The Collegiate Cheap-Skate -- $5-$15 monthly budget
I like the idea of preparedness being a part of your daily life. Incorporating small things into my daily routine seems much more manageable than trying and doing it all at once. I particularly like investing in things that I can actually use, rather than just set them on the shelves and forget about them.
As an avid camper and hiker, I am always looking for gear and equipment that I can take out on the trail, but also have around in case of an emergency. And since I am in college and trying to make it on my own, doing so on a shoestring budget is even better.
This month I've got my eye on two very useful, very affordable items:
Katadyn Micropur Tablets
These things are pretty amazing: 1 tablet will kill all protozoa, bacteria and viruses in a liter of water. Each tablet is only slightly larger than an Aspirin, so weight and size are not even an issue. Time is a bit of an issue: if the water is clear, contact time is 30 minutes, but if it has a lot of dirt and sediment in it, you need to let it set for up to 4 hours. To help me overcome the time problem, I plan on getting...
EEI Water Bottle
I love these water bottles. They are BPA-free, have an extra-wide mouth, and fit in my backpack water bottle holder perfectly. And they have graduated measurements on the side so I know how much water I've got in there when I go to use my Micropur Tablets. By getting two of them, I can have water purifying in one while I drink out of the other, and then alternate between them, making the 4 hour contact time irrelevant. At $3.95 each, two of these will put me about a dollar or so over budget, but I will totally play by the rules next month, I almost promise.
--Chase
The Urban Girl Who Knows Nothing – $30-$45 monthly budget
Since this is my first month prepping, I have been thinking about what I would need most in a crisis situation, and also what would give me the biggest bang for my buck. The two things that came to mind were water and an emergency kit. So this month I’m doing both… on a budget.
Water and Sanitation
Water is one of the most crucial needs in an emergency situation. This month I want to get an easy, basic supply of water put together to get me through a few days. In the next few months I’ll be upgrading to a more substantial supply in a more permanent storage container, but for now I’m buying a Deluxe Sanitation & Water Kit. I was originally just going to buy the bag and box, but for less than a dollar more, I get the extra sanitation items included by buying a full kit.
This kit includes a metalized bag I can fill with water myself and store in a box to protect the bag from punctures, as well as the necessary items to take care of sanitation needs if sewage service is interrupted in my area in a disaster. This kit is less than $8 dollars—well within my budget—and won’t take up a lot of space in my house.
Emergency Kit
Now that I’ve got my water storage situation under some semblance of control, I want to be sure I’ve got a basic emergency kit that I can grab and take with me if I have to leave home—or that I can use at home in an emergency. There are a lot of options available, but to stick with my budget I’ve decided to buy the 3-Day Lite Emergency Kit. It’s got the basic items I’ll need in a crisis, and because it has extra room in the pack, I can easily add items to it in the future to meet more specific needs. This kit costs just under $33 dollars, so with the two kits, I’ve spent about $41 dollars.
--Sarah
The Family Prepper -- $100-$150 monthly budget
This month my wife and I decided to add some extra water storage to our emergency supplies. We have just enough water now to meet the minimum requirement of a gallon per person per day for two weeks. But we have quite a few dehydrated ingredients and freeze-dried meals in our food storage, so we decided to store extra water for cooking.
Another reason to store extra water is for sanitation needs and bathing. A gallon a day is enough for each person to drink, eat, and lightly bathe (think something along the lines of a sponge bath).
We also have an elderly neighbor we like to check in on every couple of days, and we thought it might be beneficial to store some extra water for her, in case she needs some help from us in an emergency.
With these two factors in mind, I’ve decided to purchase two 55-gallon barrels with my monthly prepping budget. At $75.95 each, that puts me just barely over my $150 budget at about $152. Getting those filled and stored away for future use will give me more peace of mind, knowing that my family’s water, food, and sanitation needs are taken care of—and that I can offer some help to a family friend in a time of need.
--Grant
That’s what we’re spending our prepping budgets on this month. What about you, readers? Do you have a monthly prepping budget? What are you focusing on right now?
17 comments
Anonymous
Katadyn water filter with ceramic element, user cleanable and good for upto 10,000 gallons. Clean between uses, last's a lifetime! ~ $190-230 (look for sales)
Anonymous
I agree with anon…a Berkey is good for 6000 gallons of filtering for $230.
Add a couple replacement filters for $99 and you're good for years with tap water, rain water, pond water, etc.
Walmart and gas to get there won't always be accessible.
