This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
We had an unexpected car repair and the expense threw off this month’s budget. To find additional funds to add to the prepping budget, we went on a “No spending week.”
Here is what we did:
- Take out enough cash for gas during the week. You know roughly how much gas you use to get to and from work, and possibly an errand or two. That’s it.
- Pay bills that are due normally (I would never recommend getting behind on your bills-that would set you back further.)
- No spending for groceries for the whole week. We used whatever was already in the freezer, refrigerator and pantry but did not break into the emergency food storage.
- No eating out.
- No shopping for any new items
- No spending on movies, or any other entertainment.
- Avoid spending even on small items such as request for birthday lunches for coworkers, cookie sales etc.
How did we do?
We did surprisingly well. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t worried about the no shopping and no entertainment spending but I was dubious about not spending any money on groceries. I always end up running to the store for milk or other ingredients I forgot about but this time I stood firm about not buying anything at the grocery store. I found enough ingredients in the freezer and pantry to create menu items, substituting when necessary. We ran out of chips and other snacks but otherwise did not feel deprived at all. I needed to send a birthday card in the middle of the week, but instead of going to the card shop, I created a handmade card instead.
Cash savings:
No Grocery shopping: $100
Not eating out: $40
Gas savings from limiting errands $20
Total saved: $160
I’ve received emails in the past from readers who feel they are unable to prep due to lack of funds. I hope this idea helps others find other ways to save money for prepping. I honestly thought this would be too difficult for a family to do, but it turned out to be very doable.
Give it a try – you might find you are able to save more money than you thought.
© Apartment Prepper 2016
Same thing happened with us. My wife’s vehicle had an issue with the fuel line. Luckily we budget in car repairs for an entire year and took it out of that. However, that means, we now have to pay that account back, so we cut other items, such as eating out or cutting back at the grocery store for only items that are deemed absolutely necessary. No, that ice cream is not necessary. 🙂
Hi Mike, Whenever that check engine line comes on, I know it results in $ being spent! Just one of those unavoidable expenses I guess. Thanks for the comment.
Funny, seems like we’re all in the same boat. My starter is starting to sound like it’ll need replacing soon so I’m going to give this a shot this week.