I recently read on another survival site the discussion over how much cash to sock away for a rainy SHTF and/or how much to Survivalspend in prepping. The consensus of the replies was that $1000 sounded about right for a starting budget for prepping. I don’t know the parameters of the question posed on a SHTF budget, but sorry to break your bubble folks, but one grand won’t do diddly squat. Maybe they meant just to start off with some scratch extreme basics. In that case maybe so. I will admit that even some small start is at least a start. But frankly, a good AR with optics can cost a grand.
Still be it far for me to recommend to anyone else how much hard earned investments they should put into their prepping efforts. I just know that if you sat down with some blank paper and made an extraordinarily comprehensive list of everything needed, it would be one expensive venture. That is why incremental planning and buying is the course that most of us have to take. I been at this 20+ years.
Quality vs. Cheap
By cheap, I do not mean to imply junk that will not function, or last. I mean useful items that are reasonably priced that most Top Survival Blogpreppers can afford to buy. I think there is some middle ground these days upon which we can compromise on the equipment, gear and goods we buy for survival prepping. I think we can buy good stuff for a fair price that will give reliable, long term service.
If you are old enough to remember, stuff from Japan used to be pure junk, say when I was 5-10 years old in the 1950s. Today most Japanese made merchandise is top quality and a reasonably good value. Now we have to deal with stuff from China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, and other places we know little or nothing about.
I say all that to say we need to closely inspect and evaluate any purchase we make regardless of the brand name on the label. I have come to discover some of my favorite and heavily replied upon brands now suffer from quality standards as they move their origins of manufacture from the United States. You simply cannot rely on a so-called trusted brand name alone any longer. All goods must be evaluated on their own performance standards.
Trusted Brands or Retail Sources (For the most part)
I have made reasonably great strides to evaluate and pick prepping goods that offer both decent quality and a fair market value in today’s marketplace. There may be exceptions within some of these brand offerings, but for the most part I have found these to make the grade: (continue reading)