What big preps would you buy if you got a large influx of money?

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WiskeyUniformTango@reddit

Huge solar array with batteries to be 200% capacity of my daily needs.

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IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit

Yeah 10-20k seems like a solid investment for a one and done system as long as you do it all yourself

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I wish I could. I live in the Midwestern city and have a small yard. It would have to be a rooftop installation, which is going to double that cost. I can easily see another 10,000 being added on, due to the inflation cliff we’re about to go over.

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Wild-Drive-1601@reddit

Ger rechargeable batteries. Add solar or wind power to recharge them.

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IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit

I was gonna get the actual dc or ac whatever actual solar big bank batteries since il need a tonne of power for ac

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concepts_of_a_plan9@reddit

100% I agree with this. Just to add, depending on how much money, I'd also drill a water well on the land if your area supports that.

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sjogerst@reddit

Plus a rainwater reclamation system.

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dropkickoz@reddit

200% agree.

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WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit

FYI… most power company limit you to 120% of past / predicted consumption

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WiskeyUniformTango@reddit

I dont care about the power company. My thought for over consumption is cloudy/snowy days. And all the others that'll need help being supported charging their battery generators, electric cars etc.

Gotta plan not just for yourself but others too.

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gonyere@reddit

I have ~100-209% of batteries ATM. I'd love to double or triple that.

I would also love to add wind - mostly for the winter, when our panels are frequently covered in snow for days or weeks.

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IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit

Isnt it better to have way more batteries than you need and run them all simultaneously and never any of them fill or empty all the way for long term or to have less batteries and renew

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buddymoobs@reddit

Exactly my answer.

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tolstoypolloi@reddit

His is the biggest budget item I have on my list.

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Ok-Rip729@reddit

Id add the max 40 kWh batteries to our existing solar so would have a microgrid that would never run out of power 8-9 months of the year. For additional backup I’d add this quiet natural gas fuel cell that can generate 36 kWh per day which is greater than our daily average of 24 kWh. https://wattfuelcell.com/products/watt-home/ For water backup I would get some atmospheric water generators to pull say 5 gallons of water per day out of the air.

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Quinnman1211@reddit

Off grid power, land and a food dehydrator

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Eredani@reddit

1) Robust power station... about $4k to $8k

2) Harvest Right freeze dryer... about $3k.

3) AR-15... about $1.2k.

4) Precious metals... sky is the limit.

Note: This assumes you have the basics covered (emergency fund, no debt, retirement planning, etc).

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HalcyonKnights@reddit

Land with space enough for self sustainable farming. Ideally with a swift flowing river that magically never floods, for electric and/or mill power.

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beached89@reddit

This has never been accomplished. Not even in the agrarian age where most people farmed small farmsteads.

No one has ever been able to grow 100% of their needs on their own land. Self sustainable farming is a influencer click bait dream to drive view counts for ads.

You can grow a lot of your food, but it simply isnt feasable, or even wise to grow it all. You could achieve local community self sustainability, trading + bartering + selling and buying within your town or county.

But buying 100 acres and then not having to every buy any food again is a fools errand.

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11systems11@reddit

You do realize that people have been growing and living 100% off what they grow for centuries, right? There was little variety, but it's been accomplished.

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ZombiePrepper408@reddit

One could raise enough calories to survive but still remain calorie deficient.

Just like most of the West today, they get more than enough calories yet are starving for nutritionally dense food

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HalcyonKnights@reddit

To be fair, that has a lot to do with nutritionally vacant processed foods and the generally industrialized nature of the Western food supply. The way to combat that is having a more consciously planned and balanced diet from a better mix of sources, and raising them (or as many as your space and labor can support) yourself is one of the best ways to go about it. It would require a whole lot of specific circumstances, and could easily make you a full-time farmer to accomplish, but it can be done.

On the other hand, a giant plot of potatoes plants and cabbage or whatever alone wont do it. It does take work, planning, and diversity.

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Rough_Elk4890@reddit

100 acres?

I imagine I could feed my family of 3 with 2-3 acres max.

0.5-0.75 acres orchard

1-1.35 acres for pasture grazing

0.5-0.75 acres for vegetable garden

0.1-0.15 acres for herb garden

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

Yes.

In our highest homestead production years we were putting up some years 500+ quarts of fruits, veg and sometimes meat- mostly meat went in the freezer. While this WAS NOT all of our food intake, we were maybe 60% or so. And that was on about 5 acres total- 100 fruit trees, about an acre or so total in gardens, small area for raising rabbits and chicken pen, small area for beehives, goats were rotated into garden areas- clearing residual crops and weeds, dropping fertilizer where we needed it, etc.

