Prepping on a Budget- Part 3, by The Newbie

This article series is written to help people prep on a budget because an economic collapse is coming. Many people new to prepping struggle with where to begin. This article offer many ideas. We’ve covered a lot already, but there is more in this final part.

Oil and Fats

I haven’t done this yet, but I read you may can shortening. Oil has such a short shelf life before it goes rancid. If things really fall apart and you can’t eat without being totally self sufficient, you will use it all. I might try to use a food saver and canning jars for storing oils. I’d make sure they stay in the dark. Everything I’ve read gives us only a year or two with cooking oils.

Most people don’t know how to render fat. Those people who’ve hunted their whole lives might know, but I’m not sure they would. If you have a lot of meat stored, save the fats for cooking other things. I used to think bacon grease was seriously gross. It disgusted me to even think of saving it, if I even had bacon in the house. Now, the thought of a little bit of it in beans sounds better than plain beans. I found a link on here that sells canned bacon, cheese, and butter. It is now on our list.

Minimum Food Requirements

If you are new to prepping, remember the following is just the barest minimum for each person in your family. I thought I was doing really well until I read this was the bare minimum we’d need for a year.

• 350 pounds of grains (flour, corn, rice cereals, crackers, et cetera)
• 75 pounds of beans and legumes (beans, garbanzos, spit peas, peanuts, et cetera)
• 65 pounds of sweeteners (sugar, honey, molasses, Karo syrup, et cetera)
• 4 pounds of shortening
• 2 gallons of oils (olive can be kept longer than most)
• 2.5 pounds of leavening agents (yeast, baking powder, baking soda)
• 5 pounds of salt
• 75 pounds of powdered milk
• 45 gallons of water *

* That amount of water is barely enough to cook what is listed with a little extra for drinking.

Water

In a survival situation you would want to have a minimum of a gallon of water per person per day. Hopefully, this won’t be an issue. After finding out how much we take for granted and that it was all an illusion, I no longer take water coming out of the tap for granted.

A Bug Out Bag

You should begin building a bug out bag, get home bag, or the beginning of a cache. You can stash until you can afford to do it right.

Mylar Blankets

Every once in awhile, I’ve seen Mylar blankets at the dollar store. If you don’t have a bug out bag, start with these few things, whether you are male or female. (A blanket is one of those items on which you shouldn’t really skimp. However, a plastic drop cloth could protect you from getting wet if it wasn’t cold out. If you have old first aid kits laying around the house, you may already have one. I did.)

Tampons

Apparently, tampons are a survivalist’s/ prepper’s must-have item in a pinch. I’ve seen a lot of articles on the subject of what a “Tactical Adventure Medical Preparedness Outdoor Necessity” can do. It is worth looking up.

At least half of what I list below has several survival uses. If you find yourself in a pickle, these things in the back of your car or in the cab could save your life. And you are only out $20. Some of these things come in packs of three, so it will be a good start for all of your family members. Most dollar stores carry these things, so it is worth the trip. The tools are cheaply made. But if money is hard to come by, then get one until you can afford to upgrade.

Salts

Dollar stores are a great place to get all kinds of salts, too. There is a great article on this website on the subject of salts.

Beginning Bag Contents

The following list is by no means complete. However, you probably already have some of the things in your home that you will need for your bug out bags or get home bags.

1. Three-pack hand sanitizers
2. Jar of petroleum jelly
3. Box of eight tampons with the plastic casing
4. Plastic drop cloth or Mylar blanket, if they have it (Both is preferable.)
5. Ten yards of duct tape
6. Multipurpose tool
7. Two-pack of chap stick
8. Sewing kit
9. 25 sheets of aluminum foil
10. Box of matches
11. Two-pack antibacterial soap/ 3-pack fragrance free soap but not antibacterial
12. Water bottle
13. Water bottle (second one)
14. Three-pack dust masks
15. 25 yards of cord/cheap looking rope
16. Advil
17. Fishing line
18. Tin cup
19. Tea
20. Bag of hard candy or a protein bar

A protein bar is probably a better choice. However, peppermints might be good for the stomach ache you’ll get from not having enough food prepared in your car. At least put a bag of chia seeds in your car along with a couple bottles of water and a blanket, old sheet, and a basic first aid kit!

