I have gotten a lot of my gear from yard sales, Good Will stores, pawn shops, ect...I’m a cheap person & have to make do on a very fixed income as well.
I already have all the gear I would ever need and actually more. I stocked up on ammo back in the 80s when I had money.
I wasn’t really buying it for survival but ran across enough bargains that I ended up with more ammo, knives, saws, fire starters, actually too much to even list, that will end up with my Grandchildren.
For example I once was in a TG&Y in Dodge City, KS which was going out of business. I stopped in when they had reduced everything to 60% off. What the story was, I have no idea but they had just brought out several hundred boxes of Remington .22LR. The premium stuff. I ended up buying over $200 worth and got around 500 boxes.
I still have most of it.
“I have gotten a lot of my gear from yard sales, Good Will stores, pawn shops, etc...I’m a cheap person and have to make do on a fixed on one as well.”
That’s an idea for a prepper thread. Things you’ve bought, things to look for at yard sales, thrift shops, and cheapo-depots. Big Lots is great for ropes, tarps, battery-operated lamps and gizmos. I found a “headlamp” —basically a little flashlight on a headband—for $3.
I steer clear of discount-store batteries, though, preferring to order good rechargeable NiCad and NiMH ones online.
My big find at Dollar Tree (where everything’s a dollar!) is Gossner brand milk which can be stored on your shelf —unrefrigerated—for up to a year. It does not need to be refrigerated until after it is opened.
This is not powdered milk. It is real milk, 1%, 2%, or skim.
It is pasteurized at high heat and vacuum sealed in quart-sized mylar boxes. Costs $1 per quart, comes to $4 per gallon.
I’ll buy at least $20 worth at a time and rotate it, I always have a 6month supply on hand.
Another item found in camping supply stores is canned ground beef, 28 oz.
The brand is Camp Traditions. Cost $3 per can. Why can it myself if I can find it this cheap?
I’m looking at dehydrated meat from a few companies online. Has anybody bought any, and is it a good deal?
Building a smoke house is on my to-do list.
I’ve found lots of canning supplies, apple peelers, grain mills, bushel baskets, cast iron pots, hand-operated drills and various tools at thrift stores and yard sales.
This week I’m off to buy a 75-gallon plastic water tank. I’ll raise it onto a high, steel-reinforced scaffold, then fill it. I’m building a backup bathroom, with shower and potty, so I won’t need to hike to the house to clean up while gardening.