I have heard "I can't do much now because I don't have any money" or some variation of that theme more times than I can count. Without discussing financial stuff about how to improve your situation by decreasing your expenses in a big way here are some ideas to increase your preparedness without it costing you any money.
First get off of the couch and take your lazy ass for a run. PT is free and it is good for you and me.
Second cook at home. While out of the scope of this article it is worth noting that you will save money cooking your own food. Practice making good food out of basic staples now. Having the ability to turn a bag of flour, a bit of yeast and small amounts of another thing or two into a wide variety of yummy baked stuff is a good thing.
Clean your guns.
Put together the best GHB that you can from stuff already in the house.
Grow something.
Fill 2 liter soda jugs (if you drink soda) up with water and store them.
Organize and inventory.
Make lists.
Go for a hike.
Go camping. If you have the basic equipment and live near some sort of desert/ mountains/ prairie/ wilderness this should only cost a few gallons of gas and maybe a park entrance fee. Technically this isn't totally free but as a substitution for renting a couple of videos (or whatever other cheap weekend thing you were going to do) I consider it no cost. Also testing your all of your fancy gear might lead to some meaningful realizations.
Go to the library and find useful books.
Go for another run.
The list goes on but I am tired of writing. Early wake up and getting home late is somewhat cutting into my time for this stuff. Don't think I will read at all today. Probably get caught up on my reading during the long weekend.
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11 comments:
Plant a garden and work in it,do all those house repair's you've been putting off,get the prep's and garage organized and cleaned up.Cut firewood! I know,it's too hot to do a lot outside,just pace yourself.
Dean in Az
dry fire practice draws. mag changes. failures.
watch something educational on YouTube.
teach someone something useful.
I'm preparing several kits which include a 72 hour kit and a car kit. What I don't already have, I'm looking at what the Salvation Army and other thrift stores have on the cheap. Also garage sales and anything obtainable for free from sources such as craigslist, freecycling, and friends/family should be checked out. And last of course be wary of quality, but if it's acceptable condition and free/cheap, get it.
Get yourself some GOOD COMFORTABLE SHOES / BOOTS. Many tasks will require time on your feet and anyone having to make do with cast offs will be a severe disadvantage. This is a must buy item(s).
Dean's advice is sound - getting your property with plants that feed / medicate you makes good sense (you take care of it and it gives back), and will also give you a good physical workout.
Prepping is a way of life, not something you just do once, you could call it a lifestyle. Nearly anyone can buy a few extra cans of "beans" each week. Cabela's is selling a Marlin .22LR black synthetic 10 round mag rifle this week for $99.99 after $20 rebate. You can buy a used First Aid Handbook at yardsales for $0.25! It is all about priorities, but sadly, we see the direction our country is headed, and I believe this is due to misdirected priorities of most of it's citizens.
No cost prep drill:
1.)Time how long it takes you to get your essential stuff together, pack it in the car, and leave town. Review performance. Note improvements that can be made. Download maps on Google, Yahoo, etc. for free. Plan several alternate routes to get out of dodge.
2.) Look around your home. Ask what you can use to design a make shift bomb shelter. My plan is to pull the kitchen table into the library and place mattresses, books, etc. on top of it. We'll hang out under neath the kitchen table until the threat passes. Every citizen should do this. It costs nothing.
I'd add be careful about what you discard and throw away around the house. A lot of useful things go to the dump because people don't give any consideration to what they might be used for in an emergency.
Ha, I need to print out this post and tape it to my mirror... seriously.. :)
Skills are vitally important. More important than "gear". Just like the US and UK navies like to say, "..good men with poor ships are better than poor men with good ships." Whenever you find yourself shy of cash for preps, work on developing your skill set. A lot of people think that they will be able to "learn from a book" when the hour of decision is at hand.
Nonsense.
You need to learn and practice your skills NOW before you need them. Some skills you can work on for NO COST AT ALL - first aid skills - bandaging can be done with reusable torn up sheets. Dry firing your pistol (not a rimfire - only centrefire). Navigation (everyone should have a compass and maps). Physical training (walking, running, stretching and swimming). Woodcraft (everyone needs to know how to safely and effectively build a fire without using liquid accelerants. Edge sharpening. Naturalist skills (plant, animal, astronomy, hydrological and mineral identification). Signaling (radio and physical). Home repair (start small), Gardening - flower and vegetable (even if it is in pots and small scale, the skills are transferable), Geo-caching (more sophisticated navigation), mechanical repair (again start small) and so on and so forth. The possibilities are limitless.
Perfect is the enemy of good enough. Get out there and DO IT!
Very good tips, both in the post and the comments. I would suggest seeking out people who have skills you would like to learn. My husband is an electrical contractor and would have no problem teaching basic electrical or solar energy skills to someone. I would be happy to teach sewing or knitting. If you have the time, the teachers are out there!
Lisa
you can also join sites like paperback swap where you declutter your non useful books and can get books on first aid for free as well as other good reads.
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