8 Ways to Handle Prepping Objections

We take for granted what we know about preparedness that others don’t, like the living off the land fallacy, or the government not coming to help in a large scale crisis, or even something as simple as how much water we need to survive.

The more we learn about prepping, the more it just makes sense, but to most people prepping is seen as unnecessary, and a waste of their precious time. Because the only information they have is from the mainstream media, they dismiss prepping as extreme, and think only paranoid crazy people live like that.

Unfortunately, this leaves us with 2 choices. Try to explain to them why shows like doomsday preppers is almost a fictional as a Disney movie. The other is to end the conversation all together, because there is no reason to beat a dead horse.

Each person, for one reason or another has their reasons for not wanting to prep. It could be a simple as not wanting to get labeled a prepper, to not wanting to face their fears. Here are a few objections to prepping you might hear, and then after that how different people might react in a crisis.

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SPP137 8 Ways to Handle Prepping Objections

In this week’s podcast Lisa and I went into much more detail about handling prepping objections than I could put in one article. Make sure and listen when you are done reading, or listen on your mobile device.

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It’s Ridiculous and a Waste of Time!

Objection: It’s interesting that as Americans we have both the highest amount of preppers in the world, and at the same time, the highest quality of life. Those who don’t see what’s going on (or don’t want to) have become complacent, and complacency leads people to say…

“nothing is ever going to happen, and if it does I’ll get through it like I always do.” Or even “If something happens, I don’t want you want to live like that?”

Solution: This might be the easiest objection to overcome of them all, because the answer is pretty simple. Not every disaster involves the collapse of society, most disasters are small scale and can affect anyone, at any time.

Talk to them about natural disasters before you even think about talking about a nuclear attack. Most people have the preconceived notion that preppers will be hiding in their homes and shooting anyone who comes to the door in a crisis.

While this might be true in some scenarios, in most scenarios, such as natural disasters, most preppers will probably be the first to help.

That’s Why We Pay Taxes.

Objection: Wouldn’t it be nice if this were true. As preppers we know this is just not true, but most people who are spoon fed from the mainstream media blindly follow this mentality. The truth is that even though the government says it has my best interests in mind, their idea of “my best interests” and mine are two different things.

Solution: The government (state or federal) just doesn’t have the resources available to handle any large scale disaster scenario events like hurricane Katrina, and even the Colorado floods a few years ago illustrate this perfectly.

By depending on the government you are almost reserving a spot in a FEMA camp near you, and you will be at the whim of what they decide your best interests are. Even if he government comes in to help. How long will it take? And what will you have to go through in the process?

It’s Too Overwhelming

Objection: When someone first gets interested, or introduced to the idea of preparedness it can be scary, and overwhelming at the same time. This is a natural reaction that most of us have probably been through, and still going through to some point.

Solution: Be empathetic and let them know that you have been there and done that, but it does get easier. There is a lot that goes into prepping, and it can seem pretty overwhelming, but so is learning a new language or building a house, yet it happens every day.

I Can’t Afford Prepping

Objection: If we made a list of all the prepping supplies we needed or wanted to have, we would probably have to take out a loan. Sometimes it’s hard enough to pay the monthly bills we already have, so how in the world am I going to afford all those supplies.

Solution: This answer goes hand in hand with being overwhelmed, and the following statement comes to mind. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” We can only do what we can do, and we need to become ok with that.

If we focus on our budget and pay attention to where our money is going, almost everyone can find extra cash to use for prepping. There are also some ways to make a few extra bucks to increase our prepping budget.

God Will Take Care of Me

Objection: I have nothing to worry about because God is going to take care of me is something I hear quite often. With peoples preconceived notions of prepping, it can seem to go against Christian values, but this could be further from the truth.

Solution: God gave us freewill for a reason. As parents if we gave our children everything they wanted, and they never had to live through hard times, they would be spoiled and unprepared for daily life. We learn from our mistakes and the challenges we face through life.

There are many examples of God telling people to prepare for something in the Bible, and when God gives you a warning, you better listen. Imagine what would have happened if Noah just said “God will take care of us.”

I Just Don’t Have Time for Prepping

Objection: Today’s society is not as simple as it used to be. With all we have to do it’s hard sometimes to fit more in our already busy schedule.

Solution: When my children tell me they didn’t clean their room because they were too busy I tell them “If I gave you $100 could you figure out how to get it done?” We can find an excuse for anything, and it’s amazing what we can do when we are properly motivated. By the way, I don’t actually give them $100, I just use this to illustrate a point.

If we enjoy doing something we can always find time for it in our schedule. There is so much involved in prepping that someone is bound to find something they enjoy, which might be what gets the ball rolling.

I’m Coming to Your House

Objection: I hear this all the time, and sometimes it upsets me because I hear “You are doing all the work, why do I need to?”

Solution: Even though I would like to tell them how ridicules they sound I just tell them that I’m willing to help them get prepared now, but when the S hits the fan, there will be no vacancy at my hotel. I also ask them how they plan on getting here? It won’t be as easy as your daily ride to work.

My Family Will Think I’m Crazy

Problem: Because of people preconceived notions, their first reaction is almost always labeling you a doomsday prepper, and when you approach your spouse about prepping they will think you are off your rocker.

Solution: Don’t start a conversation talking about EMP’s or nuclear disasters you want to prepare for, that conversation will go nowhere fast. Start by explaining how preparing for natural disasters or terrorist attacks, and it’s not all about doomsday, or the end of the world.

I Don’t Have Anywhere to Put All That Stuff

Objection: Quite a few of us live in smaller homes or even apartments, and because of this our storage space is limited. This becomes especially challenging when your spouse is not on board, and they don’t want your “prepping stuff” all over the place.

Solution: If your spouse is not on board with prepping I would start with having a conversation to find some middle ground about what you can, and cannot do, believe me, this will save you problems down the line.

If your space is limited you have a couple of options, the first is to build, or utilize some usable space in your home. This could mean finding space in closets, under beds or building storage space. If all else fails, you could even rent a storage locker to put your prepping supplies in.

Speak To Their Listening

Remember that when you are talking to someone who has no idea about preparedness they are not going to understand things the way you do. Sometimes what we think that something is common sense, but to others who have not learned about prepping is new information.

Make sure you approach the conversation in the right way and speak to their listening. The last thing you want to do is shut them down, because then you will seem like you have lost your mind.