Oh certainly, frugality may be the essence of survival. For instance:

Kabar 3" folding knife with blaze orange grips - $7.00 at Smokey Mtn Knife Works.

MREs scrounged from Army camp when no one is looking - free

First Aid supplies scrounged from the Safety manager's locker while he is being distracted - free

Using the daughter's discarded, no longer stylish daypack as a bob - free (she paid for the replacement)

Grabbing 5 packs of stick matches from the hotel cleaning lady's cart - free

Requisitioning replacement AAs from supply at work because I used my flashlight a couple times when the lights went out - free

There are, of course things that must be purchased that just cost the bucks, but I will try and equip as much as possible with whatever "surplus" is available. Probably two thirds of my supplies are gratus, or at least didn't cost me anything. I've borrowed twenty feet of duct tape from a friend who had one of those huge rolls and figured he'd never miss that much.

Besides, scrounging is good practice. It raises your awareness of what is around you, so if something did happen, you would already have the mindset to be looking for such things, and a good idea maybe even where to look.