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How to Get a Shipping Container Home for Cheap

October 15, 2022 by David Leave a Comment

cheap shipping container home

With the prices of housing skyrocketing, many people are looking for more affordable options for their new house. Constructing a cheap shipping container home can be a great way to save money on your next house purchase.

Shipping containers can be found for sale on the internet, and they are usually very affordable. Although there will be costs involved with finishing out the container into a ready-to-live-in house, you’ll still save thousands over a traditional home.

Shipping container homes are becoming more and more popular, and there are a few things you should know before you buy one. In this article, we will tell you how to get a shipping container home for cheap.

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What are shipping container homes?

A shipping container home is a house made out of a modified steel shipping container. Unheard of a few years ago, they are now becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to traditional stick-built homes.

Shipping container homes can be cheaper, quicker to build, and more environmentally friendly than traditional homes. They can also be just as comfortable and stylish as a traditional home.

All around the world, people are re-purposing shipping containers as homes. They are popular because these homes are often more affordable than traditional homes and can be constructed relatively quickly.

Shipping container homes can be found in a variety of climates, from hot to cold, and can be outfitted to suit the needs of any family. If you’re considering a shipping container home, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

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The benefits of shipping container homes

Shipping container homes are becoming increasingly popular, as more people recognize the benefits they offer. If you’re considering building a shipping container home, here are just some of the advantages you can enjoy over traditional homes.

First, shipping container homes are cheaper to build than traditional homes.

In addition, these homes can be built more quickly than regular stick-build houses.

Shipping container homes are also eco-friendly, as they reuse materials that might otherwise be sent to a landfill or just sit out rusting away.

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The cost of shipping container homes

One of the biggest benefits of shipping container homes is their cost-effectiveness.

Shipping containers are relatively cheap to buy, and because they’re modular, it’s easy to add on extra rooms or even split them into separate living areas.

Building a traditional home from scratch can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so if you’re looking for an affordable option, shipping containers are definitely worth considering.

As the expensive housing market continues to scare away many potential buyers, many homeowners are looking for creative and cost-effective ways to build or expand their homes.

Shipping container homes are becoming an increasingly popular option, as they offer a unique and stylish aesthetic while being significantly cheaper than traditional construction methods.

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Hidden costs of shipping container homes

While the initial cost of shipping container homes may be lower than traditional construction, there are a few hidden costs that must be considered.

First, shipping containers must be properly insulated to ensure they meet local building codes. This can add several thousand dollars to the total cost.

Additionally, because shipping containers are just big empty boxes that not designed to be lived in, basic amenities like plumbing and electricity must be added, which will also increase the overall cost.

Despite these hidden costs, shipping container homes can still be an affordable option for those looking for an alternative to traditional construction methods.

How to get a shipping container home cheap

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to live in a shipping container home, here are a few tips to get you started.

First, check with your local zoning office to see if there are any regulations or restrictions on building a shipping container home in your area.

If there are no zoning restrictions, you can start shopping for a used shipping container. Check online classifieds such as Craigslist for good deals on used containers.

You can also buy shipping containers on eBay, with 40 to 50 foot containers usually going for around $3000.

Once you’ve found a suitable shipping container, the next step is to decide if you’ll use a contractor or go the do-it-yourself route.

Finding a reputable contractor who can help you turn your container into a comfortable and stylish home can be a challenge, but they are out there. Try to get multiple bids from different contractors before making your final decision.

If you decide to build your own home using a shipping container, make sure to thoroughly research the steps involved. Consider following a guide from an expert builder who can walk you through all the steps, including footings, plumbing and electricity.

With planning and effort, you can find a cheap shipping container that will make for a great home. Just be sure to do your research and get help from an experienced professional to make sure everything goes smoothly.

diy shipping container homes
Learn how to build your container home from a professional builder

Final thoughts on building cheap shipping container homes

Building a shipping container home is a great way to get a durable and eco-friendly house while saving money.

With a little bit of planning and research, you can find a container for a fraction of the cost of a traditional home.

By working with a qualified contractor or going the DIY route, you can turn your shipping container into a comfortable and stylish home that will last for years to come.

Filed Under: Supplies Tagged With: shipping container, survival homes

10 Must-Have Non-Electric Kitchen Tools for Homesteaders and Preppers

October 6, 2022 by David Leave a Comment

off-grid kitchen cooking tools

In today’s world, more and more people are interested in lessening their dependence on traditional utilities like electricity, gas, and water. For some, this means looking for off-grid kitchen ideas. Others simply want to be prepared for unexpected long-term power outages.

