How do you prep when you are poor?

[Patmark]

Hi everyone, you know I have finally got my wife to start to see the danger that we are facing. I think that she has finally gotten past the anger that we are all feeling from realizing that it's all a big lie and that we have been being lied to all along by our governments, big business, wall street, ect. She's finally gotten past the shock of what's coming and has started very slowly to accept the situation and become a useful ally in preparing to keep ourselves safe. This has only taken me 5 years and like I said I still get the feeling sometimes that she still thinks that the government will step in and fix everything after a crisis but at least she is starting to face it and help.

She does have a really good point however that I just can't seem to answer to her satisfaction so I thought I would ask for a little help here on how to reassure her that we are doing the right thing. Her point is and has always been how the hell do we buy extra supplies, and do all of this stuff that you want to do to keep us safe when we can just barely pay our bills? I mean she's absolutely right about this and I just don't know what I can tell her. It's not that we are in danger of losing our home like most Americans are, or that we aren't paying our bills and feeding everyone. The reality is though that to do that you know we have to really juggle things because we start out with 300.00 less a month than we need to do this. I mean I have tried all of the stuff I've learned others are doing like buying a little at a time, garage saleing, stuff like that but really with not much success. I mean while I might find great stuff real cheap at a garage sale ect. It does me no good if I don't have 5 bucks to give for it ya know what I mean? Hell it's kind of hard to go garage saleing or anywhere really when you are limited to one tank of gas per month to go everywhere you have to go.

I have managed to get some staples of course by scrounging, friends, ect. and I built this 550 sq ft garden with very little money by share tenacity and hard work but while the ability and confidence to grow my own food is a great skill to have I would feel a whole lot better if I could afford to build a safe room in my house and get more water stored. Oh ya and it would be nice if I were able to go fill up my five gallon gas cans so that I could run my generator for at least a few days in the event of a hurricane this year but I just don't have the 70.00 that it would cost me. Maybe you guys wouldn't mind sharing with me what you have done in this regard, or if you are in the same boat what you are doing about it. Thanks

PM :cool:

[TEOTWAWKI13]

When I made good money, $60-90k a year, I wasn't of the prepping mindset. I blew through money stupidly. Now that I am of the mindset, I'm not making that kind of money, but for whatever reason, I am able to put some things away. I'd offer this...

Cut expenses, get a second job, or a better paying job if that's feasible. Sell some of the garden's production to others. Sell anything you don't need anymore. I go to the dollar store a lot, and usually I can get 5 boxes of pasta, 5 jars of spaghetti sauce for $10. Doesn't sound like a lot for $10, but I can eat for a couple of weeks on that if I had to. Little things...

[Katrina]

Don't know if this would help but if you are a fairly handy person maybe a neighbor or two might be willing to put some cash your way for doing minor repair jobs like hanging shelves or something. Pop lost his day job when company went belly up when I was little. He kinda became the neighborhood fix it guy and mom did hair for extra cash, She was hairdresser before they got married. That and his part time job at Sears put food on the table and a roof over our heads until Pop got another job. Not saying you are in same boat, just an idea.

[rentprop1]

skip the safe room ...........you just asked us how to prep if you are poor ???? :rolleyes:

here is my .02.....if you if you have a flat screen TV sell it , if you have cable, drop it and read books, stop going to Starbucks, stop drinking soda, drink water, instead of buying cereal at $ 4 a box buy 2 -18 packs of Eggs for the same amount, learn to cook in the crock pot and stretch meals into leftovers the next day, skip a meal and drink a protein shake and add fruits or vegetables, don't waste money on things like video games and DVD's expensive deodorant and shampoos, use something natural and cheap instead, shop at thrift and second hand stores

rice is $10 for 20 lbs or $20 for 50 lbs, save milk jugs and fill them with tap water, tap is better than no water, locate stores like Save a Lot and Aldis that sell off name brands they are just as good.....my son who just finished school and got cut off his mother and I, was told the same thing last week when he called asking to borrow money to buy some preps.....we have paid his rent and covered some bills for the last 4 years taking money out of out pockets and savings accounts , so I know what that extra $ 300 you gave as an example is like....but its sad when he comes to visit with a new top of the line phone and tablet and card in his phone large enough to store the library of congress, and his stories of hanging out at the hippest places with $ 13 hamburgers and all the cool beers, yet always cries poor ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

I told him its time to make some changes....I know people who are self-reliant and prep on a fixed income of about $ 1200 a month , that includes rent-utilities and food...you just have to make due

[LUNCHBOX]

I'll throw in an idea or two...Just went through this with some friends. Do you smoke? Do you drink pop? Do you eat out alot? I told them to cut out or at least cut down on these pleasures and you could help yourself. (not saying you do any of these things) The idea of cooking a family meal (spaghetti, lasagna, chili or stew) can go along way foe less money. Plan some of those meals and use the extra savings if possible.

