Including your neighbors.....

[old_anorak]

Like I stated before, there is one neighbor and her 2 kids that we'd work with, maybe another family down the way a piece, the rest are city imports and couldn't find their ass with a map and a flashlight. I think they'd skedaddle as soon as they could get out, they might come here, but they think I'm a bit... eccentric. I help the opinion along by butchering something in the front yard every so often. Dead things in trees make a nice deterrent for folks who are used to their food wrapped in plastic.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Like I stated before, there is one neighbor and her 2 kids that we'd work with, maybe another family down the way a piece, the rest are city imports and couldn't find their ass with a map and a flashlight.

I know plenty of rural and semi-rural people who couldn't find their ass with a map and a flashlight either. Some of them don't even know who the president of the US is, and couldn't grow weeds if they tried.

 

[realisticdude]

People talk ...too much ! your neighbor (prepper buddy) tells their best friend who tells their brother -in -law who tells his cousin ,etc. First thing you know ,everybody knows all about the fine prepping job you have done. An old ww2 swabbe I knew said ( loose lips , sink ships )

 

[69Powerwagon]

How will you choose which neighbors to help and which not to? How many will you be helping? There is no way I can hoard enough food for us and the neighbors. I can't afford it and there is no place to store it.



You must be quite comfortable, unlike a lot of retirees, to be able to hoard enough for them and yourselves. Another thing, and it would be a PIA, is rotating all those hundreds of cans and jars and boxes of food etc. I'd get tired of that fast.

I don't really have to pick and choose on who I will include, I only have 4 close Neighbors and I know them well.They tend to be like minded people. I don't tell them what I am doing because like was mentioned further up in this thread people tend to talk and you can only help so many. As far as food rotation goes I hate it too, that is why I buy a couple cans of the 25 year stuff every payday. I wouldnt say I am all that comfortable either it's just that I already live in the kind of area like many people talk about bugging out to, so I plan on staying in my house and hunkering down where I am at when the SHTF and it makes perfect sense to me to be able to keep people that I know around to help me take care of our area. Storing a few extra cans of food every payday is real cheap insurance for me if it buys a couple of helping hands when things go bad and I have the space for it at my place, so why not?

 

[Come and Take It]

I was the Neighborhood Watch Block Captain for my street. 38 houses, 3 times a year for 3 years I composed letters, check lists, and all the other stuff that goes with that position. SO kids, here is a math question for you, 38 x 3 x 3 =....... 342 handouts, 3 pages each.

"Hey my name is Ozzy Ozborne, I am your Neighborhood watch dude,
we need to keep an eye on our stuff, blah blah blah... Let's get together at my place,
BBQ, swimming, dunking small children, ya know, the usual fun stuff and plan this out"

not the real letter...

So for today's final Jeopardy question, how many returns do you think I got out of 342?

The number is slightly larger than my shoe size

12 ! 12 effing responses ! 4 were from people who live in Canada half the year and their house sitter forwarded the info !

So as far as my neighbors go.... You will get nothing and like it !

I do know what these people have, because I tend to wander around my 'hood' with my dog and I appear harmless, I really am ! I swear !
So I lurk, watch, shoot the poop when they get home from work and the garage is open. Some people are Sofa King stupid with the stuff they leave in the open.

 

[Dani]

Ya know..I'm kinda torn on this one...I was watching Doomsday Preppers last night and the "experts" always recommend including your neighbors in your prepper plans. I get the idea of having more people therefore more skills and supplies and resources and such. BUT...then there's the idea of telling your neighbors about your preps in an effort to get them on board...and they just think you're the goofy paranoid type and ignore it. THEN...when the SHTF...guess who knows about YOUR stash and will come looking. Ya know?

Do you guys include your neighbors in on your prepping?

I agree that if you can get other people on board with skills you do not already have, than it would be good. If they are neighbors, I would approach soflty and get a feel for what they believe. I am in the country, but right outside a major city in Texas. I only have 2 neighbors and I know that neither one has prepped for anything, but I also know that one is a Sherriff's officer, so that may come in handy. The other one, no. I am only willing to help, if they are willing to help themselves, or can benefit me. And just an FYI, those who didn't prep will be helping with crops or harvest or whatever else. If not they can leave, one way or another.

 

[Loomis]

With my luck I'd probably get the neighbor with a eating disorder.

 

[Clyde]

my neighbors suck... no way will I include them...

I know the feeling!
I have 2 friends I would include. Well there is another, but he needs to lose his 350 pound ex meth head wife (that's being kind) first.

