Everyone will have their own opinion;
Mine is start with Water. Have some on hand and have two ways of making it safe to drink.

There is the life straw for only $15-20 start there.
There are 3 separate topics on water do a search see the top right corner.

There are also a bunch of topics on how to start, why not read them over then post your questions back here.
have fun and good luck

Then two good knives;
one a locking folder
one a larger straight or angled blade for general purpose uses; ie, K-Bar or Kukri

Fire-
matches - wind and water proof
lighters
magnesuim / striker rod combo
fire making kits to go ito your kit and shelter

Before you go shopping, start with a plan.
If you're a student, do you live at home, or in student housing? Can you stay where you are for a few days, or would you have to leave immediately? Answering questions like these might help you decide what is most important immediately versus what can wait. I do agree with those above though that water is always essential, and can be almost free for you to fill up some empty clean containers.

get a good starter book on the subject, i have a the first three i started with, each one is great. . . they cover the basics, and get you started down the right path.

the first one i always recommend is "Emergency food storage and survival handbook" by Peggy Layton, the next two books i read were "Crisis preparedness handbook" by Jack Spigarelli and "The complete disaster home preparation guide" by Robert Roskind

these will give you a starting point, then you will build off of all the areas that are essential to prepping.
just my opinion. . . if you don't know all the subjects, then you can't make a plan.

a plan is a very important first step, if you don't plan you end up with a lot of junk that you really didn't need in the first place.

above all, keep in touch with other preppers, ask questions and learn from the mistakes of others!!!!

one site that helped me start up (don't mind the religious stuff)

http://www.grandpappy.info/indexhar.htm

when starting out : plan, think about why you are prepping? the reasons will influence the direction you take. And research, look at the basics first, lots of info on this site and lots of links.

My advice, start small, add gradually, Food wise - store what you will eat, i hate canned spaghetti, so i don't store it, i can't handle spicy food, so my stuff is savoury or very mild. Do what works in your situation.
Happy prepping preeps

Welcome. I'm kind of in the same predicament, student, with an even smaller budget, so I know the hardship. I recently got the PAL course done, but don't be surprised if it takes more than 6 months to get all the paperwork done with the CFO, its harder than getting a passport, I swear!

I was an air cadet, and they taught us a triangle of the most important things in survival, in the order you need them. Shelter, Water, and Food. Shelter and Water being the most important, varying on the circumstances. I'd say start there. Even a couple ground sheets and a filter bottle are a good start.

I guess it all depends on your plan, I plan more for the bugging out than in, because our farm has a decent ability to sustain for most situations, so I plan for what isn't covered.

I think, what is most important when starting out, is that you actually ARE starting out.

There are a couple of web resources that break down prepping into monthly blocks - for example, http://do1thing.com/ - that can help give you a very good idea of what to do and how.
And that's the basic idea of it isn't it? Preparing for what may happen to you. And it's on you to sit and think and decide for what to prepare for, right?

Runs With Scissors

Thank you everyone.
I have gone through options, looked at all your links (all great links, going to go through them more thoroughly). And I feel that water will be something i get with the funds. But i currently dont have a good pair of boots and i think thats what ill be getting. A good pair of boots that are dry and stay on your feet, I feel is extremely important.

Thank you everyone.
I have gone through options, looked at all your links (all great links, going to go through them more thoroughly). And I feel that water will be something i get with the funds. But i currently dont have a good pair of boots and i think thats what ill be getting. A good pair of boots that are dry and stay on your feet, I feel is extremely important.

my kung fu instructor use to say "build a good foundation and everything else will follow" he was talking about good stances, but he's right, build a house, start a new hobby, anything, you need a strong foundation. . . a good pair of boots is a great start 😀 . . . don't forget good socks lol 😯