Inexpensive survival basics

While I wouldn't call myself a prepper and I'm not an expert in survival, I have noticed a marked decline in society in the west which has made me more aware of my surroundings and given me an appreciation of why people prep.

Most people cannot see or ignore the signs of a societal decline and yet they are all around. In the UK we see an increase in corruption, more people sleeping rough, more violent crime, increased anger while driving on the roads, businesses going to the wall, more people taking anti-depressants, deep societal divisions and a number of other early stage signs of potential problems in the future. These signs creep up gradually before accelerating and right now in the UK (and other western nations) I believe we are seeing the beginning of that acceleration. Still, however, many people are choosing to ignore the signs. This creates more risk for everyone in the event of a collapse or some kind of disaster as the stressed mindset of unprepared individuals will create more problems as they make unwise decisions that put the lives of others at risk.

I remember the build up to the 2008 banking crisis clearly. During 2007 everything seemed rosy and fine, and yet I was aggressively shorting the stock markets and reallocating capital as I could see something wasn't right. Most people had no idea what was going on but, reading between the lines, there were plenty of people who had a good idea of the risks and the impending trouble. When the crash finally came in 2008 I was surprised at how many people were taken unawares. Even people who I had discussed the possibility of a crash were in denial until it actually happened. As it happens I didn't make much money from the crash as I wasn't expecting the incredulous level of criminal bailouts that occurred. My market shorts made a lot of money initially, but then the asset reallocation lost me money as the markets continued to soar over the past 10 years. I do remain invested in defensive assets for a reason though. None of the problems of 2008 were fixed and the situation is worse now than it has ever been, so I may yet recoup my losses, but that's a discussion for another day.

How do you start to prepare for potential disasters without spending too much money?

I have watched numerous prepper videos on YouTube but I am often disappointed with the high number of reviews of expensive products and kit. If we went out and purchased every item of kit that many of these preppers recommend we would be bankrupt in a week. So what are some inexpensive things that you can do that will reduce the suffering and discomfort that you might experience during some sort of collapse?

• Have an awareness of what's going on – don't rely on mainstream media to educate you on the world. Open your eyes, look around, take a walk. You will soon see indicators that will give you hints of what is to come. Exuberance and overspending often indicates an imminent market crash, multiple business closures can indicate an up and coming depression, an increase in homelessness and crime indicates an increase in desperation and a possible collapse in the rule of law. Use these signals to inform your behaviour and future planning so that you can prepare accordingly.
• Have a few emergency plans in place - How will you get home from work? What will you do if the water goes off? What if the supermarkets are closed? etc. Having some high level plans that allow for emergent circumstances and flexibility will help you cope better than most in the event of disasters occurring. It's important to remember that flexibility and adaptability are the key here, no plan ever goes to plan. Take it from a project manager!
• Get fighting fit and healthy – Do some strength training and some martial arts training, and I don't mean Tai-Chi or Aikido, neither of which are much use in the street. Learn some aggressive rough and tumble martial arts where you will take a few knocks and get a few bruises. Get yourself into shape so that you are as healthy as you can be and not relying on health systems that might not be available during difficult times. Minimise your reliance on medicines by focusing your life on prevention and natural cures rather than symptom masking.
• Buy a little extra storable food when you shop – Just gradually build up a stock of dried and tinned foods that you will use rotationally so that they don't get too old. You don't need to spend a fortune, just build up a store by purchasing 5 or 6 tins of varied foods and a couple of packets of dried lentils, rice, beans or grains each time you go to the shops. This shouldn't cost more than £20-£40 per month.
• Use online resources to learn things instead of watching TV – Switch off your TV and watch some of the incredibly informative and educational videos on YouTube to build up your knowledge of survival and security. Focus on practical skills like urban self defence, home defence, first aid, practical bug out bags, evasion technicians, natural remedies, finding and purifying water etc. It's all very well learning to hunt and butcher a moose, but if you live in a town these skills aren't going to serve you well! You don't need to become too obsessive and focus on the negative, constantly worrying about societal collapse, just treat it as learning some new and interesting skills.
• Practice what you learn – Learning new theoretical skills is fine, but if you can have a play around and practice some of them so that you understand how to put them into practice in the real world.
• Prepare your mind – Don't get caught by surprise. If you are aware of the signals and prepared for a variety of different scenarios your decisions and reactions are likely to lead to better outcomes than if you are taken by surprise and find yourself highly stressed. Go through some scenarios mentally so that you have a mental plan of what you need to do should the worst happen. Learn some meditation and breathing techniques to calm yourself down. No doubt if a disaster should occur you will experience stress like everyone else, so you need to be able to calm down and think quickly.
• If you have a garden grow some food. It's fun and inexpensive, and highly rewarding. It will also teach you the essential skills to maintain a garden which might be needed in the event of a supply chain collapse. Eating your own home grown organic food is also a fantasic way to improve your health.

That's all I can think of for now. If you have any other cost effective prepping tips please leave them in the comments below.