Prepare: Shopping Basket

You have seen one of these. Your traditional hand shopping basket found in most grocery stores. Can't pack a lot in one of these, right? Not really.

Let's say you are on the road or nearby and you need to get some quick supplies before they are all gone. However, the grocery store has limited purchases to a single hand basket to keep the "hoarders" at bay.

So into the store you go with basket in hand. The goal is to get enough food or stuff for a few days. Let's say enough to fit into a backpack for instance.

If you are on the move, the most important things to have are water, protein and the ability stay energized and replace electrolytes. There is no way you are going to get three days worth of water into a hand basket, so instead concentrate on food.

Go to the packaged meat section. Get..
- foil wrapped single servings of Spam
- foil wrapped single servings of tuna
- small cans of vienna sausages or tuna


Go to the diet food section. Get..
- a handful of protein bars. Go for the most protein in a serving. Myplex have 27 grams per bar.
- get any packets of electrolyte mix if they have it. If not, go the drinks section and get envelopes of gatorade.

Go to the drug section and get..
- one 100 count bottle of aspirin
- one 100 count of multi vitamins

Go the bakery section and get carbs..
- three packs of tortillas or pita bread
(flat gets more in the basket)

Lot's of room left..

Go to the baking section and get..
- dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, etc)
- nuts (peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, etc)

Go to the grocery section and get..
- single serve packets of peanut butter or nutella
- Bags of M&M's

If there is any room left, grab a handful of small oranges or bananas and pile them in. Or maybe some quick energy drinks like 5 Hour Energy, which is small and takes up only a little room. Or a small bottle of bleach. Or some trash bags or ziplok storage bags, but only if you can take them out of the box in the store.

Only thing left to do now if find a water source and then hit the road.

Prepare: Cheap Survival Food

"Which Foods Are Gone After A Crisis?"

Food is king. Well, actually, the article I read today said that Ramen was king. I agree when it comes to cheap, lightweight, filling food, ramen noodles rock.

Ramen is considered the fare of hungry college students, underpaid office workers and struggling families. However, it is a big part of my survival food plans. Why?

It's cheap. It costs less than $.10 a pack often. It hardly weighs a thing. A person can easily carry 20 of things in a bug out bag. It is sold in bulk. You can buy a 15 pack at a regular grocery store.

Drawbacks - it has lots of sodium, some fat and other stuff which is not very good for you. In a survival situation, these may be good things.

Here is a great story about the history of ramen noodles.

What else is cheap food for survival?

Macaroni and Cheese

Forget comfort food, mac and cheese is survival food. It can be made with only the ingredients in the box, milk and butter, while nice, are not neccessary.

Macaroni and cheese is a favorite of children and adults. It can be purchased at the grocers often at "3 for a dollar" sales and the non-Kraft version is even cheaper.

I have made mine with dried milk and powdered butter, so that can be done as well.

Rice

Rice per cup costs next to nothing when purchased in big 50lb bags. All that is required is water to make.

Rice can stretch a can of stew or soup into a meal for two (or more in really hard times). Rice stores forever when properly contained.

Beans

Rice's best friend. Dried, can be stored for years. Only need water to cook. Soak overnight to cook and it helps remove some of the "gas effect". Rice is a healthy food as well. High in fiber and protein. And dried beans are cheap.

Oatmeal

Same as rice, cheap and good for you. Buy in big packages. Store in large sealed buckets and it lasts for years. I used some oatmeal I purchased in 2005 for baking last weekend. Had it in a sealed bucket in the back of the pantry. Tasted fine.

Again, water is all that is needed.

There are lots of cheap survival foods which can and should be stored now while the stores are full and food is available. Remember, to pick up appropriate storage buckets to store the food in.

Whether it is a hurricane, storm, war or end of the world, a good food storage program starts with you.

Prepare: Costco Emergency Food Kit

I shop at Costco monthly and it has to be one of my favorite stores. If you are into preparing for the worse, Costco gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when you see all those stacks of canned goods, big bags of rice and multipacks of batteries.

For a review of Long Term Storage (LTS) food companies, click here

I have not seen this particular product at my Costco and I think I know the reason. We don't have hurricanes or earthquakes where I live and this product probably would not appeal to many who shop at my Costco - or so the management thinks. I believe they would be a big seller because so many unprepared people want to do "something".

So what is the Emergency Food Kit? Actually, it is a "Food for Health Emergency Food Kit" as Costco markets it. Inside the weatherproof bucket are 270 servings of food. Like what you ask?

# 25 Servings - Potato Soup
# 30 Servings - Corn Chowder
# 25 Servings - Cacciatore
# 25 Servings - Western Stew
# 30 Servings - Country Noodle
# 25 Servings - Rice Lentil
# 45 Servings - Whey Milk
# 40 Servings - Blueberry Pancake
# 30 Servings - Barley Vegetable

This sounds good, right? The only complaints I have seen online have come from people who have not purchased the actual product. Rather, they either read about it online or examined the product at the store. Reviews from buyers however, say plenty of good things about the food.

The Emergency Food Kit says it has a shelf life of 20 years when stored at optimal temperatures. This puts it along the same lines as Mountain House or Military meals.

The meal sizes are small (1 cup dry) and the calories are low. Most of the dishes have about 140 calories per serving with the pancakes having the highest caloric value of 220 calories. Please note that the product claim is 275 "servings" not days worth of food or even meals, but simply a serving. If you have a family, you know that growing child can eat two or more servings of a dish at a meal. Keep that in mind for reference with the Emergency Food Kit.

Buyers say the food quality is actually very good. Like most survival foods, they say the sodium content is higher than normal foods they eat, but that they enjoyed most of the food selections.

Also, with most long term storage foods, be aware of appetite fatigue. Buyers say the Emergency Food Kit combined with other long term storage foods would make a good meal plan.

Others suggest that buyers purchase multiple food kits rather than a single bucket for a family. Also, be warned that the food must be stored at a constant temperature. I would not store this in the back of the car during the summer for instance. Exposure to extreme temperatures lowers the shelf life of the food and may cause it to become inedible.

What is funny, is the manufacturers of the Food Kit or Costco have not suggested that the bucket can be reused as a toilet. They must not have had a survivalist designing the product.

How about cost? Costco has this bucket of food, with a shelf life of 20 years for the low price of $84.99. That's a good price for some LTS food which may be a good start for a food supply. If anything, the food can be used for camping or hunting trips.

Positives - affordable long term storage foods available at a mainstream retail store. That's pretty good in my book. I just wish they carried it at one of my Costco locations.

For more information about LTS foods, click here

SHTF: Emerigency Lightweight Foods

At school, the office or on the road, there is no worse fear than the thought of being miles from home without transport. Being the kind of distance which requires days or weeks to get home on foot.

In this situation, what you can carry on your back or pack may be all that is available and edible? First, one must be prepared.

A quick list of lightweight foods to see you home or to another location...

- Ramen noodles (eat cooked or raw).
- Oatmeal and grits.
- Granola, dry cereal.
- Protein bars, the higher protein the better.
- Cereal and granola bars.
- Single sliced Spam packages.
- Crackers.
- Sealed packages of tuna or salmon.
- Dried fruit, raisins, etc.
- Candy, not chocolate (melts) but hard candy.
- Dried milk
- Coffee, tea bags
- Drink mixes like Kool Aid and Tang.
- Cookies
- Pop tarts
- Bullion cubes, dried soup mixes

Pack plenty of zip lock bags for repackaging.

Only thing left is water, how to carry it and where to get it.

Part two!