What have you done so far this year to prep and any suggestions to do it cheaper?

[Lowdown3]

No problem MG to post a link to a couponing site.

[MustangGal]

No problem MG to post a link to a couponing site.

Okay! The coupon site is called Hot Coupon World. It has links to lots of regional type stores (most of which I don't have access to... bummer). This is the link to the Walgreens board, which is the one I used most frequently, but explore the site - tons of great information on saving money.

[Proud Grandma]

we still have alot to do. but we have ramped up our food storage planted a garden bought a 1970 car. you can never have to much ammo. have a group of like minded people. have our ham license. BOB is done and in truck. could use more medical supplies. have water purefication bottles and talets. have always had chicken,can't beat fresh eggs. canning every chance we get. its a start

[WiseOwl]

We went from having only one S&W .40, and a 3 week food supply, seeds and camping gear to having a 3 month food supply (and climbing biweekly), 2 months of water and ways to purify, more of a seed collection (been a gardener for 5 years), a friend with an organic farm up the road that supplies most of our veggies ( I can grow them if I have to), a 12 gauge, a TON of ammo for both guns, more camping and backpacking gear, stocking 3 5gallon cans of gas, 2 cycle oil, 10w30 oil, hand tools, more books and PDFs of knowledge.

The ONLY thing that I NEED to do is get in better shape. I am only 29 and not as agile as I used to be but a good 25lbs would put me where I want to be. Thats really the only thing that does not cost that for some reason I cant concentrate on as much as everything else. After the wife drops off baby #2 next month, we will start a workout/diet and do it together.

Next up on the list other than more food and water is, a hunting rifle either .308 or 30.06, a ruger 10-22 and a 9mm for her, a bigger SUV with racks and more storage incase we have to BO.....and more First Aid stuff...we have enough to get us by and then some for a family of 3 but we improve that everytime we go to the store ( I buy alcohol, peroxide and bandaids for cheap)

[610Alpha]

Recently got a Minor Surgical Kit from the site sponsor...I will be doing a review on it hopefully tonight or early next week. Increased food storage since the beginning of the year, got a grain mill and various odds and ends. Going to try and do a more structured approach with my purchases....feel like I am ADD with my purchases....must focus!! LOL Anyone else feel like they are all over the chart on their purchases?

[1Admin]

It's easy to feel that way, I think most of us do that. I know I do.

I tend to focus on a certain area that "needs" attention for a while and then move along to another.

If we focused strictly on just one category of preps, the stuff might hit the fan with us having a beautiful, well rounded year supply of food but no defensive weapons, ammo, training, etc.

The common thought is that it gets easier the longer you do this. And to an extent it does, especially on the monetary outlay side of things. However a big larder often brings complacency. I remember doing an actual inventory of a storage building a couple years after we moved here. I "thought" I was good on X, X and X categories. When things were actually drug out, counted, double checked and recorded in a notebook, I realized the risk of complacency. Things like about a 10 to 1 ratio on lbs. of rice to lbs. of beans, having about 1/4 the sugar and salt you "thought" you had, etc.

Most of our major preps this year have been homestead renovations, upgrades to our water system and training outlays. A little but not a lot in the way of new gear. Rotating a lot of ammo in training that got more than a little bit damp in storage with better sealed ammo that will be earmarked for LTS versus budgeted for training. Luckily it's easy to rotate ammo stocks ;)

[tech]

Been prepping for many years now, but in the last 8 months the wife and I have rediscovered the frugality of auctions, flea markets and antique shops. The variety of obscure items - which are actually quite handy - is amazing, and by being particular with purchases we have be accruing equipment we otherwise may not have thought of. Wind-up clocks - both mantle and alarm, AC/DC tube type radios - got the schematics and still getting spare parts, vintage free standing closets - hey, more storage is better, right? Found a pile of surplus equipment, to include body armor for $100 - found trauma plates a couple weeks later for 60 each...and in the correct sizes even :) Diagnostic tools, some NIB...10 - 20 dollars for $300 equipment. I did pass (for now) on the field hospital x-ray unit (complete in both boxes) but the bottom line is with patience and some exploring off of the beaten path, deals are out there waiting.

The latest purchase got put to use yesterday. 1951 butter churn. Immaculate condition, and with the metal dasher and electric power head. Fresh butter...yummmm...not to mention being a labor saver.

[protus]

besides dropping LBs off my 6.

went back to our routine of spring/summer packing/canning.
which is hard to do with my space limitations .
But we filled 6 buckets, and canned a few flats.
the main goal is have our homestead soon.........and a man eating dog :)
we just missed what we have wanted for a while....5 acres,,1920's farm house and barn.....well below 70k.....:(
and we missed our man eater by a few days at he local pound......

[Grinnan Barrett]

I am not going into all the things we have done this year since we prep each and every week. The thing you asked about how to go on a budget is one thing I have considered this year. We watch for people who prep only for the moment. So many will get ready when a flood is coming and then sell off their new preps like high end generators for half the price when the stores will not take them back.

[610Alpha]

we just missed what we have wanted for a while....5 acres,,1920's farm house and barn.....well below 70k.....:(

Know what you mean....I was looking at 12 acres told the wife about it she said to pray about it, so thankful to have a woman like her, so I prayed that if God didn't want me to have it he would shut the door....needless to say a few days later the seller took the property off the market...He saved us from a mess and He must have something better for us!