Also, think about your priorities or what you might need more. If your holding onto some silver/gold, maybe sell a little to get yourself the added food stores or ammo stock you need. Maybe you have two or three shotguns or rifles and don't need them all. selling one could get you a few months of dry goods (same with a handgun or two) I don't really know where your strong points are so these are just some ideas off the top of my head.

[Sniper-T]

Seems to me, that the best prep you could focus on is the one mentioned in the title. "POOR" Not having $5.00 in your pocket for an incidental purchase is not a good thing. Not only does being poor affect your ability to prep, but it affects your life and your quality of life on a daily basis.

You haven't mentioned what you do for a living, or your wife. But you may want to re-think that, or at the least, add to it. I've illustrated in many threads that the cost of preps is staggeringly more expensive up here than down there, and yes, both my wife and I have decent jobs, but that wouldn't be enough on its own to buy the extras, or to have a comfortable standard of living.

I have a small business on the side, plus I do odd jobs. A buddy is a roofer/builder, when I have some spare time, I work with him. I don't always have a lot of time, because I often work 60-80 hours per week, for the overtime, and to bank overtime, so I can take time off to work for a week with him.

My wife also has a side job, and a small business.

Sure this all cuts into 'our' time; but we made the choice to do what we could to pay off our debts, and to live more than a substinance existance.

And yeah, cutting down on the 'luxury items' like Starbucks, is a good first step. All of the meals I show in the dinner porn thread, are made quite cheaply, and are enough for dinner, and lunches the next day.

I agree on selling off extraneous items (2nds and 3rds), but not necessarily things that are part of your daily life (tv), unless you replace it with a smaller one. If you try to totally re-vamp your whole liife to save money, you may just find that you are not happy. Start by watching less tv per day, and having tv free days. If you can wean yourself off of tv, then sell it. (substitute 'tv' for anything that you might have that is 'unnecessary')

IMO

good luck

[The Stig]

Lots of great ideas above....

When it comes to money to prep there's only two things you can do: increase income or reduce expenses. Without knowing your personal situation I won't belabor the point here. If you'd like us to delve into this more we'd be glad to offer advise.

As far as prepping, it doesn't have to be expensive.

As noted above use your milk/soda containers for water storage. Don't have those? Use a bathtub, sinks, buckets, laundry tubs, etc and fill in the early part of an event.

Food storage? Buy rice, pasta and beans for your regular diet. Use half to cook. But the other portion in a ziploc bag and seal tightly. Put that bag inside another and seal again. Place whatever you can fit into a box, tape it up, and put it in a cool, dry place. "Sauces" can be made from ketchup packets, dipping sauces or even that 1/2 empty salad dressing jar at the back of the fridge. It won't be great food but will keep you going in a pinch.

Bandages? Take an old bedsheet and tear/cut into long strips. Roll them up, put in a ziploc bag and instant bandages and wound packing materials. Not sterile obviously but would work in a pinch. Cut another strip about a foot wide and three feet long. Fold it over width-wise three times and sew down the edge. With that strip and an old screw driver you've got a tourniquet. Cut another sheet into one foot by one foot squares: instant triangle bandages which are useful for a bunch of trauma situations (slings, tourniquets, wound packing, etc).

Need a chest seal for a sucking chest wound? Ziplock bag and ductape works.

Now you've got water, food and medical covered (albeit in rudimentary fashion).

Need to cook? Take tinfoil and a cardboard box to make a solar oven. Yes, you need a sunny day and it ain't gonna be fantastic but you can do something with it. You can at least get the water hot-ish to cook the pasta and beans you've stored away.

Know anybody with kids in scouts? Ask if they have any old flints/fire starters laying around. If so you now have the ability to start a fire. Use some rocks off your land to build a small fire pit. Start storing branches and twigs now, stack near said pit, and let them dry........firewood.

