The Best Investment For Preppers?

There is one man I know who quit his well paying job because he wanted "freedom." His goal after quitting his job was to start a dairy farm but things didn't quite work out as he planned and it took him 10 years to get what he wanted.

One thing I learned from him is that no investment is 100% safe. You could lose all your money or get low returns on your investments.

Considering the fact that not everything will be valuable post event, what do you think might be the best investment for a prepper? Something that could survive a cataclysmic event, societal collapse? Gold? Silver? Something else?

 

I think well stocked shelters and survival equipment would be the best things you could buy. Lots of non-perishable food and supplies that you would need in any event. Food and supplies will always be valuable, and worst case scenario you can use things that other people may want, to barter. I think in a post-event world bartering could be the most important asset. New currency could develop, but it really isn't easy to know what it could be. I think it's just best to stock up on valuable supplies, food, and water.

 

Diversification in everything. Diversity of skills, investments, tools, etc. is the key. The Proverbs say "you don't know what a day may bring forth", and how true that is.

Regarding what will be valuable post event, well, it depends on the event. A localized disaster will likely have little impact on the currency value. Having a large, liquid reserve of cash would be necessary to rebuild, replace, and move on. On the other hand, if civilization as we knew it collapsed, currency may have some value in starting a fire, but little else.

 

To that end I would say people. Food and people, as far as I'm concerned, are two sides of the same coin. The funny thing is that food is far and away easier to procure than good people for these situations

 

The best investment for a prepper is preparations. Comb over your situation and acquire the things you need for the various ways that a catastrophie could unfold. I really want to do this. We have same stuff but there is no rhyme or reason to it. We need plans and supplies and ways of storing things.

 

I will not advise you to have one source of income. You can try farming but remember that there are other factors to consider. You can open a shop but without the necessary skills you may make losses. I think what one can do is to research on what those who are close to them want. This will make it easier for one to buy and sell to them the products that they may want. For example toys, utensils, etc. Since you'll be buying the goods in bulk, the discount you'll get will allow you to earn some profit. I remember when I was in college how I used to sell biscuits and tooth paste.

 

At least 3 weeks of water and non-perishables will go a long away especially in the event of mild natural disasters. As someone who lives in LA, the threat of earthquakes are a very real one, and I would rather survive in my home comfortably post-disaster than to have to go downtown and grab water from a bunch of FEMA trucks where everybody is an open target. I prefer US military MREs because they're packed with carbs and usually give you a lot of bang for your buck, plus they can be kept for a very long time.

Sometimes they even come with tools like a matchbook or some toilet paper. I've carried one of the waterproof matchboxes in my wallet for a while to prepare for when I would need them.

 

The first thing that comes to mind for me would be water. Take advantage of when bottled water is on sale (we recently got 4 28 packs of bottled water for $10. Great deal) and stock up on it. You never know where you're going to end up in a situation where you need it. For instance, around here a town about forty-five minutes away from me is having issues with contaminated water. For months they haven't been able to drink, cook, or even bathe in the water there. They've been getting water given to them but they're actually at a point where they're having a shortage of bottled water. In a case like that, having a stock of water would be extremely valuable.

 

Wow you all have good and valid points! I agree with the most of you on when he in the farming business that is a good business to have, but in today's society you have to have your hands in a different variety of things to have that back up plan just in case one game plan fails! I am an Entrepreneur that specializes in tax preparation, credit counseling, retail, internet marketing, paid surveys and other ventures to keep my money at flow to pay my bills for me and my family, because today's economy is tough and it's still not back to where it should be!

 

Our first choice was two acres of land and a 100-year-old farmhouse right outside a small town of 4,000 people in southern Idaho.
The next best investment was meeting and becoming friends with four or five families of our neighbors, who have been incredibly helpful and friendly to a couple of city folks who admit they don't know jack-squat about homesteading.
After that, a DeWalt 12-inch compound miter saw!

 

The best investment is land that is not too close to a major metropolitan area. Even if you can't live there you can build a small cabin there and use it as a weekend place to get away. As time passes you can make improvements like maybe a fishing pond that will provide water. Plant some fruit trees and nut bearing trees. Fence it so that you can easily keep small livestock and protect a garden. Its value no matter what will only improve over time.

