If you have ever watched any shows or read articles on prepping, you are probably thinking it costs thousands to start prepping. I have seen some pretty extravagant plans and set-ups that include bug-out vehicles, underground bunkers, and years worth of food. That’s all great if you have plenty of disposable income, but for the majority of people, it just isn’t possible. That’s why we are going to talk today about prepping on a budget of £100.
Being prepared is important, if there is some form of disaster, such as a hurricane, flood, or whatever, it won’t take long before there is nothing left on the shelves in the shop, which is why we, as preppers, want to make sure we have our supplies ahead of time.
Prepping on a Budget
Firstly, I just want to say that prepping can be done successfully with little or no budget. In fact, people who prepare with knowledge will be far better off than those who prep with all the survival gear under the sun and have no knowledge or how to use it. In my opinion, knowledge is key to survival, and I will be covering it a lot more in future posts.
Saying that though, there are some advantages of having some food and water stocked up for a disaster.
The Groundwork
Before you actually start prepping for SHTF, you need to prepare yourself financially, I know this may sound pretty boring and tedious, but the majority of personal problems can be solved with money, so it is vital you have some money saved for a rainy day, enough to cover that surprise bill, car repair, or whatever it may be.
Many people recommend 6 months worth of savings, though, think for a minute, if you lost your job tomorrow, how long would it take for you to run out of money? How long would it take to get another job? Use these timeframes to calculate how much money you need saved.
The majority of frequent emergencies are financial and health related, so, if you are prepared for those, it is then time to start prepping for SHTF, after all, that’s why you are really here, right?
Top 9 Items
Prepping on a budget can be pretty hard work, and boring if I am being quite honest, with no money to buy cool survival knives, flashlights and bug-out bags, you may get disheartened pretty quickly, but remember, the goal here is to start prepping on a budget of £100, so we are going to cover the essentials that will keep you alive should a disaster strike in you area.
When I say disaster, I’m not talking about a end of the world situation, more, a temporary SHTF moment, such as flooding, a grid down event, or even hurricane.
Lets get into it, how to start prepping on a budget of £100.
Documents
The first thing on the list is documents, this is quite an important point, and basically costs you nothing if you have a camera and printer, or even scanner and printer. You are going to want to have multiple copies of important documents stored away in safe places, ideally in waterproof bags, food bags will do, as long as they are water tight.
Take a photo of your documents, and print it out. This way, if your house gets flooded, burns down, or whatever, you will still have your documents. I recommend keeping a copy in a safe place in your garage, in a relatives house, hell, even burry them in the garden, just make sure you remember where.
The documents you are going to want to have copies of are as follows:
- Birth Certificate
- Drivers License
- Health Insurance
- Home Insurance
- Car Insurance
- Any Important receipts
- Firearms License
- Bank Account Statement (within last 3 months)
- Passport
- Deeds to House
- Deeds to any Land you may own
Cost: £1.50 (If you have to go to a library to print)
Food and Water
The next thing on the list for prepping on a budget of £100 is food and water, you won’t be hanging around too long if you have nothing to eat or drink, and don’t expect to run down to the shop to grab something, it will be gone, long ago.
When stocking up on food and water, it’s best to choose food with a long shelf life, such as rice, pasta and canned goods. I will cover what the best items to buy are below.
Since we are prepping on a budget here, we are going to be getting our water from the tap in the house instead of buying it. I assume you buy milk in a plastic bottle, or some other drink in plastic bottles? Well, keep those bottles from now on, give them a good rinse out with warm water and washing up liquid, let them steep overnight, then air dry. Fill the bottles with water from your tap, secure the lid tightly, and store in a cool, dark location. This water will last around 6 months, remember to change it after that.
Foods to Buy
- Rice 2kg – Tesco UK £0.45/kg
- Canned Beans x 4 – Tesco UK £0.25/can
- Canned Soup x 4 – Tesco UK £0.45/can
- Canned Tuna x 4 – Tesco UK £3.25 for 4
- Kidney Beans x 4 – Tesco UK £0.65/can
- Super Noodles x 4 – Tesco UK £0.81/pack
- Canned Potatoes x 7 – Tesco UK £0.65/can
- Canned Apple x 7 – Tesco UK £0.85/can
- Oat Meal Porridge 2kg – Tesco UK £0.75/kg
- Dried Milk 340g – Tesco UK £2.00
- Tea Bags 40 – Tesco UK £0.25
- Chocolate Bar x 200g – Tesco UK £0.45/100g
- Canned Sausages x 4 – Tesco UK £0.50/can
- Water – 40 Litres – Free if you use old bottles
Total Cost: £29.94
Remember a can opener!
