Garage sales are perfect for preppers to find survival items at very low prices. A lot of people who hold garage or yard sales don’t have any clue about the true worth of their items, and how useful they can be to others. Thus, they are willing to sell them for almost nothing just to get rid of them.

Having said that, here are some items to look for in garage sales:

  • Camping Gear – Anything useful for camping would be great to have. These include tents, sleeping bags, cook stoves, and lanterns, among others. When the power goes off, and you need to camp out, any gear you can take out with you can help make your life more convenient.
  • Emergency Supplies – Items like radios, first aid kits, flashlights, candles, and lighters can help in emergency situations. Take advantage of half-used candles that are sold quite cheap. You can melt them down to make bigger candles.
  • Cast Iron Cookware – This type of cookware can be very expensive when brand new. At a garage sale, however, you can get them for just half the price. A cast iron pan is great when cooking in an open fire when you can no longer use your regular kitchen stove.
  • Winter Clothes – Used coats, hats, gloves, and flannel shirts are quite cheap in yard stales. Buy as many pieces as you can, and buy in different sizes if you have growing kids with you.
  • Tools – After a major catastrophe, your home will need lots of repairs. Thus, you will need tools and materials like hammers, axes, wrenches, screwdrivers, screws, and nails. You’ll never have enough of them. If you have stocked up on 4 axes, for example, you can barter one or two of them later.
  • Gold and Silver Jewelry – Once the value of the dollar goes spiraling down, precious metals like gold and silver will remain valuable. But, it would be such a waste if you’d exchange your precious silver dollar with something as trivial as a roll of toilet paper, right? This is why you should stock up on pieces of jewelry made from precious metals. Using broken pieces of jewelry to barter would make more sense. You can also make your own metal bars by melting broken gold and silver jewelry.
  • Medical Supplies – Some people hold garage sales after a loved one who has battled a long-time illness passes away. They may include unused medical supplies in the items they are selling such as splints, slings, crutches, and bandages. You can also find unopened boxes of face masks, gloves, syringes, and alcohol wipes.
  • Canning Supplies – Many people are not into their grandmother’s food preserving equipment like canners, canning jars, as well as everything else that come with them. But, if you are a prepper, you will need to store as much food as possible to survive for several months. You can also use the jars for storing water.

You need to keep an open eye for things that can help make your life easier when the time comes that you need to camp out for a long time to survive. Prepare a list of all the things you will need. Chances are, you can find most of them in garage sales.