# Poor man prepping



## thepoleys (Apr 23, 2012)

I am sure there is a similar thread out there but since I am sure that I am not the only one with this problem, are there any good resources for prepping on a budget?


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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

Here is an excellent resource by one of our own GypsySue

http://www.amazon.com/Poverty-Prepp...&qid=1341507883&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=preppng


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

Welcome to the forum!

You may want to concentrate on the things that get you the biggest bang for your buck. High protein canned foods, spam and canned meats, peanut butter, and a way to purify water. Beans and rice, as well as canned food can be found for reasonable prices at many stores. You don't need all the latest survival gizmos, but try to get a decent knife and a multi-tool. Find things that have more than one use, like duct tape. A crescent wrench has multiple uses and is easy to keep on hand for turning nuts and bolts, turning off the gas, breaking a window to get out, protecting yourself from maurading mice and rats...the uses go on and on. Thrift stores have winter clothing that is sometimes like new, as well as blankets, shoes, and all sorts of things that might play into your needs.

If you have specific things you are preparing for, like tornados, hurricanes, or earthquakes, you can develop your plan to prepare for those. The important thing is to have a plan. Put it down in writing, and as you list the potential problems and needs, figure out what you need to meet those particular problems. After you pick up those things, cross them off your list. In short order, you should have a pretty good supply of things to help you out should something happen.

Don't get overwhelmed by the things you think you need. Just get a little at a time, and just what you can afford.


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## thepoleys (Apr 23, 2012)

tac803 said:


> Welcome to the forum!
> 
> You may want to concentrate on the things that get you the biggest bang for your buck. High protein canned foods, spam and canned meats, peanut butter, and a way to purify water. Beans and rice, as well as canned food can be found for reasonable prices at many stores. You don't need all the latest survival gizmos, but try to get a decent knife and a multi-tool. Find things that have more than one use, like duct tape. A crescent wrench has multiple uses and is easy to keep on hand for turning nuts and bolts, turning off the gas, breaking a window to get out, protecting yourself from maurading mice and rats...the uses go on and on.
> Don't get overwhelmed by the things you think you need. Just get a little at a time, and just what you can afford.


Thanks for the input right now I have a lot of the tools guns, knives, tools and I have started on the water storage. I live in the country so that provides it's own resources my shortcomings involve food so I like the high protein canned food idea, I am also going to have a look at that book.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

tac is right. The most important prep is what is in your head. It is the prepper who jokes about (but knows) 23 ways to use that pencil sitting on the table. Knowledge does not cost anything but is priceless in the pinch. You live in the country (fortunate) so living off the land is one option. Do you know your edible wild plants, can you find 'wild water' and make it drinkable? Sounds like you can. Water is a primary need. Then for food, the canned protein is best start, very compact and can be mixed so many ways with the beans & grain combos. I started by acquiring a modification of the Mormon Basic Four (grain, fat, sugar, salt - I added dry milk) as they will keep you alive, albeit lean and a little hungry. But they are easily supplemented by foraging from the land and those cans of protein. Then go to the next tier of storage, things to expand on that basic stuff - spices, dry eggs, leavenings, dried or canned vegetables and fruits, etc. For example, raisins keep practically forever in their packages - they just get harder and need soaking. Peanut butter is edible on anything or even off a finger! We have some excellent posts floating around here but you can start without breaking the bank on foods. Hope to see your face around here often! I always learn something new with each visit.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

tac803 said:


> A crescent wrench has multiple uses and is...protecting yourself from marauding mice and rats...


??? That's _quite_ the mental picture.


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

LincTex said:


> ??? That's _quite_ the mental picture.


It's good form to yell "FORE!" just before you whack them.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

tac803 said:


> It's good form to yell "FORE!" just before you whack them.


My aim just isn't that good. 
I have installed a few of these "tools" around the house:


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

LincTex said:


> My aim just isn't that good.
> I have installed a few of these "tools" around the house:


Now that's a multi-tool!


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

I'd go more basic than some people have suggested. 

I would just start a simple assessment. What do you need daily? Meds food, shelter, etc. 

If the grid failed (power, water, natural gas, gasoline) do you have what you need? For how long? 

Then just look around and start assing the threats you think you'll face. Be realistic. I know a lot of people on here are prepping for the apocyolpse but a tornado, flood, blizzard all all more likely. And if that's your fear it does not hurt to be ready for the first couple days.