In either case, having the right non-electric kitchen tools can make all the difference in preparing food in grid-down or long-term off-grid scenarios.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best manual kitchen tools that don’t need electricity. The right tools can make your life a lot easier when you’re off the grid and electricity is unavailable.

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By clicking an affiliate link below, we may receive a commission on purchases at no additional cost to you.

Why would you have an off-grid kitchen?

An off-grid kitchen is a term used to describe a kitchen that is not connected to the main power grid. This can be by intentional choice through opting to live off the grid, due to a natural disaster like hurricanes or ice storms, or from a SHTF scenario like an EMP or attack on the power grid.

Off-gridders still have many options to power an off-grid kitchen, including solar panels, wind turbines, and generators. But for the purposes of this article, we’ll only be looking at non-electric manual kitchen tools that can be used without electricity.

Here are ten of the best non-electric kitchen tools for when you’re without electricity.

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non-electric kitchen tools for preppers

Can opener

Any prepper worth his or her salt will stock up on canned goods like beans, vegetables and meats. But if the power goes out and the only tool you have to open your cans is an electric can opener… well, you get the idea.

You’d be surprised how many people stock up on canned goods but either don’t have a manual can opener at all, or only have one of those cheap openers that is either difficult to use or stops working after only a few uses.

There are all styles and types of non-electric can openers. We always recommend a name brand, high-quality can opener with lots of good reviews. It’s a great idea to have two or three openers in case one stops working or you want one as a high-value barter item.

Camping stove

For cooking without electricity, nothing is as simple as an old-fashioned camp stove.

For maximum versatility, we recommend getting a dual fuel camping stove that uses both butane and propane as the fuel source.

These stoves always carry a warning not to use indoors but many people use theirs inside a house, RV, etc., without any issues.

Don’t forget the fuel for your camp stove!

Ice chest

Another must-have non-electric off-grid kitchen tool is an ice chest.

An ice chest can buy you precious time if the power goes out and you want to preserve refrigerated or frozen items that may otherwise spoil.

A good quality ice chest with extra insulation can actually keep things frozen for up to five days even in warm weather.

If the power goes off in the winter time and it’s cold outside, you can store food in an ice chest outdoors. This protects the food from predators and potentially keeps it frozen for many weeks in northern climates. (Of course, if your house is unheated, just keep the ice chest indoors.)

How to Create Your Own Homesteading Kitchen

Solar oven

Solar ovens are another popular non-electric kitchen tool. These can be used to cook food without using any electricity or gas.

A solar oven is a device that uses the sun’s energy to heat your food. Solar ovens are a very efficient way to cook, as they can reach temperatures of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. They are also portable, making them ideal if you need to take it on the road.

The disadvantage is that you won’t be able to cook on a cloudy or overcast day. But if the sun is shining, a solar oven is a great way to go.

For cloudy days when you need to cook, a charcoal grill is a fantastic cooking option. (You can also use small wood pieces in place of charcoal.)

Water filter

Having pure, clean water for drinking and cooking is an absolute must in any grid-down situation.

There are a lot of options with affordable water purification filters, but a filter with multi-stage filtration is best.

How to Make Your own Emergency Water Well

Hand crank grain mill

Many preppers stock up on grain as part of their food storage stash. But if the power is off and you need to grind grain, you’ll need a manual grain mill to get the job done.

Hand crank grain mills come in an assortment of sizes. You’ll want one that is adjustable so you can control how fine or coarse the milled flour comes out.

Hand crank egg beater

For scrambling eggs, a manual egg beater is another must-have non-electric kitchen tool.

These are also great for whipping cream and mixing batters like for pancakes and breads.

Coffee grinder

If you’re a coffee drinker and prefer to store unroasted coffee beans for long-term storage, then a hand-operated coffee grinder is another essential tool.

When looking for a manual coffee grinder, one that has adjustable settings is ideal. This allows you to choose the coarseness of the grind.

Stainless steel percolator

You won’t be able to make coffee in an off-grid scenario without a percolator.

You’ll need a high-quality stainless steel percolator. Many people report that coffee prepared over a fire with a percolator yields a deeper, richer flavor.

You can also use loose leaf tea in your percolator.

Cast iron cookware

cast iron cookware for off-grid kitchen

Our last (but definitely not least!) recommendation for non-electric kitchen tools is cast iron cookware.

For cooking over an open flame, cast iron is definitely the way to go.

