Prepping can get expensive. Almost all of us need to invest some money in equipment and supplies, and that can take a good bite out of our income. To keep prepping affordable, most of us are always looking for ways to save a few cents on every purchase – and as the Brits like to say, “look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves”. There are plenty of ways to save money on your preparations. Walmart and other big-box stores are a great option for buying food, for example. Preppers often tour yard sales looking for bargains on tools. Ebay has also become a popular way to buy all sorts of useful stuff. There’s one option a lot of preppers overlook, though – the local Goodwill store. Goodwill and other thrift stores can be real goldmines for a smart prepper. They carry an amazing range of items, and it’s always worth taking a good look – you never know what you’ll find collecting dust in a corner. Here are some of the common prepper items you’ll find at Goodwill: #1. Most preppers already have a pretty good collection of tools – but do you have spares? Hammers don’t break often, but that’s not the same as saying they never break. Saws tend to be more fragile, and most of us have mangled a screwdriver on a tougher than average screw. Thrift stores are a great place to pick up cheap tools to either round out your kit, or give yourself an emergency backup. #2. If you’re cooking over an open fire you really want to be using cast iron cookware – but that’s become fashionable and expensive. Goodwill often has iron pots, skillets and Dutch ovens, though. Sometimes they’re unwanted gifts, often still in in their boxes; other times they’re old attic finds that will be as good as new after being cleaned and seasoned. Make sure you look for seeds - you need to have a medicinal safety net around when all pharmacies run out in the upcoming crisis. Considering the inflation, I would take a look at these 10 specifically. Once you start growing these, you won't have to worry about what to do whenever you have a headache or need an antibiotic. #3. Clothes are a big part of the thrift store business, and you can find an amazing variety. After Christmas is always a good time, as people unload unwanted gifts – but if you take a look in spring, as the weather starts to warm up, you can get some real bargains on winter coats, hats and boots. #4. Spring is the time to look for cheap winter clothes – but the end of hunting season is worth remembering, too. Every year a lot of people decide to take up hunting, and kit themselves out with everything they need. Then, at some point in their first season, they discover that shivering in the woods waiting for a deer isn’t for them after all. A lot of that hunting gear – hides, camouflage clothes, binoculars – ends up on a shelf at Goodwill. #5. Looking for some extra backpacks to make up bug-out bags for your family? Check Goodwill. You might not find the sort of premium rucksack you’d want for your main BOB, but if you’re looking for something to let the kids carry a few essentials, you should find something that will work just fine. Want an extra rucksack to make a car bag, or a get-home bag for the office? Something from Goodwill should be fine here, too. #6. Thrift stores tend to have a good collection of candles. People get them as gifts, pass them on to the store, then you can pick them up for pennies. Even the ugliest ornamental candle will burn just fine, and when you need it to provide light you won’t care how it looks. Goodwill stores also sometimes have bags of stubs or broken candles for a couple of dollars; you can melt these down and recast the wax into fresh candles. #7. Old-style wool blankets are heavy, bulky and slow to dry, so they’ve fallen out of favor with most people. Preppers love them though, because they’re also durable, warm, fire-resistant and keep providing insulation even when they’re wet. Goodwill is an excellent source of these classic survival items. #8. Hiking, like hunting, is an activity that many try but fewer stick with. You’ll often find tents, camp stoves and other gear at Goodwill. Sometimes it’s an older item that’s been well used and cared for, then replaced with a newer one. More often it’s been used exactly once. Either way, it’s a bargain for you. #9. Who couldn’t find something to do with more canning jars? Well, quite a few people apparently, going by how many you can find at Goodwill. Preppers can always use more canning supplies, though, so take a look! #10. A lot of families, seeing the kids permanently glued to some kind of screen, take their old board games to Goodwill. If you’re preparing for life after TEOTWAWKI you already know that the future – for example life post-EMP – might not include computer games. A stash of old favorites, like Monopoly or Parcheesi, will help pass the evenings when the games consoles are all gone. #11. If you’re looking for entertainment, have a look at the shelves of books every thrift store contains. You can often pick up bestsellers for a dollar or less, giving you a cheap way to build up a good stock of reading material. Don’t forget to look for cookbooks and DIY handbooks, too – people often give these away. #12. These aren’t exactly a glamorous item, but it’s almost impossible for a prepper to have enough buckets. Carrying water, foraging in the woods for mushrooms, providing emergency toilets in a fallout shelter… the humble bucket has many uses. Search your Goodwill store for them. They’re often in a storeroom or stuck in a corner at the back, so if you don’t see any, ask. #13. No, you’re not going to find bullion bars at your local Goodwill (and if you do, please let us know where it is). What you might find is single earrings, broken necklaces and other old, discarded jewelry. That doesn’t have a lot of value in normal times, but if it’s gold or silver then it’s precious metal that will hold barter value if the dollar economy falls apart.
