Both a prepper and a minimalist?

[ZanaHart]

If I got out the checklist I started a few months ago, I probably wouldn't even call myself a prepper at all, as there are a lot of basic things I really should get. (More dish soap, for example).

But I'm too much of a packrat to be a drastic minimalist.

And I'm too much of a sort-of-prepper that the idea of just keeping what brings you joy, a la Marie Korlo (if I have her name right) makes no sense to me. How much joy do I get from extra toilet paper? Not much though I can imagine being mighty glad to have it someday.

How do others combine or not-combine these two approaches?

[bae]

I find that the best way of prepping is investing in personal skills, and building social capital. This takes very little space.

[ZanaHart]

Well put! I'm good at the social capital, fair on personal skills. I really should be able to tie knots, after all I could when I was a girl scout in the 1950s.

[Gardnr]

Minimalist: we've gotten rid of as much as we want...compared to the average American we are seriously minimalist. By pure definition we are not.

Prepper: We can easily go a month on food, personal care, home upkeep, if we have electric and gas to cook and heat. We don't have water storage nor a generator so today we'd be without both and it's freezing outside.

[Tybee]

Not a very good preppier or a good minimalist. My dh did buy an extra coffee maker carafe at a garage sale yesterday for a dollar. My mom used to have duplicate small appliances from garage sales, and I like to do that, although I haven't since we've been talking about moving.

I have too many extras, generally speaking.

[Teacher Terry]

I don’t buy duplicate stuff. We now have only 3 sets of sheets for 2 beds. As they wear out 2 will be enough. We have also stopped going to garage sales because it’s a great way to add stuff you don’t really need.

[sweetana3]

We found the simple act of not going shopping unless there is a real need with a list to be our biggest saver and way to eliminate clutter. We spent decades going to garage sales and thrift stores since hubby ran a small ebay business. Even going to the grocery store causes impulse buys so we try to have a specific list and stick to it.

That said, we still fall for sales and just bought a box of $6 ice cream bars that was .61 cents.

[ZanaHart]

Nice diversity of approaches here.

We do have water -- a hot tub in our greenhouse could provide a lot of water and we have a Berkey water filter and a couple of other portable ones. Food, not everything I'd want but a decent selection of rice and beans at least. And a solar oven. As for a bathroom we have a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet-seat top, plus plastic bags and cat litter.

[catherine]

I'm not much of a prepper. During Hurricane Sandy we used my BIL's emergency radio, and I was thinking I should buy one right after the hurricane was over, but I never did. I also don't have an emergency generator.

I do have a rain barrel. In terms of stocking food, I stock cases from Costco of: diced tomatoes, beans, tuna, and some other random vegetables--and I have a huge bag of rice. We keep a cord or so of wood for the wood stove, and I have a subscription for Who Gives A Crap bamboo TP that I have forgotten to adjust so I have about 70 rolls of that. We even gave it away as joke party favors at our 4th of July party.

Oh, and you reminded me that we do have a boat potty that we could use.

[Teacher Terry]

We have enough food for a month. Our only risks would be fires or earthquakes. Neither are a huge risk here. I would take dogs and medications and drive away.

[Zippy]

I have a friend who used to buy a year's worth of non-perishable household items every January, both to simplify her shopping needs and also in case of power outages, weather, etc. I thought it was a pretty smart idea and probably a money-saving one, too. She had a closet specifically to store it.

[ZanaHart]

That's a good idea,Zippy! Think I might try something like that.

[jp1]

As a matter of course we have enough random food for at least a month. It'd not likely be nutritionally balanced, and we'd surely get tired of some of the things but we'd survive. And we have a propane grill on which to cook even if the gas lines go out and always have a full propane tank as backup. We also have enough water for at least two weeks including flushing the toilet at least once a day. (years ago we found several 3 gallon jugs that we brought home, filled and keep in our downstairs storage room. I've never changed the water but it'd be fine for flushing). The problem for us in planning for a true major emergency is that the most likely emergency we face is an earthquake. Our apartment is in a fairly new building so hopefully it would survive without major damage, but who knows. Additionally if the earthquake happens when one, or both, of us isn't home we may not be able to get back here.

[ZanaHart]

I have family in the Bay Area and I think about earthquakes there too.

[flowerseverywhere]

Besides skills that Bae mentioned making do goes a long way. Can you grow any food? Can you boil water and heat things up without power? Can you walk several miles? Have a serviceable bike that you can ride? Good working radio and a way to purify water? Hunt or fish?
I remember Y2K when people were stocking up on huge bags of rice, beans, flour and so on. I often wondered how they planned to cook it long term.

[ZanaHart]

Can't walk long distances any more. I concentrate on doing things at home. Growing sprouts uses very little water. Never could hunt or fish but we eat mostly vegan now.

Y2K was when we got our solar oven.

[BikingLady]

I am not a real prepper by any means, I have studied those sites. I refuse to go without things that I feel I need to make me happy. So not a real minimalist either. I feel I am good enough at both those titles however.
I think one can be both, being prepared for what may be is not wasteful.