Food shortage is a real thing in most of the less developed countries. But even in States where food is abundant in supermarkets and stores, a natural disaster might find you left stranded from any fresh or any supply of food. With climate change a pressing issue every season, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes might push you into creating an emergency food supply. That’s if you want to be responsible and plan ahead; you may not realize it now, but this precautionary measures might help you survive a disaster for weeks.
The trick for achieving such an impressive result lies in rationing your acquisitions according to the list of purchases we suggest you follow to the letter over the next year. The tutorial featured here is very simple: start the buying spree with 6 pounds of salt in the first week, continue with 5 cans of chicken cream soup and so on until week 52. Each of the items on the list doesn’t require more than $5 per week and they will last for a while.
- This should be enough to sustain two people for one year. For every two people in your family add $5.00 more and double or triple the amount of the item you are buying that week.
- If you can not afford more than the $5.00 a week for the whole family at least do the $5.00, it’s a start.
- Remember to mark the date on each item when you buy them and use the oldest first.
Here is the list of purchases you need to make weekly / for One Full Year …
| Week 1: | 6 lbs. salt |
| Week 2: | 5 cans cream of chicken soup |
| Week 3: | 20 lbs. of sugar |
| Week 4: | 8 cans tomato soup |
| Week 5: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 6: | 6 lbs. macaroni |
| Week 7: | 20 lbs. sugar |
| Week 8: | 8 cans tuna |
| Week 9: | 6 lbs. yeast |
| Week 10: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 11: | 8 cans tomato soup |
| Week 12: | 20 lbs. sugar |
| Week 13: | 10 lbs. powdered milk |
| Week 14: | 7 boxes macaroni and cheese |
| Week 15: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 16: | 5 cans cream of chicken soup |
| Week 17: | 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins |
| Week 18: | 10 lbs. powdered milk |
| Week 19: | 5 cans cream mushroom soup |
| Week 20: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 21: | 8 cans tomato soup |
| Week 22: | 20 lbs. sugar |
| Week 23: | 8 cans tuna |
| Week 24: | 6 lbs. shortening |
| Week 25: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 26: | 5 lbs. honey |
| Week 27: | 10 lbs. powdered milk |
| Week 28: | 20 lbs. sugar |
| Week 29: | 5 lbs. peanut butter |
| Week 30: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 31: | 7 boxes macaroni and cheese |
| Week 32: | 10 lbs. powdered milk |
| Week 33: | 1 bottle 500 aspirin |
| Week 34: | 5 cans cream of mushroom soup |
| Week 35: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 36: | 7 boxes macaroni and cheese |
| Week 37: | 6 lbs. salt |
| Week 38: | 20 lbs. sugar |
| Week 39: | 8 cans tomato soup |
| Week 40: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 41: | 5 cans cream chicken soup |
| Week 42: | 20 lbs. sugar |
| Week 43: | 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins |
| Week 44: | 8 cans tuna |
| Week 45: | 50 lbs. wheat |
| Week 46: | 6 lbs. macaroni |
| Week 47: | 20 lbs. sugar |
| Week 48: | 5 cans cream mushroom soup |
| Week 49: | 5 lbs. honey |
| Week 50: | 20 lbs. sugar |
| Week 51: | 8 cans tomato soup |
| Week 52: | 50 lbs. wheat |
Some weeks you will have leftover change. Save the change each week to be used for the weeks you may exceed $5.00 (like wheat or milk).
|
You will end up with: |
|
| 500 pounds of wheat | 180 pounds of sugar |
| 40 pounds of powdered milk | 12 pounds of salt |
| 10 pounds of honey | 5 pounds peanut butter |
| 40 cans of tomato soup | 15 cans of cream of mushroom soup |
| 15 cans of cream of chicken soup | 24 cans of tuna |
| 21 boxes of macaroni and cheese | 500 aspirin |
| 1000 multi-vitamins | 6 pounds of yeast |
| 6 pounds of shortening | 12 pounds of macaroni |
*( this is an example, you can substitute some food items)
source: http://users.htcomp.net/prep/default.htm
Fall 2014 Case Lot Sale Price Comparison List for Food Storage
Love the detail list and organization.
Were do I get recipes and how to use?
Also what about water?
I think the idea behind this is and/or should be to buy products you can/will use, a little every week and stock pile. My own list would look quite different, except for the honey and the salt; as I am gluten intolerant and I would include lots of canned fruit, vegetables, beans and products that do not depend on being cooked. I mean if there was a disaster that wiped out the grocery stores and water supply, I would assume it might affect the other utilities as well……
I too would have to adapt as would many other diabetics. Our food might be more than $5.00 weekly but it is a start. I would never buy that much salt (high blood pressure) or sugar (diabetic) and substitutes for that is much higher than sugar and I have no idea of shelf life.
HAHAHA DIABETES
Diabetes is no laughing matter! So try and not be such a jerk!
Why is diabetes funny? Obviously you nor anyone you love have it or you would not be laughing.
Rather have diabetes than an insensitive nature or mental illness…
Even though you are a diabetic, sugar should be a staple because in time of need or disaster and our financial crisis increases and perhaps MO eyes is no longer a currency, sugar can be turned to moonshine and can be used to barter as well as a antiseptic. So maybe not god for eating for you or diabetics a like but great for other uses.
Think about how you eat and adapt the plan to you. I use Whey-Low D instead of sugar for example.
Wanda I’m not sure how old this post is but in regards to the salt, I try to make sure that some of my salt in storage is non-iodized or canning salt. I home can meats and veggies so that kind of salt is needed. That may be part of the salt that was listed? I’m a diabetic too so I store both sugar and artificial sweetners. Yes our foods take longer to build up than with this list but even with $5 a week it’s a start! I love your comments. 🙂
I agree, Karla. Too many people have food stored away which they wouldn’t know what to do with/ wouldn’t want to eat if they had to use it. I’ve built a blog around the idea of how to make normal meals from storable foods. I’m sharing a link to my blog’s recipe index for anyone who’d like to see what’s possible.
Learn for yourself what you can make from pantry ingredients so you know what to store before you buy it. I like the idea of this article but remember, the *plan* on what you’ll be using these foods for comes first, not last.
i would like to know send me a fb message thanks!!!
I don’t see the link. I’m interested though.
Please share the link. It’s not showing up in your post. Thanks. 🙂
I would love the link to the recipe’s you have have if you don’t mind. Thanks
Why not have a backup source for cooking as well, such as a rocket stove?
Good Idea!!
Click on the blue words and you will get recipes.
True, Yet all the recipes need many more ingredients than what we would have by following the list
Were in the heck would i find 50 lbs of wheat at for only $5.00.
My thoughts exactly! I know Walmart has them online in big buckets for $10. I think its a 40 pound and they ship orders over $50 free.
If you find it, let me know. I was wondering the same thing! LOL!
Local co-ops, there are 50 lbs in a bushel and they range around 5-7 maybe 10 per bushel (if I remember right)
Exactly what is meant by wheat, and where would I get it? Wheat flour?
Yup they forgot to tell you that you will need a hand mill. Why a hand mill you might ask? If you have no electricity you cant use an electric one! They are cheap google it or ebay it. Not a bad list, remember some foods can be traded for bartering 🙂
Check your local feed store, although around here it goes for about $7.
If you read on a little further down page it says “Some weeks you will have leftover change. Save the change each week to be used for the weeks you may exceed $5.00 (like wheat or milk).”.
$6 or $7 at the LDS CANNERY FOR 25 LBS.
I’ll have to come up with my own list. Most of those foods would make me sick, and there really isn’t much in the way of nutrition to those. Once in a while I might be able to eat some of those, maybe, but certainly not for an extended period of time. Not even in an “emergency”.
Perhaps cans of cooked beans, veggies (especially root ones, like beets and potatoes), and fruits, vacuum-sealed packages of grains (quinoa would be an easy one to prepare), tree-nuts/seeds, etc.
I realize this is just the food supply, but water should be included, to drink and cook with, and iodine tablets to purify any additional water and to take in case of radioactive fallout.
Also having the “recipe” to purify water with bleach is important. It is an inexpensive commodity and easy to store!
Bev… AMEN. I’d starve if I had to live off Spam and StoveTop Stuffing!
Well some people have to go first…thanks for signing up.
LOL-Anthony. That is exactly what I was thinking. Some people would rather play the victim. Not me, I am diabetic and have issues but I plan on doing anything to survive.
Sherry what will you do if the ground water is contaminated? What happens if you are forced to relocate? More than one source of water is needed.
