Welcome back to the Survival Blog!  In the last couple of weeks the number of followers of this blog has more than doubled, and I couldn’t be happier about it.  I’ve received some very flattering feedback from people as well, and truly want to say thank you.  But that’s enough about that for now.  People want info, and that’s what they’re gonna get.  So let’s get this show on the road.

One of the repeat questions that I’ve received is about how to put together a Bug Out Bag (BOB) on a budget.  Well, the first thing that you have to understand is that building a BOB is not free.  But there are ways to limit your spending and still be able to build a functional bag.

You could go to the REI or any other camping or survivalist store, and spend your life savings while buying every shiny object in the store - and trust me there are a lot of shiny objects out there.  Instead of giving into the panic, perhaps you can come up with a plan before hand. 

When building my BOB I began by doing some research.  I focused on my current situation and possible scenarios that would require me to bug out from my location, and most importantly what items I would need.  I need to mention right now that the bag that I posted was my one-man bag, and I’m currently working on a family bag that I’ll be posting my plans for soon.  So I planned out my bag before hand and then started to build it piece by piece.  Here are a few tips on building a bag, and not breaking the bank in the process:

• Plan, plan, plan.  Know what you need.  Research items for your bag before buying them.  You may find a similar item for much cheaper.
• Repurpose household items.  That bleach under your kitchen sink is the exact same that I use for a water purifier in my bag.  Those band-aids and that bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the bathroom are the start of your own first aid kit.  Those clothes that you were planning on putting in the yard sale because you never wear them, those cover the clothes needed for a BOB.  You’d be surprised how much of the items for a BOB are around your house and you’re not really using.
• Set a budget.  Figure out an amount each month that you can afford to put aside to purchase items for your bag, and stay within that budget.
• Shop around.  The web is an amazing place to find items, specifically items that other people are getting rid of.  Many of these items may be in mint condition.  Search eBay, Craiglist, Amazon, etc.
• Search out deals.  Sales, and couponing can help save money when purchasing items.  Save money on one item, put that savings toward the purchase of another item.
• Figure out what items are worth spending the extra money on.  Some items that I have cost a bit more than I wanted to spend on a single item, but were multifunctional and replaced others that I would have to purchase, such as my crank flashlight/radio/USB charger.
• Gifts.  My wife usually buys me cool survival items that she finds for holiday gifts, or for my birthday, which is always exciting when I get a new toy.
• Justifying your purchases.  I love to go camping and hiking.  Not only do I use my BOB for disaster prep, but I also take it with me when I go out to the woods.  If something happens while I’m away from civilization, I have supplies on hand to help me take care of myself, if say I have an injury or weather conditions get bad up on a mountain.

So yeah, pretty much it.  Not that hard.  If you’re smart with planning your bag, it’s not that difficult.  Again, I’d like to thank all of the new followers to the Survival Blog.  Please share this blog with your friends.  I hope that none of you ever has an emergency situation, but if someday the worst happens, maybe information from this blog may help you out.

Next week we get to the good stuff!

Next Week: Making fire

- Animal Out