No money to prep

[Silent Earth]

During hurricane Sandy they (media) was interviewing the residents of a hard hit area in NY Or New Jersey? they were complaining about no one their helping them as they were leaving a store with a case of beer. Yep, they sure were in dire straits.

Save the Beer, save the Beer

 

[Brent S]

Save the Beer, save the Beer

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True prepper there!

 

[hlrive]

I don't really think money matters. I keep seeds on hand year after year. I not only collect them from the garden but when the stores sell out at the end of spring what they have left 5 for $1 I buy up about 40 packs. Even if it is stuff I don't like to eat I buy the seeds up I figure someone may want hot peppers or broccoli. Plus beggars can't be choosers.

The best advice I can give you is buy 1 extra every time you shop. Buy 1 extra salt, or 1 extra baking soda or whatever that you may need some day for food ( not one of everything all at once. Just 1 extra item per trip), cooking, baking, and so on. Use dollar stores for lots of things like batteries, and extra items you may need. I know that is what I do. I even have bought tools when they are on sale and just add them in the barn 1 every few months. They have come in so handy lately, when my husband up and took off he took all the tools with him, so now I am having to restock the shed and barn. I got me a new saw and a new drill/driver last month. I also have bought a new hammer, and loads of nails and screws.

I met a lady about 5 years ago that said keep an empty bucket in the kitchen and buy can goods that you normally use and dry goods that you normally use daily and fill the bucket little by little when it's full close it up and hide it in the closet. Repeat it again and before you know it you will have enough food stored away to last your family 3 to 6 months.

So far I have 2 family meal buckets put away, 1 bucket of rice, 1 macaroni, 1 beans, and another full of Ramen noodles. That is just the food. I then have 1 full of soap, shampoo, hand cream, and other things that will come in handy. When you pack that family meal bucket make sure to add in a bag of hard candies for the kids, and some granola bars for the adults. Fruit rolls also come in handy in the buckets.

 

[Undertaker]

In the U.S. we throw away more than any other country on the planet. People even pay to have good stuff hauled away lots of times. It's not hard to find stuff to make what you want at little or no cost.

Another mans junk is another mans treasure! I work at a recycling center and you would be amazed at the perfectly good items people throw away... Its those people who have more money than sense....You never miss what you have till its gone and one day that could very well happen. Live in the now but know none of our futures are guaranteed we are only here for a short time.

 

[Arcticdude]

The header " No money to prep made me smile" Local authority is trying to encourage people to prep for bad winter storms, encouraging folks to set aside an extra bit of food etc. The woman in front of me in the coop store was saying she is on benefits and cannot afford to set money aside for extra food, and added they should GIVE me extra food. Then she said " Oh I'll have 100 Lambert and Butler as well please Sheila" to the girl behind the counter. Lambert and Butler are cigarettes costing about £6 ($9) a packet of 20.

People on the dole always seem to have money for booze, smokes, TV/computer and cell phones. They usually have a litter of snot nosed brats too.

 

[bigpaul]

People on the dole always seem to have money for booze, smokes, TV/computer and cell phones. They usually have a litter of snot nosed brats too.

this is true, usually got some kind of satellite tv package too with all the bells and whistles, probably got a mountain of debt too.

 

[Brent S]

People on the dole always seem to have money for booze, smokes, TV/computer and cell phones. They usually have a litter of snot nosed brats too.

The US is the only place in the world where you get free money just for having lots of kids. I knew a guy that got more from his tax return than he made all year at his job. He also spent it in 3 or 4 weeks every time he got it, on nothing for his kids by the way.

 

[bigpaul]

The US is the only place in the world where you get free money just for having lots of kids.

don't you believe it, there are families here where no one has worked and will never work, the only "work" they do is pushing out their next brat so they can increase their welfare payments.

 

[Brent S]

don't you believe it, there are families here where no one has worked and will never work, the only "work" they do is pushing out their next brat so they can increase their welfare payments.

