Prepping Is Not About Fear. It's About Peace of Mind

For years, I've heard people describe preparedness as fearmongering.

The assumption seems to be that anyone who keeps extra food in the pantry, stores water, learns practical skills, or prepares for emergencies must be living in fear.

I disagree.

In fact, my experience has been exactly the opposite.

I've been involved in preparedness since the days leading up to Y2K, more than twenty years ago. During that time, I've discovered that preparedness isn't about fear at all. It's about peace of mind.

Think about the things we do every day.

Most of us carry auto insurance.

Many of us have health insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.

We save money for emergencies.

We keep spare tires in our vehicles.

We lock our doors at night.

None of those actions are considered fearmongering.

In fact, society generally views them as wise and responsible.

Why?

Because they provide a safety net if something unexpected happens.

Preparedness is no different.

A savings account is a form of preparedness.

Insurance is a form of preparedness.

A stocked pantry is a form of preparedness.

Learning first aid is a form of preparedness.

Preparedness simply means planning ahead.

One of my favorite stories is the fable of the ant and the grasshopper. While the grasshopper spends his time enjoying the moment, the ant quietly prepares for the future. When difficult times arrive, one is ready and the other is left wishing he had planned ahead.

The lesson isn't about fear.

It's about wisdom.

Over the years, I've also noticed something interesting.

Sometimes the people who mock preparedness are often the ones who seem most uncomfortable discussing uncertainty.

It's easier to laugh about potential problems than to think about them.

It's easier to assume someone else will take care of everything.

But storms happen.

Power outages happen.

Job losses happen.

Medical emergencies happen.

None of those realities require fear. They simply require planning.

As someone who has struggled with severe anxiety for much of my life, I've spent a great deal of time thinking about fear.

One of the most valuable lessons I've learned is that preparation often reduces fear.

When I know I have food in the pantry, I worry less.

When I know I have emergency supplies, I worry less.

When I know I have practical skills, I worry less.

Preparedness doesn't increase my anxiety.

It decreases it.

I don't prepare because I expect disaster around every corner.

I prepare because I want the freedom to live my life without constantly worrying about what might happen.

I prepare so a temporary power outage doesn't become a crisis.

I prepare so a supply shortage doesn't create panic.

I prepare so unexpected events are inconveniences rather than emergencies.

In other words, I prepare because I want peace of mind.

The goal of preparedness isn't to live in fear of tomorrow.

The goal is to be able to enjoy today.

Prepare for the worst.

Hope for the best.

Then go live your life.

That philosophy has carried me through more than two decades of preparedness and, perhaps more importantly, through a lifetime of learning how to face fear itself.

That journey is one of the reasons I wrote I Closed My Eyes and Went Anyway, a book about learning to move forward despite fear and anxiety. Sometimes courage isn't the absence of fear. Sometimes courage is simply taking the next step anyway.

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Lentil Sprouts: The Garden Anyone Can Grow Anywhere

 

As food prices continue to rise and severe weather becomes increasingly common, 

I've been looking for simple ways to add fresh foods to our meals without depending entirely on the grocery store.

One solution I've become increasingly excited about is sprouting.

Unlike traditional gardening, sprouts don't require a backyard, raised beds, sunshine, good weather, or even much space. Whether you live in an apartment, RV, tiny home, suburban house, or off-grid cabin, sprouts can be grown almost anywhere with little more than a jar, water, and a few days of patience.

In many ways, sprouts are the garden anyone can grow.

Why I Chose Lentils

For this experiment, I focused on lentils because they are affordable, widely available, easy to store, and highly nutritious.

I recently conducted a side-by-side experiment comparing fresh lentils against lentils that had been stored in my pantry for more than five years.

Best Lentils for Sprouting: Grocery Store vs Specialty Seeds

Although the fresh lentils produced a somewhat higher germination rate, I was impressed by how well the older lentils still performed after years in storage.

That experiment reminded me that sometimes the simplest pantry staples can provide fresh food when we least expect it.

Lentil Sprouts

Nutritional Benefits of Lentil Sprouts

Lentils are already known for being a nutritious food, but sprouting may improve digestibility and increase the availability of certain nutrients.

Lentil sprouts contain:

• Protein
• Fiber
• Folate
• Iron
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Vitamin C
• Antioxidants

Many people enjoy sprouts because they add a fresh crunch to meals while providing nutrients that can sometimes be lacking in shelf-stable foods.

For families focused on preparedness or food storage, sprouts offer an opportunity to grow fresh food indoors regardless of the season.

Combining both the old and new Lentil Sprouts from my earlier experiment

No Garden? No Problem

One of the things I appreciate most about sprouting is that weather doesn't matter.

Too hot?

Too cold?

Living in an apartment?

No yard?

No problem.

A jar of sprouts can grow on a kitchen counter while snow falls outside or while summer heat makes outdoor gardening difficult.

Unlike traditional gardening, sprouts require very little space and can often be harvested within days rather than months.

How I Store My Sprouts in Fridge

For growing sprouts, I love my Deluxe Seed Sprouter

KITCHEN CROP Deluxe Seed Sprouter with 4 Growing Trays

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small commission at zero cost to you. 

Fresh Lentil Sprouts bagged for the fridge

After harvesting, I often store extra sprouts in zip-top bags in the refrigerator where they are easy to grab for sandwiches, salads, wraps, and other meals.

Simple storage makes it easy to add fresh greens to meals throughout the week.

I love checking out ethnic stores for unique storage containers for saving sprouts.  This one has the colander basket to keep sprouts dry. 

