So with the whole WuFlu thing going on the family and I have been making sure to stock up on some essential items like food, toilet paper and ammunition. We certainly haven’t been hoarding or, in my opinion, panicking. We have, however, started working on some things we had considered in the past but had never actually moved forward with until now, mostly canning, pickling and vacuum sealing foods. I will admit I think my wife and daughter went a little overboard buying sugar and flour (we now have two 5 gallon buckets full, each), but with as much as they bake and cook its not going to go to waste.

One thing that has irritated me throughout all of this, however, is my wife’s insistence that I am “panicking” because of my recent rifle purchase and my two or three trips to the local gun store for ammunition. She also voiced her opinion of me “being weird” because I decided to go talk to the neighbors on our street about the current situation and coming up with a plan for a neighborhood watch or even an emergency panic plan, IF NEEDED. Now, my family and I have lived on our street for six years. SIX! I can honestly say that I know the name of one of my immediate neighbors while the other neighbors name eludes me (I’m bad with names anyway), but I have no clue who the rest of the neighbors on my street are.

We live on a cul-de-sac with about sixteen homes on it, and tactically its in a good spot if we ended up in a SHTF situation. We are close to a major street and by a number of grocery stores and gasoline stations, which makes us a bit of a prime target for looters if thing went downhill and stores are raided. Once the stores are empty nearby homes would likely be the next target for desperate people. If this were to happen it would likely be more efficient and beneficial for all if we banded together as a group rather than trying to defend myself as an individual. My wife thought I was acting like a nut.

Also I decided to purchase a second rifle, a rifle for my wife, who likes target shooting anyway. The rifle I bought was inexpensive and ammo is plentiful because, apparently, nobody buys .40 caliber anymore, so unlike most other calibers, .40 has no restrictions on the number of boxes you can buy at once. Why by another rifle? Because if things go bad its better to have more than one rifle in the house and, since firearms are getting to be difficult to find, I figured buying one now, BEFORE we need it, would be smarter than wishing I had bought one later, WHEN we need it.

The point is, ladies, when your husband is doing all of this prepping don’t come down on him and tell him he is panicking or crazy or acting weird. For most of us all of this prepping is an enjoyable pastime, but one that already makes us feel awkward because of the stigma towards people who feel the need to prep. Modern society thinks its the Titanic and can’t fail, but recent events have shown that to be false security. It has taken a relatively MINOR virus to cripple the world and bring everything to a standstill. And yes, to date it is minor, with US deaths being under 4,000 as of this morning while yearly flu deaths have already reached 23,000 since January.  The joke has been, “Well nobody is laughing at preppers now!”, and its a funny joke, but its true, no one IS laughing at preppers now. Regardless of, tell someone you have a stash of SPAM, water tablets and ammo and the jokes will be cracked.

A husband who wants to think ahead for the safety and protection of his family does so because he loves them. If you, as a wife, start to criticize or make fun of him you are not only being foolish and of no help, but you could literally be putting yourself and the rest of your family in a bad situation if your husbands planning would have prevented a situation or prevented a lack of supplies later.

Support your husband, even if he goes a little overboard. Extra supplies can always be used later, but lack of supplies could mean you go without when you need them most.