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Thoughts on Budget Food Storage
Daniel Valles 4/25/4
Many people think that providing for
their family's needs in case of emergencies, etc. is too expense for
them to start. Therefore, they never start. I have
learned that basic preparations are not unfeasible, even for larger
families. Yes, with families on a tight budget, certain
sacrifices may have to be made, but what better investment than
providing for your family's security and provision in uncertain
times?
Here are some thoughts on how families
can gradually start laying aside a little extra in the food pantry.
The following is a quick list for 1 person for 1 week+ (some items
will last longer than one week).
- Buy generic canned goods. Go
to your local Save-a-lot, or other discount food mart, and buy a
couple cans of vegetables, fruit, etc. Usually they can range
anywhere from 33¢ to 50¢ per can. For 14 cans of different
vegetables/fruit/soups: $7.00 avg. (Lunch & Dinner, 2 daily)
- Buy several packs of Ramen noodles.
Usually 8 or 10 for $1. (mix with soups, or have for lunch, 1.5
daily)
- Buy a generic bag of regular rice.
cheap (Lunch or dinner)
- Buy pasta. cheap (lunch or dinner)
- Buy generic oatmeal, no flavoring -
add your own later. (cheap)
- Store 7 gallons of water (1
gallon per day - includes food use, drinking, and other daily
needs). 2 liter soda bottles are more durable than milk
containers.
- Buy some red winter wheat (health
stores, feed stores, etc.) Cheap. Use it for sprouts.
- Have a manual can-opener, and a
means to cook it (Sterno, alcohol burners, etc. Rubbing alcohol for
the burners is real cheap, too.)
That alone can give you a substantial breakfast,
lunch, and dinner for one person, for at least one week (maybe 1.5),
for (roughly) $10-12 a person. Includes fruits, fresh
vegetables (sprouts), starches, proteins, and more!
Next, you itemize and date them. Get some
small paper label stickers, or masking tape. Put a strip on
each can/package. Mark the expiration date, and label which
meal it goes with. For example: Expires 10/23/06, Lunch
#3. Record your inventory, so you know how many meals you have.
Store in a cool, dark, dry place. Use it regularly with your
regular meals (rotate), but always keep it restocked.
Overstocked is better than under-stocked.
Obviously, there can be more efficient, nutrition,
and even economical ways of starting basic. However, this is
the way I started, on my budget, and with my knowledge (or lack
thereof) of food preparation. I did not know (still struggling)
with how to make meals from scratch (flour, wheat, etc.) This
way, just give me some sterno, a can opener, and I can have a meal
going in a couple of minutes.
If you know how to whip up various recipes from just
flour, sugar, powerdered milk, etc. go for it. Canned and
prepped canned goods can be mini-miracles if you are stressed out from
power-loss, natural disaster, etc.
Just some thoughts...
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