Okay, so we’re gonna share a little secret….we’re preppers!!

Not weird, antisocial, really paranoid preppers; although I’m sure some people would argue with that, but preppers out of necessity.

Like, a hundred years ago when everyone had to be a prepper.

People back then had to prepare for the seasons. They would plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. They had to can, pickle and preserve.

If they didn’t…they starved!

Here at the Pilgrim Homestead, it’s that type of prepping that we do; well it’s what we want/try to do!

I guess you could say, that’s our goal.

Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 6:6-8

We’ve had a few experiences that we wish we would have been prepared for.

A few years ago, there was a big ice storm that hit our area. We were without power for over a week. We didn’t homestead at that point and had maybe a week’s worth of food for our family.

Next, a major snow storm took out power for over a week. Another was a tornado that took power for days. More flooding and power outages. And recently it seems as though we’re losing power or water at least once a month.

If we were prepared with certain skills, along with enough food and water we would have been more comfortable during these disasters.

I hate to admit it but when some of these disasters hit, we just packed up and got a room in the next town.

This got us thinking….

What if we didn’t have the money for that?

What if we couldn’t get out and we were forced to stay in our home for an extended time?

We had a fire place, but no wood!

We barely had flashlights and no candles.

What if we couldn’t get to Wal-Mart, or anywhere else for that matter?

When the lights went out, we were completely helpless!

So that, along with some other things have prompted us to be more prepared.

We got to thinking…with all the uncertainty in the world there are any number of things that can happen that we should be prepared for.

Natural disasters, economic hardship or collapse, terrorist attacks, etc, ect.

If you think about it, it’s really just a smart way of living and if nothing ever happens, you’ll have a few extras. BUT if something does happen, you’ll know that you’ve done all you could to see that your family is taken care of.

Here are some steps we took to better prepare ourselves:

1. Started homesteading, raising animals, hunting and planted a garden.

2. We stocked up on flashlights, oil lanterns, batteries and candles.

3. Bought a generator to run our freezer if the power outage last for more than a day.

4. Learned simple survival skills, things like making fire and cooking without electricity.

5. We converted our heating and cook stove to propane and always keep a few extra tanks on hand.

6. When we go to the store we always buy extras and shop sales.

7. We also bought books, lots of books about living off the land, survivalist skills and how-to.

We want to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and take a look at the world and ask yourself, IF…

If something does happen, am I prepared?