Budget Prepping for A BuckGaye Levy, Contributor Traditionally, this time of year is crappy for retailers for all of the reasons above. So, when it comes to adding to your preparedness supplies, well, all you may have is a buck or two. That does not have to daunt you and, in many cases, may be just the inspiration you need to pick up a few inexpensive odds and ends to fill in until you can afford a bit more. Are you ready to do some budget prepping? Welcome to the Dollar Store Prepper Frenzy I always recommend that you should purchase the very best you can afford. I suppose this comes from my aversion to shopping. Now lets face it: dollar store items will, for the most part, not have the highest quality goods. That said, if you are on a tight budget, there is nothing wrong in purchasing average-quality items from the dollar store. You should purchase the very best you can afford and if all you can afford is a dollar, you should do it. The important thing is to start and to do the best you can. Buying things from the dollar store and I do so myself simply makes good sense for some items. Besides, it is fun to shop there. FOOD HOUSEWARES Plastic Storage Bags/Containers HARDWARE HEALTH/FIRST AID MISCELLANEOUS But What About Free? Lest you think that the dollar store is your only option when the budget is stretched, what about free? Misty Marsh, who is the food diva at Your Own Home Store and is one of our Backdoor Survival sponsors, offers up these 11 ways to prepare for free! 1. Take a video inventory of your home. 2. Create (and practice) a family evacuation plan. 3. Create (and practice) a family emergency plan 4. Store water in juice and soda bottles. 5. Make a written list of all important phone numbers. 6. Print 10+ recipes that you can make with 100% shelf-stable items. I know I have a lot of my recipes stored online. If I couldnt access my computer, Id still want to be able to cook! Pick a few recipes that you can make with items you regularly keep on hand and print them out. You can find a whole list of 100% shelf stable recipes here. 7. Brush up your first aid skills 8. Learn a few other basic skills. 9. Teach your children some basic skills. 10. Understand and plan for your specific risks. 11. Organize your First Aid supplies. Note: I was just getting reading to share my list of dollar store prepping items when Bernie, the Apartment Prepper diva, published an article on Prepping Supplies for 99 Cents. But not being one to waste good copy, I decided to go ahead with my article. Be sure to check out her piece as well. Read other articles by Gaye Levy here. Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation! Gaye Levy, theSurvivalWoman, grew up and attended school in the Greater Seattle area. After spending many years as an executive in the software industry, she started a specialized accounting practice offering contract CFO work to emerging high tech and service industries. She has now abandoned city life and moved to a serenely beautiful rural area on an island in NW Washington State. She lives and teaches the principles of a sustainable, self-reliant and stylish lifestyle through emergency preparation and disaster planning through her website at BackdoorSurvival.com. SurvivalWoman speaks her mind and delivers her message with optimism and grace, regardless of mayhem swirling around us. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 