Paycheck 1-The Basic Preps
Here are a few of the basic preps you will need to buy with your first paycheck to get started on your prepping journey. Remember it's about the simple things first. You need water, food, and warmth. That being said, you should buy a few extra tins of food and matches before buying a year supply of long-term food and a wall tent for your back yard. You need to crawl before you walk, so start small and grow over time. Many of us are on a tight budget so it's an adjustment to buy those extra items until we see the true benefit in having a well stocked home store.
Preps: First things first:
Uberleben Zunden Fire Starter: $17-$19
Insta Fire: Start a fire anywhere!! 18 pack: $20
Solo Alcohol Stove: $13-$19
Datrex Emergency Water Pouches: $14-$20
If you just buy these preps alone you will be off to a good start. These preps will give you the ability to filter water, stay warm, start a fire, boil water, and cook food for the first three days of your survival situation.
Pantry Preps - The Basics
Let’s Start Thinking About Your Pantry:
You need to always be on the look out for deals to stock your pantry. Remember when you buy pantry items to buy the things you and your family actually eat. A case of sardines will do you no good at all if people hate them to begin with. There is no doubt that when faced with starvation or sardines you will choose to eat the sardines.
Your pantry should be made up with items that your family enjoys so you can eat your way through the products to keep them for spoiling. Your pantry should be looked at as an ever-growing and rotating home store. Everyday goods should be your first priority as apposed to stockpiling two years of long-term food storage. Starting with your pantry allows you to ease your family and wallet into the world of prepping.
Every time you go to the store add a few items to your basket and you will be amazed how much you can accumulate over a short period of time. I made sure to point it out to my wife every time she wanted me to run out to the store for something basic like oil or salt that was already in our pantry. With in no time at all she was onboard with the pantry preps and bringing home extra with every shopping experience.
Take your time, create a menu, create a list, and slowly work through it!
a few Pantry Ideas to get you started:
Your mission as a prepper now is to get prepared. A good practice a lot of us add to our routine is that we change how we shop. Every-time you go to the store be sure to buy a few extra supplies to add to your pantry. Pick out items that are on sale or cut coupons ahead of time so you save a few bucks. If you are going to buy a can of chili add a few extra cans to your cart, if rice is on sale buy a few bags. Stay away from buying foods that you and your family don’t tend to eat only buy what you can use. You can learn more about this strategy in our prepper project section or by clicking the link below.
From this day forward you should always be adding to your pantry whenever possible…
Water: 1 gallon of water per day for each family member (The goal is to have a two weeks supply of water. Remember that having more water stored up is better than being short on your supply)
2 jars of peanut butter
3 cans of juice per family member (Kids) or flavored drink powders like gator aid or orange drink.
Electrolyte powdered drinks: these are great to rehydrate folks
4 cans of meat per family member- Tuna, chicken, etc
3 cans of soup or stew for each family member. ** Beef stew over rice is amazing!!
3 non perishable items such as saltine crackers, graham crackers, etc. ( These do have a shelf life but the kids will love them)
Permanent marker: This is great to date products when you open them or write instructions on bags
Basic Tools to think about:
Storage: You will need to organize this gear so you may want to hold onto a few empty boxes or buy a storage tub from time to time to put your gear in. Tubs can get expensive but look for deals at home depot and but them while they are cheap. People also use:
Garbage cans
Trash bags
Garage shelving
Closet shelves
Old luggage
1 hand-operated can opener: Remember 2 is better than one these things break
Flashlight with alkaline-batteries or a hand-crank flashlight for each member of household that is over the age of 6.
Don’t forget extra batteries for the flashlights!
Flashlights should also be purchased for each car, as well.
Additional supplies for infants or elderly:
2 weeks worth diapers
wipes,
children’s medication,
formula,
protein/calorie drinks
Prescription medications,
extra pair of glasses
Survival Library
You need to start building a survival library of knowledge. Remember that knowledge weighs nothing and you will be able to take that with you to any bug out location. My first recommendation is "Survival Theory by Jonathan Hollerman and you can read my review of his book here.
In Short, I recommend this book because Hollerman takes you through the common reasons for prepping, laying them out in easy-to-understand ways and providing evidence to support these theories—all while underscoring his primary theory that we should all be preparing for an upcoming grid-down scenario. Also he reviews gear and challenges you to really start thinking about the journey of preparedness. Also if you have a significant other that is not on the same page this is a great book for them to read to open them up to the realities of the world of prepping.
Prepper Projects
Money: Set aside money for an emergency cash fund. Make sure to have your money in small bills as people will be less likely to make change after the SHFT. Again, set aside change every chance you get and over time you will build this SHFT cash fund up.
Barter Goods: Find a few light weight products to have for barter, For example; coins, tampons, booze.
Emergency Plan: Make a Family Emergency Plan and decide what types of disasters you are planning for (war, natural disasters, economic or personal disasters etc)
Contact: Decide upon an out-of-area contact who can coordinate information with friends and family members during emergencies.
Once you pick your out-of-area contact be sure to email or call them and provide phone numbers and names of family members for them to call
First Inventory: Date all perishable goods with a marker. I know that most items have this date for you to use but it fades over time and this is a great way to get familiar with whats in your pantry. You may be surprised how out of date your food storage currently is. Expiration dates are suggestions made by the manufacture so they will still be safe to consume, however with your pantry goods your goal should be to use the restaurant idea of first in first out when it comes to your inventory. Keeping it fresh and rotated means you enter an emergency with the longest shelf life possible on all of your supplies.
Prep Like A Pro:
Remember this is not a race!!!
If you can't afford everything now just keep an ongoing list of items you need to still buy. You can watch amazon, Ebay, and stores for discounts or specials to save you money in the long run.
Read our articles on building your bug out bag and creating your EDC (every day carry bag).
Learn how to use subscribe and save on Amazon to help build up your preps.
Create Wish Lists on Amazon of products you want. As you check in on your list they will tell which items have increased or decreased in cost. It’s a great way to find deals!