I know quite a few people, whether they're new to prepping, younger and can't afford much yet, or just going through some hard times, that want to prep, but have this notion that you have to be an eclectic millionaire, or have your own farm to prep. It's not all about 5.11 packs, plate carriers, aquaponics, and decommissioned cylo's. I know I'm mostly preaching to the choir here, and this can go against the "buy once, cry once" mindset that most of us have, but here are a few things I picked up when I was new to prepping.

 

LA Police Gear have a good "bang for the buck" house brand. I have 3 of their bags, and 3 pairs of their pants. The bags now serve camping, range, and GHB(get home bag) duty, and 2 of the 3 pairs of pants have kept up with a pair of 5.11 pants I got around the same time. 1 pair arrived "off", and I should have returned them, but I didn't. My fault.

 

Harbor Freight have cheap tools, including tarps, knives, rope, etc...

 

Of course deals can be found at Target, Costco, Walmart, and any number of stores that one may not associate with prepping.

 

Most importantly, practice with your new toys. Scoring a $250 tent from REI for $150 is only great if you know how to set it up.

 

Again, 99% of you will know this, this is for the other guys. Please add any tips, tricks, or even cheap alternative items (ie-home made MRE's instead of store bought).

I haven't done any home prepping (very difficult in a 1 bedroom apartment) but I do have a good "get home bag" set up in my car, a holdover from living in upstate NY for 6 years. I keep a full change of clothes with layering options for warm to very cold (lightweight pants, t-shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, gloves, hat, and fleece coat) in travel space bags in my trunk. The bags are great to keep things compressed and clean and they can be secured with some bungy cords. I also have a basic tool kit including a "pocket chainsaw" and winter emergency supplies (space blanket, collapsible shovel, flashlight) all packed tight in bags and held in place with bungy cords. Also, most important: a bic lighter! That is by far the most useful tool to have.

Dollar stores have been very usefull

If you like the MRE side of things:

 

http://theepicenter.com

 

They're decently priced, but shipping is kinda high. But they're shipping from Oregon so it kinda evens out. I just placed an order through them for a bunch of entree's and a couple sides and they got everything together quickly. 

 

Dollar Stores, and goodwill are also great spots to buy preps from. Cheap, easily replaced if they break, get lost, or stolen. You just need to be creative enough to see the potential uses for every day items. Like cotton balls and vaseline making a good fire starter.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is flammable. I have one small (purse size) container in each kit (vehicle, BOB and field pouch). I also have 3 different ways to light it in each kit (lighter, matches and flint).

Do you have one for your purse?

 

Jest kidding-one other way to be a prepper-lite is to have a wife that insists on never running out of anything

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is flammable. I have one small (purse size) container in each kit (vehicle, BOB and field pouch). I also have 3 different ways to light it in each kit (lighter, matches and flint).

:-p. I actually thought twice about phrasing it like that, but went forward anyway. Guess you won't mind me carrying tampons in my first aid kits then. Ha, ha, ha!

:-p. I actually thought twice about phrasing it like that, but went forward anyway. Guess you won't mind me carrying tampons in my first aid kits then. Ha, ha, ha!

Tampons are good for cleaning shotguns, plugging large hole wounds, etc...  Not the worst thing to carry.

Tampons are good for cleaning shotguns, plugging large hole wounds, etc...  Not the worst thing to carry.

 

Good for nose bleeds to....

 

 

A cheap way to food prep is to buy some canned food every time it goes on sale, just 2-3 cans, over time you while have a nice stock of relatively shelf stable food.

but make sure you rotate them before they go bad...  they do only last so long..  the wife has started to do that (buying a few cans of stuff when we go grocery shopping)

but make sure you rotate them before they go bad...  they do only last so long.. 

The tampons or the food? Ha, ha, ha!

Dollar stores have been very usefull

Gotta love the Dollar stores...Lots of nice items for the budget prepper.

Can foods last really long time, past the expiration date. The only time you know the food is getting bad, is when you start seeing the can to swell.

 

but make sure you rotate them before they go bad...  they do only last so long..  the wife has started to do that (buying a few cans of stuff when we go grocery shopping)

Can foods last really long time, past the expiration date. The only time you know the food is getting bad, is when you start seeing the can to swell.

 

^ This.  The expiration dates are definitely a ploy to get you to throw out good food and buy more.

^ This. The expiration dates are definitely a ploy to get you to throw out good food and buy more.

^not this.

 

Life and death, yes, mostly. They are there to preserve brand identity first and foremost. The flavor of many items changes significantly as the can ages, and it's not for the better. For anything with a lined can, treat them as absolute. The lining is there because some ingredient is aggressively corrosive, and the linings don't last forever. Then there is the issue of nutritional content. It is not guaranteed to remain as claimed past that date.

 

 

Actually the answer is, it depends. 

 

Acidic things you should probably really look carefully at the label (ie tomato), for other things it is more nebulous. A lot of manufacturers have switched to "Best by" to indicate a rough idea of when the flavor changes but a flavor change doesn't necessarily indicate a safety issue, as much as a nutritional issue.  For example the folks at Hormel put this actually in their FAQ, basically saying as long as the can is not damaged our food should be good but it is best by the date on the can.

 

Of course Raz-0 makes a very valid point in that if you or the manufacturer are wrong then you can be in a world of poop. The correct solutions is to only store what you eat and cook. If you cook with stewed tomatoes then feel free to stock a case or two, you'll use them before they go bad. Store what you eat, eat what you store, and rotate through it.

Last but not least... it has to pass the "smell" test. It's a good idea to get into the habit of inspecting an item before opening it. Once opened give it smell... if it smells bad or peculiar toss it.

 

Another advantage of buying quantities of food stuffs is that food recalls are not always immediate. By the time a recall has been initiated, weeks or months may have already passed. This gives you more time to hear about a recall before you use an item.