> TEOTWAWKI Blog: Getting Prepared on $40 a Week: Introduction

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6/20/12

Getting Prepared on $40 a Week: Introduction


Preparing for tough times can be a big, daunting task, especially if you're starting from scratch. This new series of posts looks at how to go from nadda to well prepared on a budget of $40 a week. We'll be going from building a capable, budget-minded every day carry to a capable bug out bag (BOB)/72 hour kit and then onto a month's worth of food storage and a small stash of barter items, all on 40 bucks a week. We're aiming for about a 4 month time frame, with new entries each Wednesday.

We've chosen $40 a week because, while not insignificant, it represents an attainable amount for the average U.S. family. $40 gives us enough to work with in order to buy some quality gear and get things accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.

Budgets are of course tight these days, and you may not be able to swing $160 a month for 4 months. You can, of course, scale the schedule to match your available budget--instead of $160 a month, maybe $80 or even just $40--it'll take you longer, but you can still get it done. You may want to look at cutting back on luxury expenses or selling off some unused items in order to meet the budget. And you're probably not starting completely from scratch, so there's likely a few weeks where you will be able to skip purchases.

We will be purchasing from readily available sources--lots of Amazon (free shipping for the win!), with maybe Wal-Mart, Costco and others--and using readily available prices. We'll be recommending high quality, durable gear that will last through years of use--not cheap junk that will fail you in a time of need. We're going to try to maximize the bang-for-your-buck here, and avoiding low quality gear that will need to be replaced.

Some weeks we'll use all of the $40, other weeks we will bank some for more expensive purchases down the line.

The BOB will be ready for a 72 hours scenario, and food storage will be mobile enough to throw in the back of your vehicle and evacuate. At the end of the series, with your BOB, food supply, and a source of water and fuel, you'll be equipped to survive at home or in the boonies for a month or more. 

We're not going to be venturing into firearms in this series, because, frankly, it would be a lot of "save $40" posts. But, outside of that, we'll be covering everything else prep-related, though.

If you've already got a solid EDC, finely tuned BOB and a pile of food storage, never fear, you'll still get some good into out of this series. You'll probably be able to extract a few ideas and gear recommendations, but we'll also be including "To Do" items if you've already got a specific area squared away. We'll also be looking for your "picks" and ideas in the comments section of each entry.

This week, we're getting geared up, so no purchases. Instead, we've got a short list of tasks to get you ready for Week #1 next week.

Your Tasks for the Week:
  • Evaluate your budget and see what you can accommodate.
  • Do an inventory of your current preparedness and camping gear. If you're perusing this blog, you've probably got some good items on hand already.