A single mother in the United Kingdom turned to Reddit for advice after an illness left her without money to add to her family's emergency supplies.
She asked the site's r/UKPreppers forum for "any ideas, tips, [or] things I could be learning or doing to help prepare that are free or inexpensive?"
Here's what to know
In her Reddit post, the original poster said she has stored water to last a week, food for a fortnight, a pair of camping stoves, eight fuel canisters, lights, batteries, three power banks, and medical supplies.
But with a short-term illness leaving no money for further purchases, she wanted suggestions that cost little or nothing. Solo camping had already provided her with useful equipment and skills.
"There's so much more to prepping than just buying [a] kit," one commenter wrote, "Practice and run a drill with whatever you've got already… Actually experience how much water you use to wash up… how much you use for the kids drinks and your teas and coffees. Doing this doesn't cost you anything beyond the time to do so…. Fire drills are done for a reason."
Another commenter suggested that OP "Master the art of hydrating flour and experiment with flavorings to get the perfect flatbread. Make your prepped meals, freeze them and eat them for lunch."
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A third wrote, "I'd recommend grabbing some paper plates and disposable cutlery. They are usually cheap. If there's no water then doing the washing up is out the window."
Another commenter suggested free first-aid courses, particularly for children. Another commenter also recommended making copies of important documents and packing a bag with clothes, keys, and a power bank for an evacuation or hospital visit.
Growing food where space allowed was one suggestion the OP could consider, as she confirmed that she had a garden. Another commenter recommended collecting rainwater in buckets or tubs for uses that didn't require drinking water.
Where can I learn more?
Other UK families are figuring out how to prepare for emergencies within their household budgets and routines.
• A UK parent's proposed trial run outage prompted preppers to advise against shutting off gas.
• UK preppers are stocking up for Tuesday rather than bracing for a doomsday scenario.
• In the UK, a power cut alert prompted a new parent to start prepping.
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