We’ve all heard the prepper mantra, “Two is one, and one is none.” Apparently, this originated with the Navy Seals, for whom I have a great deal of respect. However, I’m not a Navy Seal, and (being totally honest here) I’m pretty broke these days. So, how does one be all prepared when your budget, is well….in the scale of mini or micro?
As inflation sucked the margin of comfort out of my budget over the past few years, I’ve tightened my belt again and again. I do need to eat, and I do need a roof over my head, and (despite how challenging it has become) I do want a car because I live in a rural area where it would be an enormous hardship to live without one.
I know I’m not alone! So, in this article, I wanted to share the hard realities of what prepping and “one is none” looks like in my own life. As always, I look forward to your comments on how all of you are managing in this increasingly difficult financial climate.
What I Don’t Have
There are lots of things I don’t have and, quite simply, can’t afford to buy now. As I went to write this, I had to chuckle, as the list is pretty staggering. I don’t have a freeze-dryer. Heck, I don’t even have a dehydrator. Having lived off the grid for years, I prefer off-grid food preservation methods. If you want to learn more about what I do, check out this recent article. Heck, I still have months’ worth of vegetables down a hole in the ground. More on that in a future article…
I don’t have solar power and a battery set up for the entire cabin. There are several reasons why I don’t. If the grid goes down, I’m just going with candles and lamps for the long term. I’ve lived with these solar battery systems and know they break down. Realistically, I know that I’m not able to maintain, fix, and replace parts on a system like that in a real SHTF.
I don’t have a working generator. I have one. I know how to tune it up. It has an oil leak somewhere. I have other priorities. I may sell it. All aspects of my cabin function without electricity, including my septic, except the fridges. In winter, that’s no prob. In summer, I would be in trouble (see wish list below). In a real SHTF, where would you get the fuel? And the sound of the generator would be bound to bring trouble in my rural area.
What I Have One of
I have one compound hunting bow. At one time, before my back injury, I could split my own arrows in a group from 50 yards. After I hurt my back, I haven’t been shooting it. As my back heals, I am wondering if I can get back to it one day in the future. I have one admittedly crappy fishing rod I bought from a thrift shop. I have one solar lantern that charges phones. I have one pair of high-quality hiking boots.
Why do I have just one of these items? Mainly because carrying a second of any of these in a real bug-out situation doesn’t seem realistic to me. In terms of fishing, what I do have in my BOB is some line and multiple hooks. My lack of funds means that I will need to make do with what I have in a long-term bug situation. So, given that I’m often choosing what foods I can and can’t afford to eat EACH WEEK, I have left my supplies of these at one is none.
What I Have Multiples Of
I know in the list above that boots are pretty important. I have a backup pair of boots that are not the same quality, but would be liveable. I keep my eye out in the local thrift shops to upgrade my second pair in the future.
When I have backups of things, it’s because it would affect my immediate survival. Take water, for instance. I have so many portable water filters around that I probably forget how many I own. A couple of these are the filters on the drinking bottle type that is particularly good for being on the run. Another is a more bug-in type that can do thousands of gallons of water. So, no, I won’t be drinking funky water, SHTF come what may.
Low-cost multiples make sense to me: lighters, fire-starting methods, and fuel for a small portable stove in my BOB. Another item I have multiples of is knives and super high-quality axes. Can you ever have enough knives, I wonder? Perhaps not in this lifetime. I also have multiple sharpeners. How much real SHTF can you do without a decent knife? That is one question, my prepper friends, that I hope I never have the answer to.
My Wishlist
There are items that I would love to have, one of which I don’t. While I do not need a full solar array, I would be willing to take my chances with a small setup that could power my off-grid fridge. You see, this compact fridge has a special plug that allows it to be powered directly by DC current straight from a battery. Still, a ballpark estimate on two decent-sized deep cycle batteries and a panel and charge controller is going to run me around a grand. That’s money I just don’t have.
In my neck of the tick-infested woods, I would love to have a set of light tick-repellent clothing in my BOB. I don’t think I want to do SHTF with Lyme disease, either. I wish I had a high-quality winter-rated sleeping bag. I don’t. I hope I never have to bug out in the middle of winter. Yikes!
One is None on a Budget
It’s not easy making choices on what to spend your hard-earned money on these days. How about you? What are the things you make you have two or more of? What are the things you live with one of and hope it’s not none one day? Please tell us in the comments section.
