Prepping on a tight budget

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  • burt gummer

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    1   0   0
    Jul 14, 2012
    862
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    noblesville
    So I have a part time job I'm able to pay my bills and if I'm lucky have some left to put away for my gun fund, since I live in a apartment I can't have a full garden or have 50gal barrels of water, I do have some 100% wool blankets and some medical gear IFAK and water bottle filter, tac vest, it's just me but I also have my 2 sisters families in my area, so how can I get prepared? Oh and I do have a bunch of plastic buckets w lids but empty, so any help would be appreciated a lot
     

    eldirector

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    Apr 29, 2009
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    Brownsburg, IN
    There are some basics that even a small budget can tackle. Start working your way towards several weeks, and then several months, of shelf-stable food and water. You can begin buying a little extra each time, and adding it to the rotation. Same with all the other consumables around the house: toilet paper, deodorant, toothpaste, paper towels, etc... Basically, you can slowly increase your personal inventory, and decrease your reliance on weekly visits to the store. If you find you run out of something, buy TWO, and then make sure you buy TWO MORE when you start on that second one.

    Buy in bulk. Buy on sale. Buy at discount stores. Use their discount programs/cards/coupons. Buy store brand, rather then name brand. Buy quality items that will last, rather then cheap that will need replaced.

    Acquiring and practicing skills can be pretty cheap, too.

    Don't expect, or even try, to get "prepared" overnight. It is a lifestyle, not a destination. Some of the best-prepped people I know are "on a budget". They are "prepping" because they need to.
     

    NVG

    Marksman
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    12   0   0
    Jul 28, 2014
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    SEast
    Some good responses. Slow and steady works for me and I consider myself "prepping on a budget". Do not try and go all out at once. Do not jump in both feet, full steam ahead-you will burn yourself out.
    Store what you use- Use what you store. Rotate items as needed.
    Knowledge is a great prep-cannot be lost or broken.
     

    burt gummer

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    Jul 14, 2012
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    noblesville
    @223 gunner agreed I'm getting my health under control, I will be adding to my preps when I get my rifle with buying a good amount of ammo, and I am continuing training, just need to add to my food supply,
     

    GIJEW

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    Mar 14, 2009
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    Be properly insured.
    Make sure your health and fitness are good.
    Be employable and have a plan B for work.
    Burt G, aside from these^^^, you said your sisters and their families live near you. Since you mentioned them, I assume they're part of your SHTF considerations. Do they have any interest in prepping and do they have room for gardens and 55gal rain barrels etc?
     

    MCgrease08

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    Mar 14, 2013
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    Earth
    I also live in apartment and I have small kids, so in a long-term situation I will most likely be heading out of Dodge to stay with family (have a secondary location in as many directions as possible.) I don't need long term food storage, so I try to keep about 2 weeks worth.

    For me, my preps involve having Go bags for everyone in the family ready with seasonal clothes and toiletries in case we need to leave quickly. It means keeping up with maintenence on the vehicles, having a full tank of gas.
    It means having a rifle and ammo packed and ready to toss into the car.

    Having a plan of action for likely scenarios will go a long way toward determining when you should focus you time, effort and money.
     

    burt gummer

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    Jul 14, 2012
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    noblesville
    @MCgrease08 I have a go bag it's in my truck as for 3 packs of water, as for a destination not sure yet my parents live in northern Mi as well as 2 other prepper friends, my one friends home is actually a castle home, and it's a 6/7hr drive in "good" conditions so I would hope to make it there.
     

    LtScott14

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    Apr 13, 2008
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    Porter County
    Even on a string budget: some water(bottled) flats, some basic ramen noodles, canned goods soup/chili, canned fruits, mac and cheese, spaghetti,(and sauce) all good combos,
    Flashlight/batteries, rain poncho/tarp, 550 paracord, or bankline, basic survival goods. Small steel cooking pot, fire starter goods, First aid kit(get a ouch kit, and build up.)

    Fixed blade knife, swiss army style folder, folding saw, folding shovel, read "98.6 how to save your ***" by Cody Lundin. Small Daypack, empty can carry your stuff, and a bucket can secure your stuff for fast egress.

    Firearms are expensive. A used rifle or shotgun, couple boxes of shells, sling to carry good start. Wouldn't go crazy as you need some of the above.Some places you can trade labor for firearms goods. Check your laws first.

    Go slow. get a weeks supply of food, then build up as you can. Good luck.

    Add: Agree about lawn sales, moving sales, Salvation Army, and family - friends.

    A close friend needed a minimal start camping gear , he never went before. I gifted him a slightly used Backpack(hunters camo), Aluminum water bottle, some 550 paracord, Army canteen cup, extra poncho,
    and a compass. He had a lot of other stuff around the house, and a mini mag lite. Went on his camp trip, and told me he was the best prepared guy among 4. He also ziplocked all his stuff, and a surprise rainstorm only soaked his pack, and the poncho saved his clothes from being wet.
    This happened before their tent was up, and the other campers were drenched. He shared a couple cans of chili, as his buddys were shivering with only cold sandwiches. They are learning.

    Minimum can save your situation.
     
    Last edited:

    Sniper 79

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    Oct 7, 2012
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    I have been going to a lot of yard sales and estate sales. You can find all kinds of great stuff for penny's on the dollar.
     

    Hoosierkav

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    Dec 1, 2012
    1,013
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    South of Indianapolis
    I second getting your relatives involved at start, but the conversation could simply be centered about being "72 hr ready" for the normal bumps of living in 1st world conditions. Can you/they handle being without power for 24hrs, then 48, then 72?

    Start on the low-hanging fruit--how will you charge your cell phone without house power? How will you heat/cook your food? Whose house will you head to if conditions warrant (again, just thinking of normal natural events, not catastrophes), and how will they cope?

    After you've covered the basics, then work on getting more robust, more resilient, more anti-fragile.
     

    Icarry2

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    Nov 14, 2010
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    Franklin County, VA

    mastery

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    Jun 2, 2008
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    Here
    Even on a string budget: some water(bottled) flats, some basic ramen noodles

    Two notes on the above:

    If you have quality tap water, you can save it in cleaned out milk gallon containers or 2-liter bottles if you use them anyways. A LOT cheaper than buying bottled water and very easy to rotate supplies.

    As for ramen, it's dirt cheap. It's also almost non-existent in nutrients. May not be bad to have a case or two to break up eating beans for a while, just know you aren't getting much energy off of the ramen (and all that sodium....ugh).
     

    stocknup

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    Mar 28, 2011
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    Monrovia area
    " Icarry2" really has it ..............Knowledge -----
    Create yourself a Library of books, and hands on experience.
    Items in your preps are useless if you don't know how to use them properly .
    It will be hard to " Google " info if the grid happened to go down.
    Books or printed sheets on : Canning , Medicine quantities and uses , first aid , gardening , edible plants , how to make ? ,water purification , gun disassembly (cleaning-maintaining) , are just a few I have on hand
     

    burt gummer

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    Jul 14, 2012
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    noblesville
    @stocknup that's easy to do start a library of info, @mastery true on the ramen but with the water iv heard that the plastic can degrade after time? Is this true, and I do have a 2 good water purification water bottles, I'd like to get another and some of those emergency drinking tablets, also I'd like to get more fire starting gear, and food prep items, but I agree with everyone
     
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