How to Prep on a Budget

When you’re first starting out with prepping, it’s pretty easy to get distracted by the neat toys and other survival gear that you think you need to survive any given “doomsday” scenario. Before you know it, you’ve loaded up a cart of emergency supplies that are going to cost you a small fortune and you’re contemplating using your credit card. Let’s talk about how to prep on a budget.

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• 30 Items You Need To Survive A Pandemic
• 10 Foods to Stretch Your Food Budget
• What Life Looks Like When You Budget

How to Prep on a Budget

Maybe you have yet to get started with your emergency supplies because you currently don’t have the finances to even get headed in the right direction. While you’re right, prepping can be expensive, there are still ways to get around that.    

Prepping on a budget is actually easier than it sounds. Even if you are tight with your finances, or have a spouse that isn’t completely thrilled that you are prepping, these are ways to keep your costs down low. Read on to find out more about prepping on a budget. 

Prioritize Food and Water 

Without food or water, your family will become dehydrated and hungry. So it’s critical that you start out by focusing all your prepping energy on stockpiling enough of these two items first. In case you missed this post, Freeze-Dried Food Pantry Size Cans For Emergencies

• You can save yourself a bunch of money without breaking the bank by buying canned foods or dry food items in bulk. 
• Off-brand food items are another option, and most of them are just as good as the national labels. 
• You should also consider shopping at stores like Aldi, where you can keep your costs low on your prepping food and other supplies.  
• You can choose to buy your drinking water in gallons or in water bottle cases. Again, there’s nothing wrong with getting generic brands. 

I’d also encourage you to get yourself a portable water filter remember you get what you pay for, but it could end up being a huge lifesaver should your water supply run out.  

Focus on Essential Supplies

Once you have your stockpile of food and water figured out, you then need to shift your attention to supplies that you can’t live without. These are some essential supplies for you to consider: 

• First Aid Kit – This first aid kit will allow you to bandage up wounds for under $20 (it’s a starter kit, but at least you have one).
• Multitool for just about everything.
• Tarp (can be used as an emergency blanket or shelter) 
• Duct Tape Serves countless different purposes. 
• Paracord (Extremely versatile along with great for holding together a shelter).  
• Space Blankets will help you maintain your body heat.

Don’t Forget Sanitary Items

Sanitary items are typically the supplies that are most often overlooked among new preppers, but you certainly don’t want to be one of those people, even when you’re trying to stay on budget. Keeping your family clean is a great way to avoid becoming sick after an emergency has taken place. And should doctors be unavailable during this time, a simple illness could turn into something serious fairly quickly. These are cheap sanitary supplies you should also consider:

• Box of Baby Wipes
• Tampons (if needed) 
• Extra toothpaste and toothbrushes 
• Gallon of bleach
• Antibacterial handwash
• Trashbags (for waste)     

Wait for Good Deals

Budget prepping has a lot to do with being patient and not hoarding everything that you can as quickly as you can. That means waiting for the best deals to come around and then jumping on them as your finances allow.  

It may surprise you that you can find survival gear at your local retail thrift stores. You’ll pay only a fraction for lightly used survival gear that will do just as good a job as if you were to buy it brand new. Garage sales are another cost-effective avenue to track down survival gear. 

Ask Yourself, “What Can I Give Up?” 

If you’re currently strapped with your finances, there may still be some leeway within your budget. After all, do you really need to keep paying for that expensive local line phone or cable service when times are tough? 

Simply call these companies and tell them about your situation. Most of the time they’d be willing to offer you a discount or a different plan to keep you on as a customer!

Maybe you eat out too often or spend too much money on entertainment. If you simply cut back a little each month, you’ll have more money to spend on your prepping supplies.   

Learn to Live Off the Land

What happens if you’re forced to leave your home and aren’t able to bring every last can of food that you’ve stockpiled? How will you make it? Living off the land is another great way to be kind to your budget. 

This will also keep you from being dependent on just your stockpile of food and cause it to dwindle down nearly as quickly. Learn what types of berries, nuts, and plants are edible for calories. Also, find a location that is near a freshwater source, and where you can possibly hunt and fish for your meals.  You can also consider planting seeds in a garden so that you’ll have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Some preppers have joined a “community garden” to take advantage of locally grown food items.

Choose a Cheap Bug-out Location 

Maybe a bug-out location is extremely important to you, but it could be several years in the future if money is tight. After giving up those areas in your budget, you’ll be able to save and then put that money towards cheap land. Here’s cheaper land for sale all across the country that’s outside of urban areas and other heavily populated areas.  

In case you missed this post,  15 Reasons Why You Do Not Want To Bug Out. Or this post, Forget Your 72-Hour Bug Out Bag You Need More

Final Word

You see, prepping on a budget isn’t as terrible as you thought it was going to be. And if you’re patient and follow these tips, you’ll save yourself a ton of money. Once you’ve gathered all your essentials, that’s when you can then go and buy that nifty survival gear that has been calling your name. How do you prep on a budget? May God Bless this world, Linda. 

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