Prepping on a Budget
From bunkers to bread, guns to go-bags, it’s easy to spend a small fortune on prepping.
In fact, we recently saw an estimate that the average bunker can cost between $19,000 and a whopping $8.3 million. It doesn’t matter which side of that range you’re on, it’s not an exaggeration to say that prepping can eat up your budget like nobody’s business.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the resources of eccentric billionaires like Elon Musk or we’d all be building million-dollar bunkers or planning to relocate to different planets ASAP.
If you’re a prepper at heart more than in your wallet, that’s okay. You’re not alone, nor are you out of options. In fact, there are a ton of different ways that you can get ready for an apocalyptic catastrophe without creating a financial one in the process.
Here are HoD’s official tips and recommendations to help you learn how to start prepping on a budget.
It’s deep breath time
No, we’re not yoga instructors. Yes, we still know when it’s time to slow down and take a deep breath. Listen, we’re not interested in telling you what to do. If you’re a prepper than you already know how to take care of yourself.
However, if the financial pressure is making you feel overwhelmed, if prepping stress is eating away at your mind, heck, if you’re starting to wonder if the whole “breathing into a paper bag” thing really works like it does in the movies, than you need to start the whole prepping on a budget process by slowing down and taking a deep breath.
Remember, prepping isn’t a 100-yard dash. It’s a marathon. To put it another way, prepping is a mindset and a lifestyle, that looks ahead and attempts to be ready for whatever might transpire.
In other words, prepping is an ongoing state of mind, and as such it needs to be in harmony with your finances.
Okay, are you breathing deeply? Are you feeling calmed down? Then let’s proceed.
Take stock of what you’ve already got
Before you run out and start spending money hand over fist for anything and everything you think you might need in an emergency, start by taking stock of what you have.
This includes two critical categories:
Prepping supplies that you already have on hand.
Money that you can genuinely afford to put towards new supplies.
The first part is easy. Look around and consider what you already have. Do you have a go-bag? Is it up to date? Do you have a solid stock of supplies that have a decent shelf life? What have you gathered in the past when you’ve needed to hole up in your house or apartment?
As you go along, create a preppers checklist of your inventory. Having a prepping list is important when it comes to understanding financial prepping for beginners.
Each individual’s scenario is different — in fact, everyone’s prepping definition can often be different — and having a list of your specific needs helps you avoid spending extra money on things you don’t necessarily require.
Shore up your budget
Next, it’s time to play the accountant and comb over your budget. We’re not financial analysts or anything, but we’ve discovered that a few important things are worth addressing if you want to prep responsible. These include:
Cataloging all sources of income.
Identifying all expenses.
Separating wants from needs.
Deciding how much money you can save each month.
That last item is what really matters as far as purchasing doomsday preppers supplies goes. How much money can you squeeze out of your finances in order to put some cash towards your prepping endeavors? Do you need to pick up a side hustle in the gig economy to bring in a little extra moolah?
Jumping through all of these financial hoops may be aggravating, but it’s worth it. It should give you a solid idea of how much money you can afford to save towards prepping on a regular basis. This can provide a helpful blueprint as you figure out how to start prepping on a budget.
Use the PUBS purchasing method
Alright, at this point you’ve got a budget to work with and you know what you already have in your inventory. From there you can begin to track down the items that you’re still missing from your prepping list and generally get ready to start shopping.
As you do this, it’s advisable that you adopt a four-part purchasing method that we like to lovingly call “PUBS” because who doesn’t love a nice cold beer on tap? Real pubs aside, this officially sanctioned Homestead or Dead model can be broken down as follows:
Prioritization: Always consider each item you’re purchasing. If it’s something like hand soap, prioritize price and quantity. If it’s something like a hunting knife or handgun, you’re going to want to invest a little more into the quality.
Used items: Used doesn’t necessarily mean inferior. In fact, you can often get gently used items, like a nice backpack or pair of hiking boots, for a fraction of the sticker price.
Bulk purchases: From victuals like rice and flour to toilet paper and even bullets, if you can save up enough cash to purchase in bulk, you can often end up saving money in the long run.
Sales: Finally, remember that you don’t have to buy everything right now. Pace your purchases, sign up for sales notifications, and see what you can get at a discount.
If you can adopt the PUBS filter whenever you’re shopping, you can end up saving yourself a chunk of change without stifling the quality of your prepping in the process.
Do it yourself
You saw this one coming, right? DIY projects are the best friend of anyone looking to prep on a budget. After all, if you’re hellbent on surviving the end of the world, there’s no reason you can’t apply that ferocity and passion towards your survival prepping, too.
While you can’t necessarily forge your own steel canteen, whittle a quality hunting knife, or pop together a nifty homemade rifle, there are plenty of areas where you can definitely embrace the DIY gospel.
For instance, if you’re worried about stocking up on food without breaking the bank, you can start investing in a garden or raising chickens and worry about stocking up on MREs when the funds free up.
In fact, there are a ton of frugal homestead-friendly options that can help to bolster your disaster preparedness without costing you much. If you’re low on funds and have time on your hands, it’s always a good idea to see what you can assemble or even build from scratch with minimal money spent.
Free doomsday prepping
Finally, it’s worth pointing out that there are quite a few ways to prep without ever spending a dime.
For example, while you may be worried about pulling together a go-bag before the next hurricane hits, have you ever stopped to consider where you’ll go once you nab your bag and head out the door? Figuring out where to go in an emergency is a key part of a good prepper’s survival plan — and it happens to be completely free.
Another great example is survival food prep. While you may want to pick up a portable stove for your survival kit, that could easily set you back $50 or even $100. It’s not a bad item to have, but you may need to save for a while before you can get one.
In the meantime, spend some time learning how to start a fire from scratch without matches in order to sharpen your survival skillset at literally no cost to yourself.
Prepping on a budget
Could the world go to hell in a handbasket tomorrow? You bet your bottom dollar it could. Will it, though?
Not likely.
While prepping certainly can feel like a sprint at times, the good news is that it doesn’t have to consist of racing around, dropping loads of money on anything and everything as if doomsday is kicking off next Friday.
Instead, if you slow down, take stock of your situation, do what you can on your own, and pace your necessary purchases (using the PUBS model, of course), you can prepare for any situation in an affordable yet responsible manner.
So what are you waiting for? Start adding up your inventory, tracking your expenses, and budgeting what you can afford — after you take that deep breath, of course.