Want a "safe room"? Does your house have an interior room such as a big closet or bathroom? Bathroom would be best since you'll have a tub full of water. Save up your nickels and pennies and buy a lockset to put on the door and lock from the inside. Use trashbags and ductape to seal up the gaps around the door. Use scraps of wood to reinforce the walls or door. Not going to stop bullets but it would be a place to hideout and stay low-profile for a bit.

Want a bug out bag? Take an old bedsheet (seeing a trend here?), place belongings in middle, pull edges of sheet to the top and tie off with string or a belt.

Need gas for your generator? Got a garden hose? In the first few days of a temporary event siphon the gas in your gar into your generator to run it.

I'd suggest looking at items you already have and trying to purpose them as best you can. Look online and see if you can find an old scout handbook or similar survival book. Steal ideas from them and try to use items you already have.

Get creative and think outside the box. It doesn't always take snazzy gear and fun toys to accomplish the goal.

[Taz Baby]

When my three kids were, little we feel on hard times and only had $50 a week to spend on food. Remember that was not for food. It was the paper and cleaning stuff too. That is all we had left after paying our bills. That is not much when you are trying to feed a family of five and three of those are ages under six. But, we did it. Here are some of the things we did. Food was a gallon of whole milk that I diluted with water to make a gallon and a half, 1 bag of mixed beans which I made a soup from. Nothing was added except salt and water. 2 bags of rice, 1 loaf of bread for making sandwiches using one piece of bread instead of two, peanut butter, mayo, bananas which I sliced and made PB and Mayo sandwiches. Each child got a half of banana each. 1 bag of carrots and 1 bag of potatoes. That’s it. We fished for our meat, dug claims, harvest weeds from the yard for salads,(wild onions ,garlic, dandelions, ect), We had 3 chickens for our eggs, picked fruit from the woods, blackberries, blue berries, wild plums, ect. This was on in South Florida so I know you have all this where you are. We watched TV once in the morning and once at night for a 2 hrs each, no cable just antenna, gas for the car we used out of lawn mower, weed whacker and anything else that we had laying round. Lights were not turned on except at night to take a bath. We used the Light from the TV, and candles that I made from yard sale burnt candles, I home schooled my kids so the only time the car was used was to go get food. We were commercial fisherman so we worked from home. (Boat was in the back yard). I did this for 6 months. I ironed neighbor’s clothes and cleaned their houses, mowed grass and did yard work to pay the bills also. When we went to town We stopped at McDonald's to get 1 large fry. We went in and then got ketchup packets, napkins salt, pepper, all the condiments we could get. Us grownups ate supper only, no coffee, tea, just water to drink. See where I am going with this? My favorite saying is: Where there is a WILL there is a WAY. You just have to have the WILL to find the WAY. I know you have a garden, so save the seeds from that for next time planting. Don’t buy seeds. CL where you are has free curb alerts everywhere there. I know because when I am down there I go to them on the weekends. It is all free stuff. , Pick up as much as you can and if you can’t use it, sell it. Make a list of what you need to stay alive Like food and toilet paper ect, what each item costs. Then make a list of your bills, what you have to have, like gas, lights, water, phone. If you have home and cell phone drop one. No need to have both. Cut back on using lights, walk where you can, shop at the Dollar Tree. YOU CAN DO IT. I know you can.:p CL also has free chickens get some. Free is better than Cheap.

[realist]

We were luck to have some ducks and chickens growing up that was our primary food. If you can have a couple of chickens will supplement your diet. They will give you a lot of eggs that will help. Take a close look at your garden and figure out how you can get it to progress better. Contact you local Ag office they should be able to help. When you get an overabundance then you can sell or trade. BTW if you let the chickens have the run of the garden then you will not have bugs.

When I got out of College I didn't have squat. I worked three jobs to get ahead. If it is just you and the wife it is easier then if you have kids. Take care of the basics and then take what is left to deal with your priorities. Did I say make "The List" of your priorities. Unless you don't have food always keep some extra money out for emergencies and under no circumstances spend it. It came down for me that I had a jar of change to start with and that was my emergency cash. It all adds up good luck. It will take a while but you will get through it.

