Hey guys, hopefully this topic hasn't been discussed too much on here but as the title suggests what are some good ways/cheaper alternatives, or bare essentials you can suggest or recommend to someone who has little income. I know prepping culture can be very expensive but I'm a student with a part time job doing the best I can to just pay my bills. I've actually potentially picked up a second job for the summer specifically for guns, ammo, and most importantly prepping, but until that starts up (if it does) I'm looking to start with what I have.
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How to prepare with little income
- Thread starter Hellbound
- Start date
That's a very broad topic. Why are you prepping? Job loss, hurricane/blizzard, economic collapse, zombies? Will you be bugging out or bugging in? IMO if you are limited on funds and have nothing start by buying a little extra of what you already eat. An extra can of corn or tuna fish, a box of cheerios, what ever you already eat. An extra case of bottled water a week. Get a 30 day stock. Pick up some extra first aid stuff. Bandaids, 2x2's, surgical tape, neosporen etc. Firearms on a limited budget is very tough. You can find a 22 rifle usually cheap. I'm partial to the Marlin 795. It's a great rifle right out of the box. A Ruger 10/22 is another good one, but is more expensive and IMO needs a few upgrades to match the Marlin.
When you get a better flow of funds, start looking into the long term storage stuff. Emergency Essentials and Augason Farms are a couple places I like.
How far are you going with this? Homesteading? Raising rabbits or chickens?
You have to figure out what you want and think you need and just start picking up a little here and there. It builds up quicker than you think.
Organization is key to any plan. Keep things organized.
When you get a better flow of funds, start looking into the long term storage stuff. Emergency Essentials and Augason Farms are a couple places I like.
How far are you going with this? Homesteading? Raising rabbits or chickens?
You have to figure out what you want and think you need and just start picking up a little here and there. It builds up quicker than you think.
Organization is key to any plan. Keep things organized.
Hi,
The first step is waking up and realizing that you need to do this.
I am providing a link to maineprepper on youtube. Watch this video, and subscribe to his channel. His older videos will keep you busy for a while.
Pick up the book How to survive the end of the world as we know it, by James Rawles.
In general, to start out, prepare for a long weekend, then prepare for a week, then a month, then three, then six, then a year. Build it up slowly as you can.
To start off, when you go to the market to buy food. Pick up a couple extra cans of food. Things you will eat.
Make sure you have some water on hand. Save up for a purification system.
Put together a first aid kit. There is a monthly karma on here for one that gunslinger2a has been doing.
Knowledge is free, or cheap. Learn first aid. You are in school take classes that give you real life skills. Learn to garden. Learn how to weld. Learn how to make solar happen. Learn how to be a mechanic.
The biggest thing is, don't get discouraged by the people who have been doing this for a long time who seem to have everything. Everyone has to start small, and grow from there.
Find like minded people and join up with them. Avoid talkers and hang with doers. You have no time for non hackers. However don't go telling everyone what you are doing either. Frenchman is planning on killing you when SHTF.
PM me if you have any questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjYapomhEv0
Precepts of Rawlesian Survivalist Philosophy
The first step is waking up and realizing that you need to do this.
I am providing a link to maineprepper on youtube. Watch this video, and subscribe to his channel. His older videos will keep you busy for a while.
Pick up the book How to survive the end of the world as we know it, by James Rawles.
In general, to start out, prepare for a long weekend, then prepare for a week, then a month, then three, then six, then a year. Build it up slowly as you can.
To start off, when you go to the market to buy food. Pick up a couple extra cans of food. Things you will eat.
Make sure you have some water on hand. Save up for a purification system.
Put together a first aid kit. There is a monthly karma on here for one that gunslinger2a has been doing.
Knowledge is free, or cheap. Learn first aid. You are in school take classes that give you real life skills. Learn to garden. Learn how to weld. Learn how to make solar happen. Learn how to be a mechanic.
The biggest thing is, don't get discouraged by the people who have been doing this for a long time who seem to have everything. Everyone has to start small, and grow from there.
Find like minded people and join up with them. Avoid talkers and hang with doers. You have no time for non hackers. However don't go telling everyone what you are doing either. Frenchman is planning on killing you when SHTF.
