Survivalist, Prepper, or just a (Frugal) Housewife?

**ml2620** · 12-17-2010, 07:58 AM

I don't often post over here in Stockpiling as my husband manages most of that, but I did enjoy this recent post from one of my favorite bloggers, Granny Miller, so I thought I'd share it.

I think most of you will agree with the basics of what she says...that this survivalist movement is really just good old fashioned household management a generation ago.

Her site is wonderful, love it (although her politics are not in line with mine exactly) - worth the read, it sort of clarified things in my head a bit.

Granny Miller | A Journal of Agrarian Politics Philosophy and Practice

**crafty73** · 12-17-2010, 12:16 PM

Thank you so much for posting that link! She has a very informative blog, just checked it out and I'm impressed! Once again, thanks a bunch

**ladykemma2** · 12-17-2010, 07:24 PM

what is a prepper?

**ml2620** · 12-17-2010, 07:58 PM

I had never heard the term before either, but Granny Miller used it, I think to mean anyone interested and actively working on disaster preparedness.

**ladytoysdream** · 12-17-2010, 08:08 PM

I think prepper means a person who preps food and other items....buys ahead, and stockpiles, etc. You prep for the future.
You prep food....get it ready to eat. We used this term a lot when I worked in food service.

**pollypurebred39** · 12-17-2010, 08:58 PM

While I agree my Grandmother was certainly more prepared to live a life without electricity or indoor plumbing. That she made her own clothing, grew her own food and livestock and therefore was less dependent on others, I find Granny Miller's holier then thou attitude grating. Not every woman was put on this earth to be a housewife, to serve her family by growing food and canning, or has the aptitude for developing such intense homemaking skills.

Of course, I believe that whatever skills you do have the aptitude for should be developed so you can do your part as a member of the family, I do not believe that it must fit so neatly in a gender box. For many women it may not be the traditional roles that women have had to live for centuries.

When people talked about the good ole days, in such tones, my Grandmother always gave an exasperated response, "Good Ole Days, Shmoud Ole Days! You have no idea what you're talking about. You can have it!"

My father didn't fix cars, or electronics, or even build anything. You should have seen the hideous shelf he built for the kitchen. He had a side business as a house painter, and he was a janitor. He also crocheted and did needlepoint, I have the needlepoint sampler he made announcing my birth. Imagine a man cleaning & crocheting, oh the shock.

My Mother worked as hard as any man in the steel mill where she was employed for most of her life, but she also gardened, and helped my Grandmother can and sew. Not your traditional work at home kind of role.

I find her judgmental attitude towards gender roles as ignorance. Kind of takes away from the positive side of her blog post that is encouraging others to take a more active role in their ability to sustain themselves if need be. JMHO

**brennasmom** · 12-17-2010, 11:15 PM

Thank you for sharing.... very interesting

**joyofsix** · 12-18-2010, 07:42 AM

I found this quote pretty much sums up my feelings

"But I found it curious even 10 years ago, that a way of life that would have been considered quite normal and middle class in western Pennsylvania in the 1920’s, 1930’s, 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s & 1970’s, was by the year 2000, considered to be extraordinary, radical and a tad kooky."

My friends all think I'm out on the edge because I line/rack dry my clothes, can/freeze and mend our clothes. I hate being a freak for doing what my grandmother taught me.

**ml2620** · 12-18-2010, 09:27 AM

Polly, I am in total agreement with you.

Like many Grannys or family members, I tend to take from her what I like and ignore the rest.
I liked what she had to say about being off the grid just being sensible and old fashioned. But once she started on gender and linking it specifically to Christianity I kind of blocked that out. That's what you have to do with her blog, love what you want, forget the rest.

Did anyone notice she stopped accepting paypal contributions and was suggesting people send her pre-war nickles?
I love crazy granny miller!

**NikoSan999** · 12-18-2010, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by ml2620

Polly, I am in total agreement with you.

Like many Grannys or family members, I tend to take from her what I like and ignore the rest.
I liked what she had to say about being off the grid just being sensible and old fashioned. But once she started on gender and linking it specifically to Christianity I kind of blocked that out. That's what you have to do with her blog, love what you want, forget the rest.

