You will undoubtedly come across people who find the very idea of prepping insane and absurd during your journey down the preparedness path. You may even have conversations where these non-preppers tell you how foolish you’re being and how you’re wasting your time. The idea of something disastrous happening is rather make-believe to these people – it’s just something that only happens in the movies.

Non-preppers can be, at best, annoying to talk to but you shouldn’t completely ignore them. Remember, they’ll be the ones asking for help should a disaster happen. It’s better if you can get them involved in a prepping mindset before that so they’re not trying to piggyback on your preparedness and supplies. So, here’s some tips on how to talk to non-preppers and help them understand why we do what we do.

Tip #1: Don’t Lose Your Cool

If you are reading this article, you are probably calmer than the average person. That is because, as a prepper, we work on keeping our cool in trying situations. When you’re talking to non-preppers, the first and foremost rule to keep them interested is to make them feel you understand and that it is perfectly fine to feel the way they feel. Keep your cool and maintain a pleasant demeanor.

That being said, don’t be afraid to point out facts. Give them real life examples of extreme natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes or floods that have recently occurred. These events have shocked people around the world and it’s easier to persuade people through examples of such catastrophic events. In a calm manner, ask them what they would do if something like that happened to them and help couldn’t get to them.

Take it a step further and give non-preppers examples of people who survived because they had stocked essential supplies. There are cases of people now alive and healthy because of their initial 100-hour survival supply. Ask them if they think having anything in that supply kit on hand makes sense.

It is natural that you’ll want to expand quickly on this information but restrain from overwhelming them with too much background information. Non-preppers, much like anyone who disagrees with you, need to be gently persuaded in the right direction and not “attacked” like at a used car lot.

You want the end result to be the non-preppers coming to their own conclusion and not be beaten over the head with your thoughts and ideas.

Tip #2: Ask Questions and Present Facts

The chances of winning an argument with someone increases if they are provided with facts rather than just words. With that thought in mind, try using some of these tactics in your next discussion with non-preppers:

• What’s your plan if we have an extended power outage? Do you have extra batteries or a generator on hand to help get you through this downtime? Will you be able to get radio transmission during this time?
• If some kind of natural disaster kept you from getting to the store, how long could you survive on the food in your house?
• If the water became polluted, do you have a way of filtering it so your family can drink? Do you have any stored in reserve?
• Do you have ways of communicating with people that aren’t cellphone or computer related? What would you do if the cell networks and/or the internet were down?
• If some kind of natural disaster occurs, people will flock to the stores and buy them out quickly. It might be some time before supplies can arrive. How long would you be able to feed your family?
• Do you have a planned place to go if your home is inhabitable – maybe from a fire or some kind of localized disaster (gas main break, chemical spill, etc.)? Does everyone in your family know where to go?
• If times get tough and supplies are limited, people will stop being friendly and start stealing (or worse). Are you capable of defending yourself and your family?

In The End, Non-Preppers Are Human

Despite giving them all the facts and figures, there still would be tough cookies who always look for chances to mock the very idea of survival. For such hardcore believers (or non-believers as it may be), there is not much you can do because the only thing that can convince them is the occurrence of such a devastating situation.

For people like these a good rule of thumb is to let them live as they want to live without any worries because they’ll dig into their beliefs the more you try to change them. It’s best to let non-preppers learn the value of preparation on their own Rather than hitting your head against a wall.

Riots, EMP threats, NASA’s megadrought, clashes between religious fanatics, the U.S. debt increasing and the coming elections – all of these situations point to the same thing: the world may go down south at any time. I’m not saying they will – I hope they won’t – but are we really crazy for prepping for them?

Our minds are running in overdrive about prepping while the Government’s telling us everything is fine and we don’t need to worry. Sometimes they call us crazy… even though preppers are some of the nicest and friendliest people you’ll ever meet.

I wrote this piece to give you tips on how to prepare without appearing crazy or freaked out about what’s to come. You’ll find my prepping suggestions reasonable. Acting on them will make you feel safer and I can almost guarantee you’ll sleep sounder knowing you’re ready for what might come.

Seven Reasonable Prepping Tips

#1. Get Into Shape

Bad situations bring out the worst in people.  When push comes to shove, people will start thinking they have more of a right to something than you and you may need to fight one or more thugs one on one. You may need to jump, crawl, climb and run to save your life. You may need to pull or carry an injured loved one to safety. All of these require strength, flexibility, speed and stamina.

