9 inexpensive items you should be getting right now!

As we watch the prices of goods and services continue to climb, the cost of purchasing items for preparedness and survival are increasing as well. And as events of the past few years have shown, the need to Americans to be prepared has never been important. Getting items to help you survive a tough situation should be imperative.

I thought I would look at some “survival/preparedness” items that are currently inexpensive, but that could cost more in the coming months. These are items you would certainly want to have in a SHTF type scenario.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has so many different uses, and has been around for thousands of years. Useful for things like cleaning, some medicinal uses, and personal hygiene, grabbing an extra box or two is not a bad idea. An unopened box has a shelf life of almost 2 years when stored at room temperature.

Once opened, it will last for about 6 to 9 months. Currently, a 1 pound box is less than a buck. But there is no guarantee it will remain this cheap as prices on almost everything continue to rise.

Some of the many uses for baking soda include:

• face/body scrub
• toothpaste
• deodorant
• itch relief
• cleaner for things like pots/pans, oven, tile, etc
• absorbs radiation
• freshens linen

Seeds

I have watched the price of seeds rise over the past year or so, a tend that will only continue. While all seed prices have been going up this is especially true of heirloom seeds, and to some extent hybrid seeds. If you are curious what the difference is, here’s what my friend Laurie Neverman from the website Common Sense Home had to say:

Heirloom varieties are open pollinated. This means that when properly isolated from other varieties, they breed true to the parent plant. This allows you to save seeds from year to year.

Hybrid seeds are a cross between two or more different varieties, while heirloom seeds are from a single variety.

Some vegetable seeds are open pollinated (they breed true to type), but are not heirlooms because they have not been around a long time.

This is a great article, and lists many great sources to buy heirloom seeds. To check out the entire article, please click the link here.

Coffee

I am one of those who drinks this daily. And while technically coffee is not a necessity, it certainly something I would want to have a supply of in terrible situations.  The shelf life of freeze-dried coffee is decades when left unopened, and several years once opened. Trust me, what you don’t use as a morale boost would be a valuable trade good in a true long term SHTF situation.

The price of coffee has risen some of the past year, and that tend is expected to continue. If you can afford to grab extra, by all means I would do so! The price on coffee is expected to increase significantly over time.

Pain Meds

Yes, many over the counter medications, such as aspirin, have an expiration date on them. But that does not mean the product is no longer usable after that date. In fact, according to a Harvard Medical School finding,

Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the U.S. military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.

Now of course there are several exceptions to this/some things to keep in mind. The first is of course improper storage. These drugs should be kept in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Temperature extremes should be avoided also. In that military study, the drugs were kept in optimum conditions!

The second thing to remember is that even though the drugs may still be good, they may lose some of their effectiveness over time. So your acetaminophen may only take the edge off of your headache instead of taking it away if used past its “expiration date”. Still, it certainly beats having nothing at all!

Next, if you have any medications with a discard date (as opposed to an expiration date), then absolutely you should toss them once that date is reached. Things like insulin, some antibiotics, etc. should NOT be used past their discard date. Liquid meds, such as eye drops, are included in this category as well.

Drugs that require refrigeration, such as amoxicillin suspension, should also be tossed if the date has passed, OR if it is no longer refrigerated.

Vaccines, biologicals or blood products will lose their potency VERY quickly once their expiration dates are reached. So these are not ideal for storing long-term.

Aluminum Foil

The beauty of aluminum foil is that it is easy to store and lasts forever. It is invulnerable to light, moisture, gases, bacteria, and odors. However, it does tear and rip easily. But as long as you keep it in its original container and aren’t too rough with it, you can store it almost anywhere. Out in the garage, out in the unclimatized shed, or down in the basement.

Aluminum foil has dozens and dozens of uses. Everything from cooking, to cleaning, to making a solar oven or Faraday cage, foil is one of those items that is always handy to have in a grid down scenario. Aluminum foil is also easy to make into a hat! 😉

Seriously though, you can even use aluminum foil to make a fire! So this is something I’d make sure I had readily available during a SHTF crisis, and I’d stock up before the price of it begins to rise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj-jvsSKyAg

Vinegar

White distilled vinegar, if stored out of direct sunlight at room temperature can last for decades or longer. And the uses of vinegar are amazing. From sanitizing and cleaning, to preserving food, to eliminating foul odors, vinegar is an item I make sure I have plenty of!

Some of the uses of vinegar include:

• Use as a disinfectant for things like wood cutting boards or sponges (cleans glass too)
• Can help reduce itching and pain from sunburns and bug bites
• Use a little in your mop water when mopping to get rid of flies
• Can use in your laundry to help reduce the amount of soap you use
• Vinegar and some baking soda will clear up a clogged drain. Do this by putting baking soda in drain and then adding boiling vinegar, then rinse with hot water
• Raw apple cider vinegar containing the ‘mother’  (click the link to learn more) is good for keeping your chickens healthy. Add 2 TBSP to a gallon of water for ill birds and half that for preventative maintenance. Do not use this mixture in metal water containers however. The vinegar will corrode the metal.
• After shampooing, use some apple cider vinegar in your hair to get rid of dandruff.

Because of its very long shelf life, you don’t have to worry about it degrading, spoiling, or becoming contaminated as long as you store it correctly.

You can even make your own vinegar. Read this to find out more.

Canned Meat

Canned meats are a great source of protein be it in your daily life or if you find yourself in an extended bug in scenario. The shelf life of canned meat can be anywhere from 1 to 5 years, depending upon the type of meat, storage conditions, etc. These meats will remain edible long after the “Best is Used By” date. However, once the can is opened, whatever is not immediately consumed should be refrigerated. This may not always be possible in many grid-down situations. Just something to think about when buying larger cans.

Meat canned in oil has the most calories and nutrition. And you can use canned meant in place of fresh meat when it comes to baking and cooking.

Unfortunately, the price of meat has already gone up significantly, and the prices are only expected to increase.

Duct Tape

If you don’t have some of this in your Get Home bag/car kit, I’d suggest you get some in there pronto! Duct tape has so many uses it is crazy! And that is in addition to being a universal repair kit! The uses of duct tape are so numerous I didn’t want to try and list them all here. I just recently purchased ​3M Extreme Hold Duct Tape, and this stuff is amazing!!

Below is a video from my friend Scootch on many of the great survival uses of duct tape!

Hand Tools

Between my father, my brother, and myself, we have a huge assortment of power tools and gear. This includes multiple chain saws, power saws, corded and cordless drills, etc. But if the grid goes down for a long time, we are not going to have the gasoline or electricity needed to keep all of these running.

So over the past few years, we have collected hand tools for use should that ever happen. Saws, hand crank drills, etc. (I also include a few well made manual can openers in this as well.)

In addition, we also have a large supply of things like nails, screws, and other building materials. These will be very handy in a long-term grid down situation!

I want to include garden tools in this as well, for obvious reasons.

What other items/things you would include on here but you did not see listed? Tell us about them and why you stock up on them in the comments below.

Stay safe out there!

Follow us on Minds at @planandprepared, on Gettr, on Twitter, and on Gab

Be sure to check out our Prepper News Feed. All the newest prepper articles and videos from across the internet in one place!!

If you enjoyed this article, please click the link to vote for my site at Top Prepper Websites! Thanks

Join our newsletter to receive updates about this site. NO SPAM!!