It is important for each and every one of us to take responsibility for our own well being, and it’s even more important to do so during an emergency. During a real emergency, whether man-made or a natural disaster, being prepared is the only way you can guarantee your own safety.
Since you can’t count on the authorities being their in your time of need, you must prepare an emergency kit. Buying pre-made emergency kits are the simplest way to be prepared, but you can save some real bucks simply putting together your own.
Water
Water is the most vital part of your emergency kit and luckily you can get this part of your emergency virtually at no cost. The cost of water for your emergency kit is the cost of your containers. Finding used water bottles in your recycling bin or by collecting them from friends and family will help you save big time when stocking your emergency kit with water.
Try to locate used glass water bottles when adding them to your kit, as plastic bottles have been proven to leach toxins into your water. Also, when refilling bottles with drinking water from your tap, make sure to first wash and sterilize your bottles by boiling them and using a small amount of unscented bleach to kill bacteria.
Adding water to your emergency kit this way will cost you about 10 cents to 50 cents per gallon of water. This is well below the cost of any overpriced tapped water in plastic bottles that the big water companies try to sell you.
Food
We can only survive about 2-10 ten days without water, but we can survive much longer without food. Sadly, this doesn’t mean your body will perform at it’s best without it. In an emergency situation you want to be in peak condition and preparing your kit with a food reserve is going to help you do just that.
Instead of looking to expensive, pre-packaged freeze dried prepare foods, stock your own lightweight dried foods at a fraction of the cost. Pack nuts, fast growing sprouts, dried fruit such as raisins and bananas, and any other lightweight, easy to prepare, non-perishables you already enjoy. Seeds and nuts can be purchased from the bulk bins from your local health food stores for about $1-$2 per pound and you can even buy fruit in season to use to dry your own fruits for your emergency kit.
Adding food to your emergency kit this way will cost you about $1-$3 per pound of food. This is well below the cost of any freeze dried prepared foods you may find in the stores.
Poncho/Tarp
You never know what the weather is going to be when an emergency hits, so be prepared with a poncho.
Ponchos are amazing because the can help you reduce your chances of becoming sick at a time when staying healthy is imperative. Save some money and purchase a plastic tarp that can easily double as your poncho and your shelter if you have to rough it. You can ask around and find a large piece of used tarp for free. Make sure to check websites for bartering or Freecycle to take a piece of unwanted tarp off of someone’s hands.
Procuring a piece of tarp this way will cost you virtually nothing. This is below the cost of some of the cheaper ponchos that cost about $2 to $5 at your local outdoor store. If you must purchase a poncho, check your local dollar stores as they can provide poncho for your emergency kit at a real savings.
Bag
For your emergency kit, you want to find a bag that can handle quite a load of weight. You also want to keep in mind how much you will realistically be able to carry on your back when moving quickly out of harm’s way.
Since the bag will most likely be the most expensive purchase, try to search for used backpacking bags or heavy duty military duffel bags online on sites like Craigslist.org, eBay.com and Freecycle. There are plenty of options for bags that will fit into your budget and several options for a $10 price point, perfect for putting together multiple affordable emergency kits for your car, workplace and home.
Purchasing the bag for your emergency kit this way will cost you anywhere from zero dollars to $15. This is well below the cost of the backpacking bags and emergency kit bags they try to sell in stores.