Yeah, I know that these are difficult times financially for many Americans and folks the world over. I live on a pretty tight budget myself. With basic groceries costing an arm and a leg each month, it’s hard to find the money to set aside to maintain my pantry and buy the preps I want to have. There is a constant temptation to spend less and buy the least expensive item.
However, there are a few things in my preps that I have learned are worth the extra money. Either I was warned by a knowledgable friend, or got lucky, or learned the hard way (aka buy cheap…forced to buy again).
In this article, I am going to share my thoughts on what preps in my collection are worth the extra money. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts about your own purchases and preps that you feel are worth paying an extra penny for.
Off-Grid Grain Mill
Months before I went off-grid in my first tiny house on wheels, I saved up for a high-quality hand-operated grain mill. At the time, it was a whole lotta dough to buy the mill that would help me make my off-grid dough! I conducted research on what was available and the features I wanted to have. I read reviews. In the end, I spent on a high-end model and never looked back.
The birth of this article came from a recent conversation with a friend. He is an avid prepper himself. I had done a demo for him a while back of my grain mill, using it to grind my own corn into cornmeal before his eyes. Then, I cooked up some corn pones out of the corn meal for us. I could tell he was impressed. Fast forward a year or so, he was telling me that he was looking at a grain mill that he wanted to buy online…for $40. I inwardly winced.
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Now, I don’t like to tell folks what to do, especially when they haven’t asked for my advice. I asked him a simple question: Did the mill he was looking at have stone burrs and also steel ones? Turns out both are important to have. Trying to grind my soybeans into flour to add to my Irish Soda Bread became a disaster when my stone burrs got coated in the flour because of the oil content and became ineffective.
I now know that I need to use my steel burrs for grinding certain items, including if I want to make nut butter with them! He just replied that he didn’t know. Call me a sceptic, but I’m just not seeing a long life for a $40 made in you know where grain mill. My own has functioned perfectly for almost a decade. You will have to pry this one out of my cold dead hands, folks. That is how good it is!
Now, I know that this is just my opinion, and peoples’ needs vary, so if you want to compare options, check out this great grain mill buying guide from a company out of Nebraska, who outta know!
Daisy’s recommendations: The Wondermill
Footwear
Quite literally, in an all-out SHFT, your footwear could be your life. If you need to go on the run, do you honestly want to be taping up your shoe with duct tape or dealing with horrifying blisters that could have been avoided?
Many years ago, I didn’t know a good shoe from a hole in the ground. I had a pair of poorly made shoes that I loved that were FAUX patent leather. I tortured a cobbler by bringing them in for repair. At first, he refused, saying that the shoes were garbage. I begged him to glue them together, and he relented, making me promise that I would never bring them back to his shop again.
These days, I wear high-end hiking boots and orthopaedic sandals that have lasted me for years. One high-quality brand has footbeds that I can replace for under $50….and they keep going and going and going. Now, I’m going to admit….the hikers were a gift from a good friend. However, I keep an eye out at ALL thrift shops for a good bargain on high-quality footwear. Despite the fact that I live in a tiny, tiny space, I allow myself some extra pairs of these shoes, boots, and sandals. I know they might come in handy one day.
Knives
Now, if I’m being totally honest, I think it’s good to have a bit of both. But please, don’t be like my mother, using old dull knives with broken handles!
Yes, having some cheaper knives on hand that are more throwaway or that could perhaps be used for trading in a pinch is probably a good idea. I have a few hunting knives like that that I buy when they go on sale for 75% off at the local hardware store. I like to keep a few of these around. However, in my kitchen is a complete set of high quality Wusthof knives, including a cleaver worth over $200 new just on its own. Did I spend big on these? Heck no! I got lucky in a thrift shop one day, after looking for years. You better believe that a few of these knives will be running out the door with me, should I ever need to bug out.
First Aid Kit Items
I’m lucky that I have a cousin who works in home care with the elderly and knows a bit about wound care and nursing. Her best piece of advice was to only buy and keep on hand the highest-quality bandages and first aid items in my own kit. This means that most first aid kits won’t make the cut (ha ha pun intended).
One example is trauma shears. Just take out the ones included in most first aid kits and try to cut something with them, never mind jeans. I don’t cheap out on my first aid kit because it may be needed to save someone’s life. So, yes, I buy separate items like more professional-level trauma shears.
Another example is safety pins. They aren’t very safe if they’re flimsy and bend! I make sure to upgrade to sturdy diaper pins in mine, with the protective covers so I won’t be adding to anyone’s injuries with a flimsy pin.
Another issue with first aid kits is upkeep. Things expire! Particularly, I find that all those little foil-wrapped goodies go dry over time. More than once, I have pulled alcohol pads out of my purse or a kit, only to find them bone dry. Sheesh! Preparing to write this article, I did a thorough check of my own kit and saw that some of the items had expired. Oh, well. Time to spend again. But isn’t it true that peace of mind is priceless?
If you want more tips on what to keep in a good first aid kit, find out from far more expert than me: an old army medic, here. As well, experience taught Daisy about a great addition to her own first aid kit that only costs $8!
Some Preps are Worth the Extra $$$
For my preps, there are certain items where quality counts and is worth paying more for. What are your thoughts on my list above? Would you pay more for these? Do you have your own suggestion you can share with us? Please tell us in the comments section!
About Rowan
Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible.
9 Responses
Foot ware and knives! Yep! DO NOT skimp on them! I have sets of high priced, hiking or hunting boots are they are well worth it. The only thing I would add to foot ware, is quality wool socks. I have sets of light weight socks for the mild to warm months and sets for the cold and even winter expedition grade socks for those single and even negative digit winter days.