PM me if you have any questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjYapomhEv0
Precepts of Rawlesian Survivalist Philosophy
namedpipes
NES Member
My first steps into prepping were aimed at providing food and other supplies for my family on a very limited budget. It turns out buying food in bulk (and canning/storing it) is a lot cheaper than buying it as needed from week to week.
As a bonus, those supplies build up to a point where you can survive longer and longer periods of time where you cannot (lay off / blizzard / meteor!) replenish them. You just need to buy more than you use. (and of course use what you store)
As a bonus, those supplies build up to a point where you can survive longer and longer periods of time where you cannot (lay off / blizzard / meteor!) replenish them. You just need to buy more than you use. (and of course use what you store)
1. Decide what your prepping goals are. Do the research and make lists of the skills and assets you need to meet those goals. Free so far!
2. Look at the list of skills and seeks out low cost or free options for learning anything on the list, even if you don't have the means to practice them on a regular basis right now. People here have routinely offered canning and food preservation meetups to teach others. State Fish & Game departments often teach various outdoor skills at bargain prices.
3. Seek out really good deals for things on your list. Hit yard sales, Building 19, great internet deals. Watch for your food prepping supplies to go on sale at the store. You have time - use it to leverage good deals on things.
Based on your description, it sounds like your most valuable asset right now is time - I know you aren't sitting around on the couch all day, but most students have a kind of flexible spare time in their schedules that decreases as you develop your career/job, own a home, have a marriage, have kids, etc. Use the time while you have it - it may not be there later when you have the funds!
2. Look at the list of skills and seeks out low cost or free options for learning anything on the list, even if you don't have the means to practice them on a regular basis right now. People here have routinely offered canning and food preservation meetups to teach others. State Fish & Game departments often teach various outdoor skills at bargain prices.
3. Seek out really good deals for things on your list. Hit yard sales, Building 19, great internet deals. Watch for your food prepping supplies to go on sale at the store. You have time - use it to leverage good deals on things.
Based on your description, it sounds like your most valuable asset right now is time - I know you aren't sitting around on the couch all day, but most students have a kind of flexible spare time in their schedules that decreases as you develop your career/job, own a home, have a marriage, have kids, etc. Use the time while you have it - it may not be there later when you have the funds!
If your a student take the EMT course. It counts as six college credits and can be used as general electives. If you tell me where abouts your located I can try to recommend a good one for you.
You will learn countless life skills in this class and there is no requirement to work in the field afterword.
You will learn countless life skills in this class and there is no requirement to work in the field afterword.
I'm CPR certified and working on learning more first aid as well. That's not a bad idea, I've been meaning to take the EMT course just never got around to it.
Thanks for everyone else's suggestions, it gives me some idea of where to start from.
rep308
NES Member
Have a skill that helps others and make friends. Medical training, hunter, builder, good shot, something that other may value when it comes down to it. Find friends and identify a group to hang with if it comes to it.
Mosin Nagant 91/30, you should be able to get two rifles and 880 rounds of ammo for under $500.00 Most bang for your buck.
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Rule #1 - Store what you eat and eat what you store. Buy an extra can of what you normally buy for storage. If you do this weekly, your pantry will begin to grow.
I'd also suggest listening to Jack Spirko - he saved me from going completely Alex Jones on my poor family![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
Here are two excellent episodes of his podcast to get you started in what I think is the right direction:
20 Simple Steps to Basic Disaster Preparedness | The Survival Podcast
Episod-1056- Part 1 of Zero to Prepared | The Survival Podcast
Good luck--you're in good company!
I'd also suggest listening to Jack Spirko - he saved me from going completely Alex Jones on my poor family
Here are two excellent episodes of his podcast to get you started in what I think is the right direction:
20 Simple Steps to Basic Disaster Preparedness | The Survival Podcast
Episod-1056- Part 1 of Zero to Prepared | The Survival Podcast
Good luck--you're in good company!
No problem at all. I was in your position a year and a half ago and remember all too well that feeling of "OK--now wtf do I do?" I look at it this way--people can call me crazy or an alarmist or whatever, but not all that long ago people actually kept food at home. I'm in my early 40's and I remember that my grandmother kept a stocked pantry, but my parents didn't. I'm working to correct the 'mis-education' of growing up in the late 70's\early 80's ![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
What are you trying to prep for?
