Preparedness is Key to Frugal Living

The most important qualities to living a purposely frugal life is to be prepared. Preparedness will always prevent an unnecessary struggle. I was born and raised in Florida, like many parts of the country we have our share of weather to worry about. Up North, you must be prepared for the winter weather. In the Midwest, you must be prepared for severe wind and storms. Out West, earthquakes are a part of the reality of choosing to live there. And down South and along the East Coast, hurricanes are an issue for over half of the year. Nothing can be worse than being in the situation where you could have been prepared (and often meant to be prepared) but did not “get around to it”.

Preparedness is Key to Frugal Living

Emergency kits can become extremely expensive, so you always need to keep in mind what your family needs is a disaster happens. In my family, everyone has their own bags, and then we have two family totes: one with important documents and your replaceable items, and another with everything else that can be generally used by the family. For the two totes, we use big plastic storage containers.

In each of the individual bags, what you put in depends on two factors. One factor is the needs of the person on a daily basis, the other factor is what type of emergency situation the bag is being used for. For our family, hurricane season is the main reason we pack emergency bags. Each of the kids bags are backpacks that I have found that consignment sales for very cheap. My husband and I each use old reusable shopping bags for ours.

There are three main categories to consider when putting together your kit: food, water, and supplies. Here is a full list of items to put on your emergency kit.

Most, if not all of the items on these lists can be purchased during sale cycles and with coupons. Make sure to pick one day a year (mark it on your calendar) that you go through your kits and refresh any expired goods. For our family, June 1st is the start of hurricane season and the day we go through our kits and go over our family plan on what to do in case of emergencies. Start building your families kits now. Do not wait until it is too late.

Read part 1 of Angie’s Living on $30,000 Best Frugal Tips on Thriving and (not just surviving) on $30,000 a year!

Part 2 – Basic Home Budgeting

Part 3 – How to Budget Monthly Finances Wisely

Part 4 – How to Not Spend Money

Part 5 – Smart Money Saving Tips to Control Your Debt

Part 6 – Money Management Skill

Part 7 – Why Couples Should Talk About Money?

How to Use Your Tax Refund to Build Wealth

How to Manage Food Budget for Family?

Budgeting for a New Baby

Dating on a Budget Ideas

Angie Rumpf

I am a stay at home mom and happily married to my husband Tom. I have a five year old daughter and a two and a half year old son. I grew up in Orlando, but went to school in New York City and lived in Los Angeles before moving home to raise a family. I have worked in the film industry since the early nineties, and for over a decade with the Florida Film Festival. I also spent many years working in marketing with Glaceau and Honest Tea. But, I am happiest at home building my family.

For more Best Frugal Tips, read these:

How to get rich in 5 minutes a day

Frugal Ways to Save Money: Getting Out of Debts

How to Save Up Money: Tips for Living on $30000 or Less