Start with the basics
Engage your partner in simple outdoor activities or teach them a new skill. Start with the basics and avoid going hardcore. If you show them the nastier aspects of survival first, then you’ll scare them away and they may never want to prep again.
Start by stockpiling everyday items
Food and common household items like toilet paper are great preps to start with. These are practical items that require little effort to explain to your partner why you need them. You can expect better results if you stockpile on these things first than items that might seem impractical from your partner’s perspective. These include expensive gear, utility items and other things with no immediate use.
Set a monthly budget for your preps
Check what you can afford to set aside each month, and then use that to finance your prepping needs. Little steps often lead to big results, which means you don’t need to go all out on your stockpile. Buying preps worth $20 dollars a month will eventually add up to a much higher level of preparedness.
Find a way to earn extra money
If money is a big issue, then a side hustle can help ease your partner’s apprehension. There are many freelance jobs that can be done on the weekends. You can look for online writing jobs or seek out neighbors who need help with repairs.
Avoid unnecessary spending
Certain lifestyle habits can eat a chunk in your pocket. Dining out frequently can double your weekly expenses on food, and multiple media subscriptions may be redundant. Eliminating these unnecessary expenses can help you save money and reallocate them to your preps.
Have fun learning skills together
Prepping is best navigated with your significant other on board. Learning new skills together is a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with each other. And as you both probe this new way of life, you might actually have fun doing it, allowing your partner to warm up to the idea of prepping. (Related: 11 Tips on avoiding prepper burnout.)
Prepare for the most likely scenarios
Things that happen regularly are more likely to get your reluctant partner into prepping than something that sounds far out there. Consider the natural disasters that commonly hit your area and prepare for these scenarios. If you know your spouse isn’t big on conspiracy theories, don’t list anything that sounds like one as your motivation for prepping.
Have other things to do besides prep
Prepping is a way of life that requires commitment and time. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t have a life outside of prepping. Have something else to do to show your partner that you can find time for other things, like reading, tending an ornamental garden and bonding with your family.
Don’t forget to prep for comfort
Prepping doesn’t always have to be about bullets, bug-out bags and emergency first aid. These are important when SHTF, but having some luxuries alongside these items could go a long way toward convincing your partner why you should take up prepping. Put together a luxury stash for you and your spouse.
All told, encouraging a hesitant partner to start prepping requires properly communicating with them and making sure that you’re both on the same page. Listen to their grievances and expect them to do the same.
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