Start with the basics. Get a couple of weeks of food, water, etc stashed away. This is pretty easy. Just store what you eat. When you go grocery shopping throw a couple extra cans in the cart. With that make sure you include a means to prepare it and cook it. A decent first aid kit, blankets etc. THere are a million basic lists on the web. Even the ready.gov list isnt bad if you increase the food to a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks is more than enough for 99.9% of emergencies you will face. Look at what specific hazards are in your area. Things like blizzards, power outages etc. At this point dont worry about surviving TEOTWAWKI. If needed add items to deal with these specific hazards. Once you have all this stuff do a practice run. Kill the power for the weekend and use your supplies. Write down what worked and what didnt. Fix the issues.
Once you get that squared away look into training particularly medical training. My experience has been that decently trained medical folks are one of the more difficult things to find and involve in a group. If I were to pick one type of skill set to learn it would be medical. Shooters are easy to find. A lot of training you cann get cheap or free. Take a hunters safety course. DO you have a buddy that is good with vehicles? Spend a couple of weekends with him going over your car and how to fix things. If you have an area that you can garden, go to the library or talk to someone who does it and give it a go. WOrst thing that happens is that you are out a couple of bucks worth of seeds and some time outside. GO to the library and get a book out on edible plants. Take a hike and find some. DO a real area fam in your area. Walk around and see what is there.
One thing I wouldnt get wrapped around is which wundergun you need. If you already have a firearm, it is in good repair and you know how to use it you are probably OK for a while. Buy some extra ammo for it and focus your attentions on other things like food, water etc.
Start with the basics. Get a couple of weeks of food, water, etc stashed away. This is pretty easy. Just store what you eat. When you go grocery shopping throw a couple extra cans in the cart. With that make sure you include a means to prepare it and cook it. A decent first aid kit, blankets etc. THere are a million basic lists on the web. Even the ready.gov list isnt bad if you increase the food to a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks is more than enough for 99.9% of emergencies you will face. Look at what specific hazards are in your area. Things like blizzards, power outages etc. At this point dont worry about surviving TEOTWAWKI. If needed add items to deal with these specific hazards. Once you have all this stuff do a practice run. Kill the power for the weekend and use your supplies. Write down what worked and what didnt. Fix the issues.
Once you get that squared away look into training particularly medical training. My experience has been that decently trained medical folks are one of the more difficult things to find and involve in a group. If I were to pick one type of skill set to learn it would be medical. Shooters are easy to find. A lot of training you cann get cheap or free. Take a hunters safety course. DO you have a buddy that is good with vehicles? Spend a couple of weekends with him going over your car and how to fix things. If you have an area that you can garden, go to the library or talk to someone who does it and give it a go. WOrst thing that happens is that you are out a couple of bucks worth of seeds and some time outside. GO to the library and get a book out on edible plants. Take a hike and find some. DO a real area fam in your area. Walk around and see what is there.
One thing I wouldnt get wrapped around is which wundergun you need. If you already have a firearm, it is in good repair and you know how to use it you are probably OK for a while. Buy some extra ammo for it and focus your attentions on other things like food, water etc.
TOM1960
Banned
WalMart might be your best bet for firearms. Remington 870 Express 12-gauge pump combo with the extra barrel. Can be had for under $300. Ruger M77/22 .22LR bolt-action rifle. Also can be had for short money. With these two firearms, you have the most gun for your dollars.
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
Ever think of joining the reserves? pays for school, gets you in shape. learn first aid and some nifty killing skills...
You can learn auto repair, welding, small arms repair, combat medic, communications, firefighting, Military Police....Choices are pretty vast.
You can learn auto repair, welding, small arms repair, combat medic, communications, firefighting, Military Police....Choices are pretty vast.
lancecolonel
NES Member
^ the only problem with that is the time commitment to go to boot camp and mos school. also, it used to be a minimum of a 6 year commitment to get gi bill bennies. not sure if that's the case now, though.
as others have said, start small. a few extra cans of food and some bottled water on each shopping trip. maybe a pack of batteries once a month. have a reliable rifle and at least 5 mags and 500 rounds of ammo for it. if you can scrounge an extra 25 bucks every now and then buy a silver eagle or other similar coin for trading if shtf.
take the emt course! you will learn lots of valuable info. and you will have the textbook to refer to should you ever need it. if you're licensed in mass you can pick up per diem shifts as a way to earn money. i think the minimum requirement is 20 hours/mo. you could bang that out in 1 weekend a month.
good luck.
as others have said, start small. a few extra cans of food and some bottled water on each shopping trip. maybe a pack of batteries once a month. have a reliable rifle and at least 5 mags and 500 rounds of ammo for it. if you can scrounge an extra 25 bucks every now and then buy a silver eagle or other similar coin for trading if shtf.
take the emt course! you will learn lots of valuable info. and you will have the textbook to refer to should you ever need it. if you're licensed in mass you can pick up per diem shifts as a way to earn money. i think the minimum requirement is 20 hours/mo. you could bang that out in 1 weekend a month.
good luck.
