5 Ways to Prep without Spending Money!

5 Ways to Prep without Spending Money

Who would say “no” to prepping for free? Not many people, I imagine… I know stockpiling costs money, but I went ahead and found the things to do to prepare that cost (almost) nothing.

What many people forget is that survival is about much more than just buying things. It’s about getting in shape, it’s about knowing how to do things such as starting a fire or tying knots, it’s about improving your awareness.  All of these things are free, and so are many more that you’ll discover if you keep reading.

#1. Use your body weight to work out

Bodyweight workouts have become very popular lately and not just among preppers. Everyone is seeing the benefits of working out at home, the main one being, of course, that they don’t have to spend money on weights and gym memberships.

Some of the exercises you can do include:

• push-ups
• squats
• pull-ups
• walking and hiking to improve stamina (this is also a good bug out on foot simulation, where you’d have to travel for miles on end with a heavy backpack on your back)
• …and even yoga to improve flexibility

Easy, right? I know it may not seem like much but it’s a great start if you’re looking to increase your strength and flexibility.

And this is just the beginning… If you search YouTube or Google, you’ll find hundreds upon hundreds of bodyweight exercises to train every muscle in your body.

If you can afford to spend a little bit of money, there are basic weights that you can get on Amazon for next to nothing. Once you get a little bit into shape, I would definitely recommend a pair of dumbbells with adjustable weight

#2. Make your own archery target

DIY archery targets aren’t as hard as you’d think. There are plenty of projects online that show you how to make one with simple materials. At the very least, you can just use a cardboard or a piece of plywood. Whatever works, the main thing is that you practice archery until you become good at it.

This could be a really cool project for your kids, just make sure you don’t actually let them shoot the bows without supervision. Speaking of which, there are other things the little ones can help you with (also free):

• making an inventory of the things around the house that could be useful in survival situations
• trying to figure out survival uses for the things they find
• they can dig caches in your back yard to store preps in PVC pipes
• they can help you make a basic rainwater harvesting system in your back yard
• they can gather firewood for your stockpile (careful, this might not be legal where you live, find out first)
• they can carve primitive tools such as spoons and forks
• they can make snare traps for small game
• they can learn and practice the fine art of knot tying
• …and so on.

#3. Make survival plans

All that is required to make survival plans is your brain, a pen and paper. And there are plenty of plans to make, such as:

• bugging out
• getting home
• meeting your family at the rally point in case of an emergency
• setting up drills for every imaginable emergency
• making communication plans
• …and on and on.

The irony is that, although this is one of the most important aspects of survival, planning is often neglected. I know you don’t get the same satisfaction as you do when you order a bushcraft knife on Amazon, but planning for various events will ensure you know what to do and that, when it finally hits, you don’t spend a single moment.

When you make those plans, try to include your family, even if they’re not “on board”. When disaster does strike, you’ll have to help them out whether you like it or not. If they are prepping, everyone needs to know in advance all the rally points, where to go, who to call and what routes to take.

#4. Explore your surroundings

Whether you live in a big city or in a very small town, it doesn’t cost you anything to explore your neighborhood (either on foot, by bike or by car). Maybe you’ve already done that, especially if you lived there all your life, but try to pay more attention this time.

Look for:

• ways to get out of your neighborhood that not many people know about
• places where there’s an abundance of wild edibles
• water sources
• street names (and try to memorize them so you’ll easily give your location over the phone, without walking around trying to figure out where you are)
• possible road blocks and dead ends
• places to camp when bugging out or if something happens to your house (abandoned buildings, caves etc.)

If you want to take things to the next level, why not grab a backpack with supplies and go hiking in the nearby hills or mountains? This will not only improve your stamina but you’ll see what it feels like to carry a heavy load on your back. Most people are incapable of hiking more than half mile with a backpack. I’m not saying you’ll have to bug out on foot, I’m sure your car is ready, but you just never know.

#5. Read

When you read more than the average prepper two miraculous thing happen…

First, your knowledge fixates better in your brain. Things like knowing which wild edibles are best to eat or how the canning process works are best learn by doing, but re-reading also helps a lot.

The second thing is, you get to uncover some of the controversies surrounding the survival community, such as: which devices will survive an EMP, what personal water filter you should use, whether you should bug in or out, or what the disasters and emergencies that are more likely to affect you are.

Final Word

So this is it. I strongly encourage you to actually apply what you just read. Do one or two of the things in this article right now (except the last one, of course). Stretch those muscles. Make those emergency plans in case of a house fire or a flash flood. Establish those rally points. And postpone buying that 4^th flashlight because you don’t really need it so long as there are things to take care of.