By Tim Gamble
September is National Preparedness Month. Yesterday, I presented a short, easy outline of the important steps for preparedness (article link). In today's article, I present a more detailed look at food storage:
Storing food is a hedge against inflation, economic chaos, and disruptions in the supply chain. It also a safety issue, making it less likely you will have to venture to the market to buy needed goods during dangerous times (bad weather, civil unrest, high crime, etc.).
A disruption in the supply chain for food and other goods will mean the shelves at Walmart, Target, and your local grocery stores will quickly be emptied. Remember what happened in the early days of the Covid plandemic?
Depending on the cause of the disruption, empty shelves may not be re-stocked for weeks or or months, if ever. Stocking up now for an extended period of time in which you will not be able to buy what you need is prudent and wise.
How Much Food to Stockpile?
The more the better. As the saying now goes, "stock it to the rafters." However, most of us have limited funds and space.
My recommendation to those just starting out in preparedness is to quickly acquire at least two weeks worth of food, then work towards building a month's stockpile. This amount will carry you through most temporary emergencies, such as bad weather or a truckers' strike.
However, longer emergencies will require more food storage. Once you have a month's worth stored, I recommend continuing to build your food stockpile for those longer term emergencies, which could be cased by anything from another plandemic to severe economic problems or even World War III. Aim for six month's, then a year's, then two years' worth of food and supplies.
Two weeks' worth of food, even a month's worth, is a very attainable goal for most folks. Six months', a year's, or even longer, will require planning, time, effort, and expense to acquire. But your survival, and that of your family, is worth it, isn't it?
Quick Tips for Stockpiling Food:
- Stick to stocking up on foods you actually eat. Don't bother stockpiling foods you are allergic to, or just plain don't like.
- Figure out what you actually use on a regular basis, then buy extra.
- Develop a rotation method to make sure you are always eating your oldest food first (I use a black sharpie to mark the purchase month & year on the top of every can or box of food I buy).
- Frozen and refrigerated foods don't count. If the electricity goes out, frozen and refrigerated foods will spoil quickly, so don't count them towards your long-term food storage.
- Store foods properly to maximize their life-span. Can goods should be kept in a dry, cool place. Dry foods, such as rice, pasta, and beans, should be kept in airtight containers, in places that are dry, cool, and dark.
- Ignore expiration or best-by dates. Foods eventually go bad, but the expiration or best-by dates stamped on them are fairly arbitrary. Foods can go bad before the expiration date, and most canned and dry foods can be edible well past their expiration date. Instead, use your common sense and look for signs that the food has gone bad, such as bloated or leaking cans, signs of insect or mold damage, a foul order, and taste or texture that is "off." (More on expiration dates in the next article of this series.)
- Stock up on ingredient foods that you use. These are foods that are used as ingredients in recipes – flour, sugar, chicken or beef broths, tomato sauce, tomato paste, canned mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, herbs & spices, and so on… Go through the recipes you make on a regular basis to see what ingredient foods you need.
- Stock up on condiments that you use. Catsup, mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressings, vinegar, peanut butter, jellies & jams, jars of pickles, peppers & olives, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and spices can all typically be stored (unopened) for long periods of time. Many of these are often among the first and hardest hit by inflation, so make especially useful items to stock up on.
- Stock up on tea and coffee. Tea, and especially coffee, are both typically hard hit by inflation and by possible supply chain problems, so stock up on them if you are a big coffee or tea drinker.
- Include foods that don't require cooking. The electricity and gas may be out for an indefinite period of time, so have some foods that don't require cooking. Examples include pop tarts, peanut butter, nuts, canned fruits, as well as many canned meats, fish, pastas, soups, and stews.
- A little at a time goes a long way. Most folks don’t have $1,000 that they can use to stock up all at once. But most can probably scrounge up $20 a week. At that rate, they will have accumulated over $1,000 worth of food in only a year.
Tips for Affording Your Food Storage
- Use coupons if possible.
- Shop sales.
- Compare prices.
- Make, and stick to, shopping lists.
- Give generic and store brands a try.
- Avoid impulse purchases. Think before you buy.
- Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's Wholesale Club are good places to shop, but aren't always the cheapest option. Often times a generic or store brand elsewhere will be just as good and less expensive than a name brand at the warehouse store.
- Don't be a "Store Snob" - shop stores like Wal-mart, Aldi's, Ollie's, Big Lots, and even Amazon.com, in addition to your regular grocery store.
- Don't use credit cards to stock up. Going into debt creates a host of other problems. Reduce your expenses in other areas, or make some extra money with a yard sale, if you need to come up with extra cash for your purchases.
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