Knew a guy in the fire service who kept a small, cheap folder knife in a elastic band around his fire helmet. His reasoning was if he lost it, he was only out a few dollars. One day during training, it broke. Had he been in a real structure fire, he could of been in real trouble. To that, I say split the difference. Go for a moderate priced knife that will do the job. There are some knives that cost hundreds of dollars where one for $75 will do and not fail at a very inopportune time. In my book, Dear Diary, It Is Me, Jessica, Jack carries Ka-BARs. Why? It is what I know works and will not break the bank.
One thing I would add to knives which I mention in Chapter 20, is the means to sharpen a knife. I recommend a whet stone that uses water vs oil, but YMMV.
Very much appreciate your input, 1stMarineJarHead. I’m a fan of your writing. Thank you for adding temperature scaled socks and a good sharpener to the list. It is important not to rely on any cheap implement that we want to be a throw away, too. That was a great story!
I read once that you can buy cheap shoes and they “might” last as long as good shoes (they won’t), but the entire time you are wearing them, you will wish you had on good shoes.
I bought some good New Balance runners at a sports store where I know the owner. The next week at a big box sporting goods store I saw the SAME runners- model #, color, everything, for 1/3 the price. I bought them. The good runners lasted, easily 5x longer than the cheap ones and were still ok. Which was the better value? I went to Mark, the friend/owner, and confessed my sin. He laughed. He said the manufacturers have 2 different product lines that look the same. The “made for discount” market (cheaper foam, material and everything else)and the quality line. That’s why I go to places that sell the “made in America” New Balance shoes. They are better from day one and last a LONG time. Then, they go for years as yard shoes. They never fall apart on me. If you are ever in Maine and go to the New Balance factory outlet…THERE you will get serious bargains.
I have 25 year old hikers that were a fortune and still pretty darn good.
No cheap shoes for me.
I have the cheap grain mill, was $50 when I bought the first, $45 on the second
and now you can get them for $40 and free shipping.
I put one together and used it, put about five pounds of corn through it.
It takes quite a bit of effort and I had to run it all through three times to get the consistency I wanted.
“Victoria Manual Cast Iron Grain Mill with Standard(low) Hopper, Premium Corn-Grinding Mill and Grain Grinder, Made in Colombia”
The second was for parts if anything on the main breaks.
I am happy with them, I figured out a way to power it with a dedicated battery powered drill if that were needed.
It will even be emp proof, no IC electronics in the two drills I set aside for it though
I may have to finagle a speed control.
It really needs a dedicated heavy, small solid built table for a permanent mount.
I couldn’t justify $200, 300 400+ on a mill I may never use or need.. until the war goes full tilt.
Ba, I’ll do rice and beans first.
On boots, I found a quality pair of snowmobile boots at Saint Vincent resale shop.
Zero wear on them, $20 and perfect fit.
I have 5 pair work boots, two of the sets are redwing.
Plenty of shoes.
I lost count but around 30 pair jeans, lots of new socks.
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Knives, several were stolen over the years, I still have a few I like.
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First Aid.
I have had to throw out things because of age.
Bandages don’t stick, paper wrapping on things falls apart so not sterile.
Elastic bandages turn to junk.
Depressing.
Oh yes. Tarps. Don’t buy cheaper lightweight tarps because they will leak and fall apart. I bought some cheap ones at a hardware store to place under our tents when we were camping in the rain and they were useless; no better than leaving the tent on the ground.
Tents and sleeping bags too- bought a couple of each at Walmart for a camping trip that ended up being 2 months of non-stop rain. Tents leaked. Sleeping bag zippers broke.
Also camping cookstoves- cheap Walmart one warped. As did the cheap stainless steel pot.
I guess if you’re buying cheap because you don’t expect to use it much it may not matter but should you end up having to depend on them in a bug out situation, you might wish you’d bought better quality.
Great article! I have learned most of these lessons the hard way in my life.
A grain mill is sitting on my wish list for about 4 years now because I’ve been holding out for quality and one that I really like (it’s the Mockmill with the wood-look housing. Sadly, the price has increased significantly over the past year, and it’s been out of stock for months – so it remains on the list.)
I saw Daisy’s recommendation for the Wondermill and that might be a more reasonable investment because, at this point, something is better than nothing (and the wisdom of more off-grid tools). If anyone has this item, is it easy to clean? I have a few handcrank kitchen tools and some are such a
bother to clean that they are probably more decorative than useful!
P.S. Thanks to everyone for posting recommendations for each of the items mentioned in the article. It’s helpful to have a starting point for research.
I have the Wonder mill & its easy to use but a little hard to clean the mill spout. I suggest getting a good baby bottle brush or a strong brush & lean you mill over the sink,then run the bush in the spout a few times until nothing comes out. If you don’t so this you will get bugs in your mill.
Sometimes the corn mill will get clumpy & stick in the mill spout ,but again a good cleaning with your brush will take care of that.
We do love our mill & have used it for several years.Pray this helps
Also worth buying quality are garden tools and hand tools for fixing/building. I bought my son a cheap digging fork and it broke the first day he used it! Quality tools that are well cared for last.
Duct tape is another item that quality seems to matter. Likewise batteries. Zippers, should you stock up for repairs also vary in quality. Socks- I always wear Darn Tough socks. There are some other good brands but quality matters.
I also found that spending the money on a quality food dehydrator such as Excalibur is worth it. On the other hand, cheaper water bath canners do the job just fine.