About Rowan
Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible.
16 Responses
“. You see, this compact fridge has a special plug that allows it to be powered directly by DC current straight from a battery. ”
it is very likely you have a fridge with a 12 volt heating element and pump to force the freon through the circuit. 230 volts ( or 110) is transformed into 12 volt in your fridge. a lot of machines on AC current change internally to 12 volt DC (or more or less)…
If you come across a fridge removed from an RV for cheap, BUY IT! Those things show up once in a great while at yard sales and swap meets. New, they run well over $1K. I picked one up a long while back for $100.00. An RV fridge will, at minimum, run on AC and PROPANE. As you suggest, some will also run on 12VDC, though they are more rare and more expensive. They don’t use Freon. They use a mixture of heated water and ammonia to do the job.
A unit like this will save your bacon… both literally and figuratively, if the power goes out. You’ll have a place to put SOME of what’s in your fridge/freezer, and, if you’re on a med that requires refrigeration, it’ll extend your lease on life!
“What are the things you live with one of and hope it’s not none one day?“
I know it’s not what the author was driving at, but for me it’s my wife.
The single things I own I might miss, but I’d adapt and learn to make do without.
An unusual way of hunting wild birds on your land (patridges, ducks, turkeys, goose, etc) was to feed them with bread wet with 40% alcohol like gin, whiskey, vodka or rhum. The birds, because of the fast metabolism, became drunk fast , and even those who tried to fly , became slow and dizzy and fell on earth; it was easy for my grandmother (who was to poor to afford firearms) to catch them with a big bag or net and kill them with the baseball bat. It was a way to put some free meat on the table during the 1930 decade.
Yes, birds WILL ingest alcohol! I gave a cockatiel I had at one time a little bit of wine. He got drunk almost INSTANTLY. That bird was also a MEAN DRUNK! I tried to take the wine away from him and he kept biting me!!!
Regarding the ticks and insects
If you can invest in a container of the permethrin concentrate ( ex martins brand – you can get at hardware or feed store $20) and you dilute it to mix your own insect repellents to spray your clothes and sleeping bag etc-this will be the most cost effective way and last you a long time!!!
Get the multipurpose lawn mixer to spray it with ease do you can do a lot of clothes easily ( use hangers so that you spray all over the clothes and let air dry). I did this for family’s clothes for camping trips -it works!!! Totally worth it for your health
Also knowledge is power- so read and learn things/skills ( use library or borrow books from friends) that wont cost money to do
Thanks for the reality check… There are many who can’t really afford to “all out“ Prep — struggling hot make ends meet, or seniors on limited budgets, etc. — , and it’s all they can do to have “one“ if they have any. We are the emergency prep specialists in our Church group and it’s a continual uphill battle just to get people to start to prepare for emergency emergencies, in a relatively suburban community. Again, thanks!
If you’re in a financial bind, extra food and water are, without a doubt, your priority. This isn’t as “taxing” as you’d think. Buy one or two cans of vegetables, soup, or a package of pasta and a jar of sauce every time you shop, and you’ll build your larder quicker than you’d think. As for storage, think of the furniture you’ve got. What about that space under the bed? Do your living room and bedroom end tables have drawers? There y’go! Your spare food DOESN’T have to be stored in the kitchen!
Two is one… I stopped at a yard sale last weekend on the way home from the donut shop. I scored a 3-cell and a 2-cell incandescent Maglite, paying $3.00 for the pair. Are they the brightest lights out there? No. Will they work in a jam? Yes. I find these REGULARLY, and often EVEN CHEAPER than these latest additions. “Edison bulb” flashlights have served humanity quite adequately for almost 100 years. The same goes for AM/FM radios. These can often be had at yard and estate sales for PENNIES! I’ve found Grundig AM/FM/Shortwave/Weather radios in excellent condition for between $10-20.00 on SEVERAL occasions!
Prepare as best you can with what you’ve got and what you can afford. Every seemingly minor addition will bolster your peace of mind!
