When you hear the word “prepper,” you might picture someone with a basement full of canned food, expensive survival gear, and enough supplies to last for years. But being prepared doesn’t have to be that complicated or expensive.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as saving a few household items, learning how to preserve food, or having a backup plan when the power goes out. Many of these habits are things people have been doing for generations, long before emergency preparedness became a popular topic.
Whether you’re preparing for a storm, a power outage, or an unexpected trip to the grocery store that doesn’t happen, these 15 practical hacks can help you become a little more self-sufficient without spending a fortune.
1. Store Dry Foods in Mylar Bags
Mylar bags are a practical way to store dry foods like rice, beans, and oats for the long term when they’re properly sealed with oxygen absorbers. Keep them in a cool, dry place and label each bag with the contents and packing date so you know what you have and when to rotate it.
2. Put a Vacuum Sealer to Work
A vacuum sealer can help reduce freezer burn and keep frozen meats, vegetables, and prepared meals in better condition for longer. It’s also useful for packaging dried foods, but remember that vacuum sealing doesn’t make foods that require refrigeration safe to store at room temperature.
3. Turn Empty Soda Bottles Into Backup Water Storage
Instead of recycling every empty 2-liter soda bottle, save a few clean ones for storing water you can use for flushing toilets or cleaning during a water interruption. Label them clearly, and keep your emergency drinking water in properly cleaned, food-safe containers following recommended storage guidelines.
Related: 16 Prepper Essentials to Find at the Goodwill Store
4. Keep a Few Solar Lights Around
Those inexpensive solar pathway lights you use in the garden can also provide a little extra light when the electricity goes out. Bring them inside after dark and place them back in the sun the next morning, or keep a solar lantern and compatible charger handy for a more reliable backup.
5. Learn to Cook Without Electricity
A rocket stove can cook food outdoors using small pieces of dry wood, making it a useful backup when your electric stove isn’t working. Practice using one before an emergency, and never operate a wood-burning stove indoors, in a garage, or near open windows because of fire and carbon monoxide risks.
6. Find a Cool Place to Store Your Harvest
You don’t need an elaborate underground root cellar to store certain fruits and vegetables for longer periods. A properly ventilated, cool storage area can help extend the life of potatoes, carrots, and apples, although different crops need different temperatures and humidity levels.
7. Consider Keeping a Few Backyard Chickens
If you have the space and local regulations allow it, a small flock of chickens can provide fresh eggs and manure for composting. Chickens do require regular feed, water, shelter, and protection from predators, so they’re best viewed as a long-term homesteading commitment rather than a quick emergency solution.
8. Learn How to Make Homemade Vinegar
Fruit scraps can sometimes be put to use in homemade vinegar recipes instead of going straight into the compost pile. It’s a useful fermentation skill to learn, but homemade vinegar varies in acidity and shouldn’t be used for canning or other preservation methods that require a specific vinegar strength.
9. Stock Up on 5-Gallon Buckets
Five-gallon buckets are surprisingly useful for hauling water, organizing gardening tools, storing animal feed, and keeping emergency supplies together. Look for food-grade buckets with suitable lids if you’re storing food, and never reuse containers that previously held chemicals.
10. Start Saving Seeds From Your Garden
Saving seeds from your vegetables can help you grow another crop without buying everything again the following season. Start with suitable open-pollinated varieties, then dry and label the seeds before storing them somewhere cool and dry.
11. Keep Extra Coffee Filters in Your Supplies
Coffee filters aren’t just for making coffee; they can also help strain cooking liquids, hold small snacks, and handle little cleanup jobs around the house. They can catch larger particles during water prefiltration, but they won’t remove harmful germs or chemicals, so additional treatment is necessary before drinking unsafe water.
12. Collect Rainwater for the Garden
A simple rain barrel can collect runoff from your roof and give you an extra supply of water for gardening and other suitable outdoor chores. Keep it covered to prevent mosquito breeding, check local collection rules, and don’t assume untreated rainwater is safe to drink.
13. Keep Your Canning Supplies Organized
Having clean jars, bands, new lids, and the right canning equipment ready makes it easier to preserve fruits and vegetables when your garden produces more than you can eat. Always follow tested recipes and use a pressure canner for low-acid foods like meat and most vegetables, since improper canning can cause serious foodborne illness.
Related: Preserving Fruits and Vegetables for Long-Term Storage With Food Dehydration
14. Put Up a Simple Clothesline
A clothesline gives you a way to dry laundry without using electricity, which can be especially helpful during a power outage. It’s inexpensive to set up, doesn’t take much space, and can help reduce your energy bills even when everything is working normally.