Here is a book that I recommend to everyone about getting into prepping and have purchased copies as gifts for people. It is good and covers all the basics. It is laid out well and an easy read. If you buy it from his site shipping is free. I wouldnt recommend his Prepper instruction Manual. It is a rehash of a lot of the stuff in the handbook with less detail.
Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family: Handbook
Also here is the Ready.gov manual:
Are You Ready? Guide | Ready.gov
The ready.gov is free and while many will argue that it isnt enough, it provides a foundation on which to build on. My 2 beefs with it are inadequate supplies, they say 3 days, 2 wks is my personal min. They mention nothing about self defense which is no surprise as it comes from the gov.
Get to the 30 day point with your supplies and training and you will be ready for 99.9% of disasters out there. Dont get wrapped around TSHTF and surviving that. I cant think of a disaster that has hit the US that would require longer than that. Around here most I have heard no power has been about 3 weeks and even then that was isolated areas and gas etc was avail in other areas. If the folks that dealt with Sandy had had even a week of supplies most would have been fine. We all plan and look at TEOTWAWKI but in the 20 yrs I have been prepping in one form or another I have had a number of times to use my preps but never for more than a couple of days to a week.
On another note buy quality first. Spend money on your water filter, shelter/ sleeping bag, boots and tools. Dont go cheap on those.
Ask questions here. DOnt sweat if you dont know something. DO a search on what you are looking for first and if you dont see it or arent clear ask. There are a lot of smart people here and I have learned a lot from them. YOu may get some flak if it is a basic question but you will get your answer.
Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family: Handbook
Also here is the Ready.gov manual:
Are You Ready? Guide | Ready.gov
The ready.gov is free and while many will argue that it isnt enough, it provides a foundation on which to build on. My 2 beefs with it are inadequate supplies, they say 3 days, 2 wks is my personal min. They mention nothing about self defense which is no surprise as it comes from the gov.
Get to the 30 day point with your supplies and training and you will be ready for 99.9% of disasters out there. Dont get wrapped around TSHTF and surviving that. I cant think of a disaster that has hit the US that would require longer than that. Around here most I have heard no power has been about 3 weeks and even then that was isolated areas and gas etc was avail in other areas. If the folks that dealt with Sandy had had even a week of supplies most would have been fine. We all plan and look at TEOTWAWKI but in the 20 yrs I have been prepping in one form or another I have had a number of times to use my preps but never for more than a couple of days to a week.
On another note buy quality first. Spend money on your water filter, shelter/ sleeping bag, boots and tools. Dont go cheap on those.
Ask questions here. DOnt sweat if you dont know something. DO a search on what you are looking for first and if you dont see it or arent clear ask. There are a lot of smart people here and I have learned a lot from them. YOu may get some flak if it is a basic question but you will get your answer.
Honestly, as a young person just starting out, the best prep you can have is CASH. I know it's not as sexy as guns and survival gear, but it's the most important.
When you don't have a lot of money or a strong source of income, the WORST thing you can do is go and blow what little extra cash you have on stupid stuff like expensive survival gear. It may be fun to stockpile all the cool stuff the guys on this website brag about, and feel like you're ready for the zombie apocalypse, but not at the expense of an empty bank account (or even worse, maxed out credit cards).
The number 1 prep you can have is CASH, because it's the most versatile and the easiest to store and access. In all but the most extreme circumstances, cash and credit will get you whatever you need. You can stockpile all you want, but if your stores are compromised (fire, flood, hurricane) or you can't get to them (transportation infrastructure failure, chemical/biological/nuclear hazard, you're simply too far away) or their not applicable to your specific situation, they're useless. But in almost all circumstances, cash and an emergency credit card will get you out of the affected area, a hot meal and a warm, safe place to sleep. A good rule of thumb (or a good place to start) is to save up enough cash to get by for 3 months, and to put aside at least 10% of your income on an ongoing basis.
