How To Get Prepared Without Breaking The Bank

The number one excuse that people use for not beginning with their preparing effort is the cost. They watch TV shows and ads or read survival blogs and right away, they mentally calculate the overall costs that they need to spend.  Generally, they talk themselves right out of the game before even getting started.  But things don’t have to be this way.

Take note that prepping doesn't need to be your full time job.  Some people take it much more seriously than others, but just having a basic setup is going to put you in a favorable position in the event of an emergency or disaster.  You may not ever be as prepared as you would like,  but by taking steady and slow steps towards all your goals, you can be more prepared right now than you were last month.   Each month, make a list of items you would like to add to your preparedness kit and purchase what you can afford.  Never break the bank on big ticket items and try to save money at every opportunity possible. When prepping on a budget, you have to put more research and thought to the purchases but this can help you get more value for your dollar.

Identify The Expensive Items On Your Prep List

You're going to find that costs will vary significantly even on similar products.   When you find  a specific item you want to purchase be it a hunting knife, additional food storage or even a diesel generator, start doing your research.  Read reviews, and scour the comments on websites that sell these products. Most of the time, this can lead you to great deals on high quality products. Make sure you're buying items that are practical for the type of prepping you're doing.  It's fun to have the big, shiny toys, but your money will be better spent on food, supplies and emergency gear.  Save the big ticket purchases for when you've saved up some extra funds.

Buy Used Items

A sensible way to save some money when prepping on a tight budget is to look for gently used items that are still in good condition. Not all prepping gear should be brand new, but in good enough shape that it will perform well when needed. You could potentially pay less than half the new cost when buying your fear lightly used.

Purchase in Bulk

Food is among the first items that any prepper should begin stocking. This only makes sense because you will always need food, no matter what the situation. But if you have a tight budget, you might be better off by buying in bulk. There are several good candidates for this particular method but rice, whole wheat and beans are excellent bulk food items that will store for a significant amount of time.  Hit up your local big box wholesale stores such as Costco, BJ's or Sam's Club.  You can get canned goods and other bulk food considerably cheaper than your local grocery store.

Avoid Panic Buying

Do you know the worst time to buy a new generator? Right after a disaster, of course. I'm sure you've heard stores about the price of generators going double after a tornado, flood or other crisis and it is basically due to to supply & demand. Resist the temptation to buy something related to prepping like this following after a disaster unless it's absolutely necessary.

The best strategy is for you to wait until all of those who purchased generators decide to sell them after 6 months, because they no longer believe that they will need the unit ever again. Almost all items such as generators, food supplies, water, batteries etc. tend to be higher during times of disaster. The whole premise behind being prepared is so you don't have to worry about finding food & supplies when things get rough.

By listing all the prepping supplies that you need and prioritizing which one's you should focus on buying first, you can be sure that you will stay on your budget right on point without worries of breaking the bank.

Here's some more great budget prepping tips from ChaosReady.com

(Opening photo by KingWorldNews.com)