[TEOTWAWKI13]

Keep the change...put it in a jar, or your car's cup holder, or I have a bank account with Bank of America, when I make a purchase, it rounds up to the next dollar and throws it into savings. Usually end up with an extra $50-100 each month. Use that to buy supplies. It sounds silly, but it works.

[Foulball]

A couple of ideas:

When buying groceries, buy generic or store brand if it's cheaper.
If possible, buy two of everything when you shop. Two cans of tomato sauce, two cases of water, two bags of rice, etc. Before you know it, you've got a well stocked pantry of everything you are already eating.
Use coupons for everything you can.
For expensive purchases, plan mid- or long term. Budget in a way that doesn't hurt you today, but allows you to purchase the item in a few months.

Somewhere out there on the interwebs (on a "survival board") is a post from a guy that broke down what $20 a week can get you when prepping. This list was incredibly helpful to myself when I first started out.

my .02c

eta: If you are having trouble purchasing the things you want or need: STOP buying preps for a couple of months. Save your money up so that you don't always feel like you are scraping bottom. Then when you have a bit stashed away, you won't be broke at the garage sales. This may be counter to the prepping culture, but let's face it, being broke sucks and it sucks even more when you're trying to feed a family. Take a deep breath, write your list of priorities, budget the necessary items, see what's left over. Save it for a few months and there ya go.

Good luck!

[The Stig]

A couple of ideas:

When buying groceries, buy generic or store brand if it's cheaper.
If possible, buy two of everything when you shop. Two cans of tomato sauce, two cases of water, two bags of rice, etc. Before you know it, you've got a well stocked pantry of everything you are already eating.
Use coupons for everything you can.
For expensive purchases, plan mid- or long term. Budget in a way that doesn't hurt you today, but allows you to purchase the item in a few months.

Somewhere out there on the interwebs (on a "survival board") is a post from a guy that broke down what $20 a week can get you when prepping. This list was incredibly helpful to myself when I first started out.

my .02c

eta: If you are having trouble purchasing the things you want or need: STOP buying preps for a couple of months. Save your money up so that you don't always feel like you are scraping bottom. Then when you have a bit stashed away, you won't be broke at the garage sales. This may be counter to the prepping culture, but let's face it, being broke sucks and it sucks even more when you're trying to feed a family. Take a deep breath, write your list of priorities, budget the necessary items, see what's left over. Save it for a few months and there ya go.

Good luck!

Fantastic post. Welcome aboard!

[Sniper-T]

a truly epic first post!

welcome aboard FB

[Foulball]

Thank you.

I debated about linking your thread (http://www.shtfready.com/money-matters/money-matters-prepping-229.html) but figured that would be in bad taste for a first post. lol

I love reading this site and decided to get off my butt and join already.

//sorry for the thread jack op.

[helomech]

Fantastic post. Welcome aboard!

My wife handles all our money, I told her that if I ever needed to work overtime or a extra job I would take over the bills. Also told her if I take over the bills we are cutting all luxury items, cell phones, internet, tv, everything that is not necessary. We don't eat out ever, we have never taken a vacation, or even a honeymoon and we have been married 16 years. Our newest car is 7 years old, and our house is only 1k square feet. We do own 64 acres of land, and that is how we entertain ourselves. There are so many ways to cut expenses, just need to look around.

[madpiper]

As far as building up food stores - long grain white rice in empty 2 liter bottles! 50 pounds is around $20.00 at places like Sav-a-lot and GFS. Rice feeds 75% of the worlds population. After you get the rice get a couple canisters on no name salt (usually around 33 cents for the large canister) followed by the jars of soup base. Everything I mentioned will be good for a long, long time. After that I'd start working on dried beans (again, in 2 -liter bottles). A note on the bottles - make sure you rinse them well and dry them well. You and the boss will be able to live a long time on that. Make sure you have someway to cook the rice and beans (cast iron pot with a lid - cheap ones are at garage sales or I bought new at Target for $20.00). It's a mindset you need to get into. My wife and I got ourselves to the point that we prefer eating Ramen (also good for prepping) so we can spend more of our food budget on prepping.

[bacpacker]

Great post FB. Welcome!

[Dropy]

PM you live in florida....i lived in florida for 30 years. I suggest you learn to fish and make it into a family outting. You can get a canepole and the gear you need for like 20ish dollars and catch a lot of good eating that way. Then once ya save op the cash you can start hunting with a single barrel 12 gauge for some more meat. Florida has game, i know.

