As natural disaster after natural disaster hits the country, many people are turning their attention to becoming prepared. If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to prep for any emergency, The Penny-Pinching Prepper can help. Available from the publisher for $12.95, this book is small enough you can throw it in your go-bag. Don’t let its small size fool you though, because each page is full of essential information.

Twelve different chapters walk you through each element of prepping. Along the way you’ll learn how to budget to start and add to your emergency food supply, how to filter water, and how to keep your family safe during an evacuation. There are plenty of directions for DIY survival projects, making this book the perfect addition to the homeschool.

I read the book through, bookmarking projects as I went. Then I had the kids help me complete some of them. We dehydrated fruit, created some “Just Add Water” meals of our own, and tried making some lamps from common household items. It was the perfect time to reevaluate our fire escape plan and have a fire drill to help the kids remember the plan.

Many projects were suitable for my early elementary aged kids, but others were more age-appropriate for my teenager. She learned how to shut off our water and electricity, read the chapter on safety and defense, and worked on sharpening an old knife with a rock. Since she’s beginning to drive, we her read the section on vehicle maintenance, and practice some of the skills from there.

My husband and I even got in on the hands-on learning, working to create a homemade water filter, ensure our go-bags were ready to bug-out, and reevaluating our first aid supplies. ThePenny-Pinching Prepper has many projects for all skill levels.

There are many projects we have not yet completed, but I know we are more prepared for an emergency now. I appreciate the budget approach to prepping this book takes. We simply don’t have the funds to go buy cases of ready-made emergency food, or expensive water filters. The DIY and low-budget solutions were the perfect fit for our family.

The skills in this book are ones everyone used to know. However, much of society has forgotten them. The time has never been better to start reclaiming these skills and improving your self-reliance. If you’re looking for a simple, no-nonsense way to help your family prepare for a natural disaster or other emergency, I’d recommend this book.

-Product review by Lisa Tanner, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November, 2017