A cast iron Dutch oven is an incredibly useful piece of cookware. They are perfect for soups, chili and stews. You can eve cook breads like biscuits in them!

Cast iron skillets are also very useful for frying all sorts of meats, making pancakes, and cooking vegetables.

Learning from the original homesteaders

How would you like to sit down with a pioneer or homesteader from the 19th or early 20th centuries? You know, the kind who raised all of their own food, built their own house, and did everything without electricity and running water?

Well, we can’t transport you back in time to meet an old-time homesteader, but we’ve got the next best thing!

The Ultimate Homesteading eBook Bundle is an incredible collection of 272 hand-picked titles written by homesteading experts in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Each book has been digitized into an easy-to-use format and is crammed full of little-known secrets:

  • How to grow all the food you need even in less-than-ideal condition
  • How to raise chickens, cows and other animals to provide fresh meat and eggs
  • How to build a simple house using the materials local to your area
  • How to learn handiwork skills like sewing
  • How to preserve food using traditional preservation methods

These books have been bundled together by category and are perfect for preppers and homesteaders. The information found in these books is a true treasure trove that will be invaluable in any type of grid-down scenario where you need to quickly get up to speed on how to live without electricity and other modern conveniences.

classic homesteading books
Click now to learn more!

Final thoughts on non-electric kitchen tools

In an off-grid scenario where you need to prepare food without electricity, you’ll need several basic tools to be up to the task.

The non-electric kitchen tools mentioned above are among the best items to have on hand to keep you alive and well in any SHTF scenario.

Filed Under: Food, SHTF, Supplies Tagged With: food, homesteading, off-grid

Freebies

February 25, 2022 by David 3 Comments

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free preparedness resources

Check out Prepping World’s ever growing list of free emergency preparedness resources and products, including free prepping PDFs!

Who doesn’t like freebies? 🙂

Know of a freebie we missed? Leave a comment below!


USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning

Probably the best handbook for home canning. Available as a free download.

Free Organic Gardening Book

The SeedsNow Organic Gardening Grow Guide. Excellent 175 page gardening book!

Garden Tutor Learn How to Garden Course

If you’re new to gardening (or just want a refresher), this is a great free course.

Organic Gardening Course

Learn the basics of organic gardening with this free course.

classic homestead ebooks

Free Organic Gardening Guides

The good folks at Kellogg Garden Products have put together some incredibly helpful free organic guides (I really love the Companion Planting Guide), as well as planting charts for U.S zones 1-10. Get your free guides here!

The 100 Square Foot Garden

Free downloadable guide with instructions on how to get started with organic gardening.

Top 10 Vegetables to Plant That Will Really Feed You

Top 10 Vegetables to Plant that Will Really Feed You is a really helpful beginning course that covers how to pick vegetables to raise that are ideal for feeding your family.

Disaster Supply Checklist

A basic disaster-supply checklist from Florida Division of Emergency Management.

instant box garden

Composting for Beginner’s Course

Learn how to create rich compost to feed your garden with this free Composting for Beginner’s Course.

Grow, Cook, Eat

Grow, Cook, Eat is a wonderful series all about growing your own food. You can watch these for free with an Amazon Prime subscription.

David Domoney’s Garden Guides

British gardener David Domoney has some excellent free gardening guides available here.

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SAVE 10% ON HEIRLOOM SEEDS WITH CODE SAVE10NOW

Resilient Prepping

Mike Adams (The Health Ranger) has put together an incredible audiobook covering multi-layered preparedness and survival strategies–all for FREE! Click here for Resilient Prepping.

Top 10 Vegetables to Plant that Will Really Feed You

Top 10 Vegetables to Plant that Will Really Feed You is an amazing course designed to help you select vegetables perfect for feeding your family.

This free course includes a video and manual focused on home vegetable gardening.

Filed Under: Supplies

Shopping at Dollar Tree for Prepping Supplies

February 19, 2022 by David 10 Comments

Let’s face it: prepping can be expensive! Every dollar saved is an extra dollar you can use to buy more supplies. That’s why it only makes sense to shop for prepping supplies at discount stores like Dollar Tree.

Here we share a recent shopping trip to our local Dollar Tree and some of the awesome prepping supplies we found!

The last several months have seen some crazy inflation, with financial forecasts showing no end in sight. While Dollar Tree has long been known as the “everything’s a dollar store,” they’ve announced that due to inflation some items will now cost more than a dollar.

But even at $1.25, most of the prices at Dollar Tree are usually better than you’ll find at other stores like Wal-Mart.