Garage sales are a great source for tools as well. Power tools are often sold for pennies on the dollar along with empty propane tanks, axes, saws, binoculars, various hunting and fishing items, recorded media (DVD's, Audio books, etc.), clothing for less than a dollar, boats, outboard motors, motorcycles and pretty much anything you can think of.
Habitat for Humanity stores is another good place for cookware, silverware , small kitchen appliances , tools , etc . They're not much for clothing ,, but I've found more tools there , than I have at goodwill . Goodwill is definetly the place to go for clothes . Good topic Minuteman .
Well, if the economy does a hard landing in 2023, those with dry powder should be able to help some out by purchasing some of their toys/tools at a good price.
Don't see many around these parts, but estate auctions can be a treasure trove, too. Just have to resist the temptation to get in a bidding war.
My buddy is in the business of bidding on abandoned storage units. He has found some really nice stuff and has made many trips to the landfill.
My two best finds came from thrift stores. A village mill grain grinder for $1.75, and a Big Berkey water purifier fir $7.50.
I have been in maybe 10 pawn shops in michigan. I have never found a deal on tools (hand or power) nor guns. Guns are selling at the same prices or higher than the LGS. Tools are like 75-50 percent of new prices and they are not in good condition. I'd hate to see what they offered the poor soul pawning them. Hell, they were selling some of those cheap guitars for more than retail. Estate sales and farm auctions def. get me to stop every time.
My wife used to melt them down, mix them with dryer lint and use them as fire starters. They ignite easily and burn plenty long enough to get wet wood going for a campfire. She'd do the same right after Christmas, when the large ornamental candles were on sale at many regular stores for 50 cents or less.
the actual "estate auctions" are dying out - my friend is in the biz - goes in and organizes and transports the goods to a large facility for the actual action >>> sometimes something like a farm/shop with equipment cuts out the need to move everything .... what the younger auctioneers are joining are the "tag sale" auctions - at this point most states aren't requiring a state license - they are considered to be nothing more than a 3rd Party garage sale the homeowner is conducting >>> goods and $$$ don't leave the premises - not as fiscal $$$$ responsibilities - hence the no license >>> overall eazier & cheaper what a buyer needs to know that bargaining is still available - the better sale conductors have someone that handles the dickering - they know the market and recognizes the usual 50% off retail price tag pricing won't work with everyone - same same with the large larger items - same same with the bulk buyers >>> $$$$ talks also check for the final day "bag sale" or 50% off the tag price day >>> if you can't bargain and you like to gamble the item(s) you want will survive to the last sale day - be there when the doors open - they need to clean out the place even if means the driveway dumpster - anything $$$$ is better than nothing ....
Goodwill stores are where I find crutches, canes, walkers and wheel chairs cheap. It's always good to have some on hand, because when you need them you'll really need them. They do double duty for lots of stuff too. Crutches can hold up tents, van liftgate hatches and busted garage doors. Wheel chairs can tote your pack, firewood, rock, water or Christmas presents. Once you have them around you'll find lots of handy uses for them. Along the same wall as the crutches you can often find aluminum baseball bats and a variety of golf clubs and ski poles. Nasty pokey things. They always have musical instruments. They're in the silverware bin. With no power and kids to entertain, you can form your own spoon band for about a dollar.
Unfortunately, a few years ago Goodwill started building its own buildings and raised their prices so that there aren't many bargains. Your best bet is to find a local thrift store, perhaps affiliated with a church, look at close out stores and yard/estate sales. I've built a sizeable collection of tools, and survival gear this way.