Yeah, as I was posting it I realized there's lots of countries as stupid as ours......

 

[Kevin L]

The best source of free stuff for prepping is Freecycle on Craig's List.

I've gotten a free, fully functional bicycle from Freecycle. Also a pressure cooker, camp stove, clothes, almost anything you need.

I know a woman who has a business where she gets things from Freecycle, restores them, and sells them at a substantial profit.

If you aren't too proud, freecycle is a great resource for almost anything.

 

[Brent S]

The best source of free stuff for prepping is Freecycle on Craig's List.

I've gotten a free, fully functional bicycle from Freecycle. Also a pressure cooker, camp stove, clothes, almost anything you need.

I know a woman who has a business where she gets things from Freecycle, restores them, and sells them at a substantial profit.

If you aren't too proud, freecycle is a great resource for almost anything.

I hadn't heard of that yet, great idea.

 

[Thumper]

Gardening! You can buy a pack of seeds for less than two bucks. When you get down to it, prepping is about survival. The first two things you need are water and food. Start learning to make your own. You can learn to grow, and make a cheap water filter. Public libraries and the Internet can teach you anything you want if you spend the effort. All the rest can come slowly over years.
A friend of mine hiked the Appalachian trail years ago. He told me about a week into it he started seeing gear littering the trail. Some of the hikers had bought all this expensive gear that was just too heavy to be practical. It's easy to get caught up in wanting new toys, but in reality there's not a lot of stuff you need if you have knowledge. Remember, water first, food, then shelter. Security is up there in my opinion as well.

Good advise. But everyone should always remember that what is needed first depends on the situation. A good rule of thumb is the 3 3s. 3 hours without shelter. 3 days without water and three weeks without food.

 

[Skeeter]

I literally have no extra income to prep anyone have any ideas for me

My advice would be to buy a little bit at a time. You can get canned food such as tuna and mackerel for pretty cheap. Water is another essential item that you should try your hardest to get. I'm not sure how low on cash you are, but for about $5-10 per week you could get a decent supply of food/water going.

 

[bigpaul]

it all depends on your priorities I guess, do you really need that new widescreen tv? or the cable subscription? or that annual holiday-or two- to expensive hot climates? can you give up smoking? or your nightly bottle of wine? there is usually something you can cut down on or cut out, if your serious about prepping you will find a way. if you aren't you wont.

 

[ThePoorPrepper]

You can still prep. First off knowledge is worth way more then the fancy gear. I am not a rich man at all, I built a bug out bag from things I found at yard sales, thrift shops, and dollar stores. And if you saw it you would think it was worth 200$ when in reality it probably cost me 20$ in total minus the nice bag I splurged on. Clip coupons, look for buy one get one canned items that you eat and rotate. Even the dollar store has cases of water. Look on Facebook for a buy/sell/trade page in your area. Sometimes people are giving stuff away for free if you pick it up. When low on cash, you have to get creative...

 

[Psalm7]

I have satellite TV and still have $ to prep not rich just work 60 hours a week . Gonna slow down in a few years though .

 

[eireguy]

Where i live they have junk pick-up a couple of times a year for every neighborhood. Do you have that where you live ? Its amazing some of the usable stuff people put out .

 

[Proud Prepper]

Yeah and after Katrina, I picked up so much stuff and refinished it for resale, I actually made good money after the storm.

 

[Kootenay prepper]

Homemade fire starters are easy to made and super cheap to make. Just google different supplies you can make at home.

 

[Kevin L]

A great place to get canned food is at a scratch and dent place (usually a place that carries day-old bread).

Scratch and dent canned food is perfectly wholesome, so long as you avoid bulging and rusty cans.

Usually, these canned products are sold for less than 10 cents on the dollar. These foods are not even near the expiration date.

If you go this route, white masking tape and a sharpie marker to relabel cans if the labels are falling off. Put product and expiration date on the can, and anything else appropriate for your organization system.