Anonymous
Sheila says: A water barrel would be great. I also purchased Kool Aid singles packets for my other son who doesn't like plain water.
I also stored those flavored powder for water; on a prepper site, someone suggested since we will be short on fresh fruits, storing Tang solves two problems— it camouflages the filtered water taste and supplies us vitamin C.
I now have shelves of Tang.
Anonymous
Have been in the prep mind for a while and helping locals in my area to afford water/food barrels that I collect through my job as a try k driver for 20$ or less, I also accept silver coin. As a monthly budget I spend about 200$ myself but it is spread between medical food and fuel storage along with a spare part or piece of upkeep for my vehicle. As far as usin my FD foods I usually make them while takin the family out camping and on hiking trips so that we get a chance to see what we like, though I admit I am a far cry from trying them all out. Great brain teaser of an article by the way.
Vicky B
I am using our food supply as well so that we are already to go when SHTF..I am getting more able to cook really good meals each day.
Anonymous
Since my husband expeienced a pay cut,due to the economy,we've been using our food storage..and just having it has been such a blessing for us! But we still try and do what we can after bills are paid,to re-stock what we've been using.We are also growing a garden to help provide fresh produce for our family!I am so grateful that we bought our years supply while good money was coming in,so that we could prepare for these challenging times!
Anonymous
Anonymous
I usually spend $300 a month on emergency preparations. I think I am pretty well set with first aid items, but need to concentrate on water. I buy my water and usually need help getting it from the cart to the car and from the car into the house. That's what I get for having a bad back and arthritic knees. In an emergency though, there is a spring about an hour drive from my house. Many people get all their water there. I save my empty jugs for refilling at the spring. I am getting an array of food items that are either dehydrated or freeze dried and trying them to make sure I am stocking up on items I like. You just can't beat Emergency Essentials and their freeze dried foods. I haven't found one I don't like yet.
Anonymous
$75 for a 55 gal barrel? I can get the at my local feed store for $25. I think you paid too much.
Also, it seems more practical to have a water filtration device as opposed to storing multiple gallons of water. I have two candle filters that will allow me to filter 500 gal each. I have access to streams and other water sources that provide basically unlimited water supply.
Just a thought.
Steve
Anonymous
I went a little "overboard" on my budget last month. I'm really glad I did though, got 3 cases of fortified dry milk. It's the BEST powdered milk I've ever tasted. It just tastes like milk! No weird oily taste like store bought powdered milk has. So, this month I just bought an extra bag of socks for each family member. Next month I'm hoping to buy a crank/solar/battery powered radio.
homesteadma
Prepared
This month, I picked up the GoalZero
portable solar kit from Costco to go in my Bug Out Bag
This kit has the Nomad 7 solar panel and Guide 10 plus battery pack with 4 AAA and 4 AA batteries and a Luna LED light.I have already tested it charging my Blackberry & a regular cell phone. Folds flat
$99.99 Plus TX
But I do not have a set budget, I try to add something every month, but if there is a good sale….
I also added 4 cans of Mountain House Pork Chops this month, so maybe a little overboard for May.
But they are hard to come by
lfhpueblo
Next thing we'll probably get is more water storage. I drink a lot more water than the average person due to an esophageal problem I have. I have to drink a lot of water when I eat to get foods down. We also have dogs we have to have water for. Clothes still need to be washed at some point, maybe not as frequently, but still they'll need it eventually.
Sheila
My prepping budget has went down to almost nothing since I have lost my job. I took gift money from Christmas and purchased a Katadyn Water Filter and extra filter. Bottled water has been hard for me to store. I have a teenager who drinks it like, well water. A water barrel would be great. I also purchased Kool Aid singles packets for my other son who doesn't like plain water.
Just Me
I am just getting started on my preparedness program, so this will be extremely valuable to me. Thanks so much!
Anonymous
I have most of my needed items for food storage but I have decided that I don't have enough emergency first aid supplies. So last month I spent about 150 dollars on first aid supplies and will spend another 150 this month. It sounds like a lot of money but in a true emergency there are many many things that someone would need. I have dental kids, casting materials, a turniquet, quick clot, Israeli bandages and a larger supply of things I would need like ibuprofen, cough drops, etc. I have some on hand but I certainly didn't have close to a years supply.
Anonymous
You can often come across food grade water barrels on Craigs List very inexpensively, depending on where you live.
Herbalpagan
I always thought the water barrels were a bit expensive, but when looked at like you mentioned, it seems like something I would actually do! It doesn't hurt that the shipping is great with you guys.