The little things (on a budget)

[jerrymrc]

I have not been around as much as I would like but today I got to thinking about this section again. We have posted many threads and topics and it is kind of all over the map. This thread is about the little things that do not cost an arm or a leg that are items that one might not think about until ya need them.

Many of the items I will put up here are under $10 but nice to have. I keep a couple of boxes put away with these just for a rainy day.

First item. A sewing kit. A couple of the dollar store ones coupled with a couple of large rolls of green, black and one or two other colors of large rolls. This gets ya enough stuff for $5 to put away. A more heavy duty sewing kit. HF has these for around $6 and they come with 4 needles and 180 yards of heavy duty thread. Very handy to have and cheap enough to stick in the box.

A solar shower. Under$10 to $20. A very good way here in Colorado to have hot water. 60-105 degrees in 3 hours. Keeps one from having to use your propane or other fuel to heat water for any purpose.

Window kits. I have many that I buy on season end close out for under $5. These could be very useful in many ways keep a couple on hand.

And last for today. Lighters/matches. I like the long ones. yes, there are 27 million ways to start a fire or light your candles but these are only $1 each and handy to have a few put away.

More later.

[Irving]

I have to second the sewing kit. I bought one of those little cheap ones with a bunch of different colored thread from King Soopers for like $4. I've been supplementing it with some up grades over time as well. A more extensive needle kit, a real (metal) thimble, the thread used for jeans (much stronger), better scissors. I keep the whole thing in a box that one of my old cell phones came in. It is small and fits in any drawer and stays neat and organized. I can't even count how many times I've used it. In fact, I just sewed the fly button back onto my favorite pair of pants yesterday. I have maybe $8 into the whole thing and have fixed all kinds of clothes (nearly every single one of my undershirts for example).

I just went online to www.expertvillage.com and taught myself how to do a few simple sewing things like 1) How to sew a button, 2) how to repair a tear, 3) how to sew two pieces of material together.

It looks like that window kit is probably a better idea than just buying a bunch of clear plastic and taping it to our window frame.

[ronaldrwl]

Good American values. Or did stumble onto a different forum?

[rfizzle]

$5 a week to build a year supply of food:
http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/...ntelligence%29

*not totally accurate on prices for some things but a good start on a budget.

[van7559]

$5 a week to build a year supply of food:
http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/...ntelligence%29

*not totally accurate on prices for some things but a good start on a budget.

pretty badass concept for the bug out shelter, I have got to build still

[jerrymrc]

More little things on a budget. First up. A bow saw. Ya might not need a chain saw or be able to afford one but having a small bow saw around with a couple of different blades can be very handy. $10-$20

Hot glue gun. about $5-$10 can be run off the smallest inverter (60W) and there are many types of glue sticks for cheap. One advantage is unlike having glues in a tube the sticks never go bad.

And last for today. A pair of bolt cutters. 24-36" are $17-$22 but go on sale for $10-$13 all the time. VERY necessary item. cheap and do not eat a thing.

That's all for today.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Thanks for starting this thread.

[sniper_tim]

sorry for the stupid question, but is the "window kit" for?

thanks in advance,
Tim

[Irving]

sorry for the stupid question, but is the "window kit" for?

thanks in advance,
Tim

I have the same question. From the picture it looks like it might be to help add a layer of insulation during the winter, but I'm not sure.

[jerrymrc]

sorry for the stupid question, but is the "window kit" for?

thanks in advance,
Tim

The window kit can be used for the replacement of glass almost anywhere. It can also be used to build things like a small greenhouse. Can be used to seal off a room. Installed right it is transparent as glass so you can still see through it.

It can also be used to replace the glass in a car but would need some bracing and edge reinforcement to be used as a windshield.