Also of course there is no rule against doing the easy cheap stuff first. 

You can build a Get Home Bag and a Bug Out Bag for next to nothing out of just spare iteams in your house. Victory one and two. 

For preps mission 1 should be essential meds (what your on) and water. Lack of water can kill you in hours or days. I leave it to you to figure out what lack of your meds could do to you. After that I suggest you target three day intervals and build your preps to bridge that. A couple cans of soup or Veggies a week will build up quickly.

But why doing that you have to ask yourself what else might I need or want? Not exactly the first thing you think of but candles, spare batteries, glow sticks, toliet paper, coffee filters are all useful things you can have cheap. And they can make your day in a bad situation


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## thepoleys (Apr 23, 2012)

bahramthered said:


> I'd go more basic than some people have suggested.
> 
> I would just start a simple assessment. What do you need daily? Meds food, shelter, etc.
> 
> ...


Thanks I have been doing it a couple of weeks now and thanks to the military and some other career choices I have bags and the basic first couple of days type stuff, I think you are right and a couple of can per shopping trip is the next step.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

When ya get groceries, just pick up some extra canned goods. Stock some salt an sugar along with the bakin goods (bakin powder an such), along with some extra rice an beans. Get some drink mixes (powdered kind) they make water a bit nicer ta drink.

Start readin up on good ways ta purify water, even though yall in the country (we got a well to) ya just never know when yall gonna have ta use some from the creek. Ya don't have ta have fancy purifiers, there be a thread on here bout buildin yer own filter system an usin pool shock ta make yer own chlorine.

Think a the necessary things, washin clothes (threads on here how ta do that to), toilet, bathin an such. Stock up on some cheap soap, er even learn ta make yer own, perty simple really.

Start out buildin up a 3 month supply, then expand that ta what yall er plannin fer. Oh yeah, light, candles, oil lamps (get em at yard sales er goodwill) an such.

Ifiin ya ain't got one yet, a vac sealer be a real good investment.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

LicTex, I like that one, I have a few in my house, one catches them and leaves them on the patio, one who does not even consider catching them (she likes watching birds but thats as far as it goes) and then...there is the king, he is our 11 year old cat, catches it all, and makes no waste of anything except the stomach, maybe some other part I can never identify...(YUK!), even field rabbits (small or medium ones).

Handy, and they keep mice out of the house this is a bonus to your grain storage.

So thepoleys...coupons and lots of them. I live in the Pacific Northwest where stores do not do double coupons, so "Extreme Couponing" is not an option for me, I plug away at it and use the coupons that are for the loss leader salers mainly. Then there is a local store that sells bulk foods...We have one here called Winco, out midwest my nephew worked for one called "Rainbow Foods", same setup and styles. They specialize in selling dry goods, including spices, in bulk. The prices on this cannot be beat. 

I kept track of the prices compared to ordering food through places like Honeyville and such, but the grocery store beats them out greatly (plus no shipping). You can even order 10, 15, 20, 25 and 50 pound bags of stuff if wanted, just go to customer service desk, prepay. Otherwise you can do what we have done..plug away at it one pound at a time, seal your dry goods up to prevent ruin from rodents, mites, bugs and moisture, and simply from going stale.

Focus on dry goods that last a long time and have plenty of meal uses. Rice, dried mashe potato, dried potato shreds and slices. Dried veggies (our bulk store has these too), grains....you get the picture, stuff you know you will eat and has the best nutritional value.

I also agree that highest protein canned goods are also very important. If you can, find some local extension service on dehydrating your own foods (can be done in an oven, or build your own). Dehydrate meats after giving them a marinade soak (of course sliced thinly). Locally gleaned wild berries and abandoned fruit trees can be dehydrated (there is no cost to go pick them and no cost to dehydrate). Heck berries can simply be sun dried as well as home grown tomatoes..anything acidic can be sat out covered with netting and sun dried. All other veggies just need be sliced and dehydrated and sealed (one trick is to take big ziplock type bags fill, insert small straw or coffee stirer in, seal up to straw/stirer and suck out air, seal fast at end, and you can even put a damp kitchen towel over and use a hair straightener to seal for airtight seal...you have to find the right amount of time and of course straightener should be either on lowest heat or heated then turned off within a short time of use to manage heat level.