 

[LissyPrepper]

Clyde: Ya I'd love to say I'd take anyone and everyone in who needs help. Back when I was a kid, that is what you did. If your neighbor was in need, everyone pitched in and it built a stronger community. We just don't live in that world anymore. Today, people are used to hand outs. Now they come to your house expecting you to give them everything for nothing in return. Not a helping hand or even a thank you. Case in point: My old neighbor had a good for nothing boyfriend who refused to work. He totaled her car. She had to walk to work 3 miles every day one way. She had 2 small kids. Her landlord decided he wanted her to start paying the water bill. She was dirt poor (so I thought). She couldn't do it. Landlord had the water shut off on her. I felt really bad for her. I let her come over as often as she wanted, take as much water as she needed for her and her kids for drinking, cooking and bathing. She stopped paying the landlord rent for months (I wasn't aware at the time that the landlord was trying to get her out because she hadn't paid rent in over 6 months). Landlord after a few more months evicted her. Come to find out she was living pretty high on the hog; free rent, no car to make payments, she was sacking away a ton of money, stiffed me with a water bill of up over $600. She told me she'd give me a little towards it. Before I knew I was being scammed, I didn't want it. All I cared about was that her kids were suffering. I was a FOOL. She got free rent, free water, free rides to work (yep me and my family took her all over). She had no bills what so ever. Come to find out, this was her little scam. She was good at it. This happened a couple of years ago. Now imagine what people will be like when the SHTF? My top priority for prepping this year is security. I've erased "sucker" off of my forehead. Lesson L.E.A.R.N.E.D.

 

[old_anorak]

Lissy, I've been there, done that and I have the blessed t shirt. My helping hand is now in my pocket. I don't offer jack to anyone anymore all because of one person and her family. They wanted to move up here to make life better for their kid, he worked on an offshore oil rig and made good money, so they just needed a place to stay until they found the right place.

We forcibly kicked them out of our house 18 months later because they didn't even attempt to live up to the agreement we'd drawn up. Thousands of dollars that they owe us that we'll never see and because of them, I'm very reluctant to help anyone else with anything.

There was a time when you just didn't make a living out of screwing over the goodwill of nice people, now though, it's a booming business.

 

[LissyPrepper]

There was a time when you just didn't make a living out of screwing over the goodwill of nice people, now though, it's a booming business.

A booming business indeed! Still makes my blood boil..... yours too I'm sure.

 

[old_anorak]

Making my blood boil would be a polite way of saying it. I told her when I first befriended her that I was not someone that anyone would want angry with them. She's still finding that out now after 2 years from being tossed out of my door. It's like I've said in a different thread, I like to think I'm a nice person, but people know me.

 

[Loomis]

I found out the hard way helping homeless vets downtown. I won't do it again.

 

[La_crimson_nape]

My cousin loves across the road from me and she's an MD. I'm going to let her in on my plans; she and her family are welcome to my stash. In fact, now that I think about it, I'm going to include them when figuring out how many peeps I have to feed. There's only three of them, unless you count her ******* son-in-law and he can fend for himself...LOL!

 

[RV-Kitty]

I don't really have to pick and choose on who I will include, I only have 4 close Neighbors and I know them well.They tend to be like minded people. I don't tell them what I am doing because like was mentioned further up in this thread people tend to talk and you can only help so many.

I actually don't know if I'd be in a position to help my neighbors. When I spoke to one of them about prepping she had no idea what I was talking about. I don't think everyone watches the prepper show on TV. (We don't.) They have no idea people are prepping.

Storing a few extra cans of food every payday is real cheap insurance for me if it buys a couple of helping hands when things go bad and I have the space for it at my place, so why not?

This is true about helping hands. I was a canner so know the space hoarded food takes up. We have a house 1800 sq ft but there is little space for storage. The outbuildings are out as food would spoil with the freezes of winter and heat and humidity of summer. If the SHTF I'm sure for a variety of reasons that it wouldn't last long. This country has learned a lot about emergency responses since Katrina.

 

[RV-Kitty]

I found out the hard way helping homeless vets downtown. I won't do it again.

I heard of TV some time back that most of those claiming to be homeless vets are not vets at all. They were never in any branch of the armed forces. By making that claim they get better handouts. People are more apt to feel sorry for them.

 

[Loomis]

I heard of TV some time back that most of those claiming to be homeless vets are not vets at all. They were never in any branch of the armed forces. By making that claim they get better handouts. People are more apt to feel sorry for them.

That is true. I ran into that quite a number of times.

