I have read many thoughts and theorys on post shtf scenarios and friends/relatives showing up empty-handed looking for salvation.
The old adage "I,m coming to your place when shtf"

I have my own ideas on who is welcome and who is not. What about you? what do you think about uninvited mouths to feed.? I personally expect everyone/anyone to bring food..lots.. but that doesnt give a free couch potatoe ticket.. no matter how much food/supplies they bring , they are all assigned to the work detail and security.
I will also have caches that only I know of. Just in case a friend becomes a foe. trust is earned..not obligatory.

I feel one person (me) doesnt have much chance in the post shtf world..As much as I distrust people, in order to survive I must make allowances and accept new faces. Hopefully not unfamiliar faces.
And what of the wayfarer (with children) who comes to the door asking for food? Do you turn away or give a small token.. She may have friends hiding close by or she may tell others of your generosity and you become inundated with empty hands wanting to be filled.
Very hard scenario to answer. And what if she has kids, or sends the kids to the door?
Just some food for thot..no pun intended

I expect my niece and her DH and their four kids. With my kids that's 10 kids, but my house is sort of big .
However, only God knows what I'm prepping for. I may end up with entirely different people here (daughter's friends, people from one of the boards, who knows?) so the number of people and the identities are known only to God. He just gave me the thought of my niece's family as a baseline, maybe.
I'll feed who He sends and tells me to feed. But I'm blocking the windows and doors if things get bad, and I don't even answer the door NOW, so He'll have to let me know if it's someone I should help.

A bit of a problem when you've been trying to get your circle to prepare. You drop some hints, offer some tips on getting some basic preps ready - no more than a couple of weeks worth. One couple jokingly said "we'll just come to your place". I told them I had a Benelli security system and they should rethink that. They didn't understand- I told them Benelli makes the finest semi-auto shotguns on the planet. ..... silence

Another group of friends and I were having a talk about this and someone asked if they could come to my BOL. I told them the most likely event that would even require that would be a pandemic of some sort. In that case they would be under quarantine before being allowed contact. They would need to be able to provide for themselves for at least 2 weeks with no support from me. I figured this would get them started with some preps of their own. Over the next few days I gathered some basic info ready for them to get started.
That was a year ago, I haven't heard anything about it since.

I'm not being mean, I want everyone to understand clearly that if they aren't going to lift a finger to look after themselves I'm not here to bail them out.
If they do begin to prepare they probably won't need me. If they don't, their entire mindset will only be a burden to whoever has.

I tried to talk one of my daughters into prepping. She said, "We'll just come up to your place". I told her straight out, "If you plan on coming here, you better bring lots of food and water...and lots of guns and ammo...as well as clothes and bedding. If you can't bring your own stuff, then you might better start looking now for another place to go". she also thought that, if they came here, all she'd have to do is the house work. I quickly dissuaded her from that notion. I let her know she was quite capable of pulling weeds in the garden; pulling her share of guard duty; harvesting crops and getting it ready for cooking; mowing the yard with a swing-blade... She no longer talks of coming here when it all goes 'kaplooey'.

I've thought of this quite often actually. I try to preach prepping to those around me, and some do prep, but very few. Even our own preps are meager, but its a start.
It's a tough position to be in, knowing some of my neighbors with small children have no preps. But with an immediate family of 7, our supplies will be stretched thin as it is. Tough call.

hmmmmm...
I was wrong- and an apology is in order. Of all the people in that one circle there was actually ONE who listened and has begun something.

That would be the previous poster LGM.

I stand corrected.

And THAT is a very hopeful sign, and a prod to the rest of us to try to get
''Those who have ears to hear'',
and begin their preps, NOW and take it seriously.

So far my 2 brothers are pretty well to do, and think the stores will have all they need, when they need it.

Sister and her hubby are disabled, and live from month to month, 6 souls total, with one son who
just got out of HS, and hasn't caught ''Work'' disease yet.

My calling number is 11...that amount has been in mind ever since I began this journey...i had always thought me and my 4 children plus 6 more, but with the passing of my oldest, that will now be me and the 3 children and 7 more....

Even thou I have depleted my preps down to the bare minimum for the sale of the house, I am still watching for bargains and great deals...( I think I did this too, because I did try to reach many and i got the same line,we will come to your house, now those who knew I had preps, now also know they are all gone)..little do they know I will build preps back up and fast...

being a single mom with the 3 kids(thank goodness they are all teens now and can pull some wight) when SHTF...I am leery about who I would allow in...its going to be scarey enough just doing the basics,but to allow someone entrance to your home in SHTF..Its even scarey to let them in under normal circumstances

I am sure the Lord has a plan for all of us and the Bible even states that those of God will have a mark so we will be able to tell....

In the mean I keep plugging at it..found some great sales this week, so the prep piles will start growing again..

If,...and I know it's a very huge 'if'...but if you can trust them, you can break down the prepping into different separate parts. Say you have 5 others you can count on...have one prep only food, another only medical supplies, another just the water, another 'security', and another transportation, while the last supplies the location., the shelter. This does not mean that they should only collect just that one item, but that it is to be the main item.

Perfesser, took me a minute to figure out your 'LGM'..heh, heh. What ya'll need to do is share your 'tallents'. It'll ease the load on the both of you because, as the old saying goes, it'll be, 'cheaper by the dozen'...understand?

the response 'We'll just come to your place' has been the preppers bugaboo for as long as i can remember and there are a whole lot of different responses possible depending on who is saying it to you.

i have 4 grown kids and their families that will most likely be coming to my place, if they can get here. they dont prep, they dont save, they dont read the articles i send them, they just have it in the back of their minds Mom will take care of things....lol. and i will more or less, but i reckon they will get a whole lot of the less part, i can only stretch things so far.

ive had freinds or acquaintences give me the standard 'We will just come to your place'.....you know, the types who have the funds and means to prep and dont bother ...the very best answer i now give is 'Gosh, sorry, I am full up with family. You need to find another place to go or start prepping because all i have left is the garage and my brother has dibs on that now".

the look on their face is priceless as it dawns on them
1) there is no room for them at my place
2) no one is taking care of them
3) they will be on their own in an emergency
4) its too crowded here & will be uncomfortable
5) there will be alot of big strong people here

i think its a mercy to let them know up front we are full up in an emergency and we cannot be their fall back.

as for my kids, i let them know what they need to bring--all their food, some clothing, towels, bedding, personal papers, money, etc, etc, etc. if they are going to want it or need it they need to bring it. but in a real emergency, they just might be coming with the clothes on their backs, who knows......

i also let them know coming here wont be like coming for a holiday, this isnt a B&B. they will do chores, their money will go in a to pay bills or taxes here, they will most likely be sleeping on a futon as there is only one guest room with real beds, we all eat together at the same time and no special meals, we dont have tv or video games and cant spare the electric for it, and theres lots of work in the garden, meals to prepare and wash up from, wood to cut & haul in, snow to shovel, etc.

we can prepare in our minds how we will deal with things, but i suspect there will be lots of little things that cant be worked out until it actually happens. God be with us and bless us when it does happen, as having all the kids back with spouses and little kids will call for adjustments from all of us.

well, thats my old lady take on it...lol

Heh, all our money goes in a . Our Miss Kitty will only eat fancy feast.

LOL! i love that icon of the smoking ---i need to make it my pic. what a hoot.