Beyond that, you need to consider SCOPE when prepping, and then formulate a PLAN. Don't just go out and start buying stuff because some guys made a list on the internet. Define the threats that you face, how likely they are to occur, and what YOU personally would need in order to survive them safely and comfortably. A PLAN is the most imporant thing you can have, because you don't want to be figuring things out AFTER shit hits the fan. Then start with the most likely scenario and slowly obtain what you need, then work your way backwards to the less likely scenarios. In other words, be prepared before a power outage before you worry about zombies.
But NOT at the expense of your financial health. Don't forget that the MOST LIKELY scenario is that there is NOTHING HAPPENS, and that there is NO DISASTER. Don't throw proper financial planning to the wind in favor of prepping for unlikely disaster scenarios.
And it's okay to say "I'm not prepared for that extreme scenario yet." You can't prep for everything overnight. You still have a life to live.
When you don't have a lot of money or a strong source of income, the WORST thing you can do is go and blow what little extra cash you have on stupid stuff like expensive survival gear. It may be fun to stockpile all the cool stuff the guys on this website brag about, and feel like you're ready for the zombie apocalypse, but not at the expense of an empty bank account (or even worse, maxed out credit cards).
The number 1 prep you can have is CASH, because it's the most versatile and the easiest to store and access. In all but the most extreme circumstances, cash and credit will get you whatever you need. You can stockpile all you want, but if your stores are compromised (fire, flood, hurricane) or you can't get to them (transportation infrastructure failure, chemical/biological/nuclear hazard, you're simply too far away) or their not applicable to your specific situation, they're useless. But in almost all circumstances, cash and an emergency credit card will get you out of the affected area, a hot meal and a warm, safe place to sleep. A good rule of thumb (or a good place to start) is to save up enough cash to get by for 3 months, and to put aside at least 10% of your income on an ongoing basis.
Beyond that, you need to consider SCOPE when prepping, and then formulate a PLAN. Don't just go out and start buying stuff because some guys made a list on the internet. Define the threats that you face, how likely they are to occur, and what YOU personally would need in order to survive them safely and comfortably. A PLAN is the most imporant thing you can have, because you don't want to be figuring things out AFTER shit hits the fan. Then start with the most likely scenario and slowly obtain what you need, then work your way backwards to the less likely scenarios. In other words, be prepared before a power outage before you worry about zombies.
But NOT at the expense of your financial health. Don't forget that the MOST LIKELY scenario is that there is NOTHING HAPPENS, and that there is NO DISASTER. Don't throw proper financial planning to the wind in favor of prepping for unlikely disaster scenarios.
And it's okay to say "I'm not prepared for that extreme scenario yet." You can't prep for everything overnight. You still have a life to live.
I would suggest finding a few like minded friends. Doing anything alone sucks.
As Brownstone said : knowledge is basically free. Learn , think and do. Perhaps define for yourself what you are prepping for , I think small to apocalypse makes sense.
Have some basic fitness , mandatory meds ( insulin for some , coffee for others ), and enough food candles and water to have a bad weekend blizzard with no power.
Then pack it up in a backpack with enough gear to camp out for a long weekend. Keep it simple so you can actually carry it - probably don't need seeds , bear traps and a chainsaw in this kit...
A place to go , several places to go , in more than one direction is important if you have to go. Be nice to your family , discuss this with a friend who has a camp , know where the Nice People from FEMA will likely be setting up shop ....
I drove home from a job in Vermont this past weekend , a four hour drive. We stopped for gas , in Warner NH, and the power was out. No gas , stranded people waiting around to see what happened next.
The next exit had power and everything was fine. But it sure the hell reminded me how fragile everything is. Being stranded 150 miles from home on the highway with a pack full of grubby work clothes , a few warm Guinness and 20 bucks with a useless credit cars might suck a lot.
So I am figuring out minimum gas needs to get from here to there - my cabin in Maine for example , and having it on hand ahead of time.
As time and finances permit acquire a sidearm, a fighting rifle w/ mags & ammo.
As Brownstone said : knowledge is basically free. Learn , think and do. Perhaps define for yourself what you are prepping for , I think small to apocalypse makes sense.
Have some basic fitness , mandatory meds ( insulin for some , coffee for others ), and enough food candles and water to have a bad weekend blizzard with no power.
