Getting Prepped On Low Or Fixed Incomes: Do You Want to Start Prepping In Case The SHTF, But You Can’t Afford It? In This Article Is Some Tips And Suggestions For You!

With the prices of staples like bread, milk, butter and eggs going up and bills constantly going up, it is hard to make ends meet.

If you live on a low or fixed income, it is even worse.

Sometimes, you can barely get by week to week and even though you’d love to prep more for your family, there is not much money to spare.

On the upside though, most people on a low or fixed income know how to budget.

They also know how to spot a deal. You adapt easier things so you can make it month to month because of your circumstances.

You know how to get by and make do with what you have.

Some people who aren’t used to having to scrape will have a hard time ealing with all this once the SHTF. They will not know how to scrape and get by.

So you are ahead of the crowd believe it or not on the mentality of it.

But there are other things that can be done and skills you can learn that will help you prep with little or no money.

So fear not, we have help to get you started!

What You Can Do Now

Start a garden – Plant a garden this spring. It will give you the knowledge you need to grow a garden when the SHTF.

Even if you don’t have a green thumb and don’t think you will get anything out of their garden, each season it gets easier because you will be learning. After all they say practice makes perfect so maybe this will too!

Once your garden starts producing, you will start saving money (that you can put on prepping items!)

Learn to can – As you find different vegetables, fruits and other items on sale or if your garden produces enough for you & your family, you will need to learn how to can and preserve it.

Properly canned foods can last a long while (like a year for some stuff) on a shelf in a cool dark place. This will also save you money.

Learn to barter – If your garden produces very well and you always have more than you need, you can always barter a neighbor who is good at making pemmican and jerky. Trade out your skills and help one another.

Get free 5 gallon buckets and lids – These suckers come in handy in a SHTF situation and at certain grocery stores, bakeries, hotels that serve food, and donut shops. You can get these for free if you ask. They don’t have a use for them and will give them to you if you ask.

Read up on survival, preparedness, and homesteading – Head to your local library and check out books on survival and preparedness. Read up on all the information on what to do in different circumstances.

Learn how to start a fire with a striker and flint, what you need in your bug out bag, and how to make a shelter using a tent.

After you have read up on basic survival skills and preparedness, then check out books on homesteading, gardening, or on any of the many skills you may want to learn that will come in handy when the SHTF.

If you have a Kindle or a tablet or smartphone with the Kindle app on it, you can find some free or cheap ebooks as well to read.

Buy an extra can of food – Each time you head to the grocery store, grab an extra can of food of some sort. If money is super tight, grab a ramen soup for 30 cents. If you go to the store once a week, then that will give you 52 cans a year!

Learn how to make your own household cleaners – Save money by using vinegar, baking soda and different things you may have around your home already.

You can make your own laundry detergent using borax, baking soda and a bar of soap mixed together.

You can get some stains out of carpets using Dawn dish detergent. The list go on. If you go to Pinterest you can easily find these and save even more money.

Learn to hunt – If you learn how to hunt, then when the SHTF you will be able to go out and bring home the….deer? turkey?

Learn to be a DIY-er – Learn to sew to make clothes, basket weave, blacksmithing, beekeeping, even cooking from scratch, etc. These are other valuable skills that will come in handy in a SHTF scenario.

Places To Get Cheap Survival Gear

Dollar Stores – You can get plenty of essential survival prepping gear at Dollar Tree and other stores. Get your flashlights, medicines, duct tapes and more. Visit our article on supplies you can get for a buck here.

Amazon – Amazon sells great stuff for low prices. They have water filters for less than $20 that are great and long lasting. They have cheap emergency blankets, tarps, knives and more.

Plus if you order online, you can use Ebates to get a percentage back on what you buy. Look at Retailmenot.com to see if the store you are buying from have any
promo codes to save even more. (As a person on a budget of my own, I had to tell you bout that in case you didn’t know about those two ways to save.)

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a bunch of money to be ready for when the SHTF. It may not seem like you are ready since you don’t have a boatload of supplies and an expensive
generator.

But I still believe the lower income people will be the ones who adapt better when the SHTF because you do it on a daily basis. So I will bet my money on you.

With just some skills, know how and a little bit of deal hunting, you can prep for very little.