Just reading stories of those that have left the target area for the storms rolling in, and almost everyone qualifies their statements with "we felt kinda silly leaving this early" or "it might not happen, but we wanted to be safe...".  As the time gets closer, those qualifying statements fall off, but those early folks were willing to look silly, and are far safer than the rest.

These people feel that if they are wrong they will be looking silly.  YET THEY ARE GOING!

A SURVIVOR MUST BE WILLING TO LOOK SILLY!

Be the first out during the fire alarm, be the first under cover for the tornado, be the first out of town when the time comes, be willing to be wrong.

Be willing to say "follow me."

Quoted: Be willing to say "follow me." "fuck y'all I'm outta here before it's to late.  I'm not taking chances with my family/spouse/child/dog/cat/ect"

fixed it

I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world.
I would rather look silly than be dead.

height=8

Quoted: I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world. I would rather look silly than be dead.

Oh yeah, I dont mind looking like the local kook one bit. He who laughs last, laughs best.

Quoted: Quoted: Be willing to say "follow me." "fuck y'all I'm outta here before it's to late.  I'm not taking chances with my family/spouse/child/dog/cat/ect" fixed it

"Follow me" never implies I'm going to wait for you, turn back for you, or even consider you after I start moving.

Quoted: I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world. I would rather look silly than be dead.

I look silly and feel like people are watching, but I still do it.

I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world. I would rather look silly than be dead.

When I was a bachelor they never gave me a second glance, now that I'm married I get second looks once in a while. Unless you are in Hawaii, buying Spam by the case is not that common..

I don't mind looking silly

c0
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Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
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Quoted: Quoted: I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world. I would rather look silly than be dead. Oh yeah, I dont mind looking like the local kook one bit. He who laughs last, laughs best.

He who laughs last has the spam, a warm secure house and the knowledge that this is not rocket science so the neighbors can miss a meal as a learning experience.

My neighbor MIGHT have a case of water in the basement...maybe.

Pete

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world. I would rather look silly than be dead. Oh yeah, I dont mind looking like the local kook one bit. He who laughs last, laughs best. He who laughs last has the spam, a warm secure house and the knowledge that this is not rocket science so the neighbors can miss a meal as a learning experience. My neighbor MIGHT have a case of water in the basement...maybe. Pete

Your neighbor MIGHT have a few thousand gallons of free water in the basement if they didn't plan

Yeah, I too would rather look silly than dead.

My friends bust my balls when I bring up preps. Most of them have none, minus a day or twos worth of food in the fridge. Who's gunna look silly when Wal-Mart has been cleaned out and there's nothing to eat? Hint - not me.

It's a human reaction to not seriously consider the worst case scenario but instead pick one that is more 'do-able'.

We all do it. The difference is the scale and assumptions we make from the start.

For example, nuclear war is still a very real possibility. But who among us are even seriously considering what it'd take to ride one out?

Home invasion robberies are a growing problem, but the same applies - are we investing in the types of solid core doors, gates and fences needed to keep even battering ram gangs from smashing in on their first or second try? Most of us are armed, many have alarms, dogs, etc. but if 5 guys showed up with intent to do us ill and were armed, hard body armor and a battering ram, they'd be through our front doors in seconds and either down the hall or up the stairs yelling "police!" before we could be fully awake.

It's such a horrific prospect that most of us don't consider it.

Instead we debate bugging out or hunkering down with leisure to fortify the home or neighborhood.

Most people assume the disaster will give them fair warning.... I know I often do. Despite having much more and better "stuff" now than ever before, there have been times when it's been all over the place, or I'm on a trip and the wife wouldn't necessarily have known where to find the 'key' stuff in an emergency...

It's hard to cover all bases honestly. Sometimes I think we all need outside opinion - of someone a bit more paranoid than us perhaps.

Overpreparing (heck, we're ALL overprepared compared with most Americans) is like having too much money in the bank. It's only a problem if some other area of life and relationships are being neglected. If the family finds you accessible, your job is going well, your marriage is healthy.... I don't think being ready to drop everything and go into a "Blast from the Past" super-fallout shelter would be a crazy thing. It'd make you one in a million but not necessarily crazy. Now, losing the job, wife, and kids in order to be prepared for Armageddon IS CRAZY.

Quoted: Now, losing the job, wife, and kids in order to be prepared for Armageddon IS CRAZY.

Unless you're right...

Seriously consider this for a few minutes.  You see it coming, and it's not because you forgot your meds.  Others see it coming, and begin to prep.  The rest of the world 99% of the population elects to not prepare for the reasons you outlined.  You look rather Silly, crazy even.  Then it happens...  I don't know if I'd rather die than risk having a few hard conversations with family and friends.