Then pack it up in a backpack with enough gear to camp out for a long weekend. Keep it simple so you can actually carry it - probably don't need seeds , bear traps and a chainsaw in this kit...
A place to go , several places to go , in more than one direction is important if you have to go. Be nice to your family , discuss this with a friend who has a camp , know where the Nice People from FEMA will likely be setting up shop ....
I drove home from a job in Vermont this past weekend , a four hour drive. We stopped for gas , in Warner NH, and the power was out. No gas , stranded people waiting around to see what happened next.
The next exit had power and everything was fine. But it sure the hell reminded me how fragile everything is. Being stranded 150 miles from home on the highway with a pack full of grubby work clothes , a few warm Guinness and 20 bucks with a useless credit cars might suck a lot.
So I am figuring out minimum gas needs to get from here to there - my cabin in Maine for example , and having it on hand ahead of time.
As time and finances permit acquire a sidearm, a fighting rifle w/ mags & ammo.
Ok, so you are young, just getting started on your own, and want to prepare for... something.
As others have said, what is it you are preparing for?
Although the Zombie Apocalypse and TEOTWAWKI are at the top of a lot of people's minds, the reality is that the things you really need to be prepared for are going to be much more mundane. Things like job loss, robbery, fire, flood, the weather, and other things you never though of on a random Tuesday afternoon.
The whole thing about being prepared is, well, being prepared. It isn't about the gear (although it has its place) it is about being ready for what life decides to throw at you.
Events are rarely well defined situations that you could have planned for. Since every situation is different and probably changing by the minute your plan will have to change with it.
Keep in mind disasters aren't discrete events. They are a continuum with "Normal" at one end and dead at the other. You start at "Normal" and descend towards dead. Every step of the way it is your job to keep moving away from dead and towards "Normal".
Regardless of the scenario, the first things to go will be high level stuff like modern banking, communications, and electricity. Those will start to take out more important things like perishable food, known clean water, and transportation. That will start to take out even more basic things like access to food, access to medical care, shelter. That starts to take out personal security and finally life.
There is no guarantee that things will flow in such a predictable and linear manner. Any given event might hop around or start in the middle.
How do we plan for this stuff? What do we do when things go bad?
Truthfully, almost all plans I have seen for any event all go the same way... survive long enough for "the system" to come back and support you. There are very few that have planned for 100% self sufficiency... and in my opinion, it is unlikely that we will ever get to that point.
In most cases it is all about having enough resources to ride out the temporary disruption to life as we know it. If you lose a job it is about making it to the next job. If you lose power, it is about making it until the power comes back. If transportation is shut down, it is about waiting until it is working again.
If it looks like the situation will last longer than your ability to ride it out, you have to move to somewhere where resources are available to you.
The number one thing you can prepare is your mind. Bad things will happen and you can't go all to pieces in the middle of it. Simply having a plan (not necessarily the best one either) will go a long way in providing you with a sense of stability and control. It can let you pause, think, and make better decisions than you would make in full-on reaction mode. Learn. Never stop learning. The more you know the better prepared you are.
Figure out who your friends are and who they aren't. As others have said, it is really tough to go it alone. Knowing who you can call at 3:30am when the neighboring tenants just burned down your apartment building is important. This also has to go both ways. You have to be willing to help them out as well.
You say you don't have much money, that is Ok, we all have been there at one time or another. Like any other resource, you have a limited supply and need to use it efficiently. This is going to mean thinking. You should be building a reserve to carry you through a job loss or unexpected large expense. You should be planning how to get out of as much debt as you can. Live below your means at least for a while. You don't have to spend a lot of money on stuff to get yourself ahead of the curve. There are plenty of things you can do until you have the money for the more obvious items.
Gather your important documents together. Make copies. Copy both sides of everything in your wallet. Make sure you know the phone numbers and what you need to do to cancel your credit cards, obtain new IDs, change your address, access your bank accounts, etc. Stash a copy with a friend or some other secure place.
Never let your gas tank go below half full. It doesn't cost you anything more other than a little time at the pump, but you will know that you always have about 150 to 200 miles of range available if you need to get somewhere.
Check the air in your spare tire. Take a weekend afternoon and change one of your tires with what is in the car.
Stash a spare set of clothes and a towel in a bag in the car. Change them as appropriate for the seasons.
