# how to be prepared when you are broke



## ckpettit (Jul 5, 2012)

How can you be prepared when you have no money and you live paycheck to paycheck. I have a family and i want to keep them safe


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## timmie (Jan 14, 2012)

food wise---see if anyone has a garden that they will let you pick on halves or maybe even gleen it. a lot of you pick farmers will let you after they are through and before they turn it over to plant something else. great way to get food then you can can it up or freeze it. also look for fruit trees in abandoned yards and ask the landowners if you can pick it, also look for wild fruits and veggies in your area. good luck.


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

Is this a question or a statement? Sure you want to keep your family safe, and want to prepare.

First of all, knowledge is free. Start with this forum and website, and start learning.

Second, since you didn't state much about your situation, aside from the fact you live paycheck to paycheck, you need to rethink a lot of things. Are you a one or two income family? If you really are hurting financially that's the first thing you need to remedy. Do you have a budget that you follow? Is there anyway you can generate more income? A part-time job, collecting scrap metal? Start a change jar, it adds up fast. Save what you can.

If you eat out a lot, that needs to change as well. Fast food and restaurants are a huge money sink. Drink Starbucks a lot? Drop that habit. These are just some ideas, I don't know anything about your lifestyle.

As far as food goes, start by buying a small bag of beans or rice every week. Not that expensive right now, but the prices will continue to increase. If you can't afford it now, you never will be able to. Storing water is cheap. Grab a gallon jug at the store every week, but make sure you rotate. Get a 10 gallon container at a sporting goods store, and store water in that. Remember the average person uses a gallon of water a day. More for cleaning up.

Just some ideas, again work on your finances and the rest isn't that hard.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Try here:

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f49/exellent-new-prepping-book-10345/

If you don't have a Kindle you can use a computer. I believe there are posts in that thread telling you how. It's got some good advice to get you started.


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## cengasser (Mar 12, 2012)

We have been putting stuff away a little at a time. As far as food we wait for the sales, or buy one get one. We our pantry is looking great. We pick up about $5.00 - $10.00 per week to put away. And we purchase foods that we could/ will eat if times get tougher with only 1 bread winner right now. 
We approached other supplies the same way. Flashlights, batteries, candles etc.
Some of the bigger items, we saved what we could, even the pennies. Then make a purchase. 
Good Luck! Don't be discouraged. Small steps are better than no steps at all.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

ckpettit said:


> How can you be prepared when you have no money and you live paycheck to paycheck. I have a family and i want to keep them safe


People here like to preach..some here, and not me, please, have _*never*_ rolled coins to get groceries or even gas. I have.
I know you need relief now, not later, as I read and feel what is coming, is coming soon.
Peace..jayjay; and I will pray for your situation to improve..He works miracles and never forget that.


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## ilovetigger (Aug 10, 2011)

I have previously been in a situation where I didn't have the coins to roll, the electric was already off, and all I had to feed myself and 2 children for 2 days was 1/2lb hamburger, a bag of instant potatoes, and what was left in my garden until payday. That was when we created "slop" which is STILL one of my kids favorite meals to this day. lol It made me something of a miser when it comes to finances as I said I NEVER wanted to be in that position again.

Having said that, I have a food budget which I use. There are things ya need, and things ya don't. As another said, if you are buying fast food or coffee..........STOP. You can pick up 6 or more boxes of hamburger helper for the price of a inexpensive combo meal. A cup of fancy coffee.........at least 6 cans of tuna.

Hubby was laid off for over 2 years. We wrote our budget based on HAVE to have, LIKE to have, NICE to have. Have to have a roof over your head, food, water, utilities. Do you REALLY need cable/satellite? We decided NO and get all our tv over the air. FANCY SMANCY phone? No........Don't even need that house phone with the cell phones. Don't really need that boat, new car, or expensive toys. We decided when he went back to work that we STILL didn't need all that stuff........Paid off ALL our charge cards and our house...........Garden, can, and store food we buy on sale..........And continue to move forward.

What we discovered is MOST folks manage payments instead of their money. We were just as guilty. While we put money away into 401k and retirement, it took a MAJOR life crisis to open our eyes. The BIG thing was we worked TOGETHER to rebuild while approximately 80% of people we know in this area ended up divorced.

