WHY do you prepare? Why whole wheat?

[freemotion]

Just curious....I am increasing the speed of my ss journey lately in my quest for real, nutritious food.....at least that has been one of the motivating factors, among many.

I am naturally a stocker-upper (hoarder according to some friends!) and feel less inner stress if I have enough supplies for a few months. Probably from some childhood times without and some of the stress it caused in the household, as much as my folks tried to hide it from us kids, when your mother says only eat half that piece of fruit and save the rest for tomorrow, then she feels bad and says go ahead, eat the whole thing, you can tell. When she is opening dented cans with no label and hoping it is people food....(no, we did not eat the dog food!)....when you run out of toilet paper....well, these things have an impact.

So all these discussions I've been participating in on whole wheat got me thinking....why do y'all stock up? Yes, there are other threads on this, but what I am specifically asking is, what is your motivation for having sealed cans/buckets of whole wheat, and for how long?

Is there a specific disaster you have in mind (Katrina, tornados, blizzards, etc) or maybe a Great Depression II? Or it just makes you feel calmer inside in general if you get laid off or injured and can't work? Decreasing availability of real food? All of the above?

 

[dacjohns]

From my perspective, some of the answers to your questions can be found here:

http://www.providentliving.org/channel/0,11677,1706-1,00.html

 

[farmerlor]

For me it's all of the above and then some. I like knowing that I have real food made by my hands with no preservatives or chemicals in it to feed to my family and that it cost me pennies. I like using the earth to provide me with those things so I try to give back to her by lessening my impact. I like teaching my children how to provide for themselves just in case everything should go to heck someday and they need to fend for themselves without money or quick trips to the store. I like knowing that if something happens I don't have to worry about feeding my family for months if we absolutely have no way to get or afford to get food elsewhere.

 

[Beekissed]

For me, God provided it and I had nothing to do with it! A man at church had come into several, sealed for Y2K,tins of wheat and a grinder~ and his wife didn't want anything to do with it. He heard I made homemade wheat bread and offered it to me. I accepted gratefully!

If not for that, I don't know that I would be stocking up or hoarding anything, except what I can grow with my own two hands.

I tend to hover between being prepared and having faith that God will provide when I am in need, so I don't go out of my way to plan for anything long term or of disaster proportions. I am storing up information, practicing my skills in SS and just doing what comes natural for me. But preparing for anything dire? Nope.

 

[freemotion]

I guess I am in good company, then! Good food, good skills, part of the solution rather than part of the problem...

Yup, it is always a struggle for balance...

 

[FarmerChick]

Yes, there are other threads on this, but what I am specifically asking is, what is your motivation for having sealed cans/buckets of whole wheat, and for how long?

Is there a specific disaster you have in mind (Katrina, tornados, blizzards, etc) or maybe a Great Depression II? Or it just makes you feel calmer inside in general if you get laid off or injured and can't work? Decreasing availability of real food? All of the above?

**************
I do not stock whole wheat in buckets.

No specific disaster. I stock for convenience and control reasons. There is not much a person can truly control in life, at least I think that, so I control what I can. I know if sale prices are low on a particular product, I buy and stock. Cause I can. I feel good knowing I have a supply for "what if" for short term problems.

I don't do disaster stocking. I don't stock way down the road and expect to live for years off my pantry. I go with the flow but do have a pantry for regular reasons.

I live more for now than possible future disasters....I can't waste my life wondering "what if" too far down the road or prepare for "total disaster"---that just isn't me at all.

 

[dacjohns]

For general being prepared. Not for anything specific but in case anything might happen. Storms, job loss, being unable to work. Not for the end of the world.

Whole wheat because it keeps a long time when protected from critters. It can be the base for many types of food and meals. It is high in fiber.

 

[enjoy the ride]

I am not as organized as I want to be about it but it does give me some security to know I do not have to go into town to the store if I don't want to.
It is not that I live so far from town as the road is difficult to drive and not walkable by me anyway. I'd have a heart attck trying to get into town or back up if I had to walk.

It's not that I have enough stored to last for a year but enough for me.

It's like the water supply here- I have two 2500 gallon tanks for storage- not that I need it much but this last week the lower pump was out and it took a week to get a replacement. Some who don't have storage just did without, I kept up as normal and will wait til the tanks are full and settled to start the pump to my own place. It's is comforting not to have to worry immediately. To have choices and time to make plans.

 

[freemotion]

Just wondering, I guess. I am not a major-disaster type person, either. The big ones that came....was anyone really prepared for them anyways?

I have been sorting through things in my house and came across a box in the cellar that I set up after 9/11. I was on the MERT (Massage Emergency Response Team) that went to Ground Zero, NYC and we were required to have certain items.....which went into the box in the cellar after carrying them into the city just once!

Long past due to dismantle that box and chuck, donate, or put away the items in it. After being there, they wouldn't've saved me from anything, anyways!

 

[Wifezilla]

Blizzards....
Depression....
Saves money buying extra when the prices are low...