Get in shape. If you can't walk 5-10 miles unloaded, what is going to happen when you try to schlep around a 50 pound pack of stuff? You don't have to go to the gym, just start walking. When 5 mile walks are no problem start adding a pack.
Start looking at everything as a potential resource. Wander the aisles in stores. See what else they have. When things go bad and everyone has cleaned out the big stores, you will know that in the back corner of the forgotten mom and pop hardware store there is probably a can of alcohol or small propane cylinder that most have forgotten about.
Keep in mind that even if you don't have the item now, knowing where to find it might be enough.
Learn to look at your environment. Know where the rivers and streams are. Know where the low spots are and the high ground. Know what would make good shelter and learn to look for the choke points in travel. Think about what this all looks like covered in snow, or with the rivers over their banks, or with the roads packed with panicked people.
Starting to get the idea?
When you start to have some money for "stuff" start small.
Water and food: Buy a little extra to keep at least a few days supply around. Grow this slowly over time. You also have to actually use the stuff you are stockpiling so you don't find yourself with decade old soup when you need it. If you buy water in bottles fill empty spaces in the fridge and freezer with them. You can take them out when you need the space and the extra mass will help ride through power outages (so long as you don't open the door).
Pay attention to yard and garage sales for useful items. Camping gear can often be had for almost nothing. I gave $20 total for a pair of Coleman lanterns and a two burner stove. I paid $5 for an older two person tent. Watch for out of season sales at the sporting goods stores. You can sometimes get some deep discounts especially on the less sexy but really useful stuff like mess kits, bags, canteens, etc. After Halloween glow sticks are often in the discount bin for well under a dollar.
Keep in mind that a whole lot of "outdoors" stuff is quite trendy. If you are willing to have out of style slightly heavier equipment, you can cash in on the trailing edge of the trend.
Get a paper atlas of the US. Yes, paper. Learn to use it. When no one has seen a charged battery in days you will have the ability to navigate.
Take a first aid course. The first responder courses are good. Put together a good first aid kit.
Once you have a collection of gear designed around 48 hours of survival, go camping and test it. Start in the back yard if you want, but the goal should be to use only what you have in your kit. You will get to use some expired stuff and see what you didn't think of. Once this works in nice weather, try it again in rainy, windy, or cold weather.
The "Zombie Apocalypse" mentality might have been a good construct to get people to start thinking about the unexpected, but I think it has done a disservice to most people by causing them to either "prepare" for a scenario where the threat is made-up, lurching, infectious, targets for decked out AR-15s or to write the whole thing off as silly. They have no idea that the real threat they need to prepare for is hunger, exposure, and disease that follows a breakdown of the systems we have come to depend upon.
As others have said, what is it you are preparing for?
Although the Zombie Apocalypse and TEOTWAWKI are at the top of a lot of people's minds, the reality is that the things you really need to be prepared for are going to be much more mundane. Things like job loss, robbery, fire, flood, the weather, and other things you never though of on a random Tuesday afternoon.
The whole thing about being prepared is, well, being prepared. It isn't about the gear (although it has its place) it is about being ready for what life decides to throw at you.
Events are rarely well defined situations that you could have planned for. Since every situation is different and probably changing by the minute your plan will have to change with it.
Keep in mind disasters aren't discrete events. They are a continuum with "Normal" at one end and dead at the other. You start at "Normal" and descend towards dead. Every step of the way it is your job to keep moving away from dead and towards "Normal".
Regardless of the scenario, the first things to go will be high level stuff like modern banking, communications, and electricity. Those will start to take out more important things like perishable food, known clean water, and transportation. That will start to take out even more basic things like access to food, access to medical care, shelter. That starts to take out personal security and finally life.
There is no guarantee that things will flow in such a predictable and linear manner. Any given event might hop around or start in the middle.
How do we plan for this stuff? What do we do when things go bad?
Truthfully, almost all plans I have seen for any event all go the same way... survive long enough for "the system" to come back and support you. There are very few that have planned for 100% self sufficiency... and in my opinion, it is unlikely that we will ever get to that point.
In most cases it is all about having enough resources to ride out the temporary disruption to life as we know it. If you lose a job it is about making it to the next job. If you lose power, it is about making it until the power comes back. If transportation is shut down, it is about waiting until it is working again.