I hope this gives you something to think about.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

ilovetigger said:


> I have previously been in a situation where I didn't have the coins to roll, the electric was already off, and all I had to feed myself and 2 children for 2 days was 1/2lb hamburger, a bag of instant potatoes, and what was left in my garden until payday. That was when we created "slop" which is STILL one of my kids favorite meals to this day. lol It made me something of a miser when it comes to finances as I said I NEVER wanted to be in that position again.
> 
> Having said that, I have a food budget which I use. There are things ya need, and things ya don't. As another said, if you are buying fast food or coffee..........STOP. You can pick up 6 or more boxes of hamburger helper for the price of a inexpensive combo meal. A cup of fancy coffee.........at least 6 cans of tuna.
> 
> ...


Amen to your post---and I don't have a list of things needed or not...there is no 'not' needed...if it's on the list, it's needed.....:congrat:
Like doctors should be on the other end of the surgery table/needle to understand, economists or budgeters should be broke one week and have 3 staples and ground beef to understand and give advice.
Our story is like yours. Still no credit cards, and no tv, books bought at flea markets/yard sales and clothes always on sale.
Peace...jayjay


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

ckpettit, lots of us have been in your shoes. First and foremost, get rid of all the extras. I sold my dryer ($150) and started hanging the clothes outside to dry. Used the $150 to buy a whole bunch of rice, beans, noodles, soup, etc. Not using a dryer saved me money every month on my electric bill and that was also put into supplies. We did not have tv, but if we did, I would have cancelled that. We completely quit eating fast food except for pizza once a month as a treat. We packed all our lunches and easily saved $200/month. I bought clippers and cut my three boys' hair. I planted a garden and started canning. I barted babysitting to get items I needed. For example, I babysat for many evenings in exchange for a generator. We were careful to combine and consolidate trips to town and saved one tank of gas/month. 

You can do it! You just need to think outside the box and take that first step.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

Gee, the last time I was in that position, I had two kids and a wife. I was 24 years old and lost my job. We had a junk car and literly lived paycheck to paycheck. I missed a weeks work before landing a job as a carpenter on a residential home being built down the road from me. It paid half what my old job paid. We had a garden that was just starting to produce and I harvested from it every day just enough to fix our meals . If there was meat , I shot a rabbit or a squirrel out of season. If there was a desert, we bicked black berrys or mulberrys and made a cobbler. Three weeks later I landed another job that paid a comperable wage but it required us to move to live within 10 minuits of the job so we rented out our home to strangers and rented another where I had to live. If I was living from hand to mouth and I was in your possition, I would take a second job at night doing anything and use the wages from that job to stock up on some real basic things like dried beans and rice tuna, salmon, chicken , oil, flour, things you can eat . Until you meet those needs , do not worry about things like toilet paper or other nonesentials. Think about heating and cooking. Think survival first and do it now . I do not believe there will be much time left before you will have to use those things and it will be too late to aquire them later.


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## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

So glad I stocked up and canned last season. Having a garden really helps too. Been out of full time work since April 2nd and things are really tight but going back to school to finish a Bio degree in a couple of weeks. All registered and set to go. Money is short but we eat better than everyone else on the block. Fresh sun ripened organic veggies and fruits. Trade some other home made goods for organic meats and other goodies. Smart saving and stocking up has kept us out of the food bank line and has kept a roof over out head. The wife got a raise and it helps a little. I was able to stay with the kid this summer and saved almost $3k in day care. (All day day care is expensive). Teaching the boy how to shoot and fish and garden. Priceless. Will be making a "big" purchase though. A Remington 870 express 12ga. with the two barrels. Gotta keep meat on the table this winter. Figure it will be a good investment and pay for itself in meat.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

ckpettit said:


> How can you be prepared when you have no money and you live paycheck to paycheck. I have a family and i want to keep them safe


Cut up your credti cards. Pay cash or use a debit card. Do you really need Cable TV, another flat screen or new carpet? Turn off the air conditioning and open the windows. See how many "wants" you can do without.

Don't borrow money for a boat, cars, or a vacation.

Save 10%, Tithe 10% and live on the rest.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Excellent advise*



TheLazyL said:


> Cut up your credti cards. Pay cash or use a debit card. Do you really need Cable TV, another flat screen or new carpet? Turn off the air conditioning and open the windows. See how many "wants" you can do without.
> 
> Don't borrow money for a boat, cars, or a vacation.
> 
> Save 10%, Tithe 10% and live on the rest.