I would say 10 acres in a normally wetter climate would be a good estimate, probably 4X that in a dry environment.

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HalcyonKnights@reddit

I'd really like you to show your work on that. Saying that there is no amount of land that could support just two people (ie. my situation) is objectively silly, so I'm guessing you have some more specific limitations or circumstances in the back for your mind?

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BatemansChainsaw@reddit

Personal experience here.

My property borders and in one corner a stream crosses through my property. I have water rights to use a certain amount for my garden and use it though for a long time I never used it. There's plenty of hunting to be had, deer, rabbits, etc.

I have in the past been able to sustain myself 100% the way many my American pioneer ancestors were able to do and would likely be able to in the future.

So whatever they're spouting is coming right out of their ass.

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IntrepidMaybe8579@reddit

You can live almost entirely on potatoes btw all you need is some fat/dairy (milk) and a bunch of chickens laying eggs.. everything else is minuscule considering were already just as malnutritioned with fast food

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Smallie_Slayer@reddit

Brother, I like your general point but I think we’ve lost the plot on what “need” is. Take a look back to the Great Depression and see what little people ate. You could pretty easily grow and/or raise the sources of that. Now, yes you’d be buying or trading for spices and the like eventually but that’s probably not the point.

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iambecomesoil@reddit

The definition of need is not the plot. Living on tinned beans in a hole is not the plot. That's the absolute worst case scenario that no one wants except for like 11 people on this subreddit because it would prove their neurosis right.

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grislyfind@reddit

This but where you can also harvest fish or other seafood.

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8111913@reddit

Annual food calculator, per person annual calorie intake, livestock and crops: https://www.foodwhentheshopsstop.com/

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chiefsgirl913@reddit

A bunker

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nekohideyoshi@reddit

Sell everything not needed, switch to an upgraded RV but finance it so you don't suddenly spend the cash. Solar panels on top. Now go use $10,000 in the stock market before an upcoming long or short about to happen, with 50-100x leverage.

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Federal_Difficulty@reddit

Friends

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Imagirl48@reddit

While I think my number one priority should be a well, I would probably move a solar system to number one on my list. If cooking, refrigerator and freezer storage, and heating and cooling were things I didn’t have to worry about I could spend more time gathering (there are some water resources in the vicinity) and sterilizing water.

I already have food storage and other supplies for at least a year and a few months of water supply along with a rain catch system (although that may not help if we continue with droughts).

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ShrodingersArmadillo@reddit

An island.

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SoCalSurvivalist@reddit

Large influx of money...new roof, reside the house, maybe a couple new cat toys and a new fly sheet for the horse.

Spend it on things you need.

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AlphaDisconnect@reddit

Keep it simple. You can waste a lot of money on things that will never happen. Coleman quad lamp. The old d cell one. And an extra 8 pack of batteries. Iwatani epr-a and enough butane cans.

If I had to say anything big. A used electric car that supports back charging. Biggest battery bank on wheels. And some sort of charging thing that is faster. This looks like an electrician.

Oh and now you can go 1400 plus miles for 39 dollars home charging.

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IGnuGnat@reddit

A sturgeon farm.

Fresh caviar, while the planet burns. mmmmm yummy

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Apprehensive_Pie_897@reddit

Throw a block party and get to know all your neighbors…

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DontShakeCakeLake@reddit

A bomb shelter like the one from the 1999 romantic comedy film Blast From The Past starring Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone.

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SummerBirdsong@reddit

Whole house solar panel and wind turbine system.

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WhiteVeils9@reddit

Geothermal if you can pull it off.

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suzaii@reddit

Land with a stream of water running through it, a diy cabin, and a 4 door Jeep.

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karl4319@reddit

There is an architect on youtube named Tim Ung. He designs homes in greenhouses. If I had a big influx of money, building a home based on his designs as part of an urban homestead property would be awesome.

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TacTurtle@reddit

You can get an under-counter reverse osmosis system at home depot for like $350.

The trifuel gen can be snagged at Costco for under $4k, but natural gas vs propane really doesn't add much versatility unless your are using it stationary since natural needs a working line from the utility and propane is bulky enough it needs a large stationary tank.

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latlog7@reddit

I was seeing RO systems for a few $K's with yearly replacement costs which really turned me off

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TacTurtle@reddit

Are you talking a portable RO system (like a sailboat water maker) or a basic household RO?

