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In many cases, survival preparedness can be a very expensive goal. With that said, there are plenty of highly useful prepper items that cost practically nothing.
If you would like to add to your survival stockpile without having to spend a fortune, consider stocking up on these thirteen cheap prepper items that you can get for under a dollar each. (Note: I included links to articles where you can learn survival hacks that make use of the item.)
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1. Baby Wipes
Without running water, staying clean can be a real challenge. Baby wipes are perfect for washing your hands, face, and body when taking a shower or using the kitchen faucet isn’t an option.
In addition to cleaning yourself, baby wipes can also be used to clean dishes and clean up around your home.
2. Bobby Pins
Bobby pins may have been invented for a very specific purpose, but the truth is that these little items are incredibly versatile.
A bobby pin can be used as a screwdriver, a lockpick, a nail holder, a zipper pull, a sewing needle, and much more. As cheap as they are, there’s no reason not to add a box of bobby pins to your survival stockpile.
Related: 25 Bobby Pin Hacks That Will Blow Your Mind
3. Cigarettes
Regardless of whether you have a nicotine addiction, cigarettes are still a great thing to have on hand in an emergency. They can be used as kindling for a fire, they can treat insect bites, and the ash from cigarettes can be used to stop small cuts and wounds from bleeding.
Cigarettes can also be used as a valuable bartering item given that there are plenty of people in the world who would pay dearly for a pack of smokes at a time when they are no longer available in stores.
4. Clothes Pins
In the event that you are no longer able to use your dryer to dry your clothes, clothes pins will be a necessity. In addition to the obvious function of hanging clothes on a clothesline, clothespins can be used for a wide range of other purposes.
They can be broken down into tinder to start a fire, used to organize papers, used to label cords, sharpened into small stakes to use in the garden, and more.
Related: 25 Survival Uses for Clothes Pins
5. Coffee Filters
If you are one of the many people who can’t face the morning without a hot cup of brew, coffee filters are probably already a part of your survival stockpile. Even if you aren’t a fan of coffee, coffee filters are still well worth stocking.
They can be used to prefilter water, used as a disposable bowl, used to make a bandage, used to store and sprout seeds, used to start a fire, and more. Of course, coffee filters are also great for helping you brew a nice cup of liquid energy to get you through the demanding days of disaster survival.
Related: 17 Survival Uses for Coffee Filters
6. Condoms
Condoms may not be the first item that comes to mind when you think of disaster preparedness, but they have plenty of uses beyond the function they were designed for.
A condom is a great place to store tinder or anything else that needs to be kept dry. They can also be turned into a medical glove in an emergency situation and can even be placed over the muzzle of a rifle or shotgun to keep out water and debris.
Related: 20 Survival Uses for Condoms
7. Dental Floss
Flossing is the best thing you can do for your teeth, but there are plenty of other reasons to stockpile dental floss.
For example, you could use it as a fishing line, as a clothesline, as lashings when building a shelter, as tinder when starting a fire, as a thread for fixing clothes, and much more.
Related: 27 Survival Uses for Floss You Never Thought Of
8. Diapers
For preppers who have small children, diapers are an obvious necessity. Even if you don’t have children that are still in diapers, they are still a useful and inexpensive item to have on hand.
Diapers can be used to make bandages and ice packs, they can be placed inside of a shoe for extra padding, and they can even be used to prefilter water.
9. Paper Clips
Paperclips are very small and weigh next to nothing, yet they can be incredibly useful in a survival scenario.
You can use paperclips to create a compass, a fish hook, a meat skewer, a sewing needle, a lock pick, a belt holder, and much more.
Related: 20 Survival Uses for Paperclips
10. Q-tips
From cleaning the small spaces in guns and electronics to applying glue to packing bandaging into a wound, Q-tips can be used for an incredibly wide range of purposes.
Like duct tape or paracord, Q-tips are renowned for their versatility, and the sky is the limit as to how you can use them in a disaster scenario. Best of all, Q-tips cost practically nothing, so stock up on as many as you can.
Related: 25 Survival Uses for Q-Tips & Cotton Swabs
11. Trash Bags
Aside from the obvious use for trash bags in a disaster scenario, they can also be used as waterproof storage, can be torn apart and used as plastic sheeting, can be used to cover up broken windows, can be used to create a makeshift shelter, and much more.
Of course, you’re still going to need a place to store garbage after a disaster, and trash bags are obviously perfect for this role.