Also other medication/prescription meds and strong alcohol should be on that list.
Great idea and flexible. Thank you sharing 🙂
I agree with you, Bev. I actually started a food storage today…I included beans, oatmeal, masa flour, canned tomatoes and pineapple, and nuts. We fortunately do not have to worry about water. We have access to a hand dug well. I plan on getting lentils and rice from a local Indian grocery. We have bought wheat from a trusted feedstore for $13 for 50lb. Most of the canned food comes from Aldi.
Wheat, macaroni, and peanut butter would get old. That sure isn’t a very healthy list! I couldn’t eat most of it.
Wheat will last indefinitely. I still use wheat that I bought over 40 years ago. Peanut butter will last at least a year if it’s kept in a cool place. And I’ve used macaroni that is at least five years old and it’s still good. The trick is to store things in the right places and in the right way. And then rotate as you buy new stuff. But I agree about the list not being very healthy. I suggest you go through the list, figure out what you & your family would actually eat and substitute them for the items you wouldn’t. The idea is a good one, it just needs to be personalized.
I think they meant ‘old’ as in getting really tired of the same thing every day. Not ‘old’ as in spoiled. Personally, I think the list is awful. I’m trying to get away from processed foods as much as possible and sugar is certainly NOT a necessity – especially not in that quantity! I’m surprised they don’t have dried beans on the list.
Healthy list? LOLOLOLOL this is why when food becomes scarce, a lot of our population will die from sheer lack of common sense and education.
If you are hungry and things fell apart bad enough that you had to rely on your stored goods – you would quickly learn to be darn happy for what you have and wont care if it’s the same thing day in and day out. If all you had was peanut butter on crackers, you’d look forward to it.
Believe me.
Diabetic, gluten free or whatever … you’ll shut up and eat whats in front of you and be happy for it.
Americans dont understand starvation because we havent had to endure it so we are foolish.
Amen! All those whining and complaining probably wouldn’t hesitate to chow down once food becomes scarce.
Amen Andii! I have been there and done it!! Had to feed 4 small children on very little money. Spaghetti or peanut butter and jelly were stables that filled them up and gave them energy to think! I now am able to buy anything i need, have a home, a good job and all the good things that go with it! But should we have a major downfall in this country you can bet your boots i will survive on nuts and berries if i have to!! People don’t understand that when hunger is real they will be happy to eat whatever is available to quiet the gnawing in their belly!!
Well, I think for someone with Diabetes, the food they’d eat would be crucial to their survival. If this food is ever truly needed, the chances of getting to a doctor would be slim. Eating to survive is necessary, yes, but if you’ll end up in a diabetic coma and die, what’s the point of trying to survive?
However, for much of the U.S. this list is just overly silly. Show me a place you can get 50 lbs of sugar for $5. Or Honey, especially for that matter. That’s laughable. There should be dry beans on this list, those are actually quite cheap. As well as oats and stuff like Malt-o-Meal, Cream of Wheat, etc.
And aside from a sugar rush and the small amounts you’d use in bread compared to how much flour you’d use, what good would sugar in that quantity actually be good for? Not much. People should learn to make Hardtack, too. It basically lasts forever and all you need is wheat, flour and salt (optional).
The idea is a great start and people SHOULD have a food storage, even if they live in a small apartment they can manage it. Using the IDEA of this list as a guide and improvising for your area, budget and health concerns are key.
People don’t understand reality. If things fall apart that bad, and you are ill. You die. Nature is a cruel unforgiving b*tch, and you don’t matter. I depend on medications to maintain what health I have, but I have no illusions. In a survival situation, my only job is to provide what I can in the way of training and security for my family, then die. I won’t survive it, so I do the best I can to make sure THEY survive it.
Not much of a humanitarian, are you? The point is to survive. Eating food that will kill you defeats that purpose.
Obviously its not a one size fits all list. if It doesn’t work for your situation change it. Why would anyone even be so crass as to criticize a list that is simply put together as an example. Its no wonder society is in such trouble!! Its not mandatory to buy every item as listed. Think for yourselves for a change, and say thank you that someone took the time to try to help you in the first place.
For my two cents. Thanks for putting together a basic supply list. I will quietly change it to suit my needs as necessary.
Wow, $5 for 20 pounds of sugar in your area? That $5 would barely cover 4 pounds in my area in Appalachia. This might be a good starting point but when you have to live with life-altering food allergies it’s tough.
Totally agree. I was looking at some of the weekly purchases thinking there is NO WAY I could buy that for $5. 50lbs flour? I work in a professional bakery and we get hefty discounts for buying in bulk and I can tell you that we don’t get 50lbs of flour for even close to $5. Sugar also.
5 lbs of honey for $5? Where do you live that you can get deals like this?
It doesn’t say 50 lbs of flour. It says 50 lbs of wheat – as in the unprocessed grain, though I haven’t a clue where you’d buy that or what the price point would be in my area – it’s a moot point for me, anyway, since I’m sensitive to wheat.
I wonder what people back at the turn of the century and before that did when they had food allergies? Bet they adapted and survived somehow …
Andii…i used to think the same thing, food allergies, what a gimmick, and I still think for some people it is a fad. But my mom has celiac disease and gets SICK with even the smallest amount of gluten. Like puke diarrhea miserable sick. The info that was told to me is that ppl didn’t have that allergy back in the “olden days” or it wasn’t as common and it’s still not bad over in Europe now. But us fat Americans eat terrible food and some of our bodies can’t digest it anymore. So, basically, the food we grow and eat here is making us sick… What I was taught anyway. Just thought id share that.
Well, at one point, the survival rate of people was very small. People were lucky to make it into adulthood, especially poorer peole. They also didn’t have processed foods to rely on day and night. They ate much less and less often and had to rely on physical health to farm their foods or hunt their meats. So they got more exercise than we do today, that’s for sure.
The introduction of unnatural food processing and preservatives we use today are never, ever going to be as healthy as fresh from the ground fruits and vegetables. Sadly, we’ve become overpopulated and not everyone can own even half the land the poorest people would have had at one point. People cannot grow their own food or hunt their own meat. There are just too many of us. Sad, but truth.
The people who were fat, were rich, because everyone caught their food for them and they did nothing but lazy around all day and eat. That is why they coined “gout” as the “King’s Disease” or the “Rich Man’s Disease”.
Often when people would become ill due to the foods they ate, they didn’t even know it was the food. Poor people couldn’t afford a physician and they had none of the allergy testing we have now. Yet still, even surviving on hard bread, foraged root foods and what little they farmed themselves, they would have appeared healthier – even though most did not live as long as we do now.
It wasn’t until later that people were even accounted for to determine how many had allergies to this, that or the other. Or how many died to certain disease. You cannot determine how many people in a population suffered of various disease and/or died if you had no idea how many people even existed, especially when there were no doctors to account for them.
They mostly didn’t have food allergies because they ate “real” food that they grew themselves in soils that weren’t yet depleted.
That was my first thought, too, Sally. I’d like to know where they get 20 lbs of sugar for $5 – that’s almost the price of a 4-lb bag in my area in Michigan. My second thought was also similar to yours – this list wouldn’t work for us at all. We don’t eat macaroni, wheat flour or other wheat products, sugar or things like Spam. We do our best to eat more fresh foods than processed. Yes, we could probably survive on the foods on the list, but we’d also be pretty ill most of the time.
Our stores carry 4# bags for $3.29-3.99 but OFTEN have them on sale for $1.99 each which would work out to this scenario.
I am right there with you Bev. I can not eat those soups. Would have get other can goods.
Bev, you could certainly substitute food items, but it is a good way to start with cooking basics that would need no special storage and on a low budget. In my hometown of Calgary, there was a massive flood last year, and people were clearing the store shelves. It was nice to know I had all the basics to sustain us without having to count on going to the store.
Have to agree with Bev… Not much nutritional value & I wouldn’t use that much sugar in a year! The way you planned it is excellent, I will use this as a guide to make my own list. Thanks for the idea.
180lbs of sugar, and type 2 diabetes.
LOL. Shouldn’t laugh but this was funny.
If you had to rely on what you had stored up, you’d probably be darn glad for that sugar. You’d probably also find in a few months that your diabetes would go away from all the other garbage you eat.