The portable systems are basically the same RO filters with an electric pump to provide the pressure differential to drive the filter.

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latlog7@reddit

Basic house one

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TacTurtle@reddit

$350 at Home Depot with filters running maybe $75 for a set once or twice a year (I have used the same osmosis filters for drinking water for 2+ years without issue on my well, but it is mainly for taste reasons and I run a pair of whole-house particulate pre-filters ahead of the RO).

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Starklawz@reddit (OP)

Cuz of the state I live in we have a natural gas line in the house. Im wanting it for emergency use at the house, I might get a smaller propane generator for the cargo trailer I want but I haven't decided yet.

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TacTurtle@reddit

If you are somewhere prone to earthquakes (ie the entire west coast), a large earthquake or similar disaster can damage enough infrastructure that gas lines are broken or shut off by the utility to prevent fires.

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JRHLowdown3@reddit

Personally- a couple robots, although they aren't really in the place where I would likely buy them yet. Couple triple the work done on the homestead.

"Next season we will make enough from the harvest that I can buy some more droids and you can transmit your application to the academy then" Uncle Owen was a lying bastard LOL

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Wild-Drive-1601@reddit

I can't imaging working a 100 acre plot of land full of vegetables by yourself without farm machines. Trying to water that much alone solo would take a long time. Then add weeding and you've burned up 2 days? Maybe. Even breaking the area down into orchards herbs and spices and you'd have little time left over for other chores.

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GigabitISDN@reddit

For around $75k+, I'd start looking at land in rural West Virginia / PA / NY. Possibly Wisconsin or Michigan, though I think those three are the best bang for your buck at the moment.

Once I got a suitable plot perc'd and probed, and confirmed it's suitable for gardening, and got some solid estimates on utility hookup, I'd sell our current home and start getting quotes on a custom-built job with a basement. Ideally I'd want generous solar coverage coupled with some massive propane storage for cooking / heat.

The land cost is the current linchpin in my plan. I could do it right now if I had to, but I'd prefer not to spend that much money this close to retirement.

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Longjumping_Meal_570@reddit

Just bought an old Honda trail motorcycle for a couple hundred. My GTFO of town vehicle is my thoughts. Now if I had money!? I'd be getting me something that's not going to take me a couple weeks to get running in good lol

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IamNana71@reddit

Have a well put on your property with either a hand pump or a solar pump.

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Dmau27@reddit

Solar and large power banks.

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Even_Routine1981@reddit

One pistol, high power rifle, shotgun and.22. All the ammo you can stack.

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MIRV888@reddit

A home in new zealand

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suckinonmytitties@reddit

A house out of the city that has a small amount of land

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Useful_Calendar_6274@reddit

If I had a ton of money I would just form a separatist commune. that's the best insurance in any kind of disaster scenario

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WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit

Pay off all debts
Repair things on the waitlist, like have all yer cars had their xxx mile maintenance
Save for retirement. Look at Mega Roth Backdoor
Then start to do these other comments

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Starklawz@reddit (OP)

1, 2, 3 are already at the top of the list.

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Unlikely_Lobster_534@reddit

A 4x4 capable truck that is reliable

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Starklawz@reddit (OP)

Always a good choice. I ended up with a 2004 trailblazer with only 90k miles on it out of this whole thing. It's damn solid and in great condition, will tow the cargo trailer I want. And has a metric ton of cargo space itself. But if I hadn't ended up with that you bet I'd be getting a new truck.

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AmosTali@reddit

either dig a pond on my lot or drill a well. if there’s enough left then a solar + battery/wind + battery system to run said well and/or my geothermal system.

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PrepperBoi@reddit

How much is “substantial”? Like house buying money or wife changing money?

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EbolaPrep@reddit

Fuckin wife changing money…. 😂😂😂

I mean inheritance is not susceptible to divorce meditation. But still, cost me about $150k to get rid of my wife and find a new partner.

Dating is expensive AF….

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Street_Tiger98@reddit

Divorce is definitely not an ideal financial move. Lived that.