All the rest of the above posts are excellent, part time jobs are good....unless your in florida where it is ridiculous to find ANY work (too bad for you there). But there is always someone, maybe on craigs list, who needs help and will pay for it. Maybe rent out a room to make extra cash too? I did this.

[ladyhk13]

Pm, we cancelled our house phone and use cell phones only. It saves quite a bit of money each month. Our internet is satellite so a house phone connection was un-needed and we were just paying for double service. I know everyone talks about putting rice into bottles - if you do that you should make sure you use O2 absorbers or over time it will get damp. I use the sucky machine and put about 4-5 cups in each one and it turns into a brick and easy to store taking much less space than bottles and no absorbers needed. If you learn to can your veggies, fruits and meat you will be surprised how fast they build up. We shop for bulk at Costco/Sam's and I always get some extra chicken or pork, stew beef...something and have learned how to can the meat. I put it in pint sized jars which depending on what it is, is one serving size or 2. If you do that one or 2 times a month within 6 months you can have a lot of meat put back. If you have kids and cook for more people then portion it out for the family. I like white meat and dh likes dark so I make single serving sizes so I can just grab one of each or sometimes we want different things to eat so it's really easy to cook. When I cook the chicken I boil all of it together and then I can the broth alone so I have stock for soups later on. Now you have a whole new meal out of the same meats. It only takes for you to do this once a month with a big package of some sort of meat. When the veggies ripen you do the same thing...don't eat them all or sell them. Can them and put them back...this is how you prep when you don't have a lot of money since your main concern wshtf is going to be food. If you die of starvation nothing else you have done up to that point is going to make a difference anyway. You want to be self sufficient as much as possible.
We also throw all change in a jar and don't spend it. It's always been our vacation spending money and believe me, it adds up in a year. Just make sure when you are rolling it you look at your coins for wheat pennies, old coins and such - that's a different post.
Well that's a start. Hope it helps ya.

[Grumpy Old Man]

I've been at this a long time, but I didn't know I was a prepper or survivalist until I read Ragnar Benson and Mel Tappan in the early 80's. I was just being my Boy Scout self. (Clarence M. Kelly Eagle Class 1967, Heart of America Council) What I can say is this, I learned in church to be a good steward over what I have been given and in scouts to be prepared and from my paper route to be thrifty.

Yard sales are your friend and entertaining as well. Take note on Friday on the way to work where the yard sales are and plan to visit in an economical order. And learn to bargain.

Trade whenever possible. Flea markets are also very good sources, but you must learn to recognize quality.

Feed stores carry a lot of stuff that is doubly useful, like for example Povidone. You can get a quart for ~$14 which is a cleaner, an antiseptic and can be used to paint your belly instead of using the pricier Potassium Iodate. Vinegar has so many uses it isn't funny and it is cheap when you buy generic. Save containers to use in lieu of buying them, ie 2 liter bottles for storage vs mylar bags etc.

If you have a CRV tax like we do here in Kommiefornicastan recycle all your empties. If not go collecting cans and bottles to sell for scrap. Check out construction sites and ask the Superintendent if you can clean up after they are done working.

And most definitely save all your change!! I find silver dimes and quarters occasionally. Pay cash; don't use credit cards. Write a budget and stick to it. Save 10% of each paycheck.

Well that's all I can think of off the top of my head. That and forage for wild food.

[The Stig]

Been thinking about this the past day or so.

In some ways it boils down to mindset. You have to choose between, "it's hard but I'm going to do whatever it takes to increase the odds of survival for my family" and "golly gee it's hard, poor me".

It's the difference between collecting cans from the trash and brass from the range for scrap, or watching another TV show.

It's the difference between "I'm gonna figure this out" and "it's just too hard....."

Not saying you are pussing out Patmark, just food for thought.

[Sniper-T]

I picked up some of these handi-rice things at the dollar store the other day, and am quite impressed at how good they are.

President Rice Products Public Company Limited (http://www.mama-ricenoodles.com/en/product7.html)

scroll to the bottom, I got the ones "Thai Red Curry" Just add boiling water, wait 7 minutes and you're good to go.

tasty, filling, a decent supply of shrimp and veggies.