Did anyone notice she stopped accepting paypal contributions and was suggesting people send her pre-war nickles?
I love crazy granny miller!

Possibly because pay pal starting Jan 1, 2011 is going to have to start reporting to the IRS incoming cash to the account above a certain amount that is still not clear what the amount is...varying reports..

**ladytoysdream** · 12-18-2010, 02:08 PM

I read a bit on her blog last night.
I can't say I was 100 % in agreement with how she explained things / her viewpoint, but I found it interesting, and plan to read some more there.

The way the economy is today, people have to survive, prep and be frugal and or any other similiar word you want to insert here.

I am just thankful now, that I did grow up poor on a farm, and learned a lot of things / ways to get by. I am often now doing things scratch and not thinking twice about it. I even got the poor hubby almost 100% on board and he didn't even question a purchase of 50 pounds of beef liver this morning. That's a good example of prepping and then some

**ladytoysdream** · 12-18-2010, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by NikoSan999

Possibly because pay pal starting Jan 1, 2011 is going to have to start reporting to the IRS incoming cash to the account above a certain amount that is still not clear what the amount is...varying reports..

I was reading somewhere about it recently.
Maybe I better go find it again.

**joyofsix** · 12-18-2010, 04:38 PM

I thought it might have to do with the whole paypal/wikileaks thing.

**pollypurebred39** · 12-18-2010, 05:14 PM

ml2620, do you remember this? We watched every episode with amazement and sometimes horror. Could not take all those flies and mice in the food, eewww! Found myself very glad I was not born back then, and not expected to do these kinds of things anymore.

One of the things that stands out to me still after all these years since this aired is how when it was all said and done, the men felt regret and sorrow for leaving their homesteads and the women could not pack up their stuff fast enough. I'm guessing that's what my Grandmother was talking about when people spoke with such romantic overtones to the days of old.

PBS - Frontier House: The Project

My Grandmother had a lot to teach us Grandkids if we were willing to sit and learn. I wasn't so willing, regretting that now, been playing catch up these last 20 years. However, I still learned a lot out of of sheer necessity. It was expected that all do their part, including harvesting & prepping food for canning. By the time I came into the picture the family no longer lived in the log cabin on the farm in Kentucky (still standing, still owned by my Grandmother's brothers) or on the farm in PA. But we lived in a farming community, and had very large gardens, my Uncles hunted for our meat, one Uncle raised rabbits for our meat, of course there was chickens. My Mom and Grandmother sewed our clothing (I'm learning) My Grandmother crocheted all of us slippers, sweaters, hats, scarfs, etc. (I crochet enough to make all but sweaters, but I could be a far sight better at it) My Mother grew up without indoor plumbing, SO GLAD that ended with my generation, Whew!

This is something that my DH and I think of often, and find ourselves striving for. However, I don't think we could be true homesteaders by any stretch of the imagination. I think some rabbits & chickens and maybe, and this is a HUGE maybe..a goat, would be about all we could handle.

We just talked about not having enough money in the future to heat our home, and just what would we do? We've got enough land to plant some oak trees, and that's a good possibility. But my DH is leaning more towards a solar powered home. Pumping our water seems crazy to us, but we've talked about rain water reservoirs buried on our land. (we do not have much land, a little over an acre and a half) I think we are more the stockpiling type, barter our skills type then true homesteader type. That said, when you have to, you do what you've got to do or die trying.

**TheresaRHPS** · 12-19-2010, 08:18 AM

Yeah, I gotta agree with Polly's first post.

I don't have the luxury of being a housewife, nor do I really have the desire to be. However, I DO have the desire to practice good common sense, and provide for my family. I'm adaptable. I'm learning the skills and knowledge that my own mother never learned, and my grandmother rebelled against, lol. I practice those skills, and feel ready to implement them should the need arise, but until then, I'm quite comfortable with my decision to keep most homesteading practices a hobby, and enjoying the benefits of a "city life."

I prepare...I keep extra stock of food, water, and supplies on hand to deal with ANY type of emergency, whether it be natural disaster, or simply not getting my check to the bank in time. If these things make me foolish and set me up for a Darwin award, well...its a good thing we have people like Granny to repopulate the Earth for us with a hardier stock, lol.