$20 Prep budget..

[spectre327]

Walmart has an $.88 aisle. Most usually it is small quantities of generic zertec, alleve, benedryl, scar ointment, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, anti diarrhea, etc. The pills round out to ~$.05-$.10 a pill as opposed to their brand named counterparts at $.75+ a pill.

Very good area for stocking medications and first aid

 

[Trigger Time]

When I first started storing things with a real plan i broke them into categories and tackled them first. For me the first aid was the easiest then the water then the toiletries then the food then the caches in my AO then my egress means and method, ect.

so if you wanted you could select one area to dedicate your money to per month. For me it was very rewarding setting a series of smaller goals and then seeing them fulfilled. For the average person your not going to be able to affor a years worth of satisfying food in just a couple months. Set a 72 hour bob goal, a one month goal then 3 and so on. Just a suggestion that I used.

im working on a Mobil prep now and power sources other than just a generator.

 

[littletommy]

You guys should look into couponing! If done right you can stock most this stuff for dollars. It takes a little time and effort but once you get use to it soap, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, toilet paper, paper towels, tooth brushes, floss, trash bags, and food too!

I do most my shopping at cvs because they give you back money on most your purchase along with store coupons you can stack with the manufacture coupons.

^^^^THIS^^^^
I've bought so much stuff, canned goods, dry beans, rice, toiletries, using coupons that I am currently building my third new storage area! Yes, it takes some time to get the most out using coupons, but it is well worth it to see a stack of cased canned food sitting on the shelf that you only spent a few dollars on. In some cases, such as deodorant, tooth paste, and some national brand canned fruits and vegetables, you can get the stuff free after using a coupon. There really is no reason not to use them, I put a lot of time and effort into EARNING my money, so the more of it I can save, the more time I'm happy to invest in researching the best deals.

 

[Trigger Time]

I tried coupon inch some but wit the stores restrictions on doubling coupons and coupon max value i found it impossible to do what you guys are talking about. Maybe there are still some secrets that i didnt know about? I even tried to go online to find out what I was doing wrong but most places that offered any tips cost money or a kidney to join.

 

[churchmouse]

I finally let my son make me some ramen noodles..........you can have-em. Yuck..........

I am sure if it were starvation or the R noodles I would choose life but if any alternative was available you can have my noodle ration.

 

[Justin727]

I was thinking today and thought about this, what if someone had a budget of $20 a week to spend on preps, what would I buy if i were them????


I decided to purchase the following:

1 Gallon of gas ($4)
1 box of 12ga buck shot ($5)
1 case of bottled water ($4)
1 bottle dawn dish soap ($3)
1 case of Ramen noodles ($4)


What would you purchase per week if you had a budget of $20 per week???? Keep in mind, your bills are paid up to date and your car is full of gas, these are just preps for storage purposes..

I am new to prepping so forgive me if this is a "dumb question" but what is the dawn dish soap for?

 

[hrearden]

Just remember that with all those ramen noodles comes a need for lots of energy to prepare them.

No you dont. You can eat Ramen dry unlike other noodles and sprinkle the seasoning on it as you eat it.

 

[hrearden]

I am new to prepping so forgive me if this is a "dumb question" but what is the dawn dish soap for?

Dish soap comes in quantity and can be used for a lot of things.

 

[Dorky_D]

Hey, one thing I got as a prep item was one of those pampered chef soap dispensers. You can basically use it to water down your soap and make it go farther.

 

[FFJakeT]

JC, how long is Ramen shelf life? I dont mind them and the wife likes them too.

I am in this situation. Newly Wed, lost job 3 weeks after honeymoon, and now working for quite a bit less than I was making. Things are tight, but I do not want to just quit preparing. Especially since I am fairly new into this world. For me, I live within walking distance to a CVS, so we are in and out of there quite a bit. The coupons are nice there. Cases of water go on sale? I buy a few.

I have "enough"(if there is such a thing!!) in the lines of guns/ammo, and JUST started reloading with my dad (he is just getting back into it after a few years hiatus.) So I am trying to focus on water, food, toiletries, meds, batteries and energy, then med supplies. I am an EMT, and have some personal supplies in that field. But I also know I am not going to perform brain surgery lol.

 

[BigMatt]

Matches are cheap and very useful. They are also good for barter.

 

[Derp]

2 of these...
http://www.halloweenmart.com/accessories/weapons/hangmans-rope.html

 

[RobbyMaQ]

TP & COFFEE

 

[RipkinC]

good ideas! I too am on a budget, I enjoy canning my own fruits and vegetables and couponing. I have lately been investing in building back up my reloading gear and supplies that I sold etc to help pay for my move and wedding/honeymoon every time at the store I try and add a few extra food preps and shop sales for other niceties, br stuff, first aid etc keep the good ideas coming!

 

[h20addict3231]

LifeStraw® Google it you find them for about $20.00 each great for BOB's

 

[RAMBOCAT]

some thoughts on prepping

1.) milk jugs are one of the worst things you can store water in for very long. they are made in such a way, that they break down pretty quickly (check this out online). 2 liter pop bottles are a much better choice.
2.) add some boxes of 12 ga. slugs to your ammo inventory. through blunt trauma alone they will defeat most vests.
3.)check out Harbor Freight (either online or at one of their retail stores). they have ferro-cerium / magnesium fire starters for $3. much better than matches which start absorbing moisture from day one. also check out the decent machete for $5. don't take your check book with you or you'll be broke by the time you leave the store. the best way to check out the fire starter is with some dryer lint. my wife thinks i'm crazy as we have a small bag of lint in every pack we own.
4.) life-straws are the bomb. I have one in every bag. good luck and keep on prepping.

 

[RAMBOCAT]

some thoughts on prepping

Duplicate. Sorry.

 

[Iroquois]

You can substitute bar soap for Dawn. It's lighter in the BOB and you can use it to clean most everything (your Grandma did). My local dollar store has Saturday specials...if you stop in during the week you get a coupon on you receipt for $5 off on $25 or more...I used mine to stock up on canned goods and ramen.
If I was gonna stock up on regular pasta, it would be spaghetti , it has less air in the box. That's less wasted space, and if it's too long, that's easy to fix. And RAMBOCAT is correct, never store drinking water in used milk jugs, you'll never get them clean enough to be safe. There are plenty of safe, clean containers that are cheap and plentiful

 

[88GT]

Dish soap comes in quantity and can be used for a lot of things.

For starters....
Original Blue Dawn . . . It?s Not Just for Dishes Anymore | One Good Thing by Jillee

ETA: Ramen has fat content and is prone to going rancid. It is not a dry good like rice or beans, and storage--preferably better than the store packaging--is critical. Ramen isn't very nutritious either. On a calorie-for-calorie basis, it's way low on the list of items I would want to use space for.

 

[RAMBOCAT]

You will need the liquid soap for scrubbing everything before minor surgery (hands before rubber gloves and the wound site). It has great anti-bacterial properties. You might think about buying some small celox packs (to stop immediate bleeding), steri-strips (to close with) and sterile surgical drapes (buy sterile veterinary drapes, way cheaper) and some 3/$1 packs of super glue