101 Frugal Items You Need For Survival

33 Comments

1. This is a post after my own frugal heart! 🙂 I printed it out – you have so many good ideas on here! I love stocking up on the frugal items that are multi-purpose like tin foil, garbage bags, Ziploc bags and so on.

   I’m happy you mentioned cloth diapering! We didn’t with our first child, but if we have another I am for sure going to go the cloth route.

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   1. HI Savannah, if only every young mother would use them our landfill would be filled less but the biggest issue they would save lots of money. I call it being frugal. Hugs! Linda

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      1. My daughter is on her 4th child (born the day after Thanksgiving!) and she has cloth diapered all of them.

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2. frugal??
   it seems to me being a prepper is about keeping the consumer society going , all by ourselves.
   if we stored everything we are advised to keep we’d need a warehouse the size of a football field.
   i’m sure my (british) grandparents survived with far less “stuff”.

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   1. Hi bigpaul, I’m sure we all got by with a lot less years ago. It’s the people who are not prepared I get nervous about. I can’t fill a warehouse to take care of them! Thanks for stopping by, Linda

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   2. Frugal in that nothing on the list really costs all that much. Of course, if I went out and stocked up all at once, it would cost a pretty penny!

      I can think of probably one half on the list that I could most likely survive without but if I am staying in place during an event, I would have most if not all of the items that don’t involve babies!! If I have to bug out due to an event, my car would not be able to carry half of that. AND, I would be loading my car with my camping gear more than “niceties”. I have all of the KEY items for survival in my camping gear.

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      1. Hi Leanne, you are my hero, again! You are so prepared, I love it! Linda

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3. A couple of other things that would come in handy are duct tape, Popsicle sticks and tooth picks. Great list!!

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   1. Hi Susan, you are so right! I am adding those right now! I love it! Linda

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4. Great list, and I know it probably seems like a lot to most people but there are so many things that don’t seem important until you really need them and this seems to cover most if not all of those things. I’m glad Susan added toothpicks too because that’s definitely one of those things – they don’t seem important until you have something wedged in your teeth!

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   1. Hi Kenneth, oh man toothpicks are really needed! I love when my readers help me with ideas, we all learn from each other! Linda

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5. Hi Linda! A few other cooking items I have in my kitchen that I wouldn’t live without…..rolling pin(s), a rolling mat for rolling dough, cutting boards (at least 2), strainers (metal and plastic), cookie/biscuit cutters.
   Also for laundry…clothes drying rack or clothes line with clothes pins, and a rack for drying sweaters and socks flat. Our ancestors dried their clothes on bushes, but I don’t have that many bushes, or low trees, to hang laundry on. 😉

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   1. Hi Trish, I’m adding these items to my list! Thank you so much! I couldn’t hang my clothes in the bushes in my yard either!! LOL! Linda

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      1. You’re welcome!! I couldn’t go without my clothes pins or a clothes line! They are multi-purpose items! The rolling pin could be used as a weapon…remember the old cartoons??

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   2. The first cookie cutters I remember using as a child/teen came directly from tuna cans!! Made biscuits really well too. We also, on occasion, used a glass or cup to cut out biscuits/cookies if we for some reason did not have the tuna can!! If using the can, clean REALLY well and cut out the bottom. Lasts for a good long time!

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      1. Hi Leanne, oh how I remember the tuna cans!!!! I love it! Linda

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         1. And, Linda, if one is “crafty” one could always shape the tuna can to make a shaped cookie cutter!

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      2. I totally forgot about the cans and glasses as biscuit/cookie cutters. I guess I got a bit spoiled over the years with the “modern” cutters. I have found that most of today’s cans are rounded on the bottom and would require another way to cut it off. But, being the crafty person I am, there is always a way to cut it off. A vice and a hack saw with a metal cutting blade followed with a file and sand paper to smooth it out would work. Leave some round and bend others into different shapes. Tuna cans come in a lot of different sizes, too!! 😉

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6. Hi, Linda – great list! I may have missed it, but needles, thread, small scissors, a few extra buttons would be wonderful for clothing repair. I’m a quilter so I have the whole “fabric thing” covered. Lol When I shop the yard sales I watch for dog & cat crates for lost pets. Sometimes I can get a great deal. The wire ones fold down & take a minimum of space.