I'll be adding a couple cases of these things to the pantry.

[Optimist]

Folks, I been tutoring young college kids in math the last few months. There's a sea change going on among the young ones, they are not buying into the 'poor me' mentality, at least the ones that are coming to me for tutoring. They are most of 'em eating Ramen and car pooling to classes. I'm going to hand out that rice products site at the next class of 'em and see how many tell me it was good, the next week or so...

[msomnipotent]

Almost all of my preps were paid for with gift cards from credit card points and surveys. It takes a lot of my time, but it pays off in the end. I just did an in-person taste test (can't say the product name) and I was paid $175 for telling people how crappy I thought it was for two hours. My sister and her husband make between $500-$1000 a year just doing taste tests.

I thought long and hard about getting a job, but the child care I would have to pay for in the summers and school holidays would cost more than I would make, so surveys it is!

[Taz Baby]

Almost all of my preps were paid for with gift cards from credit card points and surveys. It takes a lot of my time, but it pays off in the end. I just did an in-person taste test (can't say the product name) and I was paid $175 for telling people how crappy I thought it was for two hours. My sister and her husband make between $500-$1000 a year just doing taste tests.

I thought long and hard about getting a job, but the child care I would have to pay for in the summers and school holidays would cost more than I would make, so surveys it is!
been looking into trying thesurvey one but which ones really do pay? And which ones are BSSince you do this can you help ?

[Patmark]

Man that is alot of really great ideas everyone, thank you so much for taking the time to share them with me. I'm sorry I haven't been on here much lately, growing your own food is a never ending process and plants don't give two shits if you would rather blog. :confused: I have finally got some basic supplies in place this weekend, it's really been worrying me to not have at least hurricane supplies on hand here. Now I have enough fresh water and food in place for 8 of us for at least 15 days, it's a start. My wife and family are the bigger obstacle to my preps than the money is, I mean ya I'm poor all right but I'm a pretty good scrounger. You see guys my family only tolerates my prepping, they don't share in it. They are still under the impression that someone will step in and make everything all better and no matter how patient I have been with them or how much I have brought to their attention what is going on around them in the world, they just refuse to believe that it could be true or that it could really happen. Now I understand this attitude, they are scared and so they deny what they can see with their own eyes but it's really making my job , which is to protect them and keep them safe in spite of themselves, very difficult. It can be very discouraging sometimes, so it's wonderful to have a place like this and people like you guys to help me keep up the good fight, thank you everyone. Well I have to get a move on as I'm an hour behind because of the time change, I don't mind though I love this time of year. Talk to everyone soon.

PM :cool:

[Dropy]

Well it sucks total donkey A$$ when your spouse won't support you when your trying to take care of your families longterm needs. As for her family.....tell em to mind there own business! What goes on in your house should not concern her family AS LONG AS you are not doing anything illegal or immoral (like child porn, beating everyone, drunkeness etc etc).

Simple TOlerance of what you do is not enough in my book. Prepping can take the place of golfing, surfing, watching nascar/sports etc etc. And in prepping the food stuffs can be eatenb daily anyways. So no big deal. I can also understand if your porr and your buying expensive preps like guns, lots of ammo, night vision etc. This could cause issues if preps come before bills, but i doubt that is your case.

I lived in Florida over 30 years and have been thru too many hurricanes to count. In EVERY major hurricane i went thru you were guaranteed most stores were closed several days or more. SO having some stuff on hand is just plain smart! Also get a chainsaw as soon as you can afford it. I have been inside homes that have had MASSIVE oaks fall on it during a hurricane.

Here is how i explain "Prepping" to folks. "You keep a spare tire in your car? Yes? well think of all this as my spare tire. It is here incase i ever need it.". People react differently when they are already saying "Yes" on there own.

I can be somewhat of harda$$ when it comes to the sheeple of this world, especially those who try and tell me there is no need for what i do. These people get ignored. So if what i have said ticks you off then so be it. It's YOUR choice to make. Make the right choice for you and your family, which is sometimes the hardest choice to make.

[The Stig]

Here is how i explain "Prepping" to folks. "You keep a spare tire in your car? Yes? well think of all this as my spare tire. It is here incase i ever need it.". People react differently when they are already saying "Yes" on there own.