Recently the team here at Prepping World took a trip to the local Dollar Tree to see what kind of prepping items we could find. We weren’t disappointed! Here are some of the cool prepper and survival items we found.

Dollar Tree Prepping Tools and Hardware

Dollar Tree has an impressive assortment of inexpensive hardware tools. From hammers and screwdrivers to padlocks and utility knives, these are some of the most useful prepping items you can find.

You’ll want to look elsewhere if you need heavy-duty tools that will stand up to long-term use. But for everyday basic tools, you’ll want to pick up one (or two, or three) of each type to store in your prepping cache.

You’ll definitely want to get an assortment of carabiner clips. These clips are perfect for attaching to belt loops, backpacks and more, and are a great choice for prepping projects.

You can also find paracords and different types of rope at Dollar Tree. It goes without saying that rope can be one of the most useful items for any type of prepping or survival situation.

classic homestead ebooks

Dollar Tree Prepping Storage Containers

It’s hard to have too many storage containers. Whether you’re storing food, tools, seeds, ammo, or anything else, having a good supply of different sized storage boxes is a great idea.

Dollar Tree has a really good selection of storage boxes and bins. From tool boxes that are perfect for stashing and organizing all kinds of prepping supplies, to see-through plastic boxes that allow for easy identification of the contents, to mini organizers with drawers, you can’t go wrong with stocking up on these items.

Some of the most useful storage items are plastic organizer cases. These cases usually have nine compartments that are perfect for holding things like screws, air rifle pellets, or other small items.

You can also find open baskets and bins for items that don’t need to be stored in a closed box.

Dollar Tree Prepping Batteries

Whether or not the electrical power goes out, having a stash of batteries is a must. To keep your flashlights and radios going, you’ll need an abundant supply of the most common battery sizes D, C, AA and AAA.

While some preppers prefer rechargeable batteries, they are more expensive and require a way to recharge them, which can be a challenge if the grid is down.

pantry plus bundle

Dollar Tree has a respectable selection of disposable batteries. The quality isn’t quite up to the same standards as well-known brands like Duracell or Energizer, so they won’t last as long, but the price is definitely more affordable.

Dollar Tree Light Bulbs and Flashlights

If the electrical grid goes down, you’ll need a way to provide light to your home.

You can find a good assortment of lighting products at Dollar Tree. From various sizes and lumens of flashlights, to desk lamps and self-adhesive LED lights, these are some of the most important prepping supplies you’ll want to get.

They even have LED head lamps, lanterns, and compact works lights, which can all be useful when you’re doing a project where you need your hands to be free.

And don’t forget to stock up on light bulbs. The newer LED bulbs can last for years and could be hard to come by in the event of social breakdown and upheaval.

Dollar Tree Prepping Lighters and Matches

Having a way to start a fire can be one of the most important needs in a prepping/survival situation.

Dollar Tree has you covered here with a selection of matches and lighters. Matches are good for starting a fire where a lighter isn’t ideal such as igniting a flammable liquid.

Both disposable and refillable lighters are available. The refillable ones use butane, which you will need to purchase elsewhere.

Dollar Tree Pepping First Aid Supplies

Be sure not to overlook the selection of first aid and health-related items at Dollar Tree!

Products like hydrogen peroxide, bandages, hand sanitizer, dental hygiene and much more are available, although sometimes in short supply, possibly due to all the people who are stocking up these days.

Baking soda is another “must have” item that can be used both for health purposes (as an antacid or alkalizer) and in food preparation.

Dollar Tree Prepping Food Items

Food storage is one of the biggest priorities in prepping. Shopping at Dollar Tree can help you build up your food stores without breaking the bank.

From shelf-stable milk, to canned meats, to crackers and nuts, you can find all kinds of affordable food items at Dollar Tree.

You’ll want to think in terms of shelf life, which means canned goods are your best bet for long-term food prepping.

Other Prepping Items at Dollar Tree

In addition to all of the items outlined above, you can find some other great prepping supplies at Dollar Tree. Items such as extension cords, super glue, trash bags, tarps, can openers, and duct tape are all valuable to include in your prepping stash.

My local Dollar Tree also recently had HandiHeat cans of 2.4 hour chafing fuel.

No doubt we’ve missed an item or two that is available at Dollar Tree. Have you found any other great prepping finds at your local Dollar Tree store?

Read Next:

What to do With Your Poo When SHTF

Coconut: The Ultimate Prepping Food?

Freebies

instant box garden

Filed Under: Food, Supplies Tagged With: cheap prepping supplies, dollar tree, prepping supplies

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