The No BS Survival Guide to Food Storage

I’m going to throw this right out there: I call this a “No BS” guide because most articles like this are loaded with fluff explaining things like how oxygen absorbers work, the canning process, and how dehydrated food is made. That’s not going to be found here and if someone is interested in that there’s a YouTube video no doubt. Google it.

There’s a growing concern that some tumultuous times are close at hand. I’m talking within the next few years. FOOD has got to be the #1 priority for every person who wishes to not only insulate themselves from what’s coming but survive and thrive. Everyone has their own version of what may be waiting just over the horizon. Regardless of your own version of SHTF food is required and not having it creates an additional set of dangers, risks, and situations.

We all know you need calories and enough of them. More people in the group means more calories and more food. Pretty simple equation.

As most of us are on a budget, purchasing as much food as possible for the least amount of money is a major consideration. Let’s get on with it.

Meal Planning

The foundation of a solid food storage program begins with meal planning. The idea here is to come up with 7 meals per week for breakfast, 7 for lunch, and 7 for dinner. Total of 21 meals weekly.

Here’s an example of one lunch meal:

Chicken and Rice for Four People

Cans of chicken(2 – 10oz. cans)

Rice(2 cups)

Carrots(1 can)

Corn(1 can)

Chicken bullion(2 cubes)

salt, pepper, seasoning as desired

Nutritional Information(TOTAL): Calories 1280, Fat 27, Carbs 142, Protein 104

Nutritional Information(per person): Calories 320, Fat 7, Carbs 36, Protein 26

Cost: Approx $5.00 if bought frugally

As part of your meal plan, let’s say this is the lunch every Wednesday. If you are meal planning for 3 months/12 weeks then you would need to have the following:

24 cans of chicken
24 cups of rice
12 cans of corn
12 cans of carrots
24 cubes of chicken bullion
salt, pepper, etc.

Do this for 7 meals each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

This simple example can be customized to suit your tastes and needs. All of your food storage supplies will be represented. Some meals may come completely from a can, while others will be a combination of freeze-dried, bulk packed rice, beans, etc, and canned.

A few other suggested meals:

Spaghetti w/meat sauce(1 box of spaghetti + 1 can of meat sauce)
Chili(pretty simple, dump chili out of a can into a bowl – or make from scratch)
Pancakes(“Just Add Water” pancake mix, water, syrup)

Does this sound like you will be storing a lot of food? It should. People eat a lot of food.

Task: Grab a pad of paper and start mapping out your meals.

FOOD STORAGE OPTIONS:

Canned Goods

Canned goods continue to be a major part of my own food storage program. There is nothing wrong with other options such as freeze-dried foods or bulk packed rice, beans, wheat, and pasta. These are all part of my own system but the point needs to be made and understood that canned goods should NOT be considered secondary or a lesser means which to stock up.

Canned foods can last well past their expiration dates. They are inexpensive and readily available. One major drawback is weight as they are very heavy. As I write this canned corn is priced at Walmart for .38 cents per can. 100 cans of corn would cost $38.00. From a budgetary perspective along with the incredible variety canned foods are hard to beat.

Dry Goods

When it comes to food, dry goods are things like rice, pasta, sugar, grains, beans, lentils, etc. Canned goods are considered dry goods but I put them in a category of their own.

Rice, beans, and pasta can be stored for many years in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. When it comes to calories per dollar – these cannot be beaten.

Rice and beans in particular can be foundations for many meals. They can be bulk-packed and stored for many years and are inexpensive.

Freeze-Dried/Dehydrated

Freeze-dried food can be stored for upwards of 25+ years. Preparation is as simple as boiling water. I have prepared many different meals that were freeze-dried and have yet to find one I did not like. Freeze-dried foods are lightweight as well so they are excellent for transportation in large volumes.

Amazon often carries 30-day buckets from Auguson Farms. Currently in this unpredictable environment prices are elevated. Regardless – at around $150 or less they remain a bargain for a 30-day food supply.