Rice is one of the best and most affordable food storage items you can have. It’s cheap, easy to find, and can last for years if stored properly. Rice is also very versatile—you can use it in a variety of meals, from breakfast to dinner. It provides essential calories and carbohydrates that give you energy, which is crucial in a survival situation. You can buy a large bag of rice for a low cost, and it can feed your family for a long time. Just make sure to store it in a cool, dry place in an airtight container to keep it fresh. I recommend packing in mylar with an oxygen absorber for the longest storage life.
In today’s hard economic times, rice is also a food that is very budget-friendly. Take a look at the graphic below. Rice is truly a solution for any budget.
One of my favorite meals is beef stew poured over rice. Very affordable, tasty, and packed with nutrients.
Rourke
Build a Pantry You Can Rely On — Without the Overwhelm
- Pantry Inventory Sheets (printable)
- Pantry Gap Checklist (what most people forget)
- Pantry Shelf Life Reference Chart
- Bucket Food Storage Guide (Mylar + oxygen absorbers)
- Step-by-step Mylar packing instructions
- $5 / $10 budget food storage plan
- Pantry organization tips
- Food rotation basics
- Practical preparedness advice
- Want to build a pantry but don’t know where to start
- Are trying to prepare on a budget
- Want to keep your food storage organized
- Live in an area with storms, outages, or uncertainty
- Want to take better care of your household
- Peace of mind
- Flexibility during hard times
- One less thing to worry about
Rice will never rank up there among my favorite foods, but at the same time it’s about the simplest, most-flexible base for meals and easy to cook. I think the biggest drawback that most Westerners have with it is that it’s so bland by itself, so just don’t eat it plain! Make it with broth instead of water for a flavor boost. Cover it with a thick meat gravy. Use it instead of pasta or potatoes in your favorite casserole dish. Add it to vegetable or cream soups to make them more filling. It’s a great food for small children or the elderly, can be used as a treatment for internal discomfort, turned into a cold drink or a dessert.
You’re making me hungry SingleMom! I absolutely love plain rice cooked in chicken broth.
I stored a bunch of rice back around 2010 in washed tomato juice bottles with an oxygen absorber added to each. It is as fresh today as the day it went into those bottles.
Thanks CaptTurbo. Using those types of containers are often overlooked and obviously extremely budget-friendly if you already have them. Thanks for the reminder.