Gross. Who needs 500 lbs of wheat and 180 lbs of sugar in a year? And, you aren’t even making pasta with the wheat since it is being purchase separately. No wonder the vitamins are needed. You would be better off buying frozen or fresh vegetables and canning them yourself. At least you would have a better variety and better nutrition. Rice and beans are excellent staples and store well and they don’t have either on this list. Get a dehydrator and dry veggies and fruits and store in airtight containers. This is how you prepare. Buying 500 pounds of wheat and 180 lbs of sugar and dry pasta is assuming you’ll have utilities to cook with or the ability to build a fire. But, canned and dried foods can be eaten without cooking.
Many people do not have the time or money to can foods. I understand some people love to do and even do it as a hobby, but some people just can’t. I feel like this list is for the people who can’t (or won’t. Hard to decipher the difference but we know they’re out there! Then again, the ones who wont are also the ones beating people up to get the last can of soup on the shelves after the disaster already hit.). So yes for you and some others it might sound smarter to just do it yourself, but this list is more of an easy way to get it done over the year wile you’re already doing grocery shopping instead of spending a ton of extra money last minute.
And realistically, people don’t think about it because we live in a “It won’t happen to me” thinking world. Only few think about preparing. So this list is also probably to get those people up on their feet and realizing that we aren’t all invincible!
Everything you eat has sugar in it, read your labels.
Crystal your so right
wheat … ground … makes bread.
I know it’s hard to believe with all of the garbage filler bread we purchase from the grocery stores now. That’s not real bread though.
One grinds wheat to make other things besides bread.
You can grind wheat and make gruel or cream of wheat. While it sounds unappetizing, one only need look further than the old work houses for children and note that the kids lived off diets of almost straight gruel. It’s not the ideal diet and one should learn to hunt and forage for other things to supplement with – maybe add (omg look) a little sugar to it for flavor …. gosh oh gee.
Wheat is also flour, in it’s solid unprocessed form. Flour makes gravy and cake and biscuits and is a coating for fried chicken and gosh … flour … I mean … think of all the neat things flour does. And look at all of the things sugar is in.
Man … people just dont know how to cook or bake these days if it doesnt come to you in a box from a supermarket shelf.
Good thoughts Andii, I ground wheat this morning to make cookies and I’ll grind more in a day or two to make bread.
I was fine with this article until the “climate change” part…IT’S WEATHER; IT CHANGES! I grew up in hurricane country…I know we’ve all heard the saying “if you don’t like the weather; wait 5 minutes” that pretty much has applied all my life.
Teri, you make bread with wheat and some recipes call for sugar. How about cakes, cookies, pancakes, waffles, etc???
Many of the items or excess can be used to barter for other things too.
Ummm.. canned food still needs to be cooked… agreed 15 minutes is not long, but you HAVE to cook canned foods before consuming or you run the risk of DYING!! Botulism is nothing to mess with… we don’t eat one single thing that is home canned before putting it through a 15 min cook — high heat to kill anything nasty… just because its canned doesn’t mean it doesn’t require cooking!!
Tami, as for botulism can not be cooked or heated out of canned food-it is odorless, colorless and you can’t smell it. It is from being canned without enough acidity.
Tami, cooking won’t prevent you from becoming I’ll from canned food contaminated by Botulism toxin. The bacteria grows in food that was canned improperly. Clostridium botulinum releases the neurotoxin that causes the disease “botulism” when the cell wall of the bacteria is broken, either when the contaminated food is cooked or when your immune system attacks the bacteria inside your body.
Either way, food contaminated with Botulism is unsafe. Cooking doesn’t change that. Properly canned food should be safe to eat with or without cooking.
Nope. Spam, or baked beans are great right out of the can, perfectly safe. Dinty Moore Stew as well. No worries, they are all cooked in the can by the maker.
Teri I totally agree with you. Canning and dehydrating is the way to go. I have been doingit for awhile. So much better that the chemical laden cans of stuff. I by fruit and veg in bulk thru bountiful baskets and bulk meat thru Zaycon foods.
I live in earthquake country and have supplies for over a week for 4 people, if not more. Even though I understand the principle is to make bread, not all of us will have a heat source that would be adequate. My supplies include cans of greens, pasta – which never spoils. tomato paste which can be thinned into soup or used for sauce. I also have soup packages, beans – lots of beans and rice. Also having the ability to smoke food would be good to extend the ’shelf life’ of what you have in your freezer!
I don’t know where you do your shopping, but just going thru the first 5 weeks, 4 of them cost well over 5 bucks. (and I am talking triple and higher in price)
That is exactly what I was thinking and was going to comment when I ran across your post just scanning through. 5 lbs of sugar is over $2.00 and honey? I’d like to get that for $5.00, it’s almost $5.00 for that little plastic bear bottle.
Seems like it would be a better idea to store rice than wheat. Wheat would be hard to make anything out of unless you have a grinder and whatever else to make bread. You’d want butter too, which might be hard to store. Clarified butter might be an option. I don’t know. Too much work.
Seems to me that a better idea would be to store rice and beans. It’s better for you and more satisfying, and it’s much easier to prepare. All you have to do to make rice is boil it in water. Maybe store brown rice too for the protein content. Many Latinos live on rice and beans. 🙂
Rice goes rancid far faster than wheat (particularly if you buy brown or unprocessed rice) although if you plan to rotate your storage that shouldn’t be much of a problem. A good reason to buy what you’ll eat.
Yes, recipes please. & where the heck do I store all this?
That’s your problem
At my house.
Oh, one other thing. Multivitamins don’t really keep. They start getting spots after about two years, and they smell funny even first opened from a sealed container kept in a cool, dark place. You might want to store some seeds and get ready to grow a garden if it comes to it. This list looks like a Mormon food storage, which I would not recommend for the aforementioned reasons.
Not at all true. While we do store some of these things we do not 500 lbs for 2 people. That is a little over board. While I have enough storage to feed my family of 8 for 4 months I have provided a verity of different things that everyone likes.
Yeah, it is true. I was a Mormon for over 30 years, and this was the kind of food storage we were encouraged to have. I don’t recall anyone *ever* saying “That’s overboard” when it came to a Mormon food storage — except my non-Mormon friends. I used to say things like “Um.. canisters of wheat. Why? Rice and beans make so much more sense.” and being told that wheat is a “superfood” and quoted items from the Word of Wisdom — the health code that bans tea. Maybe things have changed though. I haven’t been a Mormon since about 2000.
I sure don’t know why anyone would need all that sugar. In that kind of crisis, cakes and cookies are probably the last thing anyone needs. Having a natural gas powered generator to keep a freezer going could help keep meets frozen for a long time.
What makes you think there will be a reliable source of natural gas? Firewood makes more sense. I have a prepper friend who has made all his lawn furnature and back yard stuff out of 4x4s or bigger so he will have wood above what he regularly stores. 🙂
If there is a major outage there will be no natural gas or any gas of any kind. A rocket stove and cast iron will be the way to cook. Even a camp style fire will be available. Learn to cook with cast iron on an open fire and you will always have hot food.
Thanks, lori, that’s the first completely intelligent answer I’ve yet heard.
Why so much sugar? Absolutely the worst thing in that list and 180 pounds of it? Doesn’t make sense. Is it used as a preservative or some sort of base?
Salt and sugar make cure for bacon and ham
You can barter with items you have a lot of and everyone will want sugar since we are all addicted to it……..
You can, of course, make alcohol from sugar which is a great survival and barter item.
If one has to can fruits and jams, they require quite alot of sugar. The sugar helps to preserve them.
500 lbs of wheat? I couldn’t use that much wheat for the rest of my life. There are other canned meats that I would add, plus vegetables, cornmeal….and of course water. I would also add juices. This list gives one something to think about, but far from complete, in my opinion anyway.
I know there are people out there that will do this. If you ask them what they are going to use the wheat for, they wouldn’t have a clue. I didn’t see any mention of a way to grind it for flour. Also there’s no water listed. Really 180 lbs of sugar? Macaroni and pasta is full of additives and virtually no nutritional value. This list definitely lacks nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, and vegetables. The other thing you need to mention is the things you have in your food storage needs to be things you like and are comfortable using. For example, if you hate tuna, why are you going to have it in your pantry? If you’ve never baked a loaf of bread in your life, why do you have yeast? My husband can’t have lactose. Why should we have milk? Slowly building your food storage is a great idea and this is a good place to start, but be prepared to make modifications based on your family’s likes, dislikes, and comfort in cooking.
Lots of grumbling about the list. What it comes down to is, the weak will not survive. It’s not about what you like or dislike, it’s about not starving to death.