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   1. Hi Linda, great idea on the pet crates! I’m a sewer and quilter as well, you and I take those items for granted. LOL! I’m adding this to my post! Thank you so much! Linda

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7. LInda
   along with a sewing kit I would suggest some plain paper and pencils regular and colored to help entertain children with (or adults who draw ) and coloring books
   Thanks for sharing and helping others learn to be better prepared.
   Pauline

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   1. Hi Pauline, great tip, I’m adding these to the list. Thank you so much! We need something to distract people from the stress of a disaster. Great comment, Linda

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8. Hi, Linda ~
   I read through the list of items and have a good many of them.
   Item # 2 – try to find the strike anywhere matches. Then you can carry them in a pill bottle and still be able to light them.
   Item # 3 – look for the military can opener (P-38, P-51). You can then have several in a minimal amount of space. You would also be able to have several to trade or share. These can be found on Amazon, at Walmart, etc.
   Item # 7 – to save storage space on the “several rolls of paper towels” – remove the cardboard center roll and flatten as much as you can. May not be as convenient when you need to use them but it will save storage space. Same goes for TP.
   Item # 35 – My daughter uses a stretchable diaper closure – eliminates the need for pins and allows for easy adjustment of the diaper for larger/smaller diapering. She uses Snappi Diaper Fasteners (5 pack on Amazon for $14.00).

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9. I would add decks of cards, dice and Yahtzee scorecards. The cards can be used for games like Memory, Crazy 8s, Old Maid, Go Fish for the younger members, games like Solitaire, Rummy, War for the older members. Also some jigsaw puzzles.

   I also store a lot of things in vacuum sealed bags. I have 3 totes of paper goods, 1 each of Kleenex, Toilet paper, Paper towels. I used my Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer to shrink each individual item, pretty much in half. I was able to store 6 – 9 mos. worth in each tote.

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   1. BDN – good idea on vacuum sealing the paper goods to conserve storage space. I have some of the really huge bags that came with my sealer and doubt I will ever use them for foodstuff so I think I will put them to use on paper products.

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      1. Great tip, Leanne! Linda

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10. Another handy item might be a large roll of heavy duty poly (like the vapour barrier stuff) to seal up broken windows after storms or earthquakes. You can use duct tape, staples or scrap wood and nails to put it up.

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    1. Hi Alice, thank you for this tip, I’m adding it to my post! Linda

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11. Just a personal observation: Except for the more special or unique items such as generators, solar panels, chargers, radios, propane cookers, dehydrators, quality knives, and so on, most of what we need is mundane stuff, often disposable and even cheap, yet invaluable to everyday life. And prepping always come back to food, water and medicine followed by shelter and clothing…. basic essentials.

    So for planning sake, once we have our special gear, all we have left to worry about is the same stuff we buy everyday and where possible, reusable and non-powered is preferable to one use disposable items.

    And I have seen that you can get good deals anywhere. I shop the Dollar stores, Walmart, thrift stores and yard sales. Gotta keep our eyes open. I have rarely paid full/regular price for anything since I became good at (Okay obsessed with) finding deals. Now I have to be careful not to over spend or over collect gear in lieu of supplies that are quickly consumed and must be heavily stocked.

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    1. Oh, Frank, I love your comment!!! You are so right, the things we need are the things we use every day! I’m like you, I love a good deal on preps at thrift stores, yard sales, etc. You rock! Linda

