Let's first distinguish and define each word-
*ALL of the below mentioned definitions are of my own doing and stating my belief of what each word means
Homesteader- Someone who learns skills (ex. gardening, preparing and raising own food, building from items they currently possess or being able to live without assistance from an outside source) to enhance their life. A homesteader is a person who does not want to rely on agencies, companies and corporations to live. They want the freedom to raise their own livestock, grow their own food and live how they want to. Whether off-grid or using limited government/company utilities, homesteaders prefer the simpler life; while it is hard work, it is hard work the homesteader can depend upon because it is up to them to accomplish and fulfill the result. They prefer a minimalist lifestyle and learn to live without modern day conveniences sometimes; again depending if they are off-grid or not.
Prepper- Someone with the mindset of preparing for a catastrophic event or a drastic change in the population's lifestyle as we live it today. The base word of prepper is prep; hence meaning plan or making ready for. These people usually have an abundance of items for survival and have learned skills to survive in the event of life as we know it ending. They will protect what is theirs but will, in most cases, look out for the well-being of other liked-minded people.
Hoarder- Now I have never watched the TV shows out there about these people, nor do I care to. But from basic college psychology class I would define a hoarder as someone who has an emotional attachment to items/materialistic things and cannot psychologically imagine living without the items. Most times severe hoarders live in condemn-able squalor and conditions.
Now keeping those definitions in mind, preppers and homesteaders can be one in the same person. Now I'm sure many homesteaders, but especially preppers, have been called hoarders.
Others asking, why do you need so much food? Why do you stockpile?
Just because you have planned and stored away enough food in your pantry to live for six-months doesn't mean you're a hoarder. If you were, then you would have an emotional attachment to the canned green beans or cases of water, but you don't. The stockpile is your future survival.
Resteemed and upvoted. Excellent definitions.
Great read! Thank you for not mentioning zombies apocalypse with Preppers! That gets old after awhile 😂😂
I enjoy watching t.v. and movies about them but in reality.... can't bring myself to say it. I'm more of an economic collapse, EMP, civil unrest kinda gal
I enjoyed reading this! Thanks!
I probably need to create a chart to explain my views of each group.
But, yeah, you can be a homesteader and not be a prepper and you can be a prepper and not be a survivalist.
Post idea!!
Glad I could help!! will watch for it!
I'm curious as to each person(s) views- that would be interesting to read
I think your definitions here are not much different than mine.
When it comes to storing extra food, I think people who don't understand the reasons for doing it tend to call those who do hoarders. They use the word hoarder as a slur. They really don't know what a hoarder is.
You have my upvote on this. I was once a homesteader but being on the road no longer makes that possible. Still a prepper though.
Upvoted and shared this on our facebook page.