If it looks like the situation will last longer than your ability to ride it out, you have to move to somewhere where resources are available to you.
The number one thing you can prepare is your mind. Bad things will happen and you can't go all to pieces in the middle of it. Simply having a plan (not necessarily the best one either) will go a long way in providing you with a sense of stability and control. It can let you pause, think, and make better decisions than you would make in full-on reaction mode. Learn. Never stop learning. The more you know the better prepared you are.
Figure out who your friends are and who they aren't. As others have said, it is really tough to go it alone. Knowing who you can call at 3:30am when the neighboring tenants just burned down your apartment building is important. This also has to go both ways. You have to be willing to help them out as well.
You say you don't have much money, that is Ok, we all have been there at one time or another. Like any other resource, you have a limited supply and need to use it efficiently. This is going to mean thinking. You should be building a reserve to carry you through a job loss or unexpected large expense. You should be planning how to get out of as much debt as you can. Live below your means at least for a while. You don't have to spend a lot of money on stuff to get yourself ahead of the curve. There are plenty of things you can do until you have the money for the more obvious items.
Gather your important documents together. Make copies. Copy both sides of everything in your wallet. Make sure you know the phone numbers and what you need to do to cancel your credit cards, obtain new IDs, change your address, access your bank accounts, etc. Stash a copy with a friend or some other secure place.
Never let your gas tank go below half full. It doesn't cost you anything more other than a little time at the pump, but you will know that you always have about 150 to 200 miles of range available if you need to get somewhere.
Check the air in your spare tire. Take a weekend afternoon and change one of your tires with what is in the car.
Stash a spare set of clothes and a towel in a bag in the car. Change them as appropriate for the seasons.
Get in shape. If you can't walk 5-10 miles unloaded, what is going to happen when you try to schlep around a 50 pound pack of stuff? You don't have to go to the gym, just start walking. When 5 mile walks are no problem start adding a pack.
Start looking at everything as a potential resource. Wander the aisles in stores. See what else they have. When things go bad and everyone has cleaned out the big stores, you will know that in the back corner of the forgotten mom and pop hardware store there is probably a can of alcohol or small propane cylinder that most have forgotten about.
Keep in mind that even if you don't have the item now, knowing where to find it might be enough.
Learn to look at your environment. Know where the rivers and streams are. Know where the low spots are and the high ground. Know what would make good shelter and learn to look for the choke points in travel. Think about what this all looks like covered in snow, or with the rivers over their banks, or with the roads packed with panicked people.
Starting to get the idea?
When you start to have some money for "stuff" start small.
Water and food: Buy a little extra to keep at least a few days supply around. Grow this slowly over time. You also have to actually use the stuff you are stockpiling so you don't find yourself with decade old soup when you need it. If you buy water in bottles fill empty spaces in the fridge and freezer with them. You can take them out when you need the space and the extra mass will help ride through power outages (so long as you don't open the door).
Pay attention to yard and garage sales for useful items. Camping gear can often be had for almost nothing. I gave $20 total for a pair of Coleman lanterns and a two burner stove. I paid $5 for an older two person tent. Watch for out of season sales at the sporting goods stores. You can sometimes get some deep discounts especially on the less sexy but really useful stuff like mess kits, bags, canteens, etc. After Halloween glow sticks are often in the discount bin for well under a dollar.
Keep in mind that a whole lot of "outdoors" stuff is quite trendy. If you are willing to have out of style slightly heavier equipment, you can cash in on the trailing edge of the trend.
Get a paper atlas of the US. Yes, paper. Learn to use it. When no one has seen a charged battery in days you will have the ability to navigate.
Take a first aid course. The first responder courses are good. Put together a good first aid kit.
Once you have a collection of gear designed around 48 hours of survival, go camping and test it. Start in the back yard if you want, but the goal should be to use only what you have in your kit. You will get to use some expired stuff and see what you didn't think of. Once this works in nice weather, try it again in rainy, windy, or cold weather.
The "Zombie Apocalypse" mentality might have been a good construct to get people to start thinking about the unexpected, but I think it has done a disservice to most people by causing them to either "prepare" for a scenario where the threat is made-up, lurching, infectious, targets for decked out AR-15s or to write the whole thing off as silly. They have no idea that the real threat they need to prepare for is hunger, exposure, and disease that follows a breakdown of the systems we have come to depend upon.
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