On that mindest, I have seen numerous FoodSaver, older models, in thrift stores dirt cheap. Current bags sold in stores still work for them too. You could get one and try using the larger storage ziplocks in them as long as the ends are trimmed of the ziplock, could work. 

Canning of fruits and berries is simple since they can be boiled and don't need an expensive pressure canner.

My last trick is salvaged goods grocerey stores. We have this one company here that does this and sells to two local stores, one of which I favor because of its missions project the money goes to. I can get stuff dirt cheap, salad dressings/marinades for about .80 cents a bottle. Baking goods about 75% off....if you know of one in your area, make use of it.

Check local orchards and farms for gleaning of there not so best stuff, they just might say yes, or ask if they would trade some gleaned produce for some free time.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

Lots of good advice here. I would add that you SCROUNGE. Get everything you can free. Hook up to Freecycle, Craigslist, and read the classifieds. You'll find buildings wanting to be torn down and salvaged, lots of stuff free for hauling it away, swap deals and much more. 

The prepper saying is, "Two is one and one is none". So, I like to have spares of many things and repair parts for the rest. I found enough old storm windows in the alleys on trash day to have spare glass for the entire house--free. After a big storm, there are free firewood offers everywhere, and a lot of scrapped out fencing in the metal scrapyard. I came home with a couple miles of barbed wire from the junkyard for 15 cents a pound. Got steel Tee posts there for 70 cents each, a truckload of them. Freecycle provided paint for the posts, free. So my cost for fencing is?? Gas money, and not much of that. 

The junkyard has provided me with garden tools, carpenter tools, tow chains, steel cables, light fixtures (to convert to 12 volts with 12v CFL's), and much more at 15 to 20 cents a pound. Most of it needed repairs I could do. Time = money here. 

It does take time. If you have more time than money, check out how you can apply that time to get what you want.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

magus did a thread on this somewhere.. check the dollar stores and thrifts stores and junkyards for bargains, and dont be afraid to be a true scavenger, youd be amazed what you can find in a dumpster... also i like craigslist


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

ComputerGuy said:


> Here is an excellent resource by one of our own GypsySue
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Poverty-Prepp...&qid=1341507883&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=preppng


Great book, follow her advice and you'll not go hungry. Her daughter also has a book on Amazon.....

You Out There Sue, chance to Plug the DD's book!


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

On the matter of picking up Foodsaver vacpackers if you get one second hand and it doesn't seem to pull a good hard suction take a peek at the foam rubber gaskets. My FS is quite old and it was seeming to take a bit longer and longer to pull all the air out and to get to the point of making a seal. The foam rubber was degrading. I called their company in Canada and they are only about $3 each.. some models only need one some need two. I ordered them and due to some credit card snafu they didn't' take the money out of my debit(that is a re loadable card so no one can "steal" from me) so I call them back about a day or two after the order and they said not to worry about it and that the shipment was on it's way and it was their error and they refused to rerun the card or take my money.. I have to say that I found them a great company to deal with.. and only wished I had made a bigger order 
And with the new gaskets it works better than it did when I first got it. I wonder if the older gaskets were a inferior type, and they have better ones now.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

I did a poor man's thread in here somewhere, think its in how-to.

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f39/newbie-kit-10578/

This ain't it but it'll start ya.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Emerald said:


> On the matter of picking up Foodsaver vacpackers if you get one second hand and it doesn't seem to pull a good hard suction take a peek at the foam rubber gaskets. My FS is quite old and it was seeming to take a bit longer and longer to pull all the air out and to get to the point of making a seal. The foam rubber was degrading. I called their company in Canada and they are only about $3 each.. some models only need one some need two. I ordered them and due to some credit card snafu they didn't' take the money out of my debit(that is a re loadable card so no one can "steal" from me) so I call them back about a day or two after the order and they said not to worry about it and that the shipment was on it's way and it was their error and they refused to rerun the card or take my money.. I have to say that I found them a great company to deal with.. and only wished I had made a bigger order
> And with the new gaskets it works better than it did when I first got it. I wonder if the older gaskets were a inferior type, and they have better ones now.


I had the same problem with one of mine, a temp fix until you get the new gasket is to GENTLY press down on the lid after you latchit and keep gentle pressure on it while it "sucks and seals".

