Many people post about having problems getting survival equipment due to various personal issues.("I am not old enough:-{ ", "I don't have the money :-{", etc.) There is really nothing holding a person back from acquiring what they need, with-out spending a arm and a leg for equipment/supplies(or losing that arm or leg to a ZED, due to not having/being able to afford, equipment to make scrambled Zbrains). The main thing a person needs, IMO, is knowledge, and desire, to make things happen.

That being said, this page is to help share ideas for ways to get the stuff needed to survive a Z-pocalypse, without mortgaging the house, (and seeing your significant other ride off in the sunset with their tennis coach while muttering, "That psycho idiot spent the car payment on 100 cases of MREs!!!!)

..................sorry to digress. I was having a flashback.

To get things going, here are some of the ways I get stuff for cheap, or free.

First, the love of my life.......

1.CRAIGSLIST!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh how I love thee!! Let me count the ways!!

If you want a lot of stuff quickly, and have a little money, and transportation, this is where a person should start. Get to know Craigslist in an as intimate relationship as possible.

(No I don't mean the Adult services section....that doesn't exist anymore!(but if you are familiar with the Adult services section, you would have kept all of the contact info of "friends" that you "made" when the section existed.))

(Hey a person has to do what a person can, since their significant other rode off with their tennis coach!)
(SIGH....)

OK.....back to Craigslist.
First step:
www.Craigslist.org

Craigslist is one of the best places to find equipment and supplies quickly, and easily. The site is well laid out, and easily search-able. Some other tools that will help you with Craigslist is the Craigslist search engine. These are specialized search engines designed to make it easier to search Craigslist.

Some Craigslist search engines:
www.craigzoom.com
www.searchtempest.com
www.craigs-list-search.com
www.crazedlist.org

The deals there on Craigslist are really great, also. For instance:

A 1982 GMC longbed pickup caught my eye on Craigslist once. The poster was asking $900 for the truck. I wasn't really in the market for that type truck, but I was looking. I passed on it, but a few weeks later, I noticed that the truck had been reposted for a sale at $600. This really caught my attention, so I decided to check it out. I went to look at it, and the wife of the owner said it overheated if driven. She then offered to sell it for.....................Wait for it...........

$150!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so needless to say, I bought it quickly!
After the transaction was complete, I came out of my delirium, and realized I had bought a truck that needed to be towed home(50 miles away!!!!!)

GULP!!!!!!!
So I went and looked at the truck to see what was wrong with it. I looked in the radiator, and realized..........

IT HAD NO COOLANT!!!!!!!

I told the seller, and she didn't care.
So I filled it with coolant, started it up, and drove it home 50 miles!!!!! That was in 2005, and I have never done any other work on it.


Which brings me to my main tip for buying on Craigslist,

The Angry Wife/Girlfriend!

If you can find a Angry Wife/Girlfriend, you have hit the jackpot!!! Usually they are so upset at their significant other, that they are ready to ride off into the sunset (with the Tennis coach), and they want gas money for the drive, and gambling money when they get to Vegas!

So many times they will sell things that belong the "that no-good, low down, (insert insult here)", just to "get back" at them. Many times, I have told them in past transactions that the price is too low.(out of guilt of possibly taking advantage of people), then she will say, "I know, but I am going to tell that (insert insult here) that I sold his 65" big screen for $10" (true story!!!!!) A lot of times, she will then say: "How about riding off with me to Vegas, for the weekend!"

For a while there, I even thought about starting a ebay resale company named, "Angry Wife, inc.", since I was running into so much stuff/great deals on Craigslist that was posted by angry wives/girlfriends. (Hint, Hint)

(I have a question BTW: Women on ZSDW, Do guys really make you that angry?)

As for more info on Craigslist.....

The best spot of Craigslist is the FREE section!

Yes, there is a Free section.
(Many people did not know it, because they were heading straight for the Old Adult services section, at the speed of light.)

If you are in a city of a decent size, you will find so much stuff in the free section, that you will soon be on a episode of Hoarders! The main tip for this section is speed! You have to be very fast in replying to posts, especially the good stuff, like vehicles. (yes, people give away vehicles there in the Craigslist free section. I have two Boats in my backyard that I got that way.) Many times, someone will post in the free section of a major city, and within 15 minutes, their voice mail is full!! So you will have to be very fast, and if you get lucky on a major item, make sure you show up when you say you will!!(.....or at least call the original poster, if you are running late/can't make it.) It is a courtesy, and many posters will tell other people that they promised a item to you, and will remove the post from Craigslist. If you don't show, or are running late, that poster would be stuck again with a item they are trying to get rid of. They will have to repost it, and will be very angry with you.(voice mail refilling and all of that, again)

Since We are talking about free, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about FREECYCLE.

"Freecycling is when a person passes on, for free, an unwanted item to another person who needs that item. From silverware to mobile homes, people worldwide are choosing to freecycle rather than discard. The practice frees up space in landfills and cuts down on the need to manufacture new goods. Thousands of groups dedicated to connecting people who want to give away something to people with a need are forming worldwide.

Here are three steps you can take to join the freecycling movement.

1. Find a freecycling group near you at Recycling Group Finder. If you can't find a group near you, consider starting one, either on your own or through organizations like the ReUseIt Network, FreeMesa.org, The Freeuse Network, FreeSharing.org, Sharing Is Giving or The Freecycle Network. Freecycling works best when the group members live geographically close because it's more convenient and uses less energy when stuff is exchanged.
2. Each freecycle group will have its own rules, so learn and abide by those rules. But commonly there are four kinds of posts: Wanted is you searching for an item; Found is telling others that you got what you were searching for; Offer is letting the group know what item you have to give away; and Taken is informing the group that you found a person who needed the item offered.
3. Before buying something, check to see if any one in your group is looking to get rid of the item you need. Before throwing an item in the trash, post an offer for the item to see if any one needs that item.
Now you're freecycling! It's a simple, economical, emotionally rewarding and morally sound practice that can literally help save the Earth."

Now, what I will say about Freecycling is:

1. Be very fast in replying(as stated before about Craigslist free section)
2.Be on time, and be there, if you agree to pick something up.(as stated before in Craigslist)
3. If you desire to be on the Hoarders tv show (http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/index.jsp), joining a freecycle group is the best way to do so!

Now that I have started this page, I welcome any and all suggestion, and tips that other have to share. I will post this for now, because I have to go beat up the 21 year old tennis coach that I paid for four years of tennis lessons, three times a week(!!!!????), and beg my significant other to come back.(so I don't have to pay alimony.)