When you went on a weekend campout you were safe knowing there was the campground store or a market in the nearby town, not so in this scenario. There will be roving bands looking for someone to rob and the next door neighbor who made fun of you for being prepared will be weeping at your door wanting you to give them your food.
I’m not talking about an armed invasion, only a failure of infrastructure like what’s happening now in the eastern part of the country. Bad weather has crippled parts of the country and people are freezing to death in their front yards and in their houses. It doesn’t take much to pause life as we know it.
If you don’t know how, the internet is packed with information, just checkout the websites that cater to those “crazy survivalists” that everybody makes fun of. They know what to do with wheat!
Why on earth would one need that much sugar for survival?! This list is ridiculous! The concept of only spending $5 a week to build up some food storage is great, but I don’t know of any place to get 5 lbs of real honey for $5. And, I realize the salt might be good for preserving things, but this list is seriously lacking in nutrition, water, and ideas of how to use all that wheat, yeast, and powdered milk. If a natural disaster hits, I doubt or ovens will be functional for baking brass. Absurd.
I am thinking that some of those items could be used for bartering (sugar, wheat) or for planting (wheat). As others have mentioned, it is only a guide, not written in stone.
The prices in wheat, sugar and honey are way off. The weta is more like $20. The sugar it closer to $12
This is not a realistic price model
I have the same comment as others. That is an awful damn lot of empty calorie, sugar and starch, low nutrition density food. It will keep you ravenous and weak. It’s one of the reasons I can’t make myself buy any of those starch. sugar, salt laden camping/survival freeze dried food caches that are heavily advertised. I have been looking at stocking up on canned meats, tinned fish, canned veg, Salt, spices, hot sauce, yeah. Real lard (not Crisco) and palm/coconut oil have energy that will keep you healthy and going all day and will not go rancid. Peanut butter and soup might be OK. Lots of them are filled with crap, though. I can see some dried milk maybe. There are some full fat varieties. Coffee and tea in some form that will keep.
I have no idea where they got $5 that price is way off it’s 5 bucks for a pound of most of this stuff and even the junk brand can stuff is still .75 cents. So the whole 5 dollar thing is complete wrong! Just do what I do buy B.O.G.O.’s and just pick up one or two thing when ever you go to the store. The dollar store is a great place to start. And if you can’t afford that you can use the food pantry or church they give out food. So there is no reason you can’t do this and need to roam the streets in a SHTF situation hurting people to feed your self and kids.
I just wanted to know how long rice and pasta would last for . I mean we do t eat can food at all so we would only eat it in a emergency but really how long does it last?
I sealed jasmine rice in air tight canisters with those oxygen-binding packets back in the mid 1990s. (In preparation for Y2K. Remember that? lol) It’s been almost 20 years, and the rice is still good. My in-laws have been using it all this time. It got them through the 2012 end of the world too. 😉 I bet pasta would last in a vacuum sealed container too. Actually, that might be a good use for the wheat. You could make your own pasta with it.
A lot of you are asking about so much sugar, etc. I don’t think you’re taking into account how sugar is used in everything to make it taste better. Bread, pancakes, muffins. When I bottle tomatoes, I add sugar and salt – takes away the bitterness.
Milk is the same – used in so many things you don’t think about.
Also, remember that some of your storage cam be TRADED for other things during a crisis.
I keep chocolate because in an extended crisis period, people WILL want sweets and comfort.
Sugar is also quick energy.
The wheat can be simply crushed a bit (with any tool) and cooked to make delicious cracked wheat cereal. Very nourishing. But a hand grinder doesn’t cost much and is easy to store with your wheat.
The soups are just sauce builders to use to flavor and extend other items.
Salt is very important as a preservative, but also as a source of iodine which we all need.
Rice is good, but not as nutritious as the wheat. Beans are great but take a long time to cook (and need a lot of salt to make them tasty). I buy a lot of beans.
The oils will spoil quickly (relative to other items) but if you rotate, that’s not a problem. You can buy powdered versions for cooking that store well.
Don’t forget to have some portable storage so that you can take some with you in case of evacuation.
Thank you Tracy. So far you are the only person thinking of this ‘example’ list in a sensible manner.
Part of the reason you’re supposed to stock up is for the possibility of barter/trade. (Amazing how quickly most people assume they’ll be the only survivors in an emergency.)
And yes many of the items can be substituted (which is why it’s called an ‘example’ people, honestly) so all the whining about the fact that it doesn’t include specific items is beyond me. Adjust the list as needed. Simple as that.
Part of surviving in a crisis is being able to think and plan for yourself and those around you, so I’m thinking many of the folks who’ve commented on this thread wouldn’t make it. 😉
People have no clue how to survive in an Emergancy situation. People don’t know how to cook over an open fire or in cast iron much less bake in it. How to salt cure or smoke meat for long term storage much less how to jerk it. Dehydrate fruit and veg to make it last. The ones of us that learn these things will be the ones to survive when there is no electricity or grocery stores. How about learning to can and garden. In Emergancy situations there is not going to be a never ending supply of food if you don’t know how to do theses thing you will not last long.
lori, I’ll have to assume that you are already doing these things (as I am and have been doing for more than 3 decades), as your response is once again spot on.
A lot of people in general won’t make it. Lists like this one are for people who actually know how to cook. Unfortunately, we’ve raised a generation of idiots who think food comes out of a microwave.
Does he mean wheat flour? I have literally never bought wheat in my life, let alone 500 pounds. I don’t even think I have bought 500 pounds of flour in my adult life. Also, this is supposed to be for a year, so that is half a pound of sugar every day for a year, but only one can of tomato soup every nine days. And no rice or beans, or canned fruit or vegetables. This list is bizarre.
This is not a realistic list. I buy wheat berries and you sure can’t buy them for $5.oo for 50 lbs. You can’t even buy 8 cans of tomato soup for $5.00. You can build up your storage a little at a time but it is going to cost you more than $5.00 a week. Start with storing 3 months of food you like and will eat. Once you get 3 months worth stocked up, work on more. And eat from your storage and add back in new supplies. Don’t waste your money buying things you don’t really like (think freeze dried foods that you have no idea how to make into something your family will eat). Don’t forget to think about water and a way to cook your food if the power is down.
We have a mini propane fueled camping stove with back up canisters for when we camp or if there is ever and emergency and no power. Also, keep some cliff bars, trail mix, and protein bars, quick to grab and easy to snack on in an emergeny. They will also give you a little more energy and taste pretty good too.
The sugar could be used to make jelly from any fruit you collect, the wheat will keep better than already processed flour. You can get powdered butter, shortening,milk and even buttermilk. The food has to be rotated and that is how you keep your vitamins fresh. The amount of sugar is high but if you have tea bags which we do that would be nice, I also have the pectin for jelly. You can also trade it for other stuff if times are bad. Trading will be the best way to get what you need. You can also buy a big bag of frozen green beans and dehydrate them and put them in a mason jar. Doing that to food that is fresh during the summer will keep a long time. THAT is why we need to have our own gardens. I have friends that only go to the store to get batteries and stuff like that. They grow their own food, butcher their meat and make their own soap and candles. How healthy we all could be if we did that. Thank you for this list it might make people new to this think about it.
Too true Sharon! Well said.
In a natural disaster, you may still have the ability to cook and bake, but the ability to get food to your area may be affected. 500 pounds of flour would only make about 166 loaves of bread for a whole year. The average person eats 150 pounds of sugar a year, this list calls for 180 pounds for TWO people. This person obviously did a lot of research to try to be helpful. If you don’t like the list, don’t use it. Just to warn you, I may not share my bread, though. I love my bread.
I love my bread too.
The idea isn’t bad just the items suggested.
The principles behind this as so sound and profound. Thank you for opening minds to the concept!
Someone suggested that this may be a mormon list, uh no! The mormon or LDS food storage plan suggests rice, dried beans, dried fruits, oats, canned fruits and vegetables, qq
Actually, I just clicked on the link, and the person who originally write this is indeed a Mormon. Just saying. 😉
the whole point is to stock up yes some of the items are pointless and are more than the 5 dollar limit depending when it was written it may have been cheaper back then with rotation of old items being used first buy what your family will use and be able to store. most homes have a closet you can convert it with shelving to store excess food stuffs i know if something happens my family has enough food for at least 6weeks along with charcoal for an outdoor grill any thing you can cook on your stove you can cook on a grill just takes longer
Where can you buy 20 lbs of sugar or 50 lbs of wheat for $5??? And a bottle of 500 aspirin or multivitamins?? Your looking at $20 each! This list sucks and lacks all reality.
