6 Tips for Prepping on a Budget

What Is Eating Into Your Budget Every Month

You keep hearing that everyone needs to begin prepping, or that you need to up your prepping for calamities ahead. You already know this though. What some experts fail to tell you however, is how to afford to do all this prepping on a budget.

Prices go up and wages are either stagnate or they have been reduced due to a cut in hours or you had to take a lesser paying job. This all adds up to less money every month and yet you still have the same bills, you still have the same wants and needs and you need to begin prepping or increase your current stockpile. Is there room in your budget? There may be if you take a closer look at it.

Break It All Down

• Do you need cable or satellite at all? If so, do you need all of those channels and sporting events that cost extra. Cable is expensive, and then once you count in pay-per-view charges and special sporting events this can be hundreds of dollars a month in some cases. There is room for savings if you are willing to prioritize.
• “Brownbag it”. Lunches’ out can get expensive, and yet some claim it is cheaper, but how is spending 20 dollars a day on meals cost effective, when you still go home and cook meals. Carry your lunch or at least cut back. Fast food is ok on occasion but as a habit, it leads to obesity and financial ruination.
• Expensive coffees, really do people actually pay four to five dollars for one cup? You can do without, or carry a thermos, and fill from your pot at home.
• Haircuts, you can reduce the bill by using a barber instead of a stylist or simply do it yourself or have your spouse/partner do it.
• Combine your errands into one trip, too many people get home from one errand only to run back out for another. Gasoline is cheaper right now but it is not free and there is the wear and tear on the vehicle. Get organized and save money. Plan your trips so you can get everything done without having to make so many trips a day or week. It takes planning, but everything in life does take planning if you want it to work out.
• Cell phones, yes you probably need one, but do you need to stream music and run up all those data charges, look for pay as you go or a lower monthly plan with your current provider. There are places you can save if you look at your bill. Do some research? Last year’s phone is probably good enough for now, no need to spend 600 dollars on a new one with all the latest bells and whistles.

There is any number of places in your budget that you can save money. Only you know what you spend, and on what. You do not need a financial expert to tell you that you can live without cable, cell phones, tablets, fancy cars and the list goes on. You are the only one that can stand up and say, “You know what; I need to start investing in my future by prepping today”. Money spent today on preparations is money invested in you and your family’s future survival.

Saving money or putting some, back for other things require sacrifice and you must have the ability to prioritize your life. You want everything but in reality, you only need a little, and to be able to afford to prep and do other things in life, you have to be able to separate the two. Only you can however, because the best advice in the world is only that, no one will do it for you.

It is easy for others to say get a second job, cut back on this or that and that you can live without certain things. However, once you find yourself unable to meet your needs or to reach goals you have set then you do have to make changes and evaluate your priorities.

You have to be able to make adjustments before you find yourself mired in debt and simply cannot work your way out of it. There is a point of no return in some cases. You have to make changes before you get to that point.

It is too easy for others to give advice and say what you need to do. The premise of this article is not necessarily telling you what to do but pointing you in the right direction so you can make the choices. They will be hard choices; the hard ones are usually the rights ones however.

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