Tough Love: You DO Have Enough Money to Prep

The Organic Prepper – by Daisy Luther

People all over the globe are struggling right now to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.  For some, these tips will not be helpful because their situation has become so dire.  For the rest of us, though, there are many places that we can cut the budget in order to put aside money to prepare.  If you are spending money on any of these things and claiming that you can’t afford to prep, I’m calling “Baloney Sandwich” on that today.

You may not want to make changes.  You may not want to sacrifice your little luxuries.  You may feel like you “deserve” them or that you have “earned” them.

That may well be the case, but one day if your cupboards are empty, the stores are closed and your kids are shivering in an unheated house, how much luxury would skipping those pedicures while sipping a $6 Starbucks have purchased for you?  If you “can’t afford to prep” but you are still spending money frivolously, then you have willfully signed on for a very difficult future.

I’m not suggesting that every person reading this needs to implement each one of these changes, but by picking and choosing, the money you save could be invested in your future – just call it your Prepper’s Insurance Policy.

1. Drink water.  Even if you purchase it in $5 gallon jugs, it’s still the best deal around, with the added bonus of being good for your health.  Skip the soda pop, juices and sports drinks.
2. Join a Farm Co-op.  You can get baskets of produce for more than half the year at a fraction of the price.
3. Stop buying coffee in the drive thru on your way to work every day.  You can save anywhere from  $300-1300, depending on whether you are a Tim Hortons/Dunkin Donuts/Starbucks person.
4. Brown bag it.  Bring a healthy lunch from home instead of spending $5 or more each work day on your lunch.
5. Skip the meat – consider 2 meatless meals per week, or at the very least make meat a condiment instead of a main dish.
6. Cancel cable or satellite.  Yes, the kids will complain.  Yes, it will suck at first.  Then you’ll learn to do other things and it won’t bother you at all.
7. Lower your thermostat.  The Consumer Energy Center says that for every degree you lower your heat under 70 degrees F, you can save up to 5% off your bill.  Look into other ways to stay warm.
8. Don’t use credit cards. If you must, because of an expense account, be sure to pay it off in full before the interest can kick in.
9. Shop around for car and home insurance to be sure you are getting the best price.
10. Grow your own veggies and herbs.
11. Find the best phone plan.  For some it may be Skype, for others it may be a cell phone instead of a landline and for still others, especially those who make a lot of long distance calls, it may be a VOIP service with unlimited national calling.
12. Take shorter showers – this can save you up to $100 per year.
13. Make homemade pizza instead of ordering delivery.  At the very least, go pick the pizza up to save yourself delivery charges and tip.
14. Hanging your clothes to dry instead of using an electric dryer can save over $300 per year.
15. Washing your clothes in cold water can save $50 per year – plus your clothes will last longer.
16. Don’t throw away your leftovers.  You can collect small amounts of left overs and combine them into something totally new.  We often keep a container in the freezer for leftover veggies.  Later we add them to soups or pot pies.  Sometimes we have enough miscellaneous leftovers to create an entirely new meal, which is like free food!  Another option is what my kids call “leftover buffet” – all the leftovers go out on the counter and the kids can pick and choose their items – the ovenproof dish gets heated up and voila – TV dinner is served!  If you have a few servings of dinner left over, put them in single serving containers so that you can grab them for lunches throughout the week.
17. Eat at home.  If you cut meals out to one a month, you can save up to $3000 per year for a family of four.  As well, when it is a rare occurrence, it’s much more of a treat.
18. Shop secondhand.  Hit up thrift stores, Craigslist, Ebay, and yard sales before purchasing items new.  Seek and ye shall very often find what you need for a fraction of the price.  Also check out “Freecycle” – a website dedicated to unloading unwanted things at no charge.
19.  Stay healthy.  Sometimes this is easier said than done, but by taking precautions like washing your hands and avoiding sick people you can reduce your risk of becoming ill.  Also, good nutrition, vitamins, exercise and sunshine all help to boost your immune system.  Being sick results in lost wages, money spent on trips to the doctor,  and expensive medications.
20. Prep your food ahead of time.  Nothing says “drive thru” like a gnawing hunger pain in your stomach on your way home from work.  Spend time on the weekend prepping your food for the week ahead so that you are able to have dinner on the table in less time than it takes to wait in line at a fast food restaurant.
21. Skip the gym and take your workout outside.  Walk, run, bike, or hike and save those monthly fees.
22. Quit smoking.  Need I say more?
23. DIY your hair color.  At the very least, touch up your roots at home.
24. Speaking of hair – consider simplifying.  Try to stretch the time between hair cuts, learn to trim your hair yourself, forgo the fancy highlights and procedures, and cut back on the products.  I realize not everyone is as enthusiastic about the ponytail as I am but see where you can simplify.
25. Ditch the fake nails.  I used to have a friend that insisted it was necessary to her job to have perfectly manicured fingers. No.  If you are not a professional hand model, it’s not.  Either learn to do it yourself or simplify to short neat fingernails buffed to a shine.  I sincerely doubt any person ever lost a job for not having artificial nails.
26. Clip coupons, but be sure to compare with the price of the less expensive store brands – sometimes coupons aren’t that great of a deal.
27. Skip the fancy cleaning supplies and use household items like white vinegar and baking soda to keep your house spotless.
28. Repair instead of replace.  In our disposable society, most  people say “Oh, it’s only $3 – I’ll get a new one.”  Repairing items isn’t just a way to save money – it’s a great way to improve your prepper skills.  Learn skills like mending, darning, welding, simple electrical and mechanical repairs and minor carpentry.
29. Skip the doggie beauty salon.  Learn to groom your dog at home.  For the price of one trip to the groomer, you can purchase quality nail clippers and a good brush.  Use human shampoo and brush your pet frequently to reduce matting.  If your dog requires trimming on a regular basis, consider getting clippers, or at the very least, stretching out the visits with a bit more time in between.
30. Stay home.  When you stay home, you aren’t spending money on gas, drinks, food and shopping.  If you are the type of person that needs the social aspect of going out, take your own water bottle and picnic lunch, and focus on free activities like going to the dog park, the museum on free-admission days, and the splash pad with the kids.

 

Take a long, critical look at your expenditures and decide what your priorities are.  For the $15 per person that you would spend on an outing to the movie theater today, you could buy enough beans and rice to see you through a difficult time in the future.  Quite seriously, we are running out of time to purchase things at a reasonable price.  Taxes are increasing, prices are increasing and jobs are vanishing.  The time to focus is RIGHT NOW.

You can use one of these suggestions or all of them.  Be creative and come up with your own ways to save that work well with your life.  Realize that by spending money prepping, you will save money in the long run.

For those of you with a black belt in frugality, what are some cuts that you have made in order to meet your goals?

Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor.  Her website, The Organic Prepper, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy onFacebook and Twitter, and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca

http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/tough-love-you-do-have-enough-money-to-prep-02012013

Sent to us by the author.