Looking for prep ideas that save money over time. I've seen a lot of "prepping on a budget" posts here and elsewhere. How about a "do this first and it will expand your budget" list.
Gardening - easy to get into and challenging to master. This is really a no brainer for me. I'm fairly certain that almost anyone that puts in the effort can recover their costs in just a year or two.
Rain barrels - Helps with the gardening and builds up your emergency water supply. Water isn't too expensive for us city folks, but if you get a decent deal on the barrels you can recover your costs here as well.
Reloading - If you shoot a lot and don't buy high end everything this will repay you and then some.
Water filters - My wife just can't seem to drink water unless it comes in a clear plastic bottle. Now filtered rain barrel water goes into those bottles and she has no complaints (it's a miracle!) DIY active charcoal, gravel and sand costs next to nothing.
Cleaning supplies - Making your own brew of cleaners from the basics such as: bleach, vinegar, or ammonia (don't mix these) can save a bundle.
Power generation - Some situations will save money on this, some will not. It's very site/needs specific.
Solar dehydrator - Why pay for dehydrated food when you can grow and dry it for free. Keeps you fed through the winter and saves you money.
Canning - Not too expensive to get into and tastes better than the store bought cans. After the initial costs this will save you money.
Trash repurposing - Probably a lot of folks on here do this anyway, but reuse what you can. Empty 2 liter bottles washed and filled with water fill the empty space in the deep freeze. Saves a little electricity and builds up the emergency water supply. Clear plastic bottles are pretty decent little mini greenhouses for starting seeds. Turn old building materials into new projects. If you don't have to pay for it, it pays for itself immediately.
Get healthy - For the bigger folks out there. Being unhealthy is expensive and painful. I didn't realize how expensive or painful it was until after I lost the first 100 pounds. It doesn't have to cost any more to change your diet. Exercise is free too. Do it, when the weight comes off it's worth it.
Financial health - If you're trying to prep on $20 a week because you've got $3000 in credit card debt eating you alive, there is a problem. Use the money to pay off the debt and you'll be able to catch back up. I know if the SHTF before then you're boned. Well if your entire prep is 12 boxes of ramen noodles and some bottled water you're boned anyway, so pay it off and keep it off.
Become the handyman(woman) - If you're not paying someone else to do things you can do yourself, you save immediately. Sometimes getting experience is expensive though, so do your research first.
Learn to cook - Make food from scratch. Bulk flour/sugar/etc. It's healthier and cheaper. Also takes a while to master, so if you want to enjoy tasty breads, pastas after SHTF learn now.
What am I missing? A lot of people smarter than me on here, what other preps save you money in the long run?
Gardening - easy to get into and challenging to master. This is really a no brainer for me. I'm fairly certain that almost anyone that puts in the effort can recover their costs in just a year or two.
Rain barrels - Helps with the gardening and builds up your emergency water supply. Water isn't too expensive for us city folks, but if you get a decent deal on the barrels you can recover your costs here as well.
Reloading - If you shoot a lot and don't buy high end everything this will repay you and then some.
Water filters - My wife just can't seem to drink water unless it comes in a clear plastic bottle. Now filtered rain barrel water goes into those bottles and she has no complaints (it's a miracle!) DIY active charcoal, gravel and sand costs next to nothing.
Cleaning supplies - Making your own brew of cleaners from the basics such as: bleach, vinegar, or ammonia (don't mix these) can save a bundle.
Power generation - Some situations will save money on this, some will not. It's very site/needs specific.
Solar dehydrator - Why pay for dehydrated food when you can grow and dry it for free. Keeps you fed through the winter and saves you money.
Canning - Not too expensive to get into and tastes better than the store bought cans. After the initial costs this will save you money.
Trash repurposing - Probably a lot of folks on here do this anyway, but reuse what you can. Empty 2 liter bottles washed and filled with water fill the empty space in the deep freeze. Saves a little electricity and builds up the emergency water supply. Clear plastic bottles are pretty decent little mini greenhouses for starting seeds. Turn old building materials into new projects. If you don't have to pay for it, it pays for itself immediately.
Get healthy - For the bigger folks out there. Being unhealthy is expensive and painful. I didn't realize how expensive or painful it was until after I lost the first 100 pounds. It doesn't have to cost any more to change your diet. Exercise is free too. Do it, when the weight comes off it's worth it.
Financial health - If you're trying to prep on $20 a week because you've got $3000 in credit card debt eating you alive, there is a problem. Use the money to pay off the debt and you'll be able to catch back up. I know if the SHTF before then you're boned. Well if your entire prep is 12 boxes of ramen noodles and some bottled water you're boned anyway, so pay it off and keep it off.
Become the handyman(woman) - If you're not paying someone else to do things you can do yourself, you save immediately. Sometimes getting experience is expensive though, so do your research first.
Learn to cook - Make food from scratch. Bulk flour/sugar/etc. It's healthier and cheaper. Also takes a while to master, so if you want to enjoy tasty breads, pastas after SHTF learn now.
What am I missing? A lot of people smarter than me on here, what other preps save you money in the long run?
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