Droppy has hit on a key element to explaining prepping to those who don't get it. If you lead off with "ZOMG zombies are coming, black helos are circling for the extract and the Jewish conspiracy to destroy America is underway!!!!!!!111!!!!1!!" you will get nothing but resistance. If the budget is tight trying to convince someone they need body armor and an underground bunker is tough. Lead off with Chemtrails and HAARP (and other assorted sillyness) and you'll build such a wall they'll never buy into prepping (and you'll likely irreparably harm your credibility).

If you start off with common sense, small, easy things the reception is usually good:

"wouldn't it be nice to have a weather radio in case we have bad storms?"

"wouldn't it make it easier if we had some bottled water on hand so we don't have to run to the store before a hurricane?"

"you know, the kids are getting more active....maybe we should have a better first aid kit in case they hurt themselves?"

"Last time we had a hurricane we didn't have power for a week. Maybe we should save up for a generator? At the very least, lets try buying an extra pack of batteries every time we go to the store so we'll have enough for the next one."

"You know, the economy is tough and my job situation isn't strong. Maybe we should spend $5 extra dollars this week on some extra rice and beans to throw on the shelf in case I lose my job."

"Last storm that big picture window cracked. Maybe we ought to buy a tarp now so we can deal with it next time?"

"I'm going to start saving up for a fire extinguisher? Why....well the house might catch on fire."

The trick to any of this is to get people thinking about every day scenarios that befall them and how you are planning ahead. This does several things. First, it shows that you are thinking ahead and practical. Builds trust with people. Second, it presents the idea in terms that people can understand.

Like I said, if you lead off with race wars, EMP, bugging out and UN invasions you can forget convincing anybody of anything.

[Optimist]

How do you prep when you're poor? Frugally, with a great deal of thought to the many possibilities, and thankfully, that you have a surplus to prep with, and a place like this one to guide you....

[msomnipotent]

been looking into trying thesurvey one but which ones really do pay? And which ones are BSSince you do this can you help ?

Sorry I haven't responded sooner, but I was doing taxes. Of course I will help. Send me a pm with your email address and I will send you some names. I don't want to derail the thread by posting them here.

[msomnipotent]

Man that is alot of really great ideas everyone, thank you so much for taking the time to share them with me. I'm sorry I haven't been on here much lately, growing your own food is a never ending process and plants don't give two shits if you would rather blog. :confused: I have finally got some basic supplies in place this weekend, it's really been worrying me to not have at least hurricane supplies on hand here. Now I have enough fresh water and food in place for 8 of us for at least 15 days, it's a start. My wife and family are the bigger obstacle to my preps than the money is, I mean ya I'm poor all right but I'm a pretty good scrounger. You see guys my family only tolerates my prepping, they don't share in it. They are still under the impression that someone will step in and make everything all better and no matter how patient I have been with them or how much I have brought to their attention what is going on around them in the world, they just refuse to believe that it could be true or that it could really happen. Now I understand this attitude, they are scared and so they deny what they can see with their own eyes but it's really making my job , which is to protect them and keep them safe in spite of themselves, very difficult. It can be very discouraging sometimes, so it's wonderful to have a place like this and people like you guys to help me keep up the good fight, thank you everyone. Well I have to get a move on as I'm an hour behind because of the time change, I don't mind though I love this time of year. Talk to everyone soon.

PM :cool:


My extended family thinks I am nuts, and my husband is ever so slowly coming around. I just kept bringing up the news and current events and he started thinking on his own. It takes time.

[Foulball]

My wife and family are the bigger obstacle to my preps than the money is, I mean ya I'm poor all right but I'm a pretty good scrounger. You see guys my family only tolerates my prepping, they don't share in it. They are still under the impression that someone will step in and make everything all better and no matter how patient I have been with them or how much I have brought to their attention what is going on around them in the world, they just refuse to believe that it could be true or that it could really happen. Now I understand this attitude, they are scared and so they deny what they can see with their own eyes but it's really making my job , which is to protect them and keep them safe in spite of themselves, very difficult.

PM :cool:

Pat,

Direct them to the FEMA website. Show them where even FEMA recommends prepping for emergencies: Natural Disasters | Ready.gov (http://www.ready.gov/natural-disasters)
Even the .gov is warning people if you know where & what to look for. After that, double & triple whatever they recommend (because they don't exactly have a great track record for being accurate, lol).

-FB