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12. Linda,
    It looks from the dates like you’re recycling some older articles; but, this is one I haven’t seen, so I’ll comments. BTW, You’ve had a few recent recipes, and I appreciate then you have the “printable” copy available on them, since I can easily “print” them as a pdf for later access.
    I really like lists, and will tackle yours one item at a time.
    1. Water in our case is available from at least three sources including a good well, and creek on the property, and water catchment.
    2. Fire starters can come in numerous ways from butane lighters and the BIC mini butane lighters and matches. Book matches stored in a zip top bag will keep for a long time without any special waterproofing. I wrap cotton butchers cored around the stick of a strike anywhere match, leaving the head intact (not wrapped) and dip the entire thing in paraffin. This method not only makes it waterproof; but, when you scrape off the paraffin from the head and you strike the match, the butchers cord (wick) and the paraffin burn long and hot like a candle. I also have some of the newer Plasma lighters that are kept plugged into USB outlets so the are always charged.
    3. We always have numerous ways to open cans and all are manual. We prefer the rather inexpensive but functional ”Swing-A-Way” and usually have at least 2 on hand, plus a few of the P-38’s on key chains. You can of course purchase some of your food in the pull top cans. We like Progresso soups and they come that way.
    4. We have both the silicone gloves and the older oven mitts that are a woven combination of Kevlar & Nomexl purchased as a Christmas present about 20 years ago and still working fine. We also have some hot pad , or what we call “pot holders”; but, for BBQ grilling, I’m as likely to just use heavy leather work gloves.
    5. Spatulas we have a plenty in both metal and plastic, all collected over the past 40+ years. These are usually a good purchase at any of the dollar stores.
    6. We have several Whisks; but, will often use a fork for many of those jobs.
    7. We purchase paper towels by the case and usually purchase the ones with the half towel perforation, since sometimes ½ is all you need.
    8. For dish towels we’ve recently settled on those made from Flour Sack Cloth. They are thin; but, very absorbent and dry quickly. Wal-Mart has there.
    9. See #8
    10. Instead of foil boxes, we just keep heavy duty aluminum foil on hand and build what we need when we need them
    11. For charcoal, it depends on what you mean. We will make our own char coal every few years, by heating a drum full of wooden blocks to produce wood gas that is burned off; but, could be processed as fuel in a pinch. When cooled, those blocks are “real” charcoal. When you purchase the Briquettes from companies like Kingsford, you don’t get real charcoal. They mix charcoal powder and clay and form it into Briquettes, which is why you have the gray clay powder left when you’re done.
    12. We have tons of bags from sandwich to gallon size. Other than the sandwich size, we only purchase freezer bags, since these are thicker and more durable, and the cost difference is minimal.
    13. Dish soap would be the large bottle of Dawn that is distributed to the smaller squeeze bottles for use.
    14. I have an entire cutlery collection, for both the Kitchen and otherwise. A complete set of Condor’s and the Habilis Bush tool can be used in the kitchen or in the field. You also need to keep them sharp so a way to do that should be part of your setup. We keep several ”Smith’s CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener” on hand and I highly recommend them. The Tungston Carbide side works well and the ceramic on the other side completes the task in seconds, This tool is usually less than $5.00 and we keep several around.
    15. We store bleach; but, also store sodium or calcium hypochlorite to make our own. Instructions for doing so are found everywhere on the web so I won’t go into details.
    16. We always keep laundry detergent and have the means to make more from numerous recipes on the web.
    17. In a pinch we can wash by hand with the old washboard and drying rack. I looked at your washing machine using buckets and it looks interesting and should not be too hard to duplicate with the ”Junque” we have on hand.
    18. I have a butane stove similar to yours with butane on hand, and a twin burner dual fuel Coleman camp stove; but, since we already cook and heat with propane and generally have 2000-3000 gallons on hand most of the time, those would be primary. We could of course also build a fire out back and use the Dutch oven. I purchased my butane stove @ Aldus for $16.00 and purchased a dozen of those same butane canisters. Great minds must really think alike.
    19. We have pots and pans in all shapes and sizes. When we combined households 36+ years ago we had more than one of everything, and that stuff rarely wears out.
    20. See #19 or use a simple Corel or glass bowl and the microwave oven.
    21. In the present time there are tons of very nice, inexpensive and very bright LED flashlights & Lanterns. We use rechargeable batteries and keep from of the AA & AAA Panasonic Eneloop or the 18650 Lithium Ion in the chargers at all times and have numerous ways to charge them. I purchased one of the ”Atomic Beam” lanterns a while back and then found a pair of them (generic markings) with batteries for $10.00 @ Aldi’s. Like that butane stove, you have to keep that mindset running all of the time.
    22. See #21
    23. We keep some paper goods on hand; but, find it easier to use real plates and forks and wash them. We have no dishwasher, so it takes little water to do so.
    24. Lots of serving spoons
    25. How is a pancake turner different than a spatula? We have them I ndifferent sizes and materials and don’t need something special for pancakes or French toast.
    26. Baby Wipes: You can get these in foil packets at the dollar stores, so they don’t dry out and are more portable.
    27. Every time we visit the dentist (at least yearly) we come home with a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste.
    28. See #27 although a baking soda and salt mixture works fine.
    29. You can often find inexpensive floss in 100 yard or longer containers. This is also useful for other things, like basic strong cordage.
    30. Actually the small sport tampons for the FAK are great for nosebleeds
    31. Through 36 are not useful in our current situration
    37A&D ointment is handy and when mixed with Cayenne pepper can be a topical pain reliever for sore muscles
    38. No need for these
    39. Or these
    40. We have tons of underwear, socks, & T Shirts in our normal rotation