Relationships end over the color of drapes, or inability to take 3 vacations a year.

If you don't have the social skills, and a stable enough relationship to have a spouse that is willing to say "if it's this important to you I support you" even when they dont believe, you need to take a look at your situation...because the vacation fight is around the corner.

Prepping doesn't take obsession or years of money.  Prepping takes not buying 1 big screen high def TV.  That will cover 3 months for a family of 4 easy--including the camping gear to make it work.  Choose to buy a 2 year old truck vs a new truck and that's all the weapons you need to arm and guard that family.  Cut your own grass and you have all the practice ammo you need.  Buy a few acres of land for your family to use as their vacation spot for 3 years, and the camper to go on it, and you have your BOL for the price of 3 trips to Disney Land...you also have a legacy and safe place for your kids to bring friends for years to come.

CHOICES.  It's a change in lifestyle.  If you think prepping means suddenly spending more than you have, yes, you will fail.  Change what you buy.

And in "Tremors" they laughed at Bert-- until they needed him!  

Quoted: Quoted: I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world. I would rather look silly than be dead. I look silly and feel like people are watching, but I still do it.

yep, we get some odd looks and questions from family and the few friends that see our dining room, now converted into a big ol' food storage room.  a couple people have said i need to do that, but they haven't.

I'm not as fast as I used to be---Follow me my ass---I'm tripping anybody who might get in front of me---Semper I--fuck the other guy

Looking silly means being out of the situation before most realize that there's a problem, just call me Bozo.

Looking down at somone who died because they did not act is not silly

I had an event at woork YEARS ago
Everyone laughed at me when I ducked and crap walked out of the area
Chain had slipped
They stopped when I said at least I would have been alive to identify the bodies if it had kept slipping

Arfcom has a record of divorces.

Just sayin.... all things being equal, there's priorities in our lives that need tending to first and foremost.

If you can't afford a full class NBC bunker, then bugging out is the way to go. But again, all things being equal, better to do this or acquire this capacity via family and marriage friendly activities like RVing or car-camping than just buying a duce and a half and parking it stocked and locked.

The ark was for Noah, his wife, and 3 other couples. He didn't forget about "the important things" while preparing for the end of days.

It makes sense to prepare sequentially - as you can afford it, rather than go into debt to buy it all at once and before you've had a chance to test what works for you, etc.

YMMV

That's why I wear cheap sunglasses.....

besides the fact, I'm cheap.  

I have been the brunt of jokes in the past But the same people werent laughing when asking for stuff for Gustav, like, tent/fuel cans or a case of mre's. All were told "This one is on me; the next is on you"

Its was all family so i couldnt outright say "No". And It didnt affect me to give away the stuff I had plenty of..

Quoted: I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world. I would rather look silly than be dead.

Even when the SHTF I wouldn't wanna eat spam. Gimme some road kill opossum.

These people feel that if they are wrong they will be looking silly. YET THEY ARE GOING! A SURVIVOR MUST BE WILLING TO LOOK SILLY! Be the first out during the fire alarm, be the first under cover for the tornado, be the first out of town when the time comes, be willing to be wrong.

But look at how much of the survival experience they miss: the long lines of non-moving traffic, the gasoline shortages, the housing/hotel/motel room shortages, the filthy rest stops... I could keep going on and on.

People who bug out early are boring.

Count me boring as well.

"A SURVIVOR MUST BE WILLING TO LOOK SILLY!"

Too right, I was the only one to walk out of a school building when the alarm sounded.

The building was infact burning (good old people smoking in the loo caught it on fire and set the alarm) The fire was not discovered for another 20 minutes after the alarm stopped sounding.

Everyone stayed seated because there wasnt a drill

And in "Tremors" they laughed at Bert-- until they needed him!

All true, I could care less, They know me in the local grocery. MrsWind is known as 'my wife' I go in and buy 10 of this and 10 of that. MrsWind was having issues until some the latest stuff hit, she helped me build the new pantry.
No negative ont he generator I am installing.....only she had a hard time with the 6 bikinis and 12 crop tops as survival supplies....hey I am not suffering when SHTF.

Quoted: And in "Tremors" they laughed at Bert-- until they needed him!

three cheers for bert.....my hero

Quoted: Quoted: I look silly every time I go to the grocery and buy 25 cans of spam or what ever. Lots of sheep in this world. I would rather look silly than be dead. Even when the SHTF I wouldn't wanna eat spam. Gimme some road kill opossum.

Spam is good for you specially when you are hungry ang there isn't anything else