Prepare: Freeze Fried or Dehydrated? Do it youself or not?

I wrote this review for another website whose audience was primarily comprised on "non-preppers".

Freeze Dried versus Dehydrated - Which is better?

Rather than look at which is better, compare instead the products sold by major long term food supply companies. Also consider the packaging and size of packaging. Finally, and most important, think about what your family will eat and enjoy.

Here are the basics about dehydrated versus freeze dried.

- Freeze dried foods generally take less time and water to prepare

- Dehydrated foods may take longer to rehydrate

- Freeze dried foods are generally pre-seasoned and may contain more sodium and other seasons than eaters may prefer.

- Also generally speaking, most dehydrated food companies sell their foods as stand alone products - dehydrated fruits in one #10 can, wheat in another, TVP in another and so on. Buyers than mix and cook from scratch meals using these products.

- In bulk, as in a six month or one year supply, both dehydrated and freeze dried foods take up a lot of space. Make sure you have the room.

- Many multi month or one year food supply packages include extras like sugar, baking powder, yeast and other products which can also be purchased at the grocery store. While some companies claim these are "fillers" to make the supply seem longer, these extras do come packed in  long term food storage containers and this might be convinient for some customers.

Do I have to buy foods from these companies if I want to build a long term food supply?

Absolutely not. You can purchase grains, rice, cooking oil, honey, dried milk and other foods and repack them yourself. You can also purchase a good food dehydrator and dry your own seasonsal fruits and vegetables. In fact, many enjoy doing this themselves and may save money if done correctly and with proper planning.

However, for those with the means and with little free time, purchasing a supply of ready packed foods from one of these companies may work best for them.

As for me, I have a combination of my own packed foods, grocery store foods (like canned and packaged products) and a retort supply from some of the companies below.

Mountain House Foods are all freeze dried foods. Rather than sell baking and cooking ingredients, Mountain sells large (#10 cans) and small (individual meal pouches) complete meals such as cheesy macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meat balls and beef stew. Mountain House Foods are also light weight and the preferred choice of backpackers, campers and even those who are building a one year food supply.

eFoodsdirect offers both freeze dried and dehydrated foods. eFoodsdirect has both ingredients for those who wish to cook complete meals from scratch using a combination of freeze dried and dehydrated ingredients, they also carry a complete line of "Quick Meals" which can quickly be reconstituted and served for one or an entire family. They also carry a full line of emergency "on the go meal packages" for travelers or emergencies.

Shelf THRIVE foods also has a full selection of freeze dried and dehydrated foods and complete meals. What is neat about THRIVE is their organized and easy to use system of preparing meals using their colored packaging. Also, THRIVE is more designed for those who enjoy cooking meals from scratch at home and wish to have the convinience of long term store foods.

Which is best for you? Each of these companies has sample sized products containing 1-3 meals. I would try a sample and serve to your family and find which foods they prefer.

SHTF: Building A Food Supply Step By Step

Start building your emergency food supplies little by little rather than all at one time.

Read any of the survivalist themed blogs and websites and they will tell you to get busy either a) buying large (hundreds of pounds) quantities of wheat, cooking oil, powdered milk and honey or b) purchasing a stockpile of long term storage food (LTS) from one of the big name online retailers and quickly, as in NOW! NOW! NOW! have a one year or more food supply for you and the family.

If you agree with this statement and have the credit card available with lots of room, please visit any of the Mountain House links on this site and charge away - I would like to show my other half that blogging like this pays off!

But if you are like most of us, laying down a few thousand dollars for a UPS pallet of freeze dried food or a hundred or so white buckets of wheat is out of the question. Instead, our journey of a thousand meals begins with a single can, to paraphrase the famous Chinese quotation.

The conventional wisdom is easy to follow: When shopping, but two for each one. So, instead of buying one can of coffee, pick up two. Same with tuna fish, peanut butter, spaghetti, and so on.

Eat one and stock the other in a quiet out of the way spot in the house. In our home, we have one large walk in pantry for long term supplies and one small one for daily usage. You may decide to use the cabinets in the bathroom, under a bed or the hall closet for your long term foods.