    41. We purchase TP in 20 or 24 roll packs and never have less than 100 rolls on hand
    42. We have some hand sanitizer; but, a good hand washing with soap works as well without drying out the skin from the alcohol
    43. We have portable toilet parts on hand; but, with a septic system, all we need is water in a bucket to flush.
    44. We keep many sizes of garbage bags including leaf and contractor bags
    45. We always have 100 or more pounds of kitty litter, since we have 2 indoor cats and also find it useful for other things.
    46. The Cyalume light sticks are almost always available at our local Dollar Tree. They used to be around only @ Halloween; but, ours now carries them all of the time.
    47. We purchase various kinds of soap in 3 packs or 5 packs. If you unwrap them and let them sit out to dry, they get a little harder and will last longer.
    48. We generally don’t keep Bag Balm; but, do keep a big bottle of Vaseline Intensive Care lotion
    49. We keep Epsom salts; but, also keep hundreds of pounds of plain water softener salt that may be used for many things.
    50. We purchase large bottles of shampoo and refill small bottles we keep in the shower.
    51. Brushes and combs are in good supply
    52. We have mittors all over the place
    53. We keep some razors; but, with a beard I don’t shave often or much area of the face.
    54. Band-Aids as well as gauze and paper tape are in a large, well stocked FAK.
    55. See #54
    56. Antibiotic ointment is also in the FAK
    57. No silver solution; but, we can make colloidal silver if we need it
    58. No essential oils, since my wide is sensitive to nearly any fragrance.
    59. We have some vitamins on hand; but, a well balanced diet makes these less of a requirement.
    60. I recommend utility knives with changeable blades and a good supply of blades.
    61. Duct tape and WD-40 are staples and we have numerous rolls and bottles
    62. I have several hundred N95 masks we’ve collected over the years
    63. We have a few hundred Nitrile gloves (Harbor Freight)
    64. We have several thousand feet of 550 paracord in various colors as well as hemp and nylon ropes.
    65. Benadryl also n the FAK
    66. Aspirin as well as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen in the FAK and the medicine cabinet.
    67. See #66
    68. See #66
    69. No babies around here
    70. Also no children
    71. Chapstick is in every Christmas stocking every year.
    72. We keep sunscreen on hand; but, here in Ohio seeing the sun is rare, LOL
    73. Generic Imodium is a staple and we keep quite a lot on hand
    74. Socks and underwear are a plenty as well as T Shirts
    75. We keep lots of glove for both warmth and work
    76. See #75
    77. We have always had various shovels, rakes, hoes, etc.
    78. We have a lot of seeds including a few of the Survival Seed Vaults. What BTW is an inorganic seed?
    79. Lots of buckets from the standard 10 quart plastic & metal, to the 2 ½ and 5 gallon ones and heated buckets in the barn for livestock watering in winter.
    80. We have one foldable (entrenching tool) shovel that rarely gets used.
    81. We keep bandanas on hand; but, I generally wear caps with a brim to shade the eyes or with ear flaps in winter.
    82. See #81
    83. Also see #81
    84. Jackets and coats a plenty.
    85. We have numerous shoes and boots and specific muck boots for outside work.
    86. Wool socks are OK; but, Wool Polypropylene are better, since they wick the sweat away and keep the feet dry.
    87. Why white? Just having long sleeved shirts on hand does the trick for us.
    88. We keep some Castile soap on hand
    89. We have several home brew filters using purchased filter elements and food grade buckets.
    90. I don’t have your book; but, since it’s available in Kindle, I might pick it up
    91. We have paper books, audio books, and videos on hand for entertainment and reference
    92. We have tons of cookbooks going back more than 50 years, plus a lot of recipes I’ve snagged over the years. You can find recipes for almost anything on the web; but, now is the time to get and stash them.
    93. We have several versions of the Bible here in paper and in digital formats.
    94. We have numerous decks of cards and a few board games left over from the kids. Jigsaw puzzles are also a good thing to keep on hand.
    95. We keep several kinds of vinegar and can make our own if we need it
    96. I don’t hear people mention witch hazel much; but, it’s a good astringent with some antibacterial properties.
    97. We purchase our hydrogen peroxide by the quart or liter @ dollar tree. In general it spoils (degrades) more quickly than other chemicals so it’s cheap enough there to keep a lot on hand and not worry if it loses potency.
    98. I carry a whistle as part of my EDC.
    99. We keep cough lozenges and syrup on hand as part of the FAK
    100. We try to keep at least a 6 month supply of all needed medications on hand.
    101. We keep the Mylar Space blankets on hand; but, I prefer the Grabber Outdoors Hooded Emergency Blanket which also has grommets to use like a trap.
    102. We keep some Popsicle sticks on hand; but, had lot of limber and tools to make whatever we need.
    103. Toothpicks are another staple and are used quite often for cooking.
    104. All of those kitchen gadget are also here in quantity.
    105. We have two sewing machines and tons of buttons, etc. We have two crates leftover from when we had dogs that are just taking up space.
    106. We also have rolls of heavy Visqueen as well as numerous tarps.
    107. Our pets (horse and goat) live outside in the barns and our other livestock (chickens) are also well taken care of.
    While I think we’re in pretty good shape since we’ve been on this journey for quite a while, it’s good to see a list and evaluate your situation every now and then. Good thought provoking list.

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    1. Hi Ohio Prepper, I am recycling a few old posts by freshening them up with a few new ideas. You and your wife are so prepared, I LOVE it! Linda

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13. This is a great list. I to have several things that was listed, but also see a lot of things that were not. There were 3 or 4 things on there I got free from amazon with my points. So that was great. These post will help me so much better than the survival forum I was on. Thank you LInda for your guide in doing what really needs to be done.
    Looks like Ohio prepper is in good shape. I can only wish. But I will get there. I already have the food storage in order. Years supply has come in handy more times than I can count.

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