By wheat do you mean flour???
No Pat, it means Wheat. It lasts longer and you can crush it with a rock in a pinch to make cereal, porridge and flour.
I agree with everyone saying that is a lot of sugar because i have a family of 4 andI don’t even buy half that much in a year, but my thoughts were having something extra like the sugar that you could trade for other stuff. Maybe trade sugar for fuel or something like that. It couldn’t hurt to have a little extra stuff to trade if needed.
Without repeating comments about the amount of sugar, wheat, etc, I suppose it’s a great idea but that list assumes you have a way to cook and a water supply. Most of the natural disasters in the Northeast include wide area power outages and, often, contaminated water. If you are planning to survive for a year with a gas powered generator where are you going to get that gas for a year. It would make more sense to store water and canned goods that do not need to be heated/cooked to get by for 2-3 weeks. For a year? You need to be prepared to live without modern conveniences like clean water, electricity, and, if you live in a cold climate, a heating source for your home.
Yes, Joanne, a heating source is a necessity for your home even here in the Deep South (Florida). It was officially 3 degrees Fahrenheit one Christmas day and 7 degrees Fahrenheit the following Christmas day. The United States government, in their infinite wisdom, has effectively banned the sale of wood stoves at the end of 2015. Better get one now while the getting is good.
I would like to know where you can buy all these things on your list for $5.00 a week.Everything you listed would be much more where I shop..Most of the things you list are not even healthy for you..Really sugar , wheat , macaroni and fake cheese , canned soup .
The wheat I can see, as you can grind it into flour or sprout it for even more nutritional value. You can also boil it for a breakfast food. Finally, you can plant it and make more of it.
Sugar has an extremely long shelf life. While you don’t expect to use that much of it, if you are making bread with that newly ground flour, you need sugar to feed to the yeast. Sugar also makes for a great barter item.
Bleach loses potency over a period of months, which is likely why it wasn’t included. You can create bleach with salt water and an electric current, however. You can remove pathogens from water by simply putting the water in a clear plastic bottle and put it in the sunlight for half a day. The UV rays from the sun will kill off all the bacteria. Just remember, this doesn’t remove chemicals from the water. Those idiots on the Doomsday Prepper shows that filter their urine through a Katadyn water filter, then drink it, are still drinking their urine. Luckily, if you’re healthy, your urine is already free of pathogens.
Personally, the best system is to look at what you eat and simply buy a little more of it, each time you go shopping, then set it aside. Rotate your older stock to the pantry whenever you buy new and put the new stuff into long term storage. Don’t forget toiletries, like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, Kleenexes, toilet paper, etc.
If you are starting out, you should concentrate on short term goals, then intermediate, then long term. Start storing and keeping 2 extra weeks of food, then graduate to 4. Move on to a 3 month supply, a 6 month supply, and finally a year’s supply. Also, consider cooking sources, medical supplies (including gloves, masks, maybe even hazmat suits), necessary medications, lighting and heating. Take the time to do some research. Read some prepping sites, watch some YouTube videos, purchase some books on canning and/or survival. Knowlege is power.
John K. – You have the right idea. I just buy extra and keep rotating my stock. I have found which items I really use and which ones I can buy less of. I also have a set of about 20 emergency stock recipes that I rely on, so I don’t have to think too hard! So I don’t stand there and look at cans of tuna, soup, mushrooms and a package of noodles and wonder what to do with them! If I use one of my “storage” recipes once a week, I will never worry about the “use by dates”. And, yes, I keep lots of sugar. I keep flour because I use a lot of it anyway and don’t want to grind it. Each family must figure what works for them.
Check out http://www.beprepared.com
The source website looks like something created in the 90s. No wonder the prices don’t align with reality.
Clearly, the majority of comments on this article indicate a serious lack of cooking and shopping skills. Most of this stuff can be purchased for about $5 in most areas (rural can get a little pricey) if you haven’t spent your life as a latte-sucking organic hipster, in which case, you’re screwed in a disaster anyway.
Absolutely, rellian, I live in a rural area, yet have purchased 6-gallon buckets of nitrogen packed wheat berries for $7, and #10 cans of survival foods, including freeze-dried, dehydrated, etc. for $1.04 per can.
This list is a help for those that do not know how to get started. Just keep in mind when buying food supply to buy the things that you eat. If you don’t eat soup then don’t buy it just substitute it for something that you would eat. The thing about storing wheat and white rice, it has a long life span. You can make more than just bread out of wheat, such as pancakes, muffins, wheat burgers, etc etc. If at all possible buy in bulk.
I can’t believe all the negative comments. Thank you for this list. I love the concept of building my food storage little by little each week and you’ve given me some great ideas and a lot to think about.
I can’t believe all the negative comments either. Just plain rude. Make adjustments people. The simple idea is to start a food storage supply by adding items weekly.
Here is another website that I love: preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com/
No, it’s not my website. Check it out. Lots of great tips on food storage can be found there. Not all of it will apply to you and your family’s needs– adjust.
What are we supposed to do with all that sugar?
I do not know where the author of this list lives, but where I live, $5.00 will not even come close to buying the weekly items. And I have no clue on what the “wheat” is. Is it bread or what?
While the overall concept of food storage makes sense, the list would have to be modified based on an individual’s allergies, etc. I would die from that list – I’m very allergic to wheat/gluten (as in my throat starts to close us, I get violently sick to my stomach & rashes/hives start… it’s my least favourite allergy). It doesn’t take much to use a guideline like this, check out shelf lives of food at your local stores & change the list to suit you. What it fails to mention is the “how to” survive from this… you’ll most likely need a camping stove (or BBQ grill & charcoal/gas/whatever), propane heaters if you live in a cold area, battery operated camping lights, as well as several other items. Of course, saving up & getting a solar power generator would solve a lot of that problem too lol. I spent 11 days without power before, when the high during the day was in the 20s – 30s. It was actually sort of fun, but I also had the aforementioned camping gear & my water heater worked – hot water can make or break it.
The list doesn’t reflect prices in our area either. I couldn’t find a date for this post tho. And as to the sugar questions it last indefinitely and it has lots of uses other than just a sweetener. Mainly a preservative for meats and other foods.
I figured if there was a disaster, I would trade for maxi pads and toilet paper!!
Water is essential!! What about flavors like koolaid, or Gatorade mixes. How about bullets to trade, so you can go get fresh meat. I’m sure people might trade for diapers!!!! I liked the idea for sweets, chocolate or hard candy that wouldn’t melt! It would cheer anyone up. Or medicine and clean bandages, people might steal or trade for that, or cigerates, all war moves they always trade richly for their tobacco needs 😉
This article is filled to the gunwales with utter stupidity. What the hell are you going to do with 500 pounds of wheat ffs? And none of the foodstuffs in the picture are on the list. The stupid, it burns. No discussion about how you have to store flour so it won’t get infested etc.
The interesting thing is all this stuff is listed, but there’s no meal recipes. Explain exactly what we’re supposed to do and make with all this stuff.
Some of the price of the food items is very dated. I wish I could buy sugar, flour, honey etc. for $5.00 week.
I agree with many of the posts here. I have a 5lb bucket of beans that I stored in mylar bags and O2 absorbers, but all that wheat and sugar is a bit much. Canned meats, tuna, salmon, mackerel, etc. is a great choice as far as I’m concerned. How in the world does ‘yeast’ last that long? I have yeast now that has already expired, but hold onto it just in case. Rice and beans is filling and I also would include instant mashed potatoes to the list. I make a great chili and it could be made without meat if need be. It also is delicious and quite filling when pouring it over some mashed potatoes, or including pasta.
Also, the price of the items listed is a bit more than $5 a week. Prices have gone up considerably. Although, the concept is good and with a bit of revision using things that we would eat and price them out, I guess someone could include that in their regular grocery shopping and build on it. But, it sure would be more than $5/weekly.
This is the original website the list was found on. If you click the items at the end of the list there are recipes and tips for using the items were not traditionally used to cooking with. I hope this helps.
users.htcomp.net/prep/default.htm
We’ll I am glad to see such a huge project broken down into weeks. I like the list and thank you for doing it. It is. Great guideline to get started. Those of you who like to complain about price and what is you should or shouldn’t have on the list her is some advice: compile the list to your needs and your families you all have a brain use it!
Why do you need so much sugar? I would rather stock up on beans to stay alive sugar isn’t going to keep you from starving!
