My buddy at work fears the hard times ahead and plans to start spending $3k per month on preps. All he has in his urban rented home are 2 rifles, 25 mags, 2k rounds of ammo and a decent bug out vehicle. Can you guys lay out how you would spend it say month 1-12 (or 24 months even)?

Food
Stored water
Toiletries/non-food consumables
Training
Handgun and supporting supplies
More training
Make sure I have no debts

(I'd kill to have $3k a month to spend on preps)

Wow... 3K extra per month for 2 years.. I'm thinking there are quite a few jealous folks out there.

If its a serious quesion, it seems like they need to start with the basics.

Food- short and long term
Shelter - BOL
Water -

Ancillary - Genset/tools/etc

I'd buy a gallon of gas.

wow 3 grand a month, in less than 3 months he would have the vast majority of preps he could ever need. In  year he could be self sufficient in the future.

I think guns are a small part of the preps area.


Water, food, medical stuff, fuel, miscellaneous.

He needs to designate a BOL. Either buy it, rent it long term or just find someplace VERY backwoods, on state land.

Pay the rent off for the next 2 years?–– renting sucks as you are at the mercy of the owner if he pays now and gets an extended lease; there's one less worry

Buy a house? (deals are out there now)

and as everyone else said.

All of the above. More importantly, BOL. Even better, get the F out of the cities, now.
Conex trailers, buried or anchored, cob over and secure the area. The Great Storms are beginning.
Get your preps moved now and secured.

This advice is for all. Don't wait. Go ahead and mock me now, this fall I won't have any advice.

Bowman.

I've been into this for less than a year and I'm already at a point where the money is not what is holding me up, and I've spent much MUCH less than $3000/month.

He needs to make lifestyle changes and he needs to learn things.  That's 90% of being prepared.  If he's going out to eat for 15 meals a week, he's not ready.  If he can't draw from concealment and engage multiple targets in a respectable par time, he's not ready.  If he's out of shape... he's not ready.

Money is the minor ingredient in preparedness.  Skills, knowledge and training are the big players.  A lot of people are panicking right now and doing what they know how to do: try and throw money at a problem to make it go away.

Here's something you can do to see how serious your friend is: ask him if he is willing to spend 30 hours a week getting prepared.  It's an investment of time more than money.



If you must have a list of things to buy:
Month 1: Glock 19, concealment holster, 5k rounds of FMJ, 1k rounds of Ranger HPs, extra mags, CCW class and license, and a tactical/combat handgun class.
Month 2: Six months of the food for the recipes he started fixing at home during month 1.  Canning supplies for those recipes you can can.
Month 3: Water filters, barrels, pumps, syphons, tiller, gardening tools.  Learn to garden and start growing food.
Month 4: By now he should have done enough reading and learning that he can direct his own destiny.

Great post, sound advice.

Hmm, lessee,

Build an Ark.

Man thats a lot of dough for preps. 1st off essentials, potable water, food, TP, hygiene, shelter and security.  Have him log in here and absorb.

Buy a house?  Seems strange to me someone has $3k a month to spend on preps and is renting.  He might be missing the point.  YMMV, MHO and all that.

Id say $1000 of that $3000 should go towards getting out of that urban rented home and into something he owns and is less "urban" (not saying you have to move to the sticks).
As for the rest, more ammo couldnt hurt but start bulking up in things that he commonly uses that will store/keep well. That means food, TP, medicines, fuel, water, etc.
How is his savings?

yeah no shit, I have probabaly 3k (not including guns and ammo) total in my food/water/shelter/etc and I have been doing this shit for several years, LOL

Is he in an area where he will bug in or out?

J-

food,water,shelter



expand as needed.



get debt free.



it aint always about running from zombies.



lots of good advice here..so i wont be redundant... but  having the know how vs the "stuff" is the correct way to prepare.

throwing  $$ at it wont work.

wow, I feel my jealosy levels rising mightily....

short term:
1.  Personal financial security: buy a house, zero out all debts, personal portfolio, etc. (if he can blow 3k/month on preps he's probably got it already)
2.  Food/Water + storage for same
3.  Non perishible supplies (I'll call it the "TP pile")
4.  Reliable vehicle capable of carrying preps in the event of needing to GTFOD.
5.  basic FAK/medical supplies (don't need a home trauma unit, just the basics and make sure you know how to use what you've got)
6.  weapons + ammo (not as important as 1-5, but even if you don't need 'em, good hobby to have)
7.  misc. survival gear (packs, sleeping bags, portable shelter, flashlights, blah blah blah) + weather specific gear

med/long term:
8.  reloading supplies (gotta feed the habit in #6)
9.  professional training





10.  Tools (construction/maintenance/fabrication) : acquire them over time, learn to use them
11.  fishing/hunting trips (great way to practice many skills)
12.  Some call it a BOL, some call it a "weekend getaway"... if I had my way it'd fit the term "compound".
13.  Alternative power (and water, if possible) arrangements at home.  Expensive, but if you've got the $$ you'll be living large when others go into refugee mode

lets see. 75k. buy a house, not in the city. /end

just needed a little addition.

i'll also add this, tell your buddy to plan for the most likely event first and then move down the list.  w/ 3k a month he should be able to have everything taken care of quickly, except the training, which should never stop.

3k and in a rental home.......put a 1000 into preps and two into a foreclosure home

That is like, a lot of gas my friend.

Damn dude I wish I had 3k a month just to live off of.

He should definitely get out of whatever apartment he is in and get a house, even if it is a longer commute.
AR15, vest, ammo, mags, quality flashlights, batteries, water purification system, water storage, way to collect rain water, food
quick clot and antibiotics along with other medical supplies
MREs and a way to transport everything preferably a carb run suv

Cement house. Bug in.

Knowledge.....

+1 on that. I could use that to catch up on bills. $3,000....... I'd be set in two months for preping.

show off...

At first prepare for the short term:
1.) Save up at least 3 months worth of rent / utilities money. Being homeless is rough. You say it can't happen then you get laid off, kicked out of your apartment, and the government takes all the money you may have left in your bank account because you couldn't pay your taxes.
2.) Stock up on Medicine. If you lose your job and health insurance you can be up shits creek.
3.) Try to become self sufficient for three months without aid. Think of a pandemic where people are quarantined, or major blackouts. I prefer a bug in approach unless things are super bad.
  - Obtain a 3 month non-perishable food supply that you will eat from regularly and start rotating it
  - Water storage, Purification, Collection (Rain barrels / roof), and water filter.
  - Build a decent medical kit
  - Buy a defensive handgun + mags + holster + lots of ammo (storage as well as practice)
  - Assault Rifle + mags + ammo (for practice and storage)
  - Build a go home bag and emergency repair kit for your car (spark plugs, oil, spare tire, patch kit, bike pump, flashlights ect.
  - Get a passport and scan copies of all you valuable documents (social security car, ccw, license, house deed, birth certificate, degrees ect.)
  - install solar panels on roof / battery bank in house
  - Quiet generator and fuel
  - Fortifications for home
Having a bug out location is nice but chances are bugging in is the most feasible solution. Also the best way to bug in is to be low profile. When people dont have what they need they get deperate and take it from those who do. Don't make yourself a target. Don't tell everyone you have a bomb shelter. When the bombs drop they want in.

Great advice everybody.  I appreciate it and will pass it on.

Man I cringed at the $180 I spent last night of bulk food........$3k....

Others have stated the best priorities for goods, and to add to what another said, getting some skills would help. All the supplies in the world will help, but without the skills to use it or keep it...