Urban Prepper

[holycajun]

I've been making a hobby of endtime readiness by seeing how far off the grid I can take my apartment and how inconspicuous I can make my self-sufficiency. It's a lot of fun, actually. I'm not talking about self-defense, but about being able to live for extended periods in an urban or suburban environment without having to go shopping or with only intermittent power or even no power.

One of the special challenges of this kind of prepping is the nannygoat problem. (Rural preppers don't usually have this problem unless they attract EPA or PETA attention) "Nannygoats" are those people who for whatever reason form neighborhood associations and file complaints against people growing vegetables in their front yard or parking pickup trucks in their driveways, etc. The challenge for the urban prepper is to maximize self-sufficiency without triggering a nannygoat. That's what makes it fun.

The key to urban prepping is reducing consumption, not stockpiling, because there isn' t much space.

So, what are the daily necessities that would take up a lot of space if you were to have six months of having to "shelter in place" and no delivery service?

Have you actually calculated what you need of each item to be ready for six months of isolation?

One thing people are doing is buying those buckets of survuval foods. Each bucket usually accounts for one month. But you have to consider that in a S-I-P scenario, you'd face boredom and anxiety which would likely trigger compulsive eating. I started practicing a prepped lifestyle by deliberately reducing my shopping trips and I discovered that six months' worth of stored basic ingredients takes up very little space and when I put myself through extended in-home retreats just to see how I could handle it, the act of cooking prevents overeating. Making your own cornchips, for example, uses very little cornmeal and a small batch is more satisfying than a whole bag of fritos.

Is anyone else out there experimenting with this kind of low-key prepping?

 

[Kevin Ambrose]

Great thread.

I have a lot of prepping knowledge but it's all based around the comforts of rural America. Have you looked into aquaponics at all? I know a friend of mine has a small set up in his apartment. It's a great system for raising fish and vegetables at the same time. Example:

The best part of the Prepping movement is that storeable food has become rather affordable. I really encourage everyone to look into carrying a 1-3 month supply for their family. It lasts for 25 years so there's no worry about not using it. I have plenty myself and it makes good meals for camping trips as well.

A question for Urban Preppers: How do you handle practical self defense? In the event of a real, long standing emergency the biggest threat will most likely be our fellow countrymen. The rural side of the country has to be concerned about this down the road but for you guys it would be an immediate worry. How do you reinforce your position?

 

[holycajun]

Sorry to be so sloww replying. I personally feel safer, at my age, in a semi-urban community than rural. Certain urban areas will be hit by attack , but communities that are out-of-the-way of the main streets are more likely to provide pockets for small groups of individuals to lay low. I believe the best defense is peaceful co-existence with one's immediate neighbors and a readiness to share, especially skills and equipment. The natural bonding that occurs in such times is better than going full-ammo-prepper, imo, since there's always someone with more ammo. Faith-building times similar to waiting in the upper room is what I think Christians need to do. And developing apartment gardens is a great activity for building upper-room witness.