Hi, friends! Urban Girl, here.
I’ve been thinking about prepping a lot this past year (obviously). And I’m still in the mode of paying off student loans at this point in my life, so I’ve only got a small budget for preparedness items each month. Still, there are those whose preparedness budget is smaller than mine.
I frequently see comments on Emergency Essentials’ blog, Twitter, and Facebook pages from those who are living paycheck to paycheck, and can’t seem to get enough ahead to budget for prepping supplies or food and water storage.
Does that sound familiar to you? Well, I’m planning to do a special prepping project this year—and I’d love for you to join me if you’d like.
I like to pay cash for most things I buy, because I’m a very visual person, so it helps me to actually SEE how much cash is left in my wallet for the things I’m planning to buy in a month—or just in a pay period. But the one downfall of that system for me is loose change. I despise having loose change hanging out in my pockets, the crevices of my purse, and even my designated change purse.
So, here’s what I decided to do: I’m taking an old #10 food storage can, cutting a slot in the lid, and making a “preparedness piggy bank” out of it. At the end of each week, I’ll dump the entire contents of my change purse into the bank, and at the beginning of each pay period, I’ll put in any cash I have left in my wallet. Each month I’ll total what I’ve saved. Maybe it will be a couple dollars—maybe it will be more—who knows?
This money will ONLY be used to buy items I want for emergency preparedness. Some months I might not buy anything so I can save up for a slightly larger item. Some months I might buy a small $1 or $2 item that will come in handy.
Every time I make a purchase using my pocket change, I’ll show you what I get. And at the end of the year I’ll show you everything I was able to afford—without any scrimping or extra budgeting on my part.
What do you think? Will you take the Pennies for Prepping challenge with me? If so, I would love to see what you buy each month! If you’re participating, you can email your experience and pictures of what you buy to [email protected]. We might just feature you on the blog or Facebook!
Happy prepping!
—Urban Girl