 

[Simple but effective]

I have a few close friends and family that are over different areas in our shtf plan. One for weaponry one for surveillance Three for shelters Etc Alternate bug out locations. Basically people I trust with a common goal but a more specialized skill set. If a neighbor has something we are lacking I usually just talk about something less radical like installing a solar or wind system and leave the hungry people are going to kill you speech after I have become a goto guy and they don't think I am the "end of days" nutjob. Money is a great motivator so by starting a little garden or putting in a solar panel it lowers my bills. People like to save money. It gives me an indicator as to who will be an asset and who's a liability. If they take the ideas and run with it the doomsday talk will happen eventually. But no room for people who are lazy or just in their own little world

 

[WilliamAshley]

All I can say is that doomsday preppers is a lobby for the NRA and neighborhood watch. If your community does have a neighborhood watch program you can consider starting one as an awesome way to bring your community together in a prepping context. neighbourhood watch is probably the #1 way of doing this in a "socially acceptable" normative way. Just saying, I'm afraid zombies will attack or when they cross the rubicon they are coming for us.. might not get the same response, but it really depends on age group. Destruction of the family unit and loss of neighbourlyness, is sort of unfortunate, community organizations are a way of countering that social tendency.. neighborhood watch is great, from there you can bring in other elements of prepping like emergency response etc..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhood_watch

more overt means of organizing underground cells may bring more of the feds into your group than your neighbours...

 

[WilliamAshley]

Here are some example in Ontario Canada...
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/sk/progs/safety-securite-eng.htm

these sorts of things may ease down neighbour suspicions on camera systems, sensors, antennas etc.. that otherwise may be a little kookie if they don't serve a benefit to them. Also other prepping activities will be much more accepted if they know that it is for emergencies not anti government or anti trust activities.

 

[WilliamAshley]

Triple post, however, the people who live closest to you will be most available. The problem is, if there is a breakdown, you and your neighbours will end up meeting one another if the water runs out or the food runs out, people will start looking. Diffusing violent encounters is better than forcing them. Although lets get real, how likely is nuclear strikes on the US or a solar flare that whipes out the electrical system or reverse on the earths magnetic field, or massive super destruction, or societal collapse, we are a good 5-10 years off probably. Sure the stuff can happen, but things like neighbourhood crime are real social issues that exist every day.

Co-Op gardens can be managed much better with multiple participants, food and water storage is better at multiple locations because a house fire or other disaster can wipe out a store or make it inaccessible. There are definite advantages.

I invite anyone to network with me, the level of networking is another matter. Society is networking.

putting your head out risks loosing it... I'm pretty much a hermit but it looks all good on paper.



Maybe you want to go on vacation some day? Who is going to watch fufu or water your plants.. not saying use just use people, but I am saying community has some purposes.

 

[Wiredog8]

My neighbors are poor and most are dumber than dirt to boot. They only think about having that 5:05 beer. They don't care what's going on in the real world. A few ofthe kids nearby seem to have good heads on their shoulders despite their folks. I'd take in the kids but no way on their folks.

 

[WilliamAshley]

a poor person is still a body in a time of crisis. a lot of prepping activities are free.

 

[Wiredog8]

I have broached the subject with them ( lightly) on occasion, and they had this look on their face that says it all.....huh?
I do not think they are going to be a viable resource in a time of need.

 

[Wiredog8]

I do not judge a person by what they have. I judge people by their actions and convictions.

 

[Simple but effective]

If what I'm thinking may happen does happen its going to be a rude awakening for a lot of people. It's going to boil down to are you an asset or a liability? People will lose it and those who prepared will survive and be an asset. Those who did nothing will die or be killed as they have to scavenge and steal to survive. As cold as it sounds it almost just like Noah's ark. If you laughed and didn't build the boat you're gonna get tired of swimming

 

[hightechredneck]

If what I'm thinking may happen does happen its going to be a rude awakening for a lot of people. It's going to boil down to are you an asset or a liability? People will lose it and those who prepared will survive and be an asset. Those who did nothing will die or be killed as they have to scavenge and steal to survive. As cold as it sounds it almost just like Noah's ark. If you laughed and didn't build the boat you're gonna get tired of swimming

It not cold. its the truth. hope my boat works cause I can't swim

 

[realisticdude]

A friend in need is a friend indeed..................the meaning you get from this proverb may not be the meaning your friend has .

 

[WilliamAshley]

You are going to have to plan for them anyway... its just how you plan for them.

Cans and bottles can be useful for things. Alcohol is useful too. Not sure exactly other uses of beer, but I'm geussing you might be able to can with it. Well you can't force someone to change, but once that supply of beer drys up they will sober up... if they are alcoholics as opposed to just light drinkers, physical withdrawal can set in..

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2011/05/canning-it-preserving-with-alcohol.html

Maybe they would be interested in learning to can with alcohol as a gateway to prepping.

Or putting away a beer out of every case for when disaster strikes.

 

[Come and Take It]

I buy 2 bottles of booze every 2 weeks, and a carton of smokes.

Hope those doesn't piss off the BATF, again....

Running total now 5 cases of Jim Beam, 5 Cases of Bacardi Dark Rum, 4 cases of Smirnoff assorted vodkas

15 cartons of Camel Lights, 5 cartons of Newports