Meal Plan
I have laid out a meal plan below using the food above that should get you by for a week, and still have some food left over. Remember, don’t waste a drop of food in an emergency situation.
Breakfast
Porridge
Lunch
Rice, Kidney Beans and Potatoes
or
Potatoes, beans and tuna
or
Rice, beans and tuna
and
Serving of Apples
Dinner
Canned Soup
or
Super Noodles
Snacks
Cup of tea and some chocolate
Remember to always drink plenty of water, and if you have no water, it is better to not eat until you can get safe drinking water. Eating without drinking is worse than not eating.
First Aid Kit
I touched on this above, you should take time and do some research on first aid, specifically, how to treat infected wounds, how to bandage wounds and cuts, cleaning wounds, treating diarrhoea, choking, treating hypothermia and how to stop heavy bleeding. Knowing these things could save your life.
There are a few basic first aid items every prepper should own, and, since this article is about prepping on a budget, I found what I think is the best first aid kit for the job.
There are 3 other items you will need to include in your first aid kit, and these are:
Imodium
Pain Killers
Thermal Mylar Blanket
Total Cost: Around £27.00
Knowledge
In an emergency situation, knowledge is key. There is a wealth of knowledge available on the internet today, so there is no excuse for not knowing the answer to something, or how to preform a task, chances are, it is well documented somewhere on the net, just take the time to do your research.
Topics you should research, and make notes on, or print out are as follows: (there are many more, but these should cover you for a short SHTF situation)
- First Aid
- Edible Plants in your area
- How to generate electric in a grid down
- Know your surrounding area, roads, forests, water sources and so on
- Know your neighbours
- Fire starting
- How to purify water
Cost: £0
Basic Hygiene
Feeling clean is great, it helps keep morals high, and just feels good in general. There is nothing worse than feeling sticky and smelly. Keeping yourself clean during SHTF might not be the first thing on your mind, but it is important to prepare basic hygiene products.
You will want to have some of the following items stored away for SHTF; if something does happen, the shops will be cleaned out pretty quickly. Assuming you already have things such as a toothbrush, towels, and other basic hygiene items, you will need the following:
Toothpaste
Toilet Roll
Hand Sanitiser
Total Cost: Around £10.00
Portable Stove
If you rely on electric to cook, and the grid is down, you have a problem. Even if you rely on gas, what happens if you house is flooded? You have no way to cook all that food you bought. I guess not.
It is wise to invest some of your budget on a gas camping stove, that way, if you have to bug out, or if the grid is down, you have a way to cook food, and boil water for purification.
Remember to buy some spare gas canisters too!
Total Cost: Around £19.00
Bug Out Location
Another thing on the list is a bug out location. This doesn’t cost any money, so if you want to start prepping on a budget, find yourself a location where you can bug out to if SHTF, somewhere you will be safe, away from danger. This may be another family members house, a location in the woods, even in your car somewhere remote.
Take the time to find a safe place where you can lie up for a few days until things quieten down.
Total Cost: £0
Sleeping Bag
Next on the list is a sleeping bag. Keeping yourself warm at night may not be a problem if you live in a hotter climate, but for those of us that live in a cold climate, a sleeping bag is essential. It will keep you warm when sleeping, preventing hypothermia, which can be fatal.
Make a decision based on your climate, as to what sleeping bag you need, if any.
Here is a sleeping bag I recommend: Coleman Mummy Sleeping Bag
Total Cost: Around £25
Hand Crank Radio and Charger
Knowing what is happening in the outside world during an emergency is vital, so it is a wise idea to invest in a hand crank radio. You can now buy hand crank radios that also charge USB devices, which would be great for keeping your phone charged, or even a torch, provided it supports USB charging.
You will want to tune into the emergency radio channel, and listen for broadcasts informing you of incoming danger, or even for broadcasts to inform people when things like power have been restored.
The hand crank radio I own: Buy it here
Total Cost: Around £15
Final Word
Prepping on a budget is not easy, nor is it fun. This list of 9 items should be enough to get you through many different types of short term SHTF situations. Depending on where you buy it, it can be got for around £100-£125. When starting prepping, it is wise to buy essential items first, then after you have gathered up vital supplies, you can move on to the cooler things, such as survival knives, but, firstly, make sure you have the vitals on hand!
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