I like the idea of being near a small town. Where I live if gasoline became a problem I can still get the things that I need within walking distance. Spending time there on weekends, if you will make an effort, will allow you to be a part of that small community. In a post apocalyptic world strangers are not going to be very welcome. Having an IN may be critical. Go there often, maybe go to church. get to know your neighbors and try to have some activity with the locals.

The investment in time and making a few friends is an investment in your future just as valuable as any monetary investment.

 

On the water topic...Alexapure is an extremely efficient system allowing of course that exchangable filters are stockpiled. This is a gravity powered system. They also make a portable (backpack sized) unit. Both ave filters that wil produce thousands of gallons before replacing.

 

Land, remote, large piece, many acres, with water...must have water, trees ready to harvest and a saw mill so you can cut the trees into your own lumber to build your own house and farm buildings, tractors, several tractors capable of digging your basement/ underground bunker, a then dig a large pond and stock it with fish, livestock like cows/bull, Great Pyrenees (male & female), sheep (male & female) of the kind that provide wool and of the kind that you can milk but do not have hair to shave, chickens, 1 rooster, ducks, turkeys one of each M & F, rabbits, greenhouses, outside raised beds, cold frames, all ready for growing plus a large tilled, ready to grow garden, and an orchard with all fruit trees and nut trees of various kinds. Well this is a good start...and all my family that i can talk into joining me...so i guess I'll be alone again...me and my 7 year old grandson. But I would still be much happier, because of the land and animals.

 

I am going to be splitting hairs here, so bear with me. I want to take a small issue with the title of this thread: The Best Investment for Preppers. Investment is the purchase of an asset or a security that will generate a return in the future. While all of the suggestions here have merit, they are not really investments. They are Speculations. They offer no returns. You are hoping (speculating) that their value will increase in the future.

So, how should you invest/speculate? If you really believe in TEOTWAWKI where there is a total societal and economic collapse you might consider gold or silver that have always had value throughout history. Land is almost always a safe choice, especially, if you intend to live there and go off grid. If you are prepping more along the lines of SHTF and shorter term disaster scenarios you might opt for non perishable food stores, honey, salt, sugar. Toiletries: soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brushes, toilet paper, feminine supplies. Alcohol in almost any form. Buy the items you will use in time that have very long or no shelf life. As time goes on you can consume them yourself if you need to.

 

The best investment available today is your time in learning basic survival skills and long term off grid living skills. Survival is about mind set and your brain is your most valuable asset. The next level of assets would be hard assets and I believe the most fungible portable assets will be firearms and ammunition. They are dual use in they provide defense and a universal means of barter. An investment today in 5000 rounds of .22lr costs approximately $200, you can defend yourself with it, hunt game to feed yourself with it or trade with it. A .22 savage rifle will cost around $400. I see the next best investment being heirloom seeds, a pack of 15,000 seeds costs around $20 and they too are dual purpose for self use and trade. The weight to value for seeds, an important metric, is very high. Stockpiling food and water, while very important, is more dependent on your survival plan (shelter in place, bug out or forward stockpile) as it is bulky and can be difficult to move or defend. Gold and silver will have future value and are portable but rely on commerce being restored versus immediate value in a barter economy.

 

Karen, with all that, well it's great. But have you taken funds and bought prepping supplies, and medicines, sources to purify water, start fires, protection items, camping outside of your home (in case you had to flee because of natural or man-made disaster), like tarps or tents, or bivy bags, survival foods and water. Have you a plan for a place to go to, if you absolutely had to leave. Just asking....are you prepared to live on your own without a grocery store or hospital, or any government assistance? Because if not, then you need to start now, times are getting rough. Just my 2 cents opinion.

 

Morgan 101 - if you have farm land and are raising farm animals and crops, herbs, and whatever else...you can make good money selling baby animals and/or packaged meats, along with excess produce, eggs, plants, flower baskets, etc. This can be very profitable and keep you in good standing with community people and be a really big asset for bardering in a poop hits the windmill. lol

 

All good valid points, and a good reason to be in the farm business if that is your thing. It still doesn't make any of it less speculative. You will not see any return on your investment until your farm shows a profit from the fruits of your labor (no pun intended), or when you sell it. You will not be paid a dividend on your land, livestock, or produce.