I can’t believe there are so many negative comments. This is just one list of things you could buy a week at a time. Of course the price may be off, but the concept is there. I’d have to substitute things on that list for things that my picky eaters would eat. Research online for recipes on how to use up all that wheat. BE PREPARED YOURSELF WITH RECIPES!!!
I agree Tara….when did people stop really thinking for themselves anyways? A list someone makes belongs to them and may be of assistance to someone else…just by way of getting them thinking about their own needs…. :I would never use 180 lbs of sugar” comments would mean to me…OK…what ~would~ you use? It’s great to get ideas from people (and I’m fairly new at being an official prepper, I just naturally prep as part of my lifestyle) so..it’s like…OK….vitamins…leads to aspirin…leads to…first aid kit….leads to….and so on and so on. Some things I store for trade…some for personal use…it’s all in how you approach stuff. If you stop thinking for yourself, you’ll never make it as a prepper.
Just my $0.02 worth!
One tip for this. Make a spreadsheet and price out all the items right now. Then keep an eye out for coupons and items on sale that are not on the week you are supposed to buy. Cross it off when it is cheaper and you can buy more or put some money aside to make a better purchase later. Put the money and coupons in one envelope and keep it separate.
Why so much wheat? For bread n pasta? What else? Good guide though. I’ll use it changing up a few things.
I think the idea is great, but it would be better to go off of the photo, than the list. Many people have included some great and realistic ideas, like flavorings for water, toilet paper and other sanitary supplies. Also, small bottles of whiskey and maybe a few cartons of cigarettes and the like would be great to have on hand for bartering.
While I understand this list is merely “suggestions”, I cannot fathom why or where someone would ever use 180 lbs of sugar. We purchased a 5 lb bag of sugar 2 years ago and there is perhaps 4.5 lbs remaining. We do use brown sugar for cooking/canning etc., but out of that 20 lb bag we purchased about 3 years ago, we still have at least 18 lbs. Salt, there is something we use frequently, and of course I stockpile it as a potential trade source, after all you can’t eat gold. (At least I probably wouldn’t recommend it.) Oddly enough we also have a supply of freeze dried coffee, but none of us in this household drink it at all. Again, trade commodity, we do not trade ammo, never give away something that can be used against you. Just kind of ranting here, would never use that much sugar and don’t see it as a ‘highly’ valuable trade item either. In small increments yes, but anyone asking for more than 5 lbs, is probably going to perish from diabetes, long before whatever SHTF scenario kicks into full swing anyway.
Over and over again I see these types of lists, probably complied from statistics about what the average American eats. Heck did you know the average American eats about 130 pounds of sugar a year? (source: http://www.foodbeast.com/2013/10/01/an-unforgiving-breakdown-of-how-much-sugar-america-consumes/). Crazy, huh! So on the surface this list makes sense as they’re just trying to give us a way of stockpiling what they think most people eat.
The one thing that doesn’t make sense here is the wheat. I doubt the average American has a grain mill and it takes a really long time to cook wheat as a cereal (a couple hours and it’s not the best for taste or texture). So I’d say substitute a little flour, rice, and other grains, and boxes of cereal and oatmeal.
Also, I want to say that it makes sense to me that there are so many comments about how inadequate this list is. Most of the people I know who are serious about storing food are also serious about their nutrition and health so they most likely aren’t eating a lot of this stuff anyway.
The point is that it’s good to have a plan to feed yourself and your family if disaster hits. Or heck, even if the weather is terrible or you don’t feel good and don’t want to go out. A stocked pantry used to be a must in every household…. now it seems the only thing that’s stocked in many homes is the list of pizza delivery places.
What a bunch of whiners some of you are. When the grocery stores are empty, and your kids are crying for sustenance, your woes will be real and harsh. Google some of these items for substitutes. Improvise. Use Coupons.Don’t be the dependent sheep the Government wants you to be.
Wow, seriously, this list is to build a storage in case of a natural disaster that would leave store shelves empty and some of you guys are worried about the nutritional value? Granted if you have,a medical necessity and cant have it, i understand, but the rest of you are ridiculous. If you dont like the list substitute your own items, dont bitch bout how unhealthy it is.
This is a good idea. As someone who lives alone and can only rely upon myself in a disaster, I am going to start a supply like this. I am also type 2 diabetic and have other health concerns, so having enough meds is crucial as well! I live on a limited income too, so I couldn’t rush out and buy at the last minute either.
I’m suprised there is no corn meal on the list, back into the old days, that was #1commodity they had to have to survive. Still a good list, with a little tweaking I’m going to use it for us. Thanks!
Store what you will actually eat, eat what you store to rotate your stock. I have a bunch of canned chicken, beef, and turkey I rotate. No tuna as I don’t like it much so no need to store items you don’t like except if you get it cheap you can share/trade. Beer is only good six months, so Canadian whiskey hold up better, 2 to 6 years depending on brand, quality of seal of the GLASS bottle, and how much you choose to drink. Vodka is cheaper and good for trading. The basic concept of having a cache in case of emergency is ok, but ignore the $5 a week budget. Make your own list. check the site stilltasty.com to see the actual shelf life of many items. A freezer is much cheaper to run when full, so I keep jugs of water frozen in the bottom as a layer. This also protects the freezer content in case of a short power outage. For long term, all those 2 quart repurposed pop bottles provide a lots of potable water. Unbleached, unbromated whole wheat flour is a good choice, and after freezing 25 lb. bags to kill the ever present bugs, I have some sealed in drums. Shelf life stored in a cool dry environment is 12 years. Better than a rifle to kill people wanting food, a bag of flour is cheaper. You can buy a lot of flour for the price of an M15 and a thousand rounds of ammo. My stored foods are mostly to give me some coverage in case of unemployment.
$5 per week is a real thought catcher, but unrealistic. I just haven’t seen these prices in the last 20 years. Maybe the premise could be updated to$25 or even$50 per week.
All the negative comments that are being spewed out are the people that will be absolutely clueless, not to mention helpless WHEN “it” actually happens! This list is a simple guideline to help you get your butts in gear because, unless you have had your head stuck in the sand (or elsewhere), things are NOT going so well here in the good ole USA! Modify, substitute, etc. Use your brain! No reason for the snotty, senseless responses, especially when whoever made this list cared enough to try and help others out. Good luck!
I think it is a heart attack waiting to happen/
180 lbs of sugar????
That is outrageous.
I do like the idea of having a regular plan, but we should all be planning
on staying healthy if we want to survive!!
Where do you find powered milk at only $5 or 5lb of peanut butter or 25lb of sugar. Be honest,several of your items are not $5 for what you list. This list is deceptive
I run a food pantry for our community and one thing you need to be aware of when you stockpile or keep an abundance of items that you may not use right away is the EXPIRATION DATES. Many of these dates are suggestions and do not reflect whether the contents is good or not but I would not want to rely on a can of tuna that is a year or so past its Sell by or Use by date. If you do stockpile – rotate your inventory every once in a while.
I think a lot of you have no clue what a real bad emergency situation will be like and it shows in your comments. Ask Katrina folks how it was on the ground and if food preferences mattered to them. You will eat whatever it is you can get your hands on or you will die. You might die anyway because of a lack of survival skills but if you are passing up food because you don’t like mac n cheese from a box than you will definitely be dead. Stocking up on whatever it is you can get and afford is smart. If you can afford better items than great but this article shows you that even people on a very limited budget can prepare for emergencies. I hope for the sake of some of you that nothing ever happens.
Hahahhahahaha. So true! I’m thinking, really you need to make your survival kit vegan? Oh, you don’t eat processed foods?! Hilarious. My favorite is from the nutritionist claiming that the example doesn’t provide a well balanced diet. No context at all. However, worth a few poking laughs.
People have no clue that is true. I lived in South Carolina during hurricane Hugo. We were well prepared” of course being as my dad was raised in the back woods of Tennessee we had and knew now to cook with cast iron over an open flame and that includes baking. Had a wood burning stove we could cook on, a supply of kerosene and lamps. And plenty of food. We could live 6 months on plus the ability to garden, can and hunt and how to preserve for long term storage. If Shtf ever the population is going to drop from people not being prepared and no clue how to survive with out the local Walmart for groceries and clothing.
Love the idea of this but needs cans of fruits, veggies and beans. Being a nutritionist you need a more rounded diet. Yes you could survive on this, but adding more fruits veggies and protein will make it a better diet.
I love the detailed list but im not sure why so much sugar? I will also need to put my list together for my vegan diet. My only concern is space for storing it. Thanks for sharing!
