Many times, well-meaning (and also not so well-meaning) friends and family can say things like, “Why are you prepping? What if a major emergency never occurs?”
Or, sometimes when we’ve been prepping for an event long enough, little thoughts can creep into our heads, like “Is all this prepping really worth it? Isn’t this possibly a waste of time? What if I never actually use my stockpile?”
It would be easy to just tell you, “Don’t worry about that! Of course emergencies will happen! You’ll use everything exactly as you planned to!” But, although that might be a more positive outlook, there’s a better way to handle these doubts and insecurities.
Oftentimes when fears comes into play, it can be more helpful to really think through the realistic repercussions of the “worst case scenario.” That way, even though it likely won’t happen, you can be ready and knowing what to expect if it does.
So, that’s what we’ll do for this. Rather than covering it over with optimism, we’re going to look at the worst-case scenario of prepping for…nothing. And then evaluate what that really means in terms of repercussions for your life.
Prepping Is NOT A Waste Of Time. Here’s Why.
You Waste Very Little
With proper execution, there is very little that goes to waste in prepping. And this in itself is amazing, considering that most Americans waste a ton of stuff daily, without thinking about it.
So, even if a major emergency never occurs, you’ve wasted very little (if any) resources. You can still consume the food in your stockpile, use the tools for things other than survival, and take advantage of the knowledge you’ve learned at a later date when you need it.
Not to mention, if you have an efficient system, you’ll have been rotating your food stockpile. This ensures that foods that expire soonest are used first, and the ones that last longest are used afterward. If you’re rotating frequently, there should be no food thrown away due to spoilage.
You Save Money
Part of being a prepper is being frugal. It comes with the territory. After all, we’re preparing to live far beneath our means, so we naturally gravitate toward discounts and money-saving expenditures.
This lifestyle also lends itself to cutting out the things we don’t need to make room for those we do. This leads to what people call a “minimalist” lifestyle, which can be ideal for smaller budgets.
Not to mention, preppers are often thrifty, and good at finding ways to cut costs.
All of these traits become life skills that can help you save money throughout the rest of your life – crisis or not.
Another great thing about prepping is that it often leads you to buy things in bulk. Not only can you get lots of discounts doing this (hello, Costco) but you can also stockpile a lot of it to last much longer than the normal American.
Overall, preppers often save more money in the long run than people who purchase things purely on immediate need.
You Learn Useful Skills
Much of prepping entails learning valuable survival skills. These can include hunting, trapping, shooting, first-aid, sewing, gardening, farming, foraging for edible plants and berries, automotive repair, and more. And, even if you don’t use these for an SHTF event, they can still prove to be incredibly useful later in life.
Take fire starting, for instance. Let’s say you taught yourself how to light a fire from a gum wrapper and a battery in a survival situation (it’s true – look it up).
Well, let’s say you’re staying at a cabin and nobody has a lighter or any other way to light the fire in the fireplace. The heat is out, it’s freezing, and it’s too snowy outside and buy a fire starter. Well, if there’s a battery and a gum wrapper in the house, you and your family can start a fire and get warm in just minutes. Knowledge and skills like these always find a way to come back around – and they have no expiration date.
When it comes down to it, prepping isn’t just a lifestyle. It’s an insurance policy. You put time, energy and money into it, hoping you’ll never have to use it. However, when it’s there and you need it, all that effort pays off big time. And that’s why (along with the above reasons) prepping will never be a waste of time.
