All preppers need to know how to save money. This isn’t just a survival skill to “get by” – this can help you the rest of your life.
The fact is money is an extremely valuable resource. With it we can buy practically anything we want. But too often we waste this precious resource on things that either don’t really matter or won’t help us in the long-run (like that HBO account your wife uses).
We also throw away our money on things that don’t last (like eating at restaurants), or that have very little likelihood of returning our investment (like lottery tickets).
No matter what your guilty pleasure, the fact is we’ve all done this. However, an emergency situation is likely right around the corner. Which means it’s time for us to change our ways now and start learning…
How To Save Money & Buy More Preps (Part 1)
Quit The Soda Addiction
Soda (or pop, depending on where you live) is tempting. But it’s also a throw-away investment. It’s terrible for you, it contains loads of sugar and empty calories, and it’s downright addictive. It also works against your body and its ability to perform in a crisis.
Do yourself a favor and put down that Coke (or Diet Coke which, let’s face it, is NOT healthier) and opt for some good clean water. If you get bored with it you can add fruit combinations like strawberry + cucumber + mint (or lemon + raspberries). Yum.
Stop Buying Aquafina (And Other Bottled Water Brands)
Bottled water is surprisingly expensive. Whether you get it from a vending machine, supermarket or street vendor, it’ll easily run you $1.50 – $3+ depending on the location. And although this might sound cheap, it adds up QUICK.
Not to mention, these are often one-time use items. Sure, you can refill it. But the fact is most people don’t – they toss it in the bin and go about their day. Not only is this wasteful, but it also drains your bank account unnecessarily.
Do yourself a favor and invest in a large, durable water bottle. This one-time cost lasts you for years (and is even dishwasher-safe). You can take it with you wherever you go, and most gas stations/coffee shops will gladly refill it for you. Plus, if you opt for a water bottle with a filter inside, you can have countless amounts of pure drinking water.
Do Laundry On The Cheap
Whether you use your apartment’s laundry machines, go to the laundromat, or wash clothes at home, one thing’s for sure. Laundry is expensive and uses up lots of energy (which you pay for when that delightful bill shows up every month).
Do yourself a favor and use a lower temperature setting on your washing machine whenever possible. If you’ve got good-quality detergent, it should still remove dirt and gunk – even without the hot water.
Plus, instead of wasting all that energy you can go “old-school” and hang your clothes to dry on a line. You can also buy a drying rack.
If you must use the dryer, dry your clothes on the low setting. This uses less energy and avoids over-drying your clothes (which is basically pointless, wastes energy and makes them staticky).
Go Generic
Do you know how much money we waste on buying brand-name goods? A LOT. And the sad part is many of the cheaper generic brands are just as good as their expensive brand-name counterparts.
Buy generic as much as possible to start saving money on groceries. This can especially pay off on things like medications (you can look at the ingredients list on both brands and see they’re often the exact same thing).
And by the way – this doesn’t just have to do with food and medication. Buying off-brand items goes for lots of other things too, like clothing. For example, why spend $50 on a T-shirt? Go to Walmart to buy clothes, or visit a thrift store. You can also snag amazing deals at yard sales.
The point of clothing is to clothe yourself – plain and simple. And when SHTF it’s not going to matter who’s wearing Gucci and who’s wearing Walmart-brand stuff. All that’s going to matter is that these clothes keep you warm.
Stop Wasting Food
Americans throw away countless pounds of food every single year. What a waste! You can save money on groceries (and help save the planet) a few different ways.
For one, check your expiration dates and use food that’s about to go bad FIRST. You know how you rotate your food stockpile using the FIFO (First In First Out) method? Do the same with your pantry and your fridge. And if something’s in the fridge that you won’t be able to eat before it expires, put it in the freezer and save it for later.
Things like produce are harder to save, since they have a very short shelf-life. So you’ll have to get creative. If those bananas go bad, make banana bread (it’s crazy easy to make, is delicious and lasts at least another week). Or if you truly can’t use your moldy fruits/veggies/herbs then start a compost pile. This ensures you get rich, nutritious soil that’ll help your plants thrive.
Which leads me to another point…
Grow Your Own Food
Buying produce can be expensive – especially since it adds up so quickly. Plus when you buy produce at the store you have no control of how the growers grew their crops (if they used pesticides, GMOs, etc).
However, when you have a survival garden you call the shots. You’ll have to buy the seeds or starter plants, but it’s truly shocking how much produce one little plant can produce (if you don’t believe me, buy a cherry tomato plant).
Plus, if you really want to have a large harvest, add some of that compost you made and layer it onto the soil. This gives your plants a huge boost of nutrients and helps them flourish.
There are obviously tons of ways to save money – way more than I can fit in one blog. So I’ve written a second article on this topic. You can check it out right here. (Also – want to learn cool ways to earn some extra money – not just save it? Check out our survival article here).
Remember, the more money you save now, the more you’ll have for buying preps! Prepare Now, Survive Later!