Water purification tabs and at least 100 gallons of water
80 cans of assorted beans
40 1lb bags of precooked brown rice
50 lbs raw honey
50 lbs dehydrated fruits
50 lbs assorted jerky
50 lbs dehydrated veggies
100 lbs powdered milk
50 lbs powdered eggs
5 10lb cans natural peanut butter
100 boxes whole grain crackers
50 pkgs wheat tortillas
20 lbs sea salt
5 lbs pepper
50 lbs whole wheat pancake mix
100 lbs shortening
10 gallons maple syrup
100 cans oil pack salmon
100 cans oil pack tuna
100 cans oil packed sardines
50 cans brown bread
50 fruitcakes
200 high protein energy bars
100 boxes instant oatmeal
200 lbs dehydrated potatoes
100 lbs instant breakfast
Assortment energy drink powder, water flavor packets, ect
100 lbs instant coffee
3 500ct bottle asprin
3 500ct bottle motrin
10 500ct bottles chewable multivitamin
Emergency radio
2 hand crank flashlights
2 hand crank cell chargers
400.00 in small bills
100.00 in coins
25 bars of soap
Just a suggestion get masa instead of already made tortillas. They will go bad where as massa will last a long time. Also stockpile water. If power goes out for long periods you may not have water or it may be contaminated. Hand sanitizer or vodka is good for injuries to clean them out. Bandages and gauze, along with medical tape. Extra clothes and blankets. Shoes, meds and cooking pans. Better to buy and keep cast iron” seeds for growing your own food, candles. There are a lot of things that you need that people don’t think about.m
Good idea with the massa, but why not whole corn which will last infinitely longer plus it’s cheaper and make your own massa.
Totally agree with Tara N and her comment. Come on people, IT IS AN IDEA – a good place to start. The point being, purchase the items you feel are critical to have on hand over time. No wonder they have to outline it, looking at how many people were criticizing specific items and obvious deficiencies in the list – and not getting the concept of the article!! Perhaps if you are having that difficult of a time in grasping the point – maybe you should NOT be one of those who prep for a disaster. Just saying……….natural selection will find you.
I want to pin this to my pinterest and it won’t take it. I love this post. Thank you for sharing!!
Nancy, highlight it, copy and then save in as a word document.
Spam Sugar Spam Spam Sugar and Spam. beat no Food, just get something Period, Sugar is great barter material
If you read the Article you have no excuses when the time comes.
“When the time of need begins, the time for preparation is over”
I agree that this is not a “one size fits all” type of list but it’s a good idea. Substitute foods that you and your family eat regularly. I will be buying several extra cans or bags of beans, fruit, vegetables, etc each week from now on to build up my storage. Thanks for the great idea! However you choose to do it, you just need to start.
What do I do with all that wheat?
Ok, so you don’t like the list. At least this has gotten you to talking about doing this with your own food. And rather than just talk about it…….DO IT. A little at a time doesn’t hurt and it builds quickly. Do you really want to be stuck with a box of pasta, some mac and cheese, a packet for beef gravy and several packages of Ramen as your only food supply?
I have started this because they are calling for a very bad winter here. I have bought things like oatmeal, peanut butter, powdered milk, jelly, spam, bottled water, dried beans. Things that require little to no cooking. If we lose power we lose water so I am trying to keep things we can cook on the grill or in the fire place if needed or can be eaten as is. I would add vegetables and canned fruit to the list. I have all my home canned vegetables so I don’t have to worry about that for now. I don’t think this list is meant to be all that healthy – just to give you the vitamins protein etc you need to get through until things are available again. There is absolutely room for changes as your diet requires.
🙂 like the way you think
Water purification tabs and at least 100 gallons of water
100 cans of assorted beans
100 1lb bags of precooked brown rice
100 lbs raw honey
100 lbs dehydrated fruits
100 lbs assorted jerky
100 lbs dehydrated veggies
100 lbs powdered milk
50 lbs powdered eggs
10 10lb cans natural peanut butter
100 boxes whole grain crackers
50 pkgs wheat tortillas
100 lbs sea salt
20 lbs pepper
100 lbs whole wheat pancake mix
100 lbs bisquick
100 lbs shortening
50 lbs coconut oil
20 gallons olive oil
20 gallons maple syrup
100 cans oil pack salmon
100 cans oil pack tuna
100 cans oil packed sardines
100 cans oysters
100 cans chicken
50 cans brown bread
50 fruitcakes
200 high protein energy bars
100 boxes instant oatmeal
200 lbs dehydrated potatoes
100 lbs instant breakfast
Assortment energy drink powder, water flavor packets, ect
100 lbs instant coffee
20 gallons apple cider vinegar
3 500ct bottle asprin
3 500ct bottle motrin
10 500ct bottles chewable multivitamin
Emergency radio
2 hand crank flashlights
2 hand crank cell chargers
400.00 in small bills
100.00 in coins
25 bars of soap
20 bottles of high proof liquor
The math doesn’t work.$5.00 a weej?for 59#of wheat?? When was the last time this person bought honey? Etc etc etc.good idea.bad ecomomics
I see there are a few REAL people commenting and a few “NOT SO REAL”. Get a clue people think for yourself. These are ideas…..Live in Hawaii and SPAM is an everyday intake! Your a health freak and do not want sugar…….purchase what you buy now for it! Do not like peanut butter buy Almond spread. Can’t have milk? Cross it off the list and purchase what you do buy. OMG was that so hard?…Or could you not think for yourself?! I myself was like where are the chips, dip, soda!? ;)~ If we are in a disaster or apocalypse HECK YA, I am going to need some comfort food! Get a grip people. And to the person who did this THANK YOU! There are always going to be haters……SHAKE IT OFF…..Taylor Swift says so! 😉
Unreal folks…… Obviously an amazing list to start you considering a life altering situation. Stop your whining. In a time of panic, disaster, unrest etc. I promise you I’d eat the living crap out of tuna, Mac n cheese, cream of whatever, etc etc. this is not a dreaming 5star restaraunt. We’re talking survival at its core. Healthy, not my first choice, but when it’s this or starvation I’ll gladly pop of can and kill it. Use your brains!!!! Prepare for your family so you’re not a ravenous pest when the SHTF. I’ll stick up on this and more smmo to fend off all the Vernon that’d kill to have any of these items in a real time of panic.
Stop the harassment, stop the complaining, stock up on long longevity preserves and opportunistic items like salt, sugar, honey, and wheat. You’d be shocked at what you could create, the caloric intake drawn from these, and the simplistic approach to utilization of these core products.
Deuces
Wow, everyone complaining about sugar! When everything breaks down, you will need the sugar to sustain calories, make food palatable, and stay alive. Even though I can’t eat wheat personally, I think this is a great list to get people thinking about how to build a good food storage plan. If you don’t like the ingredients, then replace it with something you know you can eat. Instead of $5, make it $20. As you build your supplies, you can google other pages to figure out how to store it and what recipes you can make. How about picking up a box of canned goods every time you go to costco? Yes, you should round it out, but really folks, use the template to make your own food storage plan and rotation. Think about it, when the next pandemic comes around, will you be able to survive quarantine in your home? I’m not LDS or a prepper, just cautious.
It seems the majority of negative comments can be lumped into the following:
1. These foods won’t work for my family! (I’m alergic, etc.)
Easy. Keep track of how much of your “basics” you use for a month and figure out what you’d need for a year supply. For example, this list would work pretty well for my family with some tweaking-I’d add spices and baking powder. I’d skip the yeast because I know how to get a natural yeast sourdough starter going I could use instead. The overall idea to accumulate food storage a little at a time is a good one. Just personalize it.
2. I can’t buy this for $5!
She does suggest saving the extra from weeks you don’t spend $5, but prices have risen and $5 doesn’t go as far as it used to. You’ll either have to increase the amount you spend a week or buy less per week and add to your supply for longer.
3. This list isn’t ___________(healthy, include veggies, etc.)
This list is just for the basics, you obviously would need to supplement it with proteins and veggies. It would be a good idea to store some garden seeds and teach yourself how to garden in your climate, even if you don’t garden right now. One commenter suggested storing bullets, but as a wildlife biologist I suspect it would be pretty hard to find game after a few months of everyone out there trying to get food by hunting (judging by how hard it is to get a deer after opening weekend). Learning how to raise chickens or goats would be more practical and reliable. Again this list was just a starting point. You’d also want to include supplies your family uses like soap, diapers, feminine supplies, and medications where they are shelf stable and legal to keep more than a few week’s worth. A 12 inch dutch oven is probably all you’d need as far as cooking gear, you can bake breads and cook pretty much anything else you usually use a pot for over a fire with one.