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mkim2959@reddit

Priorities: 100 acres of land Build a nuclear silo (basically 20 basements) Build an basement swimming pool. Buy a new wife (preferably a model) and a side chick to swim in the pool. Throw money at them to keep them happy. (If the end of the world comes, that money will be useless but they won't know what's happening in the world)

The not so important: solar panels and solar home backup generators commercial biodiesal generator Emergency food and water to last me 25 years. Aircraft carrier water filter machine (iono $) Several Military grade NBC (nuclear biological chemical) gear and accessories Military grade NBC air filtration machine Multiple weapons (probably black market) including and not limited to: pistols, rifles, machine guns, explosives, and rpg's MRAP All types of tools (machetes, axes, Lopper, chainsaw, ect) Mason jars, oxygen absorbers, and mylar bags (don't forget the hair iron). All types of Atv's New car and cargo trailer RV (maybe a bus one would be nice)

There's so much more but this is what I would buy. In that order.

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Fartfart357@reddit

As much fun as prepper stuff is, I think it's almost always "wasted" money. You could get the osmosis filter, but would boiling or distilling it and adding bleach solve the same problem? I think the money is better spent on more helpful IRL things. Especially a "significant" amount.

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Starklawz@reddit (OP)

It wouldn't solve the same problem cuz I want cleaner water every day. I prep for Tuesday not doomsday. I'm not gonna boil/distill/bleach my water everyday. I don't trust the water treatment in my city so yeah the reverse osmosis filter is top of my list. I'm gonna be doing plenty with the money in terms of helpful IRL things as you put it. But I'm gonna get some top ticket preps that have only been dreams up to this point as well.

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nirvroxx@reddit

My own island with 40 footall, 5 feet wide walls and solar powered 50 cal turrets, desalination plants and a steady supply of cheeseburgers.

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leafydwelling915@reddit

those are solid picks, and honestly the cargo trailer conversion is probably the smartest move since it covers multiple bases at once. if i had that kind of money id be looking hard at land like some of the other folks mentioned, but only if you can actually use it and maintain it. ive seen too many people buy a property thinking theyll get out there every weekend and it just becomes an expensive tax headache.

between your generator and the ro system though, id maybe lean into the solar array first if youre trying to build real resilience. a tri fuel generator is great for immediate power but it ties you to fuel supply and maintenance. solar with proper battery backup just sits there doing its job for twenty years. the water filtration is smart either way since thats non negotiable. whatever you end up doing, make sure its something you actually test and use before you really need it, not just something that sits in storage looking impressive.

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NWYthesearelocalboys@reddit

Twice daily use battery backup for my existing 13kwh solar array.

Well with solar pump.

Seperate windmill well for keeping the pond topped off/irrigation/just because.

Lots of water storage.

Welcome to the desert.

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jacksraging_bileduct@reddit

Land and off grid power

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scrapstitching@reddit

Water and a greenhouse.

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Cats_books_soups@reddit

Everyone has good advice for things to spend the money on. My advice would be once you have a good foundation of preps, which it sounds like you do, to save most of it and if it is a good amount get a financial advisor.

First, you need to save whatever of the money will be taxed, which may be a substantial amount.

A lot of problems can be solved with money. Think of Ted Cruz spending the Texas freeze in Cancun, or people who left Russia just as the war was starting, or being able to walk out of your job is you are asked to work durning a disaster when it isn’t safe, or buying a new home of yours is damaged in a fire.

It may not be a fun shiny toy, but a really good emergency fund that can turn into a retire early fund if the disaster doesn’t hit is going to be better than adding one more layer of preps on top of an already good set up.

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nikdahl@reddit

Solar array/batteries. Big greenhouse. Duel fuel generator and large propane tank. Cabin in the woods.

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FortunateHominid@reddit

Would need a lot more information. Current living situation, retirement status, employment status, emergency fund, what are you prepping for, etc.

Focus on retirement accounts and emergency fund first. If those are good, some cash and precious metals on hand. After that, large prepping purchases.

I've seen people spend a lot of money adding preps to a home they don't even own yet. All while not even financially set for the future.

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OwnLittleCorner@reddit

first thing on my list would be a place of my own where my relatives can't find or easily get to me cause the dummies don't take prep seriously and held me back from even doing the bare basic emergency prep. I mean like having the fireplace functional and dry wood ready for when utility costs skyrocket, there's a power outage in winter or to use an old small cast iron stove to cook food outside when the temperature is too hot to cook inside during the summer.

The latest one driving me nuts is my very indecisive elderly mother the homeowner that leads these problems making up her mind about garden beds so I can repair what we have, build more, and secure it with fencing to keep our dog from defecating in or raiding it. All so we can grow food to offset inflation costs and have control of some crops in hand when farms are struggling with drought and costs for fuel, fertilizer. We're already behind planting things while supplies in stores and even online classifieds are raising prices.

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beached89@reddit

Move out. Get your own place.

