Someone said to us, recently, that she was surprised we’d been purchasing some items that didn’t fit with her idea of “going off-grid.” Well, first, I still work and I still need Wi-Fi, which kind of requires being ON the grid, but in general terms, “off-grid” can mean different things to different people.

In a nutshell, we’re preppers, and that means that we are prepared for almost any eventuality. What this means, and “going off-grid” can also mean, is that we are or will be ready IF that happens.

It does not mean starting a hippy commune using only hand-tools and making our own clothing out of hemp.

Yes, we have gas-powered tools, and eventually a fuel tank; yes, we have tools run by electricity. And we use them and will continue to do so, BUT—if the time comes in which we can’t, we have hand-tools for that purpose.

We’re growing most of our food, whatever can be grown, and we’ll raise livestock once we move; we’ll hunt if necessary. That doesn’t mean we won’t purchase whatever doesn’t fall into these categories, while we can or if needed.

We have a well; it uses a pump run on electricity. We’ll have generators for backup. Our fridge runs on electric, as do fans, computers, AC unit, etc. We’re not exactly “roughing it.” But we use very little power as it is, and we’re, again, PREPARED to use even less, or none at all.

All preppers do so in different ways. It doesn’t mean going back in time to the 1880s or whenever, and it doesn’t even mean “going green.” The common thread is being ready if something bad happens. For instance:

Economic collapse

Civil unrest

Terrorist actions

Do I think any of these things are going to happen? Not today. Probably not tomorrow. Good heavens, I hope not! We’re not ready—close, closer than most, but not ready.

But at some point, yes. One or all three. No, I don’t have a good guess; no one really does. I’m hoping for at least a year or two. Time to finish getting ready, time to adjust.

Am I worried? A little bit, yes. But I think it’s just enough to inspire me and push me along, not make me break out the tinfoil . . .