Has anyone had to deal with an unsupportive spouse, and were you able to convince them of the necessity of preparing?
No support from spouse
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I am really just starting out, but in the long term I would like to prep for as many scenarios as possible. I live in Tornado Alley, and we do have some earthquakes, though nothing major. So I'd like to get prepared for those.
well,you could use some though love, next time you experience a tornado and something goes wrong,leave your spouse without supplies for a while,
while you take care of the rest of the pack,then ask; do you wanna get in with this or not??
while you take care of the rest of the pack,then ask; do you wanna get in with this or not??
Thanks bigpaul. I already have a BIB for tornadoes. And a cache of food and water that's easily accessible, but not likely to be affected by the tornado. That's my most likely, every year.
I might just do that, jontte.well,you could use some though love, next time you experience a tornado and something goes wrong,leave your spouse without supplies for a while,
while you take care of the rest of the pack,then ask; do you wanna get in with this or not??
Does your significant other understand the necessity of prepping for a tornado? It sounds like that's the best place to start for y'all. If they are not willing to be on board even for that I'm not sure they can be convinced.
Just do it yourself. The next time you have some emergency or minor emergency, you will be prepared and you can just mention the joys of being prepared
Thank you all for your advice. I'll be trying some of these for sure.
That's how I've gotten my family. Only a few know the extent of what I try to get ready for, but they all know I have a first aid kit, a bottle of water, a snack, or a sewing kit handy at all times. It gets annoying sometimes but I just tell them it's about being prepared.Just do it yourself. The next time you have some emergency or minor emergency, you will be prepared and you can just mention the joys of being prepared
They probaly need to experience a minor disaster to understand. Giving real world examples of when it would have been good to prepare may work. My girlfriend isn't convinced of prepping beyond having enough food and power. I have tried explaining that she might have to leave the house and trek. Then she thought we would be treking together until i explained to her my B.O.B was only for me and if she wanted to come she would have to build her own bag and lose weight so she wouldn't slow me down. I gave up on trying to convince friends and family. If **** hits the fan I won't be letting them have any supplies as they have had ample warning.
Ironically, my 11 yr old son is also very interested in prepping. A direct result of his anxiety, and if he has prepared or helped prepare, it eases some of his anxiety.
Tried to ask him why he didn't want to talk about it, he said the same, and when I asked what about a major natural disaster, he said that I already figured all that out, so he didn't need to worry about it. He doesn't seem to understand, that, even though I have already prepped for a little event, there's more to do, and I'll need his help.
It's like the ostrich sticking its head in the sand. If I can't see it/don't think about it, it won't happen/doesn't exist.
I have finally figured out that most people allready have their minds made up for themselves. You can point out the benefits of prepping to some and they might see the idea as less crazy than they did before, but I think most of us learn the hard way. I have been through several hurricanes and power outages from storms. I know first hand how much it sucks to try to sleep in the Deep South with no AC in the summertime. I know it sucks when the faucet dosent work and you didn’t have an alternative source of water. I have just taken steps to minimize the inconvenience of these hiccups in our easy modern lifestyles. I like having coffee in the mornings, and really like knowing that I can still enjoy all these little comforts that I’m used to even during most challenging times. My wife and son thought I was overboard with the whole being prepared thing at first, but with the few power outages and storms that they have been through, they understand now the benefits.
that's exactly it, its so horrendous a thing for them to think about so they don't, if they don't then it wont happen.....they think.
mostly they live for today, tomorrow hasnt happened yet, so they don't prepare or think about it.
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My husband doesnt help at all. Well, he does pay for stuff.
He doesn't stand in my way. I have rooms full of home canned goods and BOB supplies and he doesn't care.
He knows it wouldn't do any good to bitch.
He doesn't stand in my way. I have rooms full of home canned goods and BOB supplies and he doesn't care.
He knows it wouldn't do any good to bitch.
