There is nothing worse than a hungry cat!

 

if SHTF the cat could become the prep :sing:

 

So the definition of prepping is spend more money so you are prepared? How does a person on a fixed monthly income prep? Just wondering. I know its a real good idea to stock more food for every thing with winter snow ins on the way but how does that happen when living hand to mouth in any 30 day cycle?

 

There are 2 ways I have found to provide what we need. Labor or Money. If we have money we can pay others to labor for our needs. If we do not have money then we must use our own labor to provide for our needs. I do not know what skills you have or what resources may be available in your area, but I would suggest if you do not have the money for what you need, then find a way to use your labor to provide it, either through working for someone else to provide additional money or working to make the things you need. Not trying to be hard on you or anything, but most people have talents that they do not realize or are not putting to use. Think of the things you know how to do and how you could make money or make things to trade?

 

So the definition of prepping is spend more money so you are prepared? How does a person on a fixed monthly income prep? Just wondering. I know its a real good idea to stock more food for every thing with winter snow ins on the way but how does that happen when living hand to mouth in any 30 day cycle?

I think that responsible prepping means prepping slowly. If you're breaking your budget to do it, it's probably not responsible. My church is full of master preppers and what I often see people do is just spend an extra $5 each week at the grocery store and buy 2 or 3 items with a very long expiration date to put away. Also know that most canned food can go 2-3 years (or more) past its expiration date without a problem. Following those principles, after a couple years of buying 3 extra items per week you'll have 312 food items put away. As expiration dates start to come up, cycle through the food and eat what you have, replacing it with your grocery money. Most importantly, when you prep, buy things that you actually like so that if you have to use them you will enjoy it.

Another tip is if you get any extra money, rather than sinking it into entertainment or going out to a restaurant, spend it on bulk food items put out by prepper companies. I purchase from a company that sells, for example, buckets of 41lbs of pinto beans for $75. The beans are packaged in a canister with oxygen absorbers and a gasket so they will last without spoiling for 20+ years. Once you've purchased a half dozen of those over time you're modestly prepped for a huge chunk of your life.

The way I see it and have been taught is that as long as you've got a year worth of food and fuel for your family you're probably all set for any kind of major life event whether it be job loss, disability, or a natural disaster. A year should be long enough to re-establish yourself and if you're unable to do so in that timeline you're likely not going to recover.