Especially the save 10% and Tith 10%.

The latter day saints are required to do this and for some reason there are more millionairs in Salt Lake City Utah than any where else in the United States .

:dunno:


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

I am broke and I started by buying one bag of rice or cornmeal, a bag of beans, and a thing of powdered chicken stock everytime I went to the store. I was shocked at how quickly food piled up. Water became the next thing I focused on. You can get those five gallon water jugs that go on water coolers at grocery stores in my area. Those and a bottle of bleach for purification (about 1capful a normal bleach bottle per gallon of water and let it sit for an hour) are my plan till I can afford a berkey. As far as a weapon an sks is a cheap accurate closet gun. Ammo is cheap and easily accessible and so are stripper clips. Hope this helps. Remember one thing at a time. Ive come to the conclusion Ill never be as prepared as Id like even if I hit the lotto. That would certainly help though.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

CrackbottomLouis said:


> till I can afford a berkey.


Have a look at this. If you can acquire 2- 5 gallon buckets, you could put together a water filter for $25.00.

*Features*

0.5 micron ceramic filter with activated charcoal. (nominal 0.2 micron at 98%)
Silver impregnated to inhibit bacterial growth
In gravity fed applications the flow rate is 30 to 40 gallons/day when the siphon hose is used (12 to 15 gallons/day if just used in a 'drip' system without the hose). Higher flow rates can be achieved in long siphon, multi-filter, or pressurized applications
Can be stored indefinitely
Each filter contains enough activated charcoal to treat 3000 to 4000 gallons of water, the ceramic shell will filter bacteria indefinitely (as long as the shell is intact). Note filters do not work for salt water.


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## lovetogrow (Jan 25, 2011)

UncleJoe said:


> Have a look at this. If you can acquire 2- 5 gallon buckets, you could put together a water filter for $25.00.
> 
> *Features*
> 
> ...


Right on UncleJoe! Just think water, shelter, food, and medicine. Small steps that you know you can take, and water being a priority - and good on you buddy :2thumb: taking care of your family!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I could never quite bring myself to shelling out $300.00 or so dollars for the Berkey but with a 1/4 acre pond I wanted to do something. I just found this set-up yesterday and ordered 2 of them.


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## ilovetigger (Aug 10, 2011)

AMEN to all. 

We hang clothes outside as well and calculated it out to saving $50 a month minimum. I use the charge cards but, pay them off every month (Usually immediately online). The cabelas visa card earns me free stuff (Getting my rifle free this way and bullets. Gonna save for the reloader next.) as does the credit union card. ($25 gift cards on a regular basis and free catalog shopping) You pay your regular monthly bills anyway........Why not pay them with the charge card to earn points? Immediately pay off that same amount. The problem most folks have with charge cards is they carry a balance. USE them wisely and you can make them HELP you. I utilize NO card that doesn't pay me something for using it. The hubby calls me the queen of free. With coupon usage and paying attention to the sales I have not paid for toothpaste in over 5 years. They pay ME to take it out of their store.  You can get a lot of things this way if you pay attention.

If you are a hunter, work on surplus freezer stock or pressure can to eliminate the cost of freezer usage. Plant a garden! Seeds are cheap for what you take out of it.........And the use of heirloom seeds allows you to save and store your own seeds year to year so your garden is for the most part..........FREE..........with just sweat equity as an expense. If you learn to can there is the initial expense of canning jars but, they can be re-used year to year. That has been my pick up a case each grocery trip item until I built up a good stock. And, with the money I have saved, I have been able to pick up more with back stock levels of either tattler or replacement lids.

Pennies quickly add into dollars just as taking small steps in putting up food will pay off big in the end.


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## wolven (Sep 7, 2011)

Look around right now lots of people with home gardens are overwelmed with extra produce. I myself give away lots of extras. Have a table by my driveway with a sign "Free" If you have a yard of any size now is the time to plant fall veggies. When at the store get one iten per week if thats all you can afford and but it back. Start a box or a tote that you put stuff in and try not to touch it.

