By Dennis Diaz
A long time ago, a very smart Chinese philosopher said “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. And when it comes to prepping and building your preparedness plan, stores and supplies is not only true but it’s the most practical approach.
This is true when talking about budget and also prevent getting overwhelmed. There’s a lot of information out there, (not all of it good but that’s a different issue) and many preppers try to do too much too fast; it’s very easy to get overwhelmed.
On the money side, it can also get very expensive very fast. In one of our weekly chats in our private Facebook group (The Bugout Network) we had very good suggestions and a great discussion on the topic of prepping on a budget, a lot of which seems very relevant for this post. I’ll share a few of those in a separate post.
This is true when talking about budget and also prevent getting overwhelmed. There’s a lot of information out there, (not all of it good but that’s a different issue) and many preppers try to do too much too fast; it’s very easy to get overwhelmed.
On the money side, it can also get very expensive very fast. In one of our weekly chats in our private Facebook group (The Bugout Network) we had very good suggestions and a great discussion on the topic of prepping on a budget, a lot of which seems very relevant for this post. I’ll share a few of those in a separate post.
The approach I like to recommend when it comes to prepping, is the gradual progress and manageable increments. Don’t get overwhelmed any progress is better than no progress. This may seem simple but with the information overload from our day to day, is not easy. Here it is in a nutshell
1 . Evaluate where you are – Take a close look at your current situation, your family, your location, your budget, the biggest threats to your area, etc. Make a list of the top 5 areas where you want/need to improve. Then prioritize them in order of importance, then pick the top 3 and really focus on getting those addressed.
2. Develop a strategy – Based on what your areas for improvement or your weaknesses are you need to determine if you want to address one at a time or all three in parallel. This will vary based on the severity and your budget. If there’s one that more critical than others, like your 72 hour supplies, or medical supplies, start there. If all three are equally important, and budget is an issue, then work on the more economic options first. From there, make a list of activities on how you plan to address each area of improvement. Is it buying supplies, fixing stuff around the house, taking a class? Whatever it may be make a list and no matter what they are FOCUS on those. I’ve seen more people throw in the towel and quit or never get started, because of lack of focus than lack of resources.
3. Set a budget – Set a monthly budget of however much you can afford. Even if its $10 or $20 a month there are a lot of things you can get on the cheap. You can change dollar amount you put into this but start with something every month and be disciplined about it. If you’re over your monthly budget and don’t need it immediately, get that extra item the following month. This will save you from spending too much on a whim. This monthly budgeting is the same approach many people take when it comes to savings account. If you set it aside every month you’ll slightly adjust your lifestyle so you can live every month without the extra funds and it will build your supplies over time.
4. Re-evaluate, rinse and repeat – Once you have improved on the previous areas, in maybe in 6 to 12 months, re-evaluate where you are and repeat the process. Keep the same areas or add new ones.
I know this may be simple and intuitive but it’s probably one of the things I’ve found helps people the most. Making a plan and focusing on it is the entire game. Yes you can change the plan but only when it serves your objective. Feel free to comment below or drop me a like on Facebook
1 . Evaluate where you are – Take a close look at your current situation, your family, your location, your budget, the biggest threats to your area, etc. Make a list of the top 5 areas where you want/need to improve. Then prioritize them in order of importance, then pick the top 3 and really focus on getting those addressed.
2. Develop a strategy – Based on what your areas for improvement or your weaknesses are you need to determine if you want to address one at a time or all three in parallel. This will vary based on the severity and your budget. If there’s one that more critical than others, like your 72 hour supplies, or medical supplies, start there. If all three are equally important, and budget is an issue, then work on the more economic options first. From there, make a list of activities on how you plan to address each area of improvement. Is it buying supplies, fixing stuff around the house, taking a class? Whatever it may be make a list and no matter what they are FOCUS on those. I’ve seen more people throw in the towel and quit or never get started, because of lack of focus than lack of resources.
3. Set a budget – Set a monthly budget of however much you can afford. Even if its $10 or $20 a month there are a lot of things you can get on the cheap. You can change dollar amount you put into this but start with something every month and be disciplined about it. If you’re over your monthly budget and don’t need it immediately, get that extra item the following month. This will save you from spending too much on a whim. This monthly budgeting is the same approach many people take when it comes to savings account. If you set it aside every month you’ll slightly adjust your lifestyle so you can live every month without the extra funds and it will build your supplies over time.
4. Re-evaluate, rinse and repeat – Once you have improved on the previous areas, in maybe in 6 to 12 months, re-evaluate where you are and repeat the process. Keep the same areas or add new ones.
I know this may be simple and intuitive but it’s probably one of the things I’ve found helps people the most. Making a plan and focusing on it is the entire game. Yes you can change the plan but only when it serves your objective. Feel free to comment below or drop me a like on Facebook
About the Author
Dennis Diaz is the Chief Editor of Survival Ready Blog. He is passionate about learning and teaching survival and preparedness strategies. He is the author of the "The 12 Month Prepper & Survivalist Playbook" & Co-creator of many resources offered at Survival Ready Blog and The Bugout Network.
He doesn't consider himself an expert, but a facilitator and he works hard to provide a platform to those with valuable expertise to share their knowledge with as many people as possible.
He enjoys helping others prepare themselves for multiple dangerous scenarios, by coaching them on how develop their own customized survival & preparedness plans and develop their survival skills. He promotes the core concept of making preparedness and survival knowledge part of their daily lives.
He doesn't consider himself an expert, but a facilitator and he works hard to provide a platform to those with valuable expertise to share their knowledge with as many people as possible.
He enjoys helping others prepare themselves for multiple dangerous scenarios, by coaching them on how develop their own customized survival & preparedness plans and develop their survival skills. He promotes the core concept of making preparedness and survival knowledge part of their daily lives.
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