Having been furloughed 20 hours a week, my income has been reduced in half, and prospects for getting back on 40 are looking extremely slim.
$1500 could assemble a very good amount of food. My actual preps primarily focus on food, and all else is secondary. I typically buy food with a long shelf life, that I normally eat, or wouldn't mind eating.
Yesterday I bought 35 lbs of spaghetti for $21.00. A grocery store chain here in the Southeast was running a BOGO on Ronzoni. I may go back and get some more today.
Also, the best deal on Rice is at COSTCO, where a 50 lb bag will set you bag a measly $15.00. I've been buying those when I get a chance, and stuffing them in Paint Buckets. At WAL*MART, the 5 gallon plastic paint buckets are approximately $4.00, and can hold roughly 30-35 lbs of rice. The best lids for these buckets are available at Home Depot, as the HD lids have rubber o-rings. If you go to the paint department at WAL*MART, the white 5-gallon buckets ARE food-grade, they're just not marketed as such.
At $15.00 for 50 lbs of rice, you can hoard a ton of the stuff, and if you are working with a budget of $1500.00, it will barely put a dent in it.
The good thing about prepping is that I'm still eating food I got at the end of '07/beginning of '08, that's still a year out from expiration.
When you see how quickly prices go up, you can really appreciate the stockpiling factor. I bought canned Chicken of the Sea albacore for $0.65 back in '07, and the prices have gone up in a ridiculous way, making me truly appreciate buying as much as I did.
Despite not nearly having enough 5.56 ammo on hand, gun stuff is taking a back seat to food, medical/first-aid supplies, etc.
I used to be able to get lamp oil at the 'Mart, but they've since stopped carrying the Lamplighter brand in the giant bottles. It was insane cheap, and that was my only supplier of such, thusly I'm thinking I'm stuck with what I've got on hand.
I was fortunate to be able to get my emergency candles at $1.00 for 10, but it's been awhile since I've seen those as well.
The 'Mart has the best prices on Mountain House, as well, but the selection isn't anything close to REI's.
My brother manages to beat me out on "doomer deals", hands down. He picked up a Windmill Trekker for $5.00, an in-line Camelbak water filter for $9.00, an Aquastar UV filter for $5.00, and a CFP-90 for $30, among other insane bargains.
ETA: If you're staying on a budget, shopping deals, sales, and using coupons is mandatory. Here in the SE, there is an awesome site that acts as a pre-mission briefing on hitting the grocery stores like an apocalyptic commando:
http://www.southernsavers.com/
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