There are a lot of survival and preparedness items you’ll choose to invest in that you only need to buy once. Things like weapons, pressure canners or dehydrators, gas masks, body armor, deep freezers, shelving for food storage, freeze dryers, etc. And of course, there’s plenty of survival items you’ll probably want to continuously buy, maybe once or twice a year, like antibiotics and other medications, large packages of mylar or vacuum seal bags, food grade buckets, etc.
However, if you really want to be building up an effective survival stash that lasts you a long time, there are some items you should be making sure to budget for monthly. Here are some of my suggestions for preparedness items to grab at the store once a month:
1. Rice and beans
You can never have enough of these survival food essentials, so, if this is the survival food you rely on (not everyone does, but it’s a great staple!), make sure to spend the $10-$15 on a 5-lb bag of each once a month. They’ll keep in their bag for a long time, giving you several months to get them into food-grade buckets or your food storage method of choice.
2. Canning jars and lids
If you are storing your food in canning jars using any method, you’ll want to grab a case of a dozen quart jars, lids, and rings monthly. It only costs about $10 for a dozen, and there are so many ways to use them for food storage you’re guaranteed to find a use for all of them.
3. Soap
You can really never have enough soap, especially in a post-disaster and/or grid-down situation. Sanitation is everything, especially when disease is spreading. Soap is dirt-cheap, and you can always grab a few bars at the grocery store once or twice a month.
4. Water containers
You definitely want to be adding to, and cycling out, your water stash monthly. This is essential. You won’t last long in any situation without a fresh supply of water, so make sure to keep it up.
5. Toilet Paper
Like soap, this is something you simply can’t have too much of. Spend what you can on it monthly, and, if you ever have a tight month, at least you’ll have plenty stashed away and can save a little bit. Just be careful not to constantly rely on this or you’ll run out of your emergency stash!