Husband’s Doubts

I had all of these things in the back of my Jeep, but they were removed by my husband. He still thinks the economic collapse may not happen, even though I’ve shown him 10 instances of my friends telling me something way before it hits the news. Isn’t this usually the other way around, with the husband trying to get the wife to listen?

My Globalist Friends

My next step will be getting comfortable using a 9mm. As I write this, I still can’t believe it is true, but it is. I find this extra ironic because my friends have told me to be prepared for at least 3-4 months with food and medicines. Their family’s publication has taken the time to write an article about Mr. Rawles. It has been confirmed that a major goal of many globalists is depopulation. Some just want it done over time, while others think the planet is theirs, and a “manageable” world can’t come fast enough. I find this so sad, because I can tell it tears my friends apart. Two of them I know weren’t cut out for the life they were born into. They’re wonderful people who have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Mayhem for 3-6 Months Minimum

Please prepare for at least 3-6 months of food and medicine. If you’ve been thinking about getting around to this, you are running out of time. Wish me luck. I will need it with my family. I swear a book Jim Cobb wrote was written after listening to and speaking with my son and his teenaged friends, though he didn’t. He thinks S is going to HTF, but he just thinks he’ll take over a Costco when society completely falls.

Too many episodes of the Walking Dead? My son’s a teenager. He would be home in a heartbeat rather than running to a mobbed Costco! God help me! We do have a chance at order being kept. But at the very least, crime will increase and food and medicine supply chains could break with the dollar being worthless. Two trillion in IMF SDRs have been set aside to keep the government running. So we have a small chance at order. Greece will look like a cake walk compared to the dollar’s death.

Followup Article Coming

I will do a follow up article on how to use the 20 items. You will be surprised at what you can do with just a few things. I long for the days when all I cared about was what new outfit I was going to wear or that my house looked perfect for a dinner party. Mr. Rawles and others like him may have saved my family’s and my life. I live in a bright blazing blue state in the suburbs. My husband is coming around, but “self sufficiency” isn’t his bag.

I’m on the rather small side and typically looked more prepared for a trip to Nordstrom than for an economic collapse or survival situation. That is changing as my hair grows out and the money I used to spend on being pretty goes to new found priorities. I keep telling myself “20 reasons acrylic nails are good tools”, but I have remained disciplined for a few months now. For some reason, I thought it would just “happen”.

The End Is Already Happening

My friend has been explaining all of this economic situation to me for well over a year now. It just didn’t sound so awful when she said the underlying value and structure of the dollar will change. I thought it would be like when Nixon took us from gold standard in 1971 at first. Then I really starting delving into all of the terms she/ they used. We delved further into the subject. She posted our debt clock and said something was going to happen when the debt clock hit 20 trillion, so they had evacuation plans for any family members and employees. I got laughed at when I blurted out, “YOU SAID 2021!” She responded, “A great economy doesn’t die overnight.”

I know you are looking for a singular event. That just isn’t the way it works. There is no central control point or any way anyone can control what happens. It is more like a slow slide to the bottom with a series of shocks to the system. Very few people understand what printing that kind of money with nothing to back it up means. You will see banks adding and removing services (100% true). It will start when the USA is technically bankrupt. At that point, some high end investors have their money set to convert to other currencies when we hit our debt ceiling. I’m guessing this is the stock market correction that you see so many articles about. See www.usdebtclock.org to see when we get closer to hitting the magic number.

One thing I have noticed since Trump has become POTUS is that they’ve been wrong about when certain things would unfold, like us hitting the the debt ceiling at the beginning of this month. Somehow, the debt clock has backed up a couple of times at least. So maybe they are wrong about 2021 being firmly established as the date for our “currency conversion”. They weren’t wrong about anything before he became POTUS, but since he has there have been inconsistencies. I don’t see how we could ever get out of this, short of ending the Fed and paying off 20 Trillion dollars. That is highly unlikely!

Thank You, SurvivalBlog

Thank you, everyone on this site, for all the time and effort you put into helping others. From the bottom of my heart, thank you and God bless you and your families!

Further Reading:

• Prepping on a Budget- Part 1, by The Newbie
• Prepping on a Budget- Part 2, by The Newbie

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been part two of a three part entry for Round 70 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
5. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
7. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
8. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
9. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
2. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value), and

Round 70 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.