My Favorite Way to Eat Lentil Sprouts

After harvesting this batch, I decided to make tuna sandwiches using fresh lentil sprouts and a loaf of homemade bread that had just come out of my bread machine.

Old-Fashioned White Bread Made Easy in a Bread Machine

Lentil sprouts and fresh baked bread 

The combination of fresh sprouts, homemade bread, and tuna created one of the best sandwiches we've had in quite some time.

Tuna and Lentil Sprouts sandwich 

In fact, my family declared the sandwiches better than anything gourmet we could buy in town.

The sprouts added a fresh crunch and flavor that transformed an ordinary sandwich into something special.

A Fresh Addition to Food Storage

One of the challenges of food storage is finding ways to add variety and freshness to meals.

Sprouts solve that problem beautifully.

A small amount of stored seed can provide fresh food in only a few days, making sprouts an excellent addition to any preparedness pantry.

As grocery prices continue to climb and weather becomes more unpredictable, I plan to continue experimenting with different varieties of sprouts and incorporating them into our meals.

For me, sprouting isn't just about nutrition.

It's about discovering practical ways to grow fresh food anywhere, anytime, regardless of weather, space, or circumstances.

And that's something worth growing.

Best Lentils for Sprouting: Grocery Store vs Specialty Seeds

Can 5-Year-Old Lentils Still Sprout? Walmart Lentils vs Premium Sprouting Seeds

For years, I've kept lentils in my pantry as part of my food storage program. Like many preparedness-minded families, I look for ways to stretch my budget while still maintaining a practical stockpile. With food prices continuing to rise, I recently decided to conduct a simple experiment to see whether inexpensive grocery store lentils could still compete with premium sprouting seeds.

The experiment compared two very different products.

5-year-old-Lentil-Seeds

The first was several packages of lentils I purchased from Walmart more than five years ago - stored in an old wine jug ;)  These lentils had been sitting in storage and were originally purchased as food rather than specifically for sprouting.

Purchased fresh from online 

The second was a fresh package of sprouting lentils from Todd's Seeds, a company I have purchased from before and have always been pleased with. Todd's Seeds sells high-quality sprouting seeds specifically intended for germination.

The difference in cost immediately caught my attention.

My Walmart lentils (prices today - June 2026) cost only $1.96 per pound.

My original Walmart lentils were purchased over five years ago and likely cost well under today's $1.96 per pound price. The fact that they still sprouted after years in storage made this experiment even more interesting.

The Todd's Seeds package cost $9.99 for just one-quarter pound. At that rate, purchasing a full pound would cost approximately $39.96.

Product	Cost per Pound
Walmart Lentils	$1.96
Todd's Seeds	$39.96
Difference	Todd's costs about 20 times more

I do want to add that I have successfully purchased seeds from Todd's Seeds, and have been satisfied but this article is merely a price comparison, because groceries continue to spike, I think it is important to look for more ways to get bang for the buck. 

STORE is 5 year seeds from Walmart - blank tray is Todd's Seeds

To compare the two, I sprouted both varieties side by side under the same conditions. The fresh Todd's Seeds lentils performed exactly as expected and produced the best germination rate. Overall, they appeared to sprout about 25 percent better than my old stored lentils.

I rotated two trays of each on the sprouter

However, the most surprising result was not that the fresh seeds won.

It was that the five-year-old Walmart lentils still sprouted remarkably well.

Tray of old seeds on left side - not much difference than the new seeds on right 

Considering their age and the fact that they had been purchased as ordinary grocery store food, I was impressed by how many still germinated successfully. For anyone interested in preparedness, food storage, or reducing grocery costs, this demonstrates that inexpensive pantry staples can sometimes serve multiple purposes.

Newer seeds on left - old seeds on right. 

Would I buy the premium sprouting seeds again?

Yes.

If my goal were achieving the highest germination rates possible, Todd's Seeds clearly produced the best results. Fresh seeds specifically intended for sprouting have advantages, and those advantages showed up in this experiment.

But if my goal is maximizing value and stretching my preparedness budget, the grocery store lentils deserve serious consideration. The price difference is difficult to ignore when one pound of specialty seeds can cost nearly $40 compared to less than $2 for a pound of grocery store lentils.

Again, I want to emphasize that this experiment was using 5-year-old seeds. I have no doubt the new Walmart seeds will germinate just as good as the new seeds shown.  

This experiment reinforced something I have learned repeatedly over the years: sometimes the best preparedness bargains can be found right in the grocery store aisle.

Seeds are on sale today. I personally would bargain shop for anymore seeds online

While specialty products certainly have their place, stocking up on affordable foods when prices are reasonable can often provide excellent value. Even after five years in storage, these lentils were still capable of producing fresh sprouts, making them an inexpensive option for anyone interested in adding fresh nutrition to their pantry planning.

Today's price - June 2026. When I purchased the old seeds 5 yrs ago, I paid less than $1 a bag.

As food prices continue to climb, finding practical ways to stretch every dollar becomes increasingly important. This side-by-side comparison was a reminder that the most expensive option is not always the only option, and sometimes the bargains we overlook today may become some of the most valuable items in our pantry tomorrow.

Sprouting 5 year old Lentil Seeds along with new

All in all, this experiment reinforced me to keep saving my old seeds, to do more shopping comparisons and to stock up while the prices are low. 

Do you love this DELUXE SEED SPROUTER? <-----------I'm thinking of buying another. I am an Amazon affiliate and any products I recommend I actually buy and use myself. I receive a small commission at ZERO cost to you.    Check out my other links on sprouting: 

Sprouting Seeds: The Fastest Garden You Can Grow Anywhere