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OwnLittleCorner@reddit

chronically ill and disabled and can't support myself, live in a republican state that the aid services don't recognize I need help which has become worse thanks to DOGE. Some of their social workers have even tried telling me to join the biggest local church when I'm agnostic and they would likely just have me marry someone who'd treat me the same or worse.

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Ra_a_@reddit

r/LeanFire most likely

Financial prep is prepping

r/BaristaFire

Somewhere in the progression of r/CoastFire r/BaristaFire r/PovertyFiRe r/LeanFiRe r/FiRe so we dont end up r/SurvivingOnSS during r/Retirement or r/EarlyRetirement

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OutlanderMom@reddit

I’d buy/have built a partially underground, large greenhouse. And we’d built an outdoor canning kitchen with water hookup and sinks. And like someone else said, more solar panels.

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SunnySpot69@reddit

Solar is at the top of the list of things I'll probably never be able to afford.

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beached89@reddit

Research the 4% rule, the Guard-Rails retirement withdrawl strategy, and the FIRE movement in general.

The best prep is to prep for what is most likely to happen. The world carrying on as it is for the most part. That means being financially stable. Pay off your debts, being debt free is far more important that off grid solar or water. (Those have value too, but not if you are in debt with not enough svaed for eventual retirement).

You could get injured and be unable to continue your line of work. You could lose an income earner, you could have medical needs hit, or a natural disaster (your home insurance isnt enough. idc where you live, not a single person in the US has enough coverage).

That being said. Assuming you have 25x your annual income stored in traditional investment vehicles. Then I would say off grid solar and batteries. FAR better than generators. I have both and the Solar saves me money every month, and provides a level of self sufficiency a generator could never achieve. The generator is literally only my backup if both solar + battery isnt enough to cover home needs during a long term grid down. I havent used the generator onces since getting the batteries. I now save hundreds every month and it is on track for the planned 8 year payoff. (Will be sooner if electric keeps raising rates as they have in the past year!)

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Fluffy_Efficiency623@reddit

A small antennae / radio tower for like $10-20K, then you could maintain your own cell network over a wide area for friends and recon purposes. A satellite receiver/decoder to get information from satellites.

A custom made laser gun/ microwave gun. Works on intruders and can also start fires almost instantly.

A medicinal garden and/or grow op to make basic herbs and things like penicillin.

A couple of high memory graphics cards and a powerful computer with some local AI models so if the internet goes down you can develop your own apps and software as needed. It would also help you make games to stay sane in a long term situation.

An armoured vehicle. Probably a discrete one like a sedan so nobody will know, but also maybe a full on armoured platform with a bunch of defensive features.

Air filtration setup if you live anywhere near a place that gets forest fires.

A heavy duty sewing machine and a variety of fabrics for repairing clothes, tents, furniture, etc.

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Radiant_Air9254@reddit

Land, tiny house.

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Dropitlikeitscold555@reddit

I might have won $10M in the American family publishers sweepstakes.

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tinkertaylorspry@reddit

The money is just on hold, right?

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CaliRefugeeinTN@reddit

They told me I have to pay a Nigerian prince to release it first, then I get it.

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wageslave2022@reddit

Do you own your house or rent? City, country, suburbs? Town water or drilled well ? Family or solo ? Ball park $? Ball park your age?

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GigabyteAorusRTX4090@reddit

Ok, here we go - prepare for kinda insane plans that will probably never see the light of day unless i win the lottery big time, and are also probably not that effective either (don't blame me, you just gave me a "everything is fair game - go nuts"-ticket) :

- Buying an MAN KAT1 (MAN mil GL) 8x8 truck (The Bundeswehr is currently auctioning them off - some are in quite good condition) - preferably one with a bed and the 1 ton loading crane.

- Build epic camper on the front half of the bed of said Truck (from the front side of the bed till about the place the crane is, but leaving enough room to operate said crane)- doesn't need to be for more than like two people comfortably)

- Buy an ATV or maybe even a JD Gator - even the bigger ones with a cab and all the fancy stuff should easily fit onto the truck (while leaving enough room for a few pallet spots for additional supplies), and be light enough to be loaded with the crane

- Acquire land in the middle of fucking nowhere in Scandinavia and build bug out location.

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FormerNeighborhood80@reddit

Generator for daughter’s house. A bit more attic insulation. A water softener for our house.

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DeafHeretic@reddit

Land.

https://polvirealestate.com/ochoco-ranch-prineville-oregon/

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