very well traveled two lane highway that passes near our home. That is definitely a concern. We have a garden and chickens already. My mother in law is going to teach me the fine art of canning soon. We have a fireplace in the living room for heat, but I would really like to work on being able to heat the entire house with wood and getting away from natural gas. We do have a well, but it has an electric pump. We have a generator for it, but it's not something that will work long term. So, being able to access the well without electricity is definitely at the top of my list. Sorry! I'm rambling. I am happy to be here, and I am really excited about learning from the pros here.

 

[Gazrok]

Welcome! Sounds like you've got a good location there.

Even though we are 5 miles outside of town, we do have a very well traveled two lane highway that passes near our home. That is definitely a concern

Well, if the SHTF, you can always disable the highway well away from your place. I'm kind of in the same boat. It isn't "well-traveled", but too much for a SHTF scenario. I'd be felling some trees over it pretty quick after things went crazy.

We have a garden and chickens already. My mother in law is going to teach me the fine art of canning soon

Awesome start. Have you checked into the dry items you can store in buckets with a 15 year shelf-life? (rice, beans, pasta, mashed potato flakes, etc.)?

We do have a well, but it has an electric pump. We have a generator for it, but it's not something that will work long term. So, being able to access the well without electricity is definitely at the top of my list.

There is a bullet shaped bucket you can get to access modern wells. I've seen them range from $15 PVC to $70 galvanized ones. Check Lehman's for the galvanized. A more long term solution is to convert it to solar.

 

[alabaster]

WOW! Welcome, Tonya! You say you're new to prepping, but it sounds to me like you're only new to the site! I am a firearms instructor, like your hubby. My wife and I grew up in similar families so we have both been open to prepping for some time, even though we thought of it more like being "Woodsy" and self-sufficient people.

You seen to know where most of your weak spots are, so it seems you have a good mind working in your corner, which is without a doubt the best tool we can have.

Welcome and please feel free to jump in wherever you see fit.

 

[Tonya]

Thanks so much for the warm welcome and compliment. It means a lot! I have already learned so much just by poking around on different threads here. Such a wealth of knowledge! Thank you for the idea for the well and for disabling the highway if it was needed. I would have never thought of that. I already picked out the perfect spots. lol

 

[Overlord]

A Warm Welcome!

 

[Clyde]

Hi, there. My name is Tonya. I live in Missouri with my husband and 4 kids. I am very, very new to prepping and pretty much still in the planning/list making stage. I have been telling my husband for quite awhile that things are going to get bad at some point. I don't know what it will be, but I know I don't want to be sitting here with 4 kids counting on me and no way to feed them and keep them safe when it comes. He didn't really take me seriously, but he is finally on board. He finally watched an episode of Doomsday Preppers (I know some people don't like the show, but I take what I need and leave what I don't) with me and things started clicking for him just how fragile our nice, convenient life is and how quickly it can all be taken away. What if you can't go to the store anymore? What if the lights go out indefinitely? What is there is no gas at the pump? What if people get desperate? How will we protect our family and what is ours? He is a firearms instructor so that last one is the easiest for us. We took our reluctant kids (range from age 7-14) shooting for the first time last week. They ended up absolutely loving it. We sat down and talked to them about why being prepared is so important. They went from thinking, "Oh no. We are going to be a "crazy" prepper family!" to understanding why and being okay with it. I am so happy to have the entire family onboard. We live on 19 acres that is mostly wooded. Even though we are 5 miles outside of town, we do have a very well traveled two lane highway that passes near our home. That is definitely a concern. We have a garden and chickens already. My mother in law is going to teach me the fine art of canning soon. We have a fireplace in the living room for heat, but I would really like to work on being able to heat the entire house with wood and getting away from natural gas. We do have a well, but it has an electric pump. We have a generator for it, but it's not something that will work long term. So, being able to access the well without electricity is definitely at the top of my list. Sorry! I'm rambling. I am happy to be here, and I am really excited about learning from the pros here.

Welcome and thank you for taking time to join Doomsday Prepper Forums.com. Your presence here is much appreciated. We look forward to your posts, and hope you enjoy the community!

Please feel free to ask (post) and questions you may have in the proper area, as the members on here are extremely knowledgeable and more than willing to help!

Thank you again for taking the time to join Doomsday Prepper Forums.com!

Thanks so much for the warm welcome and compliment. It means a lot! I have already learned so much just by poking around on different threads here. Such a wealth of knowledge! Thank you for the idea for the well and for disabling the highway if it was needed. I would have never thought of that. I already picked out the perfect spots. lol