It gets a bit cold here at times. (Alaska) I have been stocking up on propane. It will be my go-to if a long term SHTF occurs. There was a time when I could have afforded a solar panel set up with battery back up. But with potential repairs during a time when parts might not be available I decided to forgo the cost. I figured that at some point I would have do to without the solar system so best to focus on food, water and a roof over my head. Now I cannot afford solar. But believe it was a good decision. I worry more for other people who are not paying attention than for myself. There is only so much one can do. Then Game time. Semper Fi. M
“I worry more for other people who are not paying attention than for myself. ”
I worry more ABOUT other people who are not paying attention than for myself, as they indeed may become the biggest dangers we face. Hungry, desperate men with hungry, desperate children are hands-down the most dangerous creatures on Earth…
Long story short, keep your preps and their locations to yourself…
Semper Paratus (Always Ready)… Coast Guard motto… A salute to you, Leatherneck!
Try spraying a set of clothes with permethrine. It is a powerful repellant. My land was unimproved when i purchased it. I spent a lot of time with a bush ax clearing brush.
Before i bought the stuff my wife would pick two or three ticks off of me after every work day.. After spraying my clothes I had no problems at all.
F4PhantomGIB
I believe the greatest problem is the two feet creature who wants all for nothing….so that is a must in prepping, a deterrent. Remote doorbells are like 5 euro/ dollar, and make a simple remote control for allsorts of protection.
Lights that switch on at movement can be an alarm system too….and if you switch/exchange the led light for infra red light a cheap night vision can be a defense item because the ir light in the monocular can be taken out if your alarm is IR also…..otherwise you are a sitting duck.
Too much solar energy can be turned into compressed air, which has many functions…..there is so much you can do on a small budget…..
A bolt two inch long with nuts stacked on it and a tube where it fits in….one end closed….so simple yet it will with some training go trough a car door. A hunting item also, if you train.
I think it’s ok to just have the preps you can afford because the reality is, we don’t know what will happen in the future and there is always a good chance that most of our preps will be lost due to a flood, fire, tornado, hurricane, landslide or other catastrophic event. As well, there’s always the chance that if TSHTF, you won’t be able to defend your preps and will lose them to others. We don’t get to pick the disaster situation we are prepping for. So I’d say that along with some level of physical preps, more important are what you know how to do(skills) and your family and friends that are reasonably local.
Thank you for this article. We’ve never been financially flush. Pretty much when we save up money something major breaks and wipes us out. The past year was harsh. Single income household and my husband’s job closed after struggling to provide him a full 40 hours a week. He found another job fairly quickly but between that and getting hit with multiple expensive repairs last year and inflation prepping just isn’t happening. We had been getting some food assistance but because of a change in the state law our household will be disqualified once it takes effect. So I’ve been trying to work on cooking extremely frugal without sacrificing nutrition. It’s not easy.
I’ve always planned to be a candles and oil lamp shtf. Anything else was never in budget. Our propane cook stove will run the top burners without electricity so we can cook as long as there is gas in the tank. My food preps aren’t nearly what they were because when I’ve had to dip into them a few times and I haven’t been able to replace much. I did find a local Amish bulk food store has stellar prices on oatmeal and flour.
“My food preps aren’t nearly what they were because when I’ve had to dip into them a few times and I haven’t been able to replace much.” Indeed, Colleen, you prepared and benefitted from your preps. Sometimes “SHTF” isn’t what you imagined it would be, but is still S Hitting The F. Congratulate yourself, learn what you did right and wrong, and move on. Whatever you still have is more than what many will start out with if things go sideways.
I don’t think that many of us here are “financially flush,” Colleen. That condition leads the likes of us to realize that in life, anything can happen and it usually does. It’s that wisdom that drives us to be ready for whatever.
I’m not a Mormon, but do know Mormons are big on being ready for whatever; a book we could ALL borrow a page from! They have an online store, and you don’t have to be a Mormon to order from it. Here’s the link to the food page:
https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/new-category/food-storage/5637160355.c
In the meantime, I will pray for you…
Mr O’Malley To practice being prepared is a Mindset
75 % of dealing with shit is having multiple ways to clean your ASS
BUTT if you might take a bit of advice
Read
ONE SECOND AFTER
And as you read it today THAT IS seen in real life
Where the story plays out
Of course no one is eating each other
BUTT My simple point is
LEAD
Never to much of it
If there is one really piece of ADVICE Buy ALL CALIBERS
For lead will be a form of MONEY
Hell won’t freeze over and lead beats a bat a rock a sharp knife
In 22 it is so light to carry and guarantee a time of swap meets will come into
Play
22 will be trade
The sum of all fears
Seems 45-47 is calling the donkeys BLUFF