What can be done to prep with no money?

What suggestions do you have for someone to prep with no money? Right now there is absolutely no extra in the household budget, and in fact we've gone through the small food store that I had built up.

We grow vegetables for sale at market, and I freeze the leftovers (not sustainable I know, but I haven't got into canning yet.) I have a small personal garden. We grow quite a number of potatoes, so we have them through the winter.

We live on a small lot in the country in an old house. Should the power go off, we have no backup, but we would have (inconvenient) access to both a shallow well and a cistern.

If the neighbor doesn't cut us off, we would still have access to natural gas for cooking. Hopefully we could trade for it.

A small thing, but I think important (and inexpensive) is that we have solar garden lights that can be turned off so I can charge them during the day and use them sequentially through the night.

What can I improve with no money? (or very little)

 

check out your shopping habits... do you buy lots of processed food?, food that is easy to cook?... many items like rice can be purchased in different forms, from instant, parboiled, meal in minutes,etc to simple long grained white rice... the plain white rice is the cheaper of the lot and costs less.... Sams and costco will sell in in 50lb bags that are cheaper per lb than your local grocery store... Dollar stores also have items that are good for preps at a decent price... also use coupons... ask the local school libraries and local libraries for their coupons when they put the papers out you can get them for free this way...

YMMV

 

You might take a look at the food that you are preparing. You will save money by making biscuits from scratch instead of using canned biscuits or bakery mixes.
Same thing with making spaghetti instead of canned chef Boyardee stuff.
You can make red beans and rice for a fraction of the cost of Zatarains'.
You get the idea.
The easy way to build your food storage is by copy canning.
You buy one or two more of your favorite cans of food than you will use before your next trip to the grocers. Eventually you will get some food storage built up.

 

Thanks for the quick replies

I don't buy much processed food, really. The past couple of months we've been finishing up the last of the deer from the freezer, it's pretty much gone now but I've been buying meat when I can find it for less than 1.99 a pound and throwing it in the freezer. I don't buy chef-boyardee because you're right, it's just too expensive (oh, but I love their raviolis. I get them as a treat for myself occasionally.)

I'm from Canada, and while there are a few good coupons out there, couponing here is not the same as in the States. Very few retailers will double, and for the most part the store brand is still cheaper even after using a coupon.

One thing I do need to do is use beans more. It isn't something that was part of either my or my husbands life, and so they're going to be a challenge to introduce.

Beyond the food prep suggestions, I'm wondering if there are suggestions for projects that would be really cheap to implement. I'm not necessarily looking for the full instructions right here in this thread, just ideas and maybe a direction to look.

 

garden, can, dry, smoke, cure, recycle and reuse, these things are basic and go a long way
thats what ive been doing all my life
if it has to be boughten, you cant replace it when theres no stores or grid
best thing you can do is learn to do for yourself

 

Having been there and done that, are you on a written budget and stick to it? Can you and/or your spouse find a PT job somewhere? (yes, despite this economy I know I could find something, in fact I worked PT for 3 years at a local gun shop/range to help get my family out of debt)
If you are on a budget and it's really that tight, you have to do 1 of 2 things. increase the monthly income or decrease the spending.
Copy canning is great, still do it to keep stock of items, making from scratch, more time involved but a much better product in the end.
Sell items you don't need/use, sell so much the kids think they're next (if you have kids).
Starting small is great, not everyone can go buy a years supply of everything they need right away. Keep at it, soon you'll replenish your small food store and have much more.

 

cant replace a freezer, they arent something a DIYer can do
but theres lots of ways to keep food without freezing
icehouse, springhouse, root cellar, coolbox... if you need one of these ask around
meats can be cured, canned, dried, salted and smoked for long term storage
most grains and beans can be dried
fruits can be canned, dried or made into things that keep
like fruit leathers or wine
all may be labor intensive but they are well worth doing

 

Reading is pretty cheap. There are lots of books in the library and the most important tools are in your head.

http://training.fema.gov/IS/

 

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. Some I already do, and some I will definitely be starting. Every little bit helps.

It's great that you're so welcoming to a newbie on the board.

 

Learn what is edible in your own area.

My guess is the Great Depression outlasted anyone's preps. It is warm, you have internet access, identify edible and medicinal plants in your area. Learn which native plants contain needed vitamins. Check out the local fish and game learn their habits. Keep your firearms skills up; tracking a bleeding deer or the rabbit which runs away to die isn't fun.
There is a lot more to do than just stockpile food; be able to survive without touching your stash. Japan is a good example of my thought process.

 

Good idea on the edible plants. Here on our little homestead, we have Purslane and Miner's Lettuce, and dandelions have been known to make their way into our salad bowls!

 

lol, i was a newbie at 6 years old
been livin this way a long time
still dont know enuff tho
thats why im here

 

I throw purslane, black medic, pigweed, lambs quarters and radish leaves into the salad sometimes. I have to be careful not to throw too much in or the kids complain.

When I have a bunch of radishes that I didn't pull in time, I let them go to seed and throw the pods in with a stirfry or peas.

I do need to learn more of the edible wild plants though. (And develop a taste for them. Dandelions, even before they bloom, make me shudder)

 

Shanna, dandelions are great...besides the obvious of eating the tops, you can use the root bulb to make "POOR BOY" flour...just mash the root up really well and let it dry...after it dries out, pound the root into the consistency of flour and use it as you would regular flour...once you adjust to the flavor, I think that you would really like it...

 

Tons and tons of free training that are both SHTF oriented and could improve your work $$$$$ situation ...... check with your various college /universities about free programs and tuition aid programs ..... some government agencies have training programs for first aid /rescue volunteer purposes .........

 

Even cities are filled with squirrels, pigeons, and feral critters. There is plenty of basic food aka protein available. Other items would be harder to get and those are what I stock up on. Plus comfort food for short term situations.

FWIW, in a survival situation, the definition of feral would be not mine.