They are right, it does go on day after day after day. Until it doesn't. But this is like trying to explain to a 20 year-old to start saving for retirement. Not going to happen.
I don't try to convince anyone of anything any more. They make their choice. They will reap the benefits or suffer the consequences of those choices. I won't shake a finger at them if SHTF. There will be those that I take in, and there will be those that look down the wrong end of a barrel if they come knocking. Actions (or lack thereof) have consequences, and sometimes those consequences suck. I can't save the world and it will kill me if I tried. I have no apologies for trying to save my little part of it and not giving away the precious little I have if SHTF.
I'm going to have to remember this way of thinking after SHTF.
I'd like to weigh in on this with a few points that may be relevant, as my live-in girlfriend has issues with some of my prepping prioroties.
She is very orderly and organized, and she doesn't like clutter, and--as part of her cultural background--she's very thrifty, and can't stand spending extra money when she doesn't have to.
It rubs her the wrong way when she sees me "hoarding" canned food, bottled water, and so on. We live in a small duplex, so space is at a premium.
So, even though we disagree about certian things, I acknowledge the validity of her points. She has issues with hoarding food when we live in South Florida (in the tropics), so pests are a problem. She gets nervous about propane cannisters on the property (I was a paramedic, and she's a nurse.....and we've both treated people who were burned in propane explosions), and so on.
So, maybe you can reach common ground by acknowledging his objections and issues, and try to see the situation from his point of view.
Be ready to compromise. If money is the concern, there are a million and one ways a person can prep on a shoestring.
If space is at a preminum, put the bulk of your prep stuff in a storage area with 24 hour access in easily moved containers...to be retrieved when things start to go sideways.
If he doesn't get the realities of the fragile nature of American infrastructure, then talk him into talking free classes and becoming Red Cross volunteers (as a couple, and suggest it as a bonding experience), and work in the aftermath of a few disasters.
Above all, remember that you two love each other....and as long as you have each other, then everything else is icing on the cake.
She is very orderly and organized, and she doesn't like clutter, and--as part of her cultural background--she's very thrifty, and can't stand spending extra money when she doesn't have to.
It rubs her the wrong way when she sees me "hoarding" canned food, bottled water, and so on. We live in a small duplex, so space is at a premium.
So, even though we disagree about certian things, I acknowledge the validity of her points. She has issues with hoarding food when we live in South Florida (in the tropics), so pests are a problem. She gets nervous about propane cannisters on the property (I was a paramedic, and she's a nurse.....and we've both treated people who were burned in propane explosions), and so on.
So, maybe you can reach common ground by acknowledging his objections and issues, and try to see the situation from his point of view.
Be ready to compromise. If money is the concern, there are a million and one ways a person can prep on a shoestring.
If space is at a preminum, put the bulk of your prep stuff in a storage area with 24 hour access in easily moved containers...to be retrieved when things start to go sideways.
If he doesn't get the realities of the fragile nature of American infrastructure, then talk him into talking free classes and becoming Red Cross volunteers (as a couple, and suggest it as a bonding experience), and work in the aftermath of a few disasters.
Above all, remember that you two love each other....and as long as you have each other, then everything else is icing on the cake.
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Hell, I don't give a **** what my husband does or says. I'll do what I need to do.
Kevin,
Keep in mind that there are marriages built on love and trust and unity. And then there are people that remain together for none of those reasons. It happens. Robin has made it clear in the past that she's in that category.
Keep in mind that there are marriages built on love and trust and unity. And then there are people that remain together for none of those reasons. It happens. Robin has made it clear in the past that she's in that category.
Thank you for this insight. My husband doesn't have an issue with money, or the space. And we both agree the politics have us balancing on the edge of a knife, and we could slide at any time. He just figures that 1, I'm already preparing for the minor possible catastrophes, and 2, if it's his time to go, nothing he does is going to make any difference.
I'm not sure about volunteering for ARC will change that kind of outlook, but I suppose anything is worth a shot.
