Interview: Ask a prepper – Daisy

In another installment of ask-a-prepper we get a chance to hear from Daisy from the Organic Prepper and learn a little more about her and why she feels the “prepared” lifestyle is the right choice.

How long have you been prepping for?
I didn’t actually call it prepping at first – I just called it stockpiling. I’ve been doing that for almost 20 years now, ever since my oldest daughter was a newborn. It wasn’t until later that I began to prepare for other issues that were not simply economic in nature.

Any reason why you began prepping? A specific event?
Poverty. We were so incredibly broke when my daughter was born. My husband had lost his job and he was the only person bringing in an income. It was terrifying those first few months, and I was determined to never come that close to having empty cupboards again.

Do you live in an Urban setting or a rural one?
I live in a little village of about a thousand people. My lot is about a quarter of an acre, so I can definitely relate to the small space issues of urban preppers. However, the village very agricultural and there are dozens of orchards within a few miles of our home.

If the time comes are you bugging out or in?
It depends on the situation. I have everything we need to stay in our home on a long-term basis, but things like natural disasters can sometimes demand that you bug out. I think the mistake many preppers make is being too rigid in their plans – you have to roll with the situation and be ready to change direction in the blink of an eye.

Has prepping changed your lifestyle?
A little bit – we have always been quite frugal and have enjoyed living simply, but my awareness of the political climate and the rights we are losing at a rapid pace makes it a little hard to fit in with the other moms at the PTA.

Do your preps include an underground shelter or bunker?
Nope.

If times ever got tough would you work solo or with a support group?
Again, it depends on the situation. I have a group of like-minded dear friends nearby, and we do have plans to work together. But circumstances change. What if a natural disaster meant that we couldn’t get to each other? What if something happened to them, but not to us? Just like I said before, make plans but be ready to change them at the blink of an eye. It would be ideal to be part of a community of dear friends and family, but I’m prepared for either situation.

If you could give a new prepper some advice based on your past mistakes, what would they be?
You absolutely have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. My youngest daughter and I spent a year in a cabin that was semi-off-grid in Northern Ontario. We learned more about survival in that one year that I had learned in the previous 10 years combined, because building a fire and keeping it going was literally a life and death matter. Having our food and water supply ready was also a life and death matter, as there were weeks at a time we couldn’t leave to go to the store. It’s great to read about stuff and participate on forums, but unless you put your preps to work and test your skills, you really have no idea whether you can survive or not.

Did your significant other have a problem with your prepping? Did he/she back you?
I’m a single mom.

Kids. If you have any are they incorporated? If so how? Were they hesitant on doing so?
I have two daughters, ages 19 and 13. My oldest is away at college and has quite the “kit”. She told me that in her first year, when she lived in college housing, hers was the door at which everyone knocked for the solutions to everyday problems – first aid stuff, kitchen supplies, you name it. She doesn’t talk about it much and has little interest in the political or current events side of things. My youngest, on the other hand, is a current event junkie. She is very involved with our preparedness lifestyle. It’s interesting to watch her hang out and be one of the group at school but realize that she knows so much more than the other kids about practical life skills and the political climate. I’m proud to say that she immediately questions the official narrative on mainstream news, and looks for evidence of false flag events. She also politely questions authority at school and often gets even the teachers thinking more critically.

Can you share any tips for the elderly or low income families who wish to prep but are unsure of how to start based on said age or income level?
I sure can! Remember, first of all, that poor health is very expensive. Keep this in mind when you are building your pantry and get the most nutritious things you can afford. Supplement with your own fresh organic fruits and veggies.
Build a pantry of basic staples and if you don’t know how, learn to cook from scratch. Convenience costs money.
Don’t start off trying to purchase a year’s supply of food in one swoop. Build slowly. Start with a two week supply of food and water, particularly food that doesn’t require lengthy cooking times. Once you have this, you can start adding things like 25 pound bags of rice and beans. Put aside a little of your grocery budget each week for larger purchases. I wrote a book called The Pantry Primer: How to Build a One Year Food Supply in Three Months – it’s all about creating a stockpile on a budget. (Sorry, shameless plug but there’s tons of information to help those just starting out!)

Doomsday Preppers. Has the show hurt or helped the prepping community?
While I like the fact that the idea of prepping is being introduced to a wider audience, I think it may have done a little more harm than good. The show takes perfectly reasonable people and edits what they say to make them sound like extreme crackpots. I seriously doubt that anyone really sits around filtering their own pee for a refreshing beverage on a daily basis, for example. However, it’s presented in a way that makes it look like we all sit there forcing our kids to do gas mask drills on a daily basis and also that each of us is only prepping for ONE scenario.

Does your extended family or friends give you slack about prepping?
Most of the friends I hang out with on a regular basis are also on board with the lifestyle. Most of my extended family thinks I’m nuts. I really don’t talk about it much with people who have no interest aside from snickering.

If nothing happens in your lifetime or children’s lifetime for that matter, would you feel that you wasted your time and money?
No, because that is impossible. Small disasters happen all the time. We have storms and the power goes out for a week. The cost of food is skyrocketing. We are losing rights on a daily basis. People lose jobs. A tree falls on your house. Flu epidemics happen and it’s wiser to stay home.

It’s a misconception that prepping means you think that total civil collapse is about to occur. We aren’t all waiting for Doomsday – most of us hopefully will never see a nuclear disaster or the eruption of the volcano at Yellowstone. Every day I spend becoming more independent from the “system” is a day well spent. Every new skill I teach my kids is a building block towards their own independence.

Want to give some advice to a new prepper?
You think you have enough water? Get more. : )

Here is a fun question. If you had to pick one item to aid you on an deserted island… what would it be?
A heavy duty survival knife with a magnesium firestarter in the handle, one side smooth, one side serrated. I can make pretty much anything I need with that: I can clean an animal, make a snare, create a spit, cut vines to make a net, make snares, cut thinner pieces of wood or bamboo for a shelter, defend myself, and build a fire. I can cut a piece of fabric off my clothing for filtering water. The list goes on and on.

Last words or thoughts you wish to share?
Don’t be one of those people who only talks about prepping. Don’t think you’re going to do it when your bonus comes in or your tax return. Get started now – every little step gets you ahead of where you were before. Think how silly you’re going to feel if a disaster strikes and you know what you SHOULD have, but you just haven’t gotten it yet.

Just start. One little step at a time.

We thank Daisy for her time and if you the reader feel inclined, please visit her excellent webpage at theorganicprepper.ca and Facebook page fb.com/TheOrganicPrepper.