A lot of readers are concerned about preparing on a tight budget.  Here is some budget prepping advice from a fellow blogger.

Advice on How To Prep On A Limited Budget

Written by Tony

Out of all the challenges preppers face, one of the most difficult and most common is the challenge of getting yourself ready for disaster on a limited budget.  The problem certainly doesn’t become any easier when we watch shows like Doomsday Prepper. I remember one night, early in my prepping years, that I was watching the show and I got to thinking “Holy cow, that guy has an armored personnel carrier. How in the world am I going to compete with that?”  And therein lies one of the greatest challenges of prepping:  We must remember that it isn’t a competition.

Don’t compare yourself to others

The first step of prepping on a limited budget is this: don’t compare your results with other people.  As is true with the rest of life, it is so easy to look at what other people have and compare our measly one month’s worth of food storage to their fully stacked armories, armored vehicles, and a bunker in their backyard.

But prepping is not a comparison game. It is a preparation game. And even if you only have a month of food, that is a month more than most people have. Your one month will provide comfort and security to yourself and whoever you wish to share it with.

Preparation is not a comparison.

Now let’s get into the nitty-gritty of prepping on a budget.

So you have a limited amount of money you can spend every week or month on prepping. That is not a problem. That is normal. That is something that a lot of people have to deal with on a regular basis.  The question we need to be asking is how to best use those resources.

Start small

I’ve found a particular tactic that works pretty well for myself and many of my friends: buy supplies in small doses.  Here’s an example. I was at the grocery store buying food last week. I have been meaning to restock on some of my food storage supplies since my disabled father is now living in our basement apartment. I like to have about six months worth of food stored up per person that I will be providing for.  Obviously, the grocery bill for six months worth of food is massive, so I didn’t buy six months worth.  I bought one day worth.

And next time I or someone in the family goes to the store, we will buy one more.   And in a few weeks, we will have one month’s worth. Soon, we’ll have six months worth.  All while barely adding to our normal grocery bills.  This is my favorite tactic when it comes to preparing on a budget but it does require some persistence.

If you need to build up other reserves, do the same thing.  Whether you are trying to build up a supply cache or get all the ammunition you’ll need, just buy one tool or buy one box of ammo.

When you come across some spare cash and want to speed up your prepping, that’s great!  Spend it how you like. But if you’re like most people and don’t have a lot of money left after paying bills, then preparing for disaster does not have to be placed on hold.

 

Just get started

Finally, prepping on a budget requires one last ingredient: starting.

You can have a great plan, a big desire, and a will to succeed, but if you never start, then you’ll never get anywhere.  And it doesn’t matter how small you start, so long as you do actually start.  In fact, I found that it is easiest to start in the smallest way possible. Start with one trip to the grocery store, hardware store, or your local gun shop.

Also, it is worth mentioning that you should never access your SHFT supplies unless you absolutely have to. The more you dip into your reserves and caches, the more it will cost you financially to replenish them again.  The stores and stockpiles you are building should only be used when it is truly a necessity.

To recap:

• Don’t compare yourself to other preppers. You are prepping for you, your family, and your friends, not someone else you’re being compared to.
• Prep in small doses. Buy just one thing each time you go to the store.
• Get started and don’t dig into your supplies.

Preparing on a budget requires grit and staying power. You have to be able to look at your meager stockpile and commit to continue feeding it until you, your family, and your friends are ready to survive when times get tough.

Have a great day!

 

About the Author:

Tony is the founder and editor of prepsurvivalguide.com. His journey to prepping began in the aftermath of 2008 and hasn’t slowed down since. He is a proud husband, father of two boys, and loves to help others by sharing life-saving information.

For more tips on prepping on small budget, read my latest book: