You work hard for your preps and you’ve been working at it for a long time. You have saved and spent your hard-earned money on things that you will need in an emergency. You’ve spent countless hours planning and critiquing your stores down to every grain of rice.
As a prepper, we run through all sorts of scenarios and do our best to figure out the best way to handle it; our family’s lives depend on it. Then through some sort of leak, someone finds out that you are a prepper. And you hear, “we are coming to your house when the SHTF.” What are you going to do now?
Do Not Advertise Your Preps
You must be extremely careful who you tell when you’re a prepper. Whether it was a casual discussion between you and your wife or a well-trusted friend, you must be mindful of other ears in the area. Kids will be kids and they don’t intentionally set out to ruin your plans, it just happens. Children or notorious for not being able to keep a secret no matter how much you try to make them understand. Further, children probably aren’t your only concern, uncle Bob tends to have a few beers and tells you his life story or aunt Betty is the gossip of the town.
Do I Tell Our Children We are Preppers?
Do you keep your plans from your children or do you tell them and do your best to help them understand? For us, it really depends on their age; the older children will be more likely to understand while the younger children are best kept in the dark. We tell them that the preps are for camping trips and that’s our story and we are sticking to it. Well, until they reach an age that they can comprehend the consequence of letting the secret out.
Do I Tell Friends and Family We are Preppers?
As much as you think you know your friends and family, the same thing applies. You may think your friend or family member will keep the secret, but do they share the same respect for the secret as you do? It’s best to keep it to yourself unless your friend and family are fellow preppers. Be sure they also understand that letting others know you’re a prepper is not an option and could come at a huge cost.
The Neighbors Know We are Preppers
Well, if it is just an acquaintance or extended family, you can easily set them straight and let them know that your home and preps are for your family only. Kindly inform them that they will not be welcome in an emergency and you only have enough to get your family by and they need to make alternate plans.
Should We Let Family in on our Prepping?
Relationships such as this make it a bit tougher. What do you say if a close family member or a lifelong friend tells you they are coming to your home in an SHTF situation? Ultimately, this decision is up to you but again, you have a set amount of preps and you plan for a situation with only your household in mind and don’t have the supplies to support others. Now, they could just be trying to pull your chain, but take it seriously and develop a plan on how to deal with this situation before the SHTF.
Should We Keep Extra Preps for our Family and Friends?
Moreover, some preppers (as kind-hearted as they are) think they will keep a few extra items to hand out in just this kind of situation. This may be a big mistake, when you hand out food or water, you are advertising to everyone that you have food and supplies. The word WILL get out and you WILL have your hands full defending your preps at some point.
You may think, I will let them in my home if they bring their own preps, but this is also a bad idea. Instead of allowing them in your home and bringing their own preps, which you can guarantee will be severely inadequate, educate them now on how to be prepared. Encourage them to start putting supplies aside for an emergency. There is no situation we can think of where helping others get prepared is a bad idea. It can only help; all of us.
Prepare for SHTF Now
If your heart just won’t allow you to turn certain family and friends away, make a list now of who you are going to let in and who you will turn away. Like most things we talk about after the SHTF, we don’t really know what we are capable of until we are put in that position. We can say we will turn away anyone that knocks on our door but do we really have the heart? Especially if it is a close family.
Who Should I Help When the SHTF?
Here are some things to think about when you are making your list:
- Have they helped you in the past with your home or preps?
- Do they bring any special skills to the plate?
- Do they present any risk or special challenges that are not easily dealt with?
- Do they have the same mindset and determination that you have about survival?
How to Tell Your Family They Are Not Welcome After the SHTF
Eventually, you will need to have a come to Jesus talk and get your thoughts out for discussion. They need to know where you stand before an issue arises. Out of desperation, people will say or do whatever they think they need to get your help or supplies. It is better to head them off at the curve sooner rather than later.