My son has 4 kids and only one job. Costs more for babysitting than if she stayed home right now, but she babysits once in a while and that mony goes into preps

good luck


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## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

ilovetigger said:


> AMEN to all.
> 
> We hang clothes outside as well and calculated it out to saving $50 a month minimum. I use the charge cards but, pay them off every month (Usually immediately online). The cabelas visa card earns me free stuff (Getting my rifle free this way and bullets. Gonna save for the reloader next.) as does the credit union card. ($25 gift cards on a regular basis and free catalog shopping) You pay your regular monthly bills anyway........Why not pay them with the charge card to earn points? Immediately pay off that same amount. The problem most folks have with charge cards is they carry a balance. USE them wisely and you can make them HELP you. I utilize NO card that doesn't pay me something for using it. The hubby calls me the queen of free. With coupon usage and paying attention to the sales I have not paid for toothpaste in over 5 years. They pay ME to take it out of their store.  You can get a lot of things this way if you pay attention.
> 
> ...


We would hang laundry but it's again the Kommunity ASSociation rules. :/ So we use indoor space as much as possible. Can't wait to graduate and move!


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## Chickensittin (Jul 25, 2012)

Someone on our local Craigslist posted something like "we would love to come pick your extra fruit & vegetables". I bet they get a positive response & what a great way to get free stuff while making possible connections for the future.


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## homeschoolmomma (Jul 12, 2012)

I started about a year ago with couponing and sales...I had $50 per week to feed a family of five and including toiletries and tp....it was hard!! Won't lie. We are a meat loving family but I took us down to 2 nights no meat and 1 night of leftovers so I could save enough of the money to be able to buy the crazy amazing deals when they popped up.

Fast forward to today (with a lot more couponing experience) and I honestly have a hard time spending my $50. I buy $20-$25 in fresh produce and milk and I try to spend the rest on the one or two AMAZING deals for the week - 25 cent boxes of cereal, rice at .35/lb, canned veggies at .25 per can, free cheese

Here's an example: several weeks ago soy sauce was on sale for $1.49 each (small bottle), I had .55 off 1 coupons (that doubled up to a dollar at that store), the store was also running a Catalina offer for $1 back if you buy 3....so here's the breakdown....$1.49 x 3= $4.47 - $3 worth of coupons = $1.47 - $1 Catalina back = .47 out of pocket PLUS here's the kicker I also had another coupon for $2 off any beef product when you buy 3 kikkoman soy sauces so for 47 cents I got 3 soy sauces and $2.00 in hamburger meat...needless to say I did this several times and now have several cases of soy sauce (liquid salt) plus a freezer full of meat.

If you can find just one of these deals per week and can rearrange the money to take advantage of it then you'll be stockpiling food before you know it. As for stocking up on the rest....I'm still trying to figure that one out. 

Wish you the best!


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

I regularly put posts of Facebook asking for Canning Jars!! It has worked wonderfully for me! A distant relative just picked up several dozen jars for me when they were cleaning out her late uncle's house! I saw another relative at an uncle's funeral this last week and he said he had a dozen jars set aside that he has been saving for me and that he would drop them off to my mom's when he goes by there...someday! Putting out a regular post for them really does work to get you free jars! 
I also have a lady at my church that sets up at a local flea market so I have her looking for jars for me too! So far she has gotten me one quart jar for free and two pints for .25 each. I am waiting for her to hit the mother load! But a dozen here and a dozen there sure does add up! 
I also watch the Tattler site on Facebook because they are starting to put out sales or discounts every once in a while. I know have 500 Tattler lids. I got 200 of them for $44 when they had their Markdown deal! (It is not available anymore.  ) 

I am also working on expanding my garden every year. 

You can also get some flannel sheets or baby receiving blankets from Goodwill (or friends or garage sales) and cut them into 6"x6" pieces and use them as a family cloth and cut down on your tp use. 

Look for Free Clothing giveaways at local churches in your area and stock up on clothing for the next season or you can just update your wardrobe that way instead of buying new or sale priced clothing!

I also do Swagbucks (link in my signature) and I have made $400 with it so far this year! I have used the Amazon Gift Cards I earned to buy birthday presents for the boys, an extra pressure canner, a grain mill, and MANY other items to help me become more self sufficient. I made $449 with it last year and I got a cast iron pot, cloth pads, diva cup, hot dog bun baking pan, 22 quart roaster, crock pot, new cordless phone, and MANY other things! The items I have been able to buy using my Swagbucks have saved me from having to use money out of the household budget for those items plus the more self sufficient in some areas saving me even more money every month!