I guess to go back to ground zero you could ask the same question about Investing as you would about Prepping. Why do you prepare? To protect yourself and your loved ones from harm or disaster, be it natural or man-made. Everyone will have an individual answer, as they should. Everyone will have different reasons. Why do you invest? While individual reasons may vary there will be an underlying current "to make money".

I don't invest any differently because I am a Prepper. I invest to get the best return on my money that I can. I stock many different things to aid in my preps, and to barter, but I don't consider those investments. Those are supplies or inventory.

 

Stocks and bonds, gold, silver - all these investments can be poof - gone in an instance with a collapse, crash, EMP, CME.
I believe the greatest investments are in God, family, friends, land, animals, produce, water and of course protection items.
You cannot save yourself, your family, or your friends...anything without these. Non-living things are great to have to restart the system, so there is a place for them, of coarse, but not above the 8 for-mentioned items. Priority first, survival first, then if we do that, then what you have invested comes into play along with the listed above list of necessities.

 

An investment is basically something that you do NOW with hopes that at a point in time in your future that the investment will offer you some benefit. An investment in time to learn various skills such as fire making may have little use to you now but could be a life saver in the future. An investment in time and effort to be a known person in the area that you will try to bug out too is also an investment that could pay huge dividends in your future.

Money is worthless unless it can be traded for something. It is an investment in the future that you plan to use later to delay receiving a direct payment at the time of your work. Money has no value if people lose faith in it. Barter is at best a hand to mouth way of life. Preppers as part of their preparation is to invest some of their money in things that they hope will hold value if money becomes just paper. I can easily see the day when a roll of toilet paper would have a lot more value than a hand full of dollar bills.

 

"The Best Investment for Preppers"??? Trial and error, learn, adjust, improve. Try living without power or running water for a day.....can't use your car, pull the main breakers and shutoff the water main. After 24 hours, evaluate weak points and adjust. If the electrical grid is down, there's a good chance the financial and water grids are also useless, so even if you could access your money, it won't do much good. Don't just prepare........practice it!!! Go down to the river and carry back 5 gallon buckets of water to use for the water purifier.........oops, no water purifier.......or cart/wagon to move the water. A 5 gallon bucket of water weighs over 40 pounds and gets heavy fast. "Practicing" is a weak point for me as well, and I'm almost glad to have the power outages, just to see how well prepared I am. Hate grabbing a flashlight only to find the batteries are 90% dead.

Someone earlier said it....invest in yourself first, your own skill sets, then work to build the basics.......shelter, water, food. After you establish a 3 day thresh hold, extend your supplies to 7 days, 2 weeks, a month. If the situation goes long term (past 7-10 days), food will become a valuable commodity, simple tarps, a 5 gallon can of gas, personal hygene (sp?) products.

Actual products to invest in?? Good water purification system, a travel/game cart/wagon, hand crank emergency radio, solar panel with setup for charging AA/AAA batteries and possibly phone/laptop. If you have a very deep pocket, then look for land and a place to establish a secure bugout location. Start small, practice, and adjust. The three main problems most people run into: getting started, staying consistent, and practicing.

Each person will have their own priorities and that's okay........just get started, and keep going!!!

 

I’d say the best investment for preppers is acquiring skills. Land, food, water and supplies can be wiped out from natural disasters or taken from people but having the skills to create a home out of raw land can’t be taken from you. Of course stockpiling supplies is good as well but being prepared is more then having supplies in hand it is also about having a plan for if those supplies aren’t in the picture.

 

I would say the best investment is to train your mind what to do when shtf. after that everything falls into place.

 

Toilet paper and feminine hygiene products. Sounds like a joke now, but sit and really think about it. It'll be worth gold after SHTF.

 

agreed, especially with teenage girls. The Israelis found that after 3 days of hard work, sweat and dirt with little or no chance of washing/cleaning up, there was a noticeable drop in moral for women. Personal hygiene is more critical for women I think as compared to men........for better or worse, too many men seem to take it as challenge to see how long they can go without showers or soap....... This isn't intended as a sexist remark and I hope none were offended.