Next, purchase foods to replace short term storage food supplies. For instance, we buy two gallons of milk a week. For a long term replacement, once a month I buy one big box of dried milk, repackage in a large freezer bag, and then store it in a sealed white bucket in the back of the pantry. You can do the same with other perishables like eggs (buy one bucket of powdered eggs every month) as well.

The next problem is dealing with fruit and vegetables. Canned fruit nutrionally are nothing more than fruit flavored sugar with little vitamin or mineral content. Sure, we have some on the shelf for a pinch, but they are not useful for maintaining a healthy diet.
Canned vegetables taste pretty bad out of the can, as in like the metal they are packed in and also suffer from low nutrional content.

We like to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in our home and there are two solutions for long term food storage. First, grow a garden! We have tomatoes, greens, berries, grapes, fruit trees and even a stand of corn in our yard. It's not hard and the whole family actually enjoys the results.

Second, buy fresh produce at the store and start canning (storing hot in jars with lids and rings using a canner) and drying (food dehydrator). Both retain more nutritional content than canned foods and learning to can and dehydrate are useful skills for everyone to learn.

Finally, stock up on dried foods which store well and long term. By dried foods, I mean rice, beans, sugar, salt, spices (especially hard to get ones like cinammon, nutmeg, black pepper and so on), and oatmeal. While it is nice to stock up on wheat, if you don't have a grinder or know what to do with wheat, than it won't do you much good. Before running out and buying 400 lbs of wheat for the family, go to the health food store and buy a pound or two, look up some recipes online and learn how to use the stuff.

Most of all, don't go into debt purchasing food you have never eaten or don't know what to do with. Buy what you eat, suitable alternatives and store appropriately.

Prepare: Bulk Foods For Storage

Everyone should store food. Bulk foods should be stored due to rising food prices and possible food shortages. Put together a bulk food storage plan today.

Food has been on my mind a lot lately because of a number of reasons. First, I have been on my new Prepper Diet for the past few weeks and it has changed the way I shop and eat. Second, because of the economy, I have become more aware of the need to have insurance in place when money is really tight. Insurance like some spare gasoline for the car, cash tucked away in the shoebox for rainy days and extra food when the grocery store is too expensive to visit.

With paydays disappearing, having food stored is a neccessity.

Here are my bulk foods I have been storing and glad to have on hand.

Rice - always. We make 2-3 cups a day and eat it at lunch and dinner.

Beans - I go through two big bags of dried beans a week.

Flour - I make a batch of quick Bible bread each night. My kids take it to school with sandwiches, the baby eats it for lunch, and I eat it with rice and beans.

Honey - we use this on oatmeal, in tea, everywhere.

Oil - Cooking oil such as vegetable and olive. We use both liberally when cooking.

Oatmeal - the whole family had this on Friday for breakfast.

Yeast - To make bread of course. I buy the one pound bag and store in the freezer.

Dried fruit, nuts, etc - we make the kids trail mix to take to school for snack time. We buy these in big bags and store in the fridge.

Pasta - we buy regular spaghetti and other types. We make pasta several times a week for dinner.

Canned vegetables, fruits, stock - we buy this by the case only. There is no reason to buy one or two cans when you can by 12 or 24 and stock them in the pantry, cupboard or in a closet.

We also buy meat of course, and milk, fresh produce and so forth. But this what we get at the warehouse store and keep in five gallon buckets or the pantry.

That is my food insurance.

Prepare: Building the One Year Food Supply

With the news being so cheery lately, all of us are concerned about putting some control back into our lives. That means making sure we have the basics covered in these trying times including food and the ability to feed our family.

Job loss or total SHTF, food is at the top of the priority list. Every day, each member of the family eats several times a day. We refill the pantry with weekly and sometimes daily trips to the grocers. But what happens if the Safeway is closed or looted and emptied forever?

Having a food storage plan in place can build a real insurance policy against hunger. However, the task is daunting to even the best of us.

Companies like Nitro Pak sell complete canned meal systems for one month to one year. Many of the foods contained in these packages can be obtained by anyone and stored similarly; its not rocket science. Here are a list of foods you can buy today at the grocers or warehouse store to build your food storage plan with.

Beans - go for red kidney and pinto. I happen to like black beans as well. Get the dry type and store in five gallon plastic buckets. Beans will last for years, provide protein and are filling.

Rice - American, jasmine, or long grain. Get the twenty five or fifty pound bags, put in