I'm on a very tight budget and have to get this done in small pieces. Each week I pickup $20-$30 in canned foods. I've been doing this for about six months and have acquired about 4 months of yummy canned foods that do not require cooking.
What really helps is being in a group. It's a resource multiplier. We hold monthly meetings and each member is assigned certain tasks which fit that member's skill set.
Some are picking up dry goods, bulk flour, sugar, etc. Others are getting medical supplies. Still others are in charge of weapons, ammo, and defensive measures.
As for WHAT we're prepping for....the mostly likely event would be a extended power grid failure or massive monetary collapse. Imagine what would happen if everyone’s credit cards stopped working.
When I started by trip down prepping, the best advice was to evaluate what to prep for. My list was basic -
Natural events:
Storms
Floods
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
Asteroids
Man Caused
Crime
Civil disturbances
Civil War
Open war (WW3)
Financal meltdown
I then evaluated what the chance of each occuring in my life time would be. Estimated what the extent of the impacts would be and what would be necessary to prepare for them.
How did your group get started?
I only know two other people prepping.