[Klayton]

70K for 5 acres? YIKES, I am hoping to find some acreage for a lower price, MUCH LOWER price actually... :)

[Fanderal]

Last weekend I built a water filter.

Parts:
2 Black Berkey filter elements. ($107 w/shipping)
2 5 gal food grade pails (had chocolate iceing in them)
1 igloo cooler replacement spigot. ($7.07 w/tax)

Tools:
Cordless drill w/ bits
Rotozip
Marker pen

Process:
CLEAN pails, inside and out. (note: one pail had about a 3# lump of frosting still in it. This pail had been sitting outside in 100F temps for over a month, when I opened the pail all I could smell was chocolate, and NOTHING was fuzzy. I'll never eat another chocolate frosted doughnut again)
Drill two 1/2" holes in the bottom of the top pail; so that filters are evenly spaced in the pail.
Using your Rotozip, cut ONE hole in the top of the bottom pail about 3/4" wider than the two holes in the upper pail are apart. (conventional instructions say to match the two 1/2" holes in the top pail with 2- 1/2" holes in the top of the bottom pail. I find that ONE big hole makes it easier to mate the two pails together.)

Install the filters in the upper pails with the rubber grommet one the INSIDE, and the nut outside. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE NUTS, THEY ARE PLASTIC AND WILL STRIP.

Per the instructions that will come with the filter elements prime the filters by back flushing them. (they come with a thick rubber washer that will allow you to get a good seal with your sink nozzle. I put my upper pail in the bathtub, removed the massaging shower head from its hose, and used it to prime the filters. This kept the mess in the tub, so clean up was a matter of letting the tub dry.)

Cost:
Replacement Berkey Black filter elements: $107 w/shipping
Spigot for lower pail: $7.07 w/ tax from ACE hardware
Total cost $114.07

cost of equivalent Berkey system: (Imperial Berkey) w/ shipping and lid for top chamber $344.00

Savings: 229.93

Link to Homemade Berky Water filter instructions

Fanderal

[ChemicalGal]

Hi
Been around a while but new to this forum.
Pretty well up on foods, so usually buy sale stuff only
Right now canning like crazy. Also, caught jars on sale recently and stocked up.
I put up a lot of meat in jars. So you just open one up, heat & serve.
Today dug 100# potatoes have a couple more rows to do. Then sweet potatoes when they're
ready.
Next will be field corn for the chickens ... not dry enough yet.
We have about 3 cords of wood cut up waiting to be split.
Feel like we're running out of time to get everything done and feel like a really bad winter
coming on.
JO

[sewbeit221]

I have done the same thing prayed about what or even if I should prep next. I was actually having some self doubt about prepping so I asked for guidance. My husband and I soon after visted the thrift store in a retirerment comunity and found a gravity fed ceramic water filter, when I asked how much and they replied $3 I could not the money out of my pocket fast enough. I was searching for a better grain mill but I felt like I was being redirected to see you need water before bread. We have added 7 fruit trees to our yard this year, we have added backyard chickens, we added greatly to our food stores and toliet paper stock. I have a rather fixed budget so It took me all year to compile a decent first aid kit but it is done. We have aquired a few weapons and practice shooting, albeit far less often than we should & have been stocking up on ammo. I have two large galvinized tubs and a clothes line. Water storage has been improved upon but still needs more attention. BOB are at the ready. Had additional LP tank installed and converted generator to LP. (Can switch it back if need be) This will supply our cooking also. Found a non electric sewing machine (which could also be used as a boat anchor, just kidding but man it is heavy) and learned to stitch well by hand. Have been working on gardening skills and learned to make lye soap (will experiment with making lye from my wood ash this winter) and trying to perfect bread baking. Have made a few loaves that would be better suited to home building than eating. Its quite easy to bake a light loaf with store bought flour but not so much with hand ground, but I am making headway. Have started trying to shift out some of the bran and having better luck . Have been doing some canning and stocking up on jars and lids. We have septic system so we had that pumped out last month. Sure wouldn't want issues in that dept. if the grid goes down, that really could be a SHTF situation. We live near a lake and so we got some containers on wheels to tote water for flushing and watering our garden, also got some 50 gallon food grade barrels to catch rain water. Purchased a new radio w/ solar charging, crank charing and a USB port to charge a cell phone. Also stumbled upon a guy selling some old steel hurricane panels and we were able to get protection for quite a few more windows for $150. Would have cost a lot more had we bought them new and they would be aluminum. We still have to get them fitted to our windows but unless a storm approches we are waiting for cooler weather. Still need to go get a trailer full of firewood for this winter but we have been trying to put that off a little cause if we did get a storm coming this way we would then have to figure out what to do with it all. Otherwise it would become flying missles! All in all we feel we have made some good headway in prepping so far this year. When we began prepping it was all comsuming with an urgency, we feel more comfortable now that we have begun to see the fruits of our labors. It has been harder trying to prep while staying in a budget but it can be done. I still want to get a good barometer to see weather systems approaching, if the grid goes down ( w/o TV and radio) I need to have time to secure my home. Also want to work on collecting more items for barter and some more mosquito netting. Two things to think about prepping you may not have, replacement shoe laces & clothes pins. I have been buying good sturdy sneakers two pairs at a time too.

[protus]

70K for 5 acres? YIKES, I am hoping to find some acreage for a lower price, MUCH LOWER price actually... :)

avg 10-30k per acre here.....more with homes,.
Avg cost is 100-150k+ for a 3/2 1500-2ksq ft home on 1 acre.

prices are dropping,,but slowly