Top Tips For Prepping On A Budget - Experimental Homesteader

If you’re like most people, prepping on a budget is not only important, but necessary.

Let’s face it, when it comes to preparing your family for a crisis, disaster survival situation or even self reliance, the necessary supplies get costly if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Being informed and having a well thought out plan is half the battle.

Seriously!

A Checklist Is Necessary When Prepping On A Budget

A good way to start prepping on a budget is to create an inventory checklist so you always know what you need to buy and never duplicate anything.

Make a short-term survival checklist.

Think about the bare necessities you and your family need in order to survive for the first 72 hours in the event of a natural disaster or other type of survival situation.

Work on getting those supplies a little at a time and make that your first priority.

Carry a copy of the checklist with you at all times so if you see something on sale, you can buy as much as you can afford to at that time.

It will add up in the end and your supplies will grow faster than you think.

Be sure to grab our 52 week stocking up checklist which is completely free when you sign up for our weekly newsletter.

How To Start Prepping With No Money

Many people want to know how to start prepping with no money.

It is possible to do as long as you are willing to make a few changes in your current lifestyle.

When you set up your budget, be sure to put a portion of your budget aside for prepping inventory.

If you have no money left after your regular bills, then you might need to cut something out of your current budget in order to find the money to buy the bare necessities.

Get rid of a movie channel package or even consider selling something on eBay to free up some funds for some basic emergency supplies.

You don’t want to get into debt or spend money that needs to be allocated to pay bills buying up prepper supplies in a panic.

Believe me, even if you set a mere five dollars a week aside, it is possible to have enough money set aside to start stocking up on emergency supplies within a three to six month time period.

Another option is to join online programs that let you earn gift cards to places such as Amazon.

Some of my favorite apps that let me earn gift cards or cash in exchange for scanning receipts of things I already purchase are:

Other apps I use to make extra money are:

Food Prepping On A Budget

Food is one of the most basic emergency supplies, yet people want to know how to start food prepping on a budget.

People think about using coupons for their everyday needs, but did you know coupons can also help you with foods that you want to store?

There are many guides that teach couponing and with online programs such as Groupon Coupons, it is possible to start prepping on a budget even easier than it was in the past.

Also, be sure to watch for sales on emergency food supplies online.

Some people are able to buy groceries for pennies on the dollar once they understand how to use coupons correctly.

One key tip is to use coupons to buy just the supplies you normally would instead of just clipping coupons and using as many as you can find.

It really makes no sense at all to buy food your family won’t eat or that isn’t healthy just because you have a coupon.

Using coupons and buying food when it is on sale to your supplies little by little, even if it means buying a single canned good along with your regular groceries that week, really does add up.

Another option is to learn how to grow a garden and teach yourself how to properly can the foods or dehydrate them for future use instead of buying store bought food.

Prepping For Pennies On The Dollar

Of course, there are supplies other than food that you might want to add to your prepping supplies such as books, field guides and other survival necessities.

Half Price Books is a good place to shop for informative prepper or survival guides that might come in handy during a time of crisis.

This could include educational books especially if you homeschool, field guides, as well as guides on survival and homesteading.

A great book that will help you is the Prepper’s Financial Guide (affiliate link) by Jim Cobb.

It covers important prepper topics such as debt reduction, bartering, trading and so much more.

Remember however that is it important to buy these items at a pace you can realistically afford.

You don’t have to go online and spend hundreds of dollars today.

Also, don’t fall into the trap of buying the most expensive equipment just because you mistakenly believe it’ll provide the best protection for your family.

Start with the basics and later, you can upgrade your items if necessary and use the cheaper models as back-ups.

Be sure to do your research too.

Sometimes the cheaper items, such as knives or survival tool kits, are not necessary adequate in the event you end up in a real life survival situation.

It is important to be a savvy consumer and learn how to whittle down your costs as well as set some cash aside just in case you need it.

Now You Know How To Start Prepping On A Budget

Preparedness doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, but it will if you wait until the last minute.

This is because people get in a panic when something unexpected happens.

Stores sometimes raise their prices and people simply do not think clearly when they are in a panic so they simply buy whatever they can get their hands on.

The emptier the store shelves the more panicked people become.

The key is to gradually build up your emergency survival supplies while not burdening your budget, but not slacking off on your commitment, either.

If you would like to know even more about prepping on a budget, then be sure to check out my in-depth guide tips for prepping for survival on a budget.

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