Fortunately, it’s easy to improve all of them. The easiest thing you can do is just walk more! I, for one, love walking and I always find excuses to leave my car in the garage and run errands on foot. Jogging, hiking and going to the gym will all improve your fitness levels and work your muscles. I suggest you focus on tactical fitness exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, jumping jacks and so on.  Remember, prepping is just as much about gaining skills as it is gathering gear.

#2. Get Out Of Debt

I don’t know if an economic collapse will come before the next major natural disaster or if it’s going to be the other way around. What I do know is that, in the case of either one, you don’t want to be owing money to banks or to anyone else.

We’ve always said that you should start of prepping by paying off your debts right now even if that means more effort or not eating out every day. You know what they say, the more you sweat, the less you bleed…

#3. Move Out Of The City

What usually happens during riots is that the downtown area of a city turns into a battlefield. That’s the last place you want to live because you can’t get in, you can’t get out meaning you might get stuck inside for days, even weeks. Even worse, you might get yourself injured trying to get home.

Try to find cheaper housing in the suburbs. You’ll have to be careful about the location, though, to avoid high-crime neighborhoods. You want to be safe before and after a riot, not just during, when those low-income rioters who also live in the suburbs decide to take justice into their own hands. You’ll also want a quick way out of the city if need be.

Fortunately, you needn’t go further than this website to learn about life in the suburbs.

#4. Start Stockpiling

No, you don’t have to fill an entire room with toilet paper.  You should, however, have a pantry full of foods with a long shelf-life such as canned veggies, jams, peanut butter and honey. All you need to do is buy a little more food than usual with each time you go to the supermarket.  Make sure you’re paying attention to the nutritional content of your stored food as well.  A healthy you is a stronger you.

Buy the things you like to eat so you can easily incorporate them into your diet. Food rotation is important because you don’t want to end up with a spoiled pantry. Of course, you can get other things in bulk such as the aforementioned toilet paper, floss, soap and other hygiene products. You should never run out of any of them – catastrophe or not.

#5. Find New Hobbies and Passions

Hiking, camping, fishing, woodworking, gardening, crafts – these can all make you better prepared without anyone suspecting the real reason why you’re doing them. If you thought about finding a new hobby, maybe now’s the time.

Who says you have to start a hobby on your own? You can do many of these things with your kids (and bond with them) or with your spouse (and possibly bring back the romance into your marriage). Hobbies are great bonding opportunities. Who knows, maybe one of them will turn into a passion.

#6. Prepping Your Car

Engine oil, transmission fluid, a toolbox, a spare tire, a shovel, these are things every driver should have in an emergency. To go the extra mile, why not add water and even a few snacks in your trunk? Not just for SHTF events but also in case you get stuck in traffic for longer periods of time. Add an AM/FM radio and a few blankets, too. If you’re stuck in heavy snow for hours, you don’t want to use fuel and your car’s battery to stay warm and hear the latest news.

Last but not least, make sure you have a good first aid kit. Not the basic one that came with the car, of course. You can make your own from scratch to make sure you have everything you need.  Keep an eye open for sales on first aid equipment and you should be able to do this step on the cheap.  For example, I bought some Ibuprofen last night and they had a “buy one get one free” promotion. Now, I can keep the extra pack with the other in my bug out bag or I can add it to my car’s survival kit.

#7. Start a Medicine Cabinet

Keeping in mind that I’m not a doctor and that you should only use my advice for information purposes only, I want you to build on the previous idea of assembling a custom first aid kit. You can take it even further by buying things such as:

• Bandages (triangular, 2×2, 4×4, H bandages etc.)
• Nitrile Gloves
• Burn and Trauma Dressings
• Sam Splint
• Instant Cold Packs
• Dental Kits (dental care is going to be tough in a post-collapse world)
• …and more.

Note: You shouldn’t store your medicine in your bathroom. Keep them in a dark, cool place because the heat and moisture from your shower will decrease their shelf life.

Final Word

Truth be told, I could write another five articles with all the basic prepping actions you could take and not look crazy. This one should give you a great head start in tackling all sorts of scenarios, including a natural disaster, riots or an economic collapse.