Not the ideal solution but it will keep you going until you get replacement gaskets.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Emerald, thats good to remember. I got a new one a little bit ago, and love it, but know after time it will need some work, or replacement parts.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I'm the one that wrote that book, "Poverty Prepping" a couple people mentioned (99-cents on Amazon). 

In a nutshell, it basically says to cut spending where you can, even a dollar or so, and use it to buy something extra, anything, even a $1 bottle of an herb or spice. Or save up a few more dollars and buy a 25-lb. bag of flour and learn how to cook from scratch. 

Eventually it adds up to having more on hand. However, the best advice has already been given on this thread: knowledge. If you have the will and the drive, you'll find a way, broke/poor or not. There are wealthy preppers who might not make it because in the end they just don't have what it'll take. 

Do something... anything... It's when you do nothing that you've lost the battle. Someone told me that once and I like that.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

I'll butt in here with this.
I don't think like others and started with food because I was frightened of droughts and the PTB trying to starve us to get population numbers down; and I didn't have any knowledge of prepper sites to guide me in the right direction.
But, now, I'm glad I did it my way.
What was my way? I thought like this..*would I rather have a bucket of rice, or instant potatoes, or macaroni if I only had money for that when purchasing??
*NOPE--I'd rather have several cans or jars or boxes of XXXXXand XXXXX and XXXXX, etc,--variety.
And WHEN I WAS stocked with a lot of variety, I then researched prepper sites, learned from every one, began stocking in bulk when funds allowed. I also didn't buy ONE thing that I hadn't been eating my whole life.
But, if TSHTF the first month of prepping, I'd say I could have lived a half year on what I had, not getting tired of instant potatoes w. instant milk every day, w. no butter..(I hadn't learned to can butter at that time)
And, like every comment here, this is JMO.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

Try this, If you can afford nothing but rice and Dried Beans and you buy them in bulk, do you think you could trade rice and beans for other things when TSHTF?

The point is , if you can't have everything, have a lot of somthing that is cheap now but will be worth a lot later!


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

I'm gonna be Mr Negative and suggest staying away from trading. Post SH!T having and displaying something to trade could be very dangerous. Not to mention you assume someone has what you need and will accept what you have for it. And of course you can get a good deal for it.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

ComputerGuy said:


> Here is an excellent resource by one of our own GypsySue
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Poverty-Prepp...&qid=1341507883&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=preppng


I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Companion Blog to go along with the book.

http://www.povertyprepping.blogspot.com/


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## tugboats (Feb 15, 2009)

gypsysue said:


> I'm the one that wrote that book, "Poverty Prepping" a couple people mentioned (99-cents on Amazon).
> 
> In a nutshell, it basically says to cut spending where you can, even a dollar or so, and use it to buy something extra, anything, even a $1 bottle of an herb or spice. Or save up a few more dollars and buy a 25-lb. bag of flour and learn how to cook from scratch.
> 
> ...


I second your vote on knowledge.

There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It seems that the preppers that are just getting started are so overwhelmed by all of their needs. I know that I have taken some circuitous pathways to get closer to my destination. The only thing that I "own" that can not be taken away is my knowledge.

Knowing that you can make the best of a bad situation (assuming we keep our wits about us) is probably the most important prep in my inventory.

A positive attitude usually works......A negative attitude never works.

Tugs


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*I wouldn't*



bahramthered said:


> I'm gonna be Mr Negative and suggest staying away from trading. Post SH!T having and displaying something to trade could be very dangerous. Not to mention you assume someone has what you need and will accept what you have for it. And of course you can get a good deal for it.


I wouldn't set up a card table in the front yard and go in business but I would approach a neighbor who was also a prepper and say " I have five pounds of rice and some dried beans and am looking to trade for some fruit or kerosene, ECT.

You work out the deal and meet on mutually agreeable ground to do the trade.

I wouldn't display anything to someone I didn't know.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

I agree with BillM, after any major crisis, I do not plan to deal with anyone I do not already know. If word got around that you have stuff to trade, it could be really bad. If I have stuff to trade off/barter, I am going to do my best to only work with people I already know (trading some needed fabric I saved, and other things for say a service with equipment I do not own, for example).

There are plenty of people out there who already do not play by the same moral codes and rules, nor even obey our laws now, let alone in a post-SHTF scenario, they would be even more criminal and unscrupulous.


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