Yard Sale Prepping
For those of us on a budget (and who isn’t these days) yard sale prepping has become a great way to score some top notch gear on the cheap. I went to one yard sale this weekend and saw tons of great deals that were just begging to be taken home cleaned up a bit and put back for an emergency situation. I even scored a new toy/project!
Inverter/Electrical Cords
An Inverter is great way to add to your general preparedness. With a properly sized inverter and your car you can run a lot electrical devices in your home while the power is out. My Father-In-Law was able to run his refrigerator, tv/satellite, and use his coffee maker while the lights were off. This little 400w that they were selling for $20 won’t run the house they way Dad’s was able to, but it will keep some lights on and will run a small tv and a fan.
Bins of electrical extension cords, that were selling for their scrap value, rounded out the electrical preps.
Tools
Yard sales are a great place to score some tools for use around the homestead. Brands like Craftsman and Husky offer lifetime warranties and are easy to find on any given weekend.
Camping Equipment
Camping equipment is some of the most common Prepper friendly equipment that finds it’s way into a yard sale. Camping equipment usually falls into 2 categories, used once and put up for sale, or lovingly used and taken care and only sold when retirement looms. Either way it is a great way to score some gear. I found this tent that may have been used once and the asking price was $10.
The Weird Stuff!
Every now and again you come across the weird finds that make you do a double take. This is a Cold Steel Throwing Knife. Now it has definetly seen better days but for $1 I took a chance on it. These things retail for $20 and I figure with a little elbow grease I should have a diamond in the rough!
Wrap-Up
Yard Sale Prepping can turn up some great finds for cheap prices. At one yard sale alone I found shelter, a decent knife, an inverter, a few extension cords, and some tools. With a little work and some haggling you might be able to put together the foundation of a good emergency kit for a fraction of the cost.
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Great finds, brother! My yard sale season starts in ernest this weekend. Today’s my last day of school and summer begins!
I call it yard sale survival. Cheers!
Good luck!
Yard sales are great. I’ve found a crank flash light, crank radio, magnifying glass for fire starting, an all purpose folding saw. Never going to stop looking and buying. lol.
It can be addicting!
thank you I never thought of these items even tho I been looking at yard sale for things I start looking for more things now
You will be surprised at what you can turn up. Good Luck!
Great message for anyone prepping on a budget. Addt’l items I have found include: canning supplies, oil lamps, dehydrator and CB radio.
I now have over 1,000 canning jars found at yard sales. Also found a butter churn ($5), a Coleman lantern ( $5), several solar lights,($1 each ), and the search goes on. I love yard sales.
Awesome! I scored 10 cases of canning jars off of Craigslist!
I found a Food Saver for $3 at a garage sale. It was sitting to one side and I almost walked past it. The lady said it had been a gift and she used it once but preferred Zip lock bags. Works great. Also, found a one-man tent for $3, even had the storage bag and stakes.
Under weird stuff they picked up an old cold steel throwing knife for a $1. Then why didnt you also pick up the hemostats laying next to it? You can use those for everything from performing life saving surgery if need be, relacing leather boot lace in a tear on clothing, to grabbing rope to pull through a tight opening for tying and more.
Those are my thoughts. I have dozens of them for use with my leather work, gun cleaning, rope making or rope work for difficult knots just to name a few.
Also at one yard sale I came to a house who someone worked for one of the local medical quick care and the employees were given CPR Resuscitator Masks for a $1 ea. and I bought the last 4 they had. 1 in each one of my vehicle for any emergency on the road and the other 2 in the home, 1 in the medical drawer where I keep all my other smaller first aid kits, bandaids, neosporiene and such. And the other one in my GOOD bag. They were never used and the mask and hood are still in the shrink wrap inside a hard plastic case. They came from a online company at http://www.thelifeguardstore.com/productcart/pc/Standard-Pocket-Mask-374p176.htm. Granted I only paid a buck at the yard sale but even the $7.50 is worth the price.