4. What do you do with ___________(wheat, sugar, peanut butter?)
Start collecting recipes your family likes using basic ingredients like this, that can be made using primitive cooking methods. It would be hard for her to post recipes without drawing the same criticism she is getting for this list. Just personalize it.
Wheat (raw, unprocessed) is a common food storage item because it lasts a long time unless it gets hot or wet or buggy etc. You can grind it with a grinder, or if you are hungry enough, you can grind it with two rocks. It is really versatile as well, as for ways you can use it. You can boil it and add it to stews, grind it and use it for baking items (If nothing else, you can mix it with water, pat it into thin cakes and cook it on coals to make ash cakes. They taste like a cracker and are good with peanut butter and honey.)
Sugar/salt are unhealthy in the amounts we currently devour them but make it possible to move beyond boiled wheat and beans. Again, just store what you like.
Peanut butter is a great source of protein and fats and has uses beyond pb&j sandwiches.
5. How do I store it?
In a cool, dark, dry place if you have it. Don’t just pack it away, USE it and replace it when you do. If you don’t use it, store what you do use. You might have to get creative and use places like under beds, etc. if you live in a small place. Put new products behind older so the older stuff is used first.
My mother used to buy a weeks worth of groceries for a family of 5 for $5, but I agree that $5 doesn’t go as far as it used to. And next week it will go even less far. And the week after that. . . . What you “do” stock up on will increase in value during good times and be worth its weight in gold in hard times.
I’m glad I have been storing food like this. Due to some medical bills, we don’t have much left over for food at the end of a paycheck, and have been living off our storage for a few months now, just buying a few things like milk, eggs, and fruit and veggies. Sometime we do splurge on a frozen pizza… 🙂 I feel like a magician every time I go to my pantry and freezer and pull another rabbit out of my hat to feed the family. I am looking forward to getting these bills paid off so we can start replacing the storage I’ve used up, and start cooking what looks good that day at the market, but we’re getting by fine.
Food storage isn’t just for post-apocalypse emergencies.
If your kids were crying from hunger, you’d be delighted to serve them this “junk.”
You people are hilarious. This whole article was made to be an informational tribute to a SURVIVAL idea. As in, you are stuck in your home, without access to the outside world. You will die without food. I think you will survive some gluten and processed foods, lady. Atleast, your chances are better than STARVATION!!! Perspective is the idea to focus on here.
I have to say, most of the stuff on your list is not what I want to live on..mac and cheese, you have crisco and lots of food LIKE products..no thanks.. surely there are better choices than this.
ya know this is just an example…get your brain movin and fit this to YOUR food list…
This is a good effort list. If it isn’t right for you, make your own list – important thing is make a list, and get a food storage in place. Budget what you can and get started!!!
This list looks like one from preparedness groups 30 years ago. It is out-dated.
Please store vegetable oil instead of shortening (transfat). Canned fruit and vegetables store well. Highly processed “cream of” soups should not be on a list now. It’s better to store broths/boullion cubes and thicken with oil and flour and add canned milk.
If you are not used to using wheat and/or don’t have a wheat grinder it doesn’t make sense to store wheat. Store rice, beans, lentils and maybe even popcorn for protein. They all have long shelf lives. Pasta stores well but not noodles made with eggs.
We have tried to have a year supply of food storage for over forty years and have found that the best idea is to buy double of your usual food when it is on sale plus bottle/can/preserve fresh foods when they are plentiful. Freeze dried foods are great but can be expensive.
Use the five dollars a week to buy extra of what you usually eat and you won’t be throwing past-date food away in a few years.
We have found that we have only needed the food a couple of times because of unexpected disasters (storms, earthquake). But many times we have been happy to have the food when money was low or needed elsewhere.
The list is really helpful for me! I basically have no food allergies and I eat almost everything! My husband is a different story on the other hand. 🙂 Thanks for the post! I am storing food for every winter! I love homemade stuff! They are the best!
Most interesting site! Living in South Africa, everything needs to be converted! A bit of a pain. Of course one can substitute items to what we have available here and fit in with our dietary needs. Thank you.
Last summer I found myself without any food…I had moved to another state, and then returned to an empty house. I had about $2 in change, so I went to the food pantry. They were great, BUT, they don’t give you everything you need to make what they give you. Mac and cheese, uses butter and milk, which they don’t give out. They had plenty of bread, but not peanut butter…they also had plenty of tomatoes, and did find me a jar of mayo, so I lived for a week on tomato sandwiches. Having that happen made me start a food storage, but everything in it can be made with just water…no need for milk, butter, sugar or salt. I heard somewhere not to store things you really don’t care for because it will be a shock to your system (mentally as well as physically) to all of a sudden be eating foods you don’t like. So I store only foods I know I like and can make easily…those boxes with tuna salad and crackers, Ramen noodles with a small can of what ever meat it’s flavored, and mixed veggies, makes it a healthier version of a very cheap food)…oodles of soups…jello for a treat. There are even meals that have a decent shelf life… like lasagna, chicken and noodles and meatballs to name a few…yes they are a bit pricey, but I use them sparingly, it’s a nice treat when my budget is very tight for a week. Also, this is a good way to have a food storage you can tailor to your needs…low sugar, gluten free, dairy free, and you know the list goes on.
This is just my take on how my food storage works for me. I know others that the dried beans and rice and wheat, etc works best for them. I’m not saying either is better or worse than the other, just showing a different way to do it.
This must be for an Americans the cost of the items here in Australia is at least double – eg for $5 I can only buy 2 cans of soup not 5 – 20lb of sugar – not $5 – try $20
The real thing is you start, make your chart, if you don’t know how to campfire cook practice once a week, add water to your list, we buy a case of water a week, how do you make some food if you don’t have water? Also we have charcoal, coal, fire starter logs and cooking cans. Your food list has to be for you but also that you can cook and eat, portion size meals, nutrition. Thanks for putting this out there for everyone just to think if there is something you need, better to be ready than watch you and your family starve.
Diabetes is a very serious matter , please think before you speak. This is a very serious matter.
Diabetes is no laughing matter not funny at all real serious matter please think before you speak and respect others
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I changed my diet and in 90-days my A1C proved that I was no longer diabetic.
One thing this list is lacking is seeds. You need to purchase seeds that are none gmo. Heirloom seeds so that you have the ability to grow your own food when your pantry runs out. Hopefully before your pantry runs out. There are several seed companies that sell a variety of Heirloom seeds sealed with a 25 year shelf life. Once grown be sure you save some of the seeds from your plants for the next growing season.
The concept is good even though not realistic. You can not buy all that food for $260.00. I also noticed that several people made comments about their individual dietary needs. OBVIOSLY you need to adapt – the writer of this posting can not put out a list for your special needs. It is a basic general list made for the majority of people. If you are diabetic you will store sugar for your other family members and Splenda for you.
You don’t need a grinder to make bread – yes, putting one on your list will make life a little easier. You can cook the grain to soften in a small amount of water – like rice. Spread it out on a tray to dry a little. Put the softened wheat in a bowl with your other ingredients called for in your recipe. Cut back a little on the liquids.
For everybody complaining about price…yes, food is getting more expensive but that’s what sales are for. As you’re going through the grocery store you see that the cans of mushroom soup are $.59 each. Check an item off your list, and wow, you now have $2 to put toward something else later. Personally I wouldn’t buy wheat unless you’re used to eating it, but a #50 bag of wheat translates to #50 of flour–same weight, smaller size. At the end of the season your grocery store might have a clearance on flour, a #50 bag for 10.99. The extra $5 can come from not buying sugar the week before. Etc. It is possible. Last week flour was $8 for a 5 lb bag, but later on in the year I know the price will be lower. We bought #5 bottles honey on clearance in a damaged goods sale, but I know there are bee farmers in the area who sell it cheaply at certain times of the year.
If you need to alter the list, do so. If you won’t use that much sugar, use the money for something else. Flour, canned vegies, canned meats. This list is for basic survival on a budget and not intended as anything but a guide. Use the guide, and change it to fit your needs.
Hey, get real. It’s worth having, but Lots of that stuff costs WAY more than $5. You actually put 5 pounds of honey on there! That’s $25. You put 5 pounds of peanut butter. that’s $10+. where do you shop?
Where can I get 20 lbs of sugar for 5 dollars? Better title would be 20 dollars a week