Related: 37 Survival Uses for Trash Bags
12. Zip Ties
Zip ties – also known as cable ties – are incredibly versatile and can be used to complete a wide range of DIY repairs. In an emergency situation, zip ties can also fulfill the role of handcuffs and make it easy to quickly restrains someone’s arms and legs.
For the most part, though, cable ties are used in disaster scenarios for fastening items together and making repairs, and it’s certainly worth having a few boxes of them in storage.
Related: 16 Survival Uses for Zip Ties
13. Ziploc Bags
Ziploc bags are ideal for storing small items and cost less than a dollar apiece – much less when they are purchased in bulk. Best of all, Ziploc bags are waterproof, enabling you to carry items that need to be kept dry such as matches and electronics.
In the event of a disaster, Ziploc bags will continue to be as useful as they already are in day-to-day life, so be sure to add at least a few boxes of them to your stockpile.
Related: 15 Survival Uses for Ziploc Bags
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ZIP TIES can be used for all sorts of stuff. Not just for restraining people. I’d prefer to use a pair of handcuffs to restrain someone.
If you buy cigarettes; store the packs in a vacuum sealed bag to preserve their freshness.
I would not use baby wipes to clean my dishes….please read the chemical list on the label.
No, not the best idea. Isn’t there any such thing as natural wipes, chemical-free? I thought I’d seen some, but maybe I was mistaken.
Rat traps, squirrel traps,
Sooo almost everything on the list is made of plastic!
Might want to consider a greener approach.
Our great grandparents didn’t even have plastic, and they did just fine…
Our grandparents did not have penicillin either…or Polio Vaccine …I get sick about hearing all this green talk…I don’t see the problem if its disposed of properly…in regards to the zip lock bags..let me rethink that…I believe there is a new wood bag we can use that will keep things safe…lol
If the grid goes down, I won’t care about being green. All I will care about is survival and staying healthy. I know how to use plastic as I grew up in a world full of plastic. I am willing to learn how our ancestors managed without it, but I want to lessen the stress for my friends and family by using everything we have .
I’m with you on the plastic thing, Kristen! The planet is choking on it. Why more? Kudos, Kristen, for the “greener” suggestion. 👍🏼
plastic is also light, waterproof, and usually pretty strong, exactly what you need if you have to carry everything or are out in the elements, easy to store too. Plastic bags help you to not o only store things but carry what you need. Get rid of plastic and you get rid of phones, computers, clothing, etc., so don’t be so adamant against plastic.
Thank you so much for sharing! We realized during the pandemic just how under prepared we are for emergencies. Believe it or not we were talking with our professional carpet cleaner about preparedness when we found your blog haha Now we are all trying to buy up these things for the next disaster. Thanks again!
Be sure to buy CONTRACTOR trash bags. They are made of the thickest grade plastic.
Some of these things I never thought of as useful, I’ve since changed my mind.
Cigarettes i’m not that keen on, I do have some alcohol stashed away, including my dad’s “Speak easy” as he puts it.
Snuff has the longest shelf life of all tobacco products. But from my reading, you really can’t smoke it except in a pipe with a screen.
Plain old zip ties as hand and leg restraints are not very efficient. For a quick and very temporary restraint, they are OK. But for longer term, they are not designed for the loading a human can put on them in an attempt to escape. You would need to reinforce them through use of several of them and/or use of duct tape or cordage. There is a reason police/military flex-cuffs are made heavier and thicker.
I have used both flex-cuffs and bog-standard zip ties as restraints, so be prepared to reinforce both kinds especially if your play-friend is particularly strong or crazy (or both). Also, restrained prisoners must be kept under watch at all times anyway, regardless of restraint method.
Zulu, I agree. standard zip ties are a temporary restrain if you have nothing better. In Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training the students are taught how to break out of standard zip ties.
Condoms can also be use to create your own defensive weapon’s on the fly. You use an old juice container top, cut the top with a knife and you have the body as a frame for the condoms. Also its better to use balloons in place of the condoms. Mount one to the other. Its stronger and lasts longer, balloons. By the way this weapon is used to defend yourself needs no calibrator like traditional devices aka 38 and 45’s. It uses anything you find and thus you don’t run out of ammo. Once mounted together you can use it on the outside of the juice container body or reverse it and use it from the inside of the body. Works either way. Urbansurvivalsite keep up the good work. Accordingly on the radio we are at 2 minutes until midnight, aka all fall down. Think Macgyver.
WTF ???
LOL
Right? Mental health is a fragile thing…
Sounds a bit like a sling shot type device????
Sid, please mind the language. There’s no call to be using vulgarity. It offends a good many people, and it doesn’t solve any problem.