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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
There’s no doubt about it, prepping can be expensive. That’s one of the things that keeps people from starting in the first place. Those of us who have been at it a while have found ways of cutting those costs, making prepping at least a little less expensive. Depending on one’s ability to use their imagination and the disasters they’re prepping for, it’s possible to save quite a bit of money on prepping.
One of the keys to saving money is having the imagination to repurpose items. Many things which have been designed and manufactured for one purpose will work just as well for another. A wooden children’s play wagon works just as well as a yard cart as the ones made specifically for the purpose, once the kids get too old to enjoy it. Then there are five-gallon paint buckets, which can be used for a myriad of purposes besides just holding unused paint.
Getting those items used at the Salvation Army is even better, allowing you to save money. There’s no sense buying things for full price if you don’t have to. Better to save the money so it can be used for other things. That will help your prepping efforts to go faster.
The Salvation Army is a great source for a wide variety of things, for those who have the patience to go there regularly to see what comes in. A lot of the best stuff goes quickly, so unless you check back regularly, there’s a good chance that the things you need will disappear before you can buy them.
So what sorts of things should you be looking for at your local Salvation Army?
Canning Jars
One of the best things to look for in any second-hand store or even a garage sale is canning jars. If you are gardening and canning your own food as part of your prepping, you probably need lots of canning supplies. But what you’re using now is nothing compared to what you’ll be using when you’re growing all your food. Canning in a post-disaster world will become a way of life.
Candles
Candles are another thing to be constantly keeping an eye out for. People buy decorative candles all the time, then get rid of them when they start getting beat up. I’ve seen such candles go for as little as a quarter a piece. They’re great for melting down and making into survival candles; putting them in a spaghetti sauce jar with four wicks per candle. The jar keeps the wicks dry and the multiple wicks allow for more light, when it is needed.
Candlesticks
Some of those candles might be tapers. While I’m not a big fan of using tapers for survival, they’ll work, if you’ve got candlesticks to put them in. As candlesticks aren’t…