How would you advise the not-yet-prepared prepper caught by a financial collapse?

@Seacowboys

Do I think I have marketable skills, no. I know a little about many things. I question constantly and I read constantly. I print off useful information and put them in a binder.

Right now there are yard sales. I have a box of candles that I got for .25 to .50 each. I have wool blankets, sweaters and socks all bought at yard sales. Don't buy it just cause it is. Buy it because you will wear it and use it. I bought a CB radio for a dollar (go on-line print off how to hook it up, tape directions to the radio). Gardening tools, hand tools and camping eq plus canning jars can all be found cheap. Make sure you don't get ripped off, do not be afraid to offer less then they are asking.

Know your grocery store. Sales run in cycles. Example: during Dec- Jan my stores have Chunky soup on sale, it goes down to a dollar a can. During that time coupon.com had coupons plus the local Sunday paper. Stock up! I don't pay over a dollar for chunky soup- also when buying, check the expiration date. My store also has one week when canned vegies at .49 per can. I know if happens in early fall. BTW- coupons.com only lets you print two of each coupon from your ISP. If it is good then print two at work your local library. Also- do not buy food just because you have a coupon or it is on sale. Buy what you eat. Your friend should have more then 2 weeks food and he can stock a few months cheaply, thus leaving his cash for the expensive prep he needs.

Know your community. Above people have mentioned it and it is true. Is it safe? Will it be safe. What are the skills of your neighbors? Former military, hunters, who works in trades? Are there nurses and doctors in the hood? Also, who are the threats? Know them or know of them- know if they have weapons. You don't need to spy on people, just be aware and friendly, most people talk not just about themselves but about other people.

Your friend is in Suburbia- what could he trap? Can he successfully grow all those seeds in the can he purchased? He needs to identify what he can grow really well, what is the most nutritious. He needs to plant fruit bushes and trees, now. I have never paid full price for any of them. End of the season clearance and when it hails there is always a sale.

 

I just picked up some yard sale tools myself. I gotta make funds streach as far as possible.

 

Also- your friend is not a good shot. What we did. We have a few BB guns. We have a few cans on a tree and shrubs. Plink away. Learn to hit what you aim at. Then on windy days tie a couple of balloons out and plink at those. This is cheaper then wasting ammo and the kids can start practicing with the BB guns. Someone said dry firing, I had heard that was to be discourage because it harms the weapon.

 

I do not shoot it hard targets like batteries, the BB's can rebound and break windows.

 

Add a scope to the Pellet gun and you add another learning device.

 

Sig makes an excellent 22 conversion for the 26. So good in fact that mine stays setup in .22 with aftermarket 17 round mags in .22.

 

Inventory other family member skill sets, and items for possible trading. Keep in mind that that there are jobs that don't need any specific skill sets i.e. dumpster diving. gleaning fields, rag picking, etc. there are other skillsets that you nay have and not know about teaching , repair of items, some items may still need programing just not in your language sets like PLC etc. do you have a number of books? make a lending library, do you play an instrument?, a laundry, there are several skill sets that may take some [practice but don't sell yourself short... think out of the box...

 

Fun suggestion @ghrit . We now have cans swinging in the trees. We hung them in different locations then where the other cans are located. I think everyone in the family has perfected shooting off the deck. We had lots of fun yesterday plinking away at our new targets. Both of our Crossmans are pellet/bb guns.

 

One does not become a prepper over night, not successfully. It is a steady goal to be worked towards daily. It is learning to live in an old fashion way.

 

I think BTPost #6 has the right of it. Basically, nobody is likely to have "enough" of "everything". If he does have a lot more than his neighbors he might become a target: think warehouse vs. starving hoards. BT's suggestion was to develop a needed skill that (a) would be needed by the community and (b) would be hard to take away from you. That seems pretty important to me.

How far back do we think we might go? The skills needed in 1600 are probably not the same as the ones most useful in 1800 and those are almost certainly not sought after in 2014. Taking a middle road, let's assume civilization is reset at 1800.

Just thinking out loud here, but the more desirable skill sets might involve something that (a) everyone will need (b) more than once and (c) is difficult to provide (due to training, skill, materials, etc). A clue might be taken from pre-industrial or even the early industrial revolution: grist mills beside running water; brewery and / or distillery, coke. Coke burns hotter than coal and is more useful for a variety of purposes. Perhaps steam. Steam power was, I think, the first reliable source of power that didn't require nearby running water. Boat builder (canoe, Dory, sail boat) ? There are probably hundreds of croft skills that might be a source of income for the person and a joy to his community.