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## homeschoolmomma (Jul 12, 2012)

PamsPride said:


> I regularly put posts of Facebook asking for Canning Jars!! It has worked wonderfully for me! A distant relative just picked up several dozen jars for me when they were cleaning out her late uncle's house! I saw another relative at an uncle's funeral this last week and he said he had a dozen jars set aside that he has been saving for me and that he would drop them off to my mom's when he goes by there...someday! Putting out a regular post for them really does work to get you free jars!
> I also have a lady at my church that sets up at a local flea market so I have her looking for jars for me too! So far she has gotten me one quart jar for free and two pints for .25 each. I am waiting for her to hit the mother load! But a dozen here and a dozen there sure does add up!
> I also watch the Tattler site on Facebook because they are starting to put out sales or discounts every once in a while. I know have 500 Tattler lids. I got 200 of them for $44 when they had their Markdown deal! (It is not available anymore.  )
> 
> ...


Maybe I'm a bit slow... I think I'll go take a look at these 'SwagBucks'...if I click on your link do you get credit for something? I'd love to help you out if it does but I don't see your signature...can you post it here?

Also, the fb idea is a great one too. I'll give that a try right now.

Thanks for the great ideas!


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Local Freecycle e-mail lists have things free for the taking. It's amazing what people will give away sometimes.

I'm with homeschoolmamma, I love couponing. I also do price matching. 

I also have a Sear's mastercard I get points on. We put nearly all our usual expenses on it & pay it off at the end of EVERY month. Last year we got $900 in giftcards to Sears & K-Mart. We combined that with sales & coupons to make it stretch as far as possible.

Something I haven't seen mentioned is the meat & veggie clearances at your local supermarkets where the stuff that's fixin' to expire is marked down. Usually 40-50% off the meat & the fruits & veggies are $1 for a big bag at our stores. Nearly all of the meat we eat comes from there, I buy what we eat then freeze it until we need it. I frequently buy produce there & either put it up or eat it that day. 

Think outside the box. We used to bind custom sized rugs for a local carpet store at night in our home to make extra money. Our girls have gotten free wood scraps from cabinet shops & made boxes & signs with it that they painted cute & sold. They even made a child's clubhouse completely out of scraps one year. 

There's lots of good ideas on this thread, I hope you find some you can put to use. Good luck!


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## mercygirl87 (Feb 21, 2011)

*Dollar Stores*



ckpettit said:


> How can you be prepared when you have no money and you live paycheck to paycheck. I have a family and i want to keep them safe


Do you have a Dollar Store nearby? Thats an excellent start, even if you can spend $20/month. It will add up.
I have given up Starbucks, and coffee at Sheetz too.
I take water with me when I am out shopping so I am not tempted to buy while I am out. 
I also try to do all errands after work, saving on gas, so I dont leave the house once I am home. 
I also do not buy soda. Very rarely, like when company is coming.
Good luck. Be determined. Not trying to be bossy, but quit smoking if you do.


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

homeschoolmomma said:


> Maybe I'm a bit slow... I think I'll go take a look at these 'SwagBucks'...if I click on your link do you get credit for something? I'd love to help you out if it does but I don't see your signature...can you post it here?
> 
> Also, the fb idea is a great one too. I'll give that a try right now.
> 
> Thanks for the great ideas!


Yep! If you sign up under me then I get matching search points, up to 1,000!
Swagbucks! 

I will PM you some info on how I earn my points!


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## cengasser (Mar 12, 2012)

We have stared tracking electrical usage at the meter. Every 24 hours we record it, we pick something to turn off each day and see what savings it generates. It's great for showing the waste going on around the house.


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## siletz (Aug 23, 2011)

Knowledge is power when faced with a new situation. Pick a new skill you'd like to learn about and begin researching it this month. Next month, pick another skill. Knowing how to do things yourself saves a lot of money. Also, depending on where you live, it's a good time to think about getting a fall garden in the ground. A lot can be grown before the first fall freeze. You don't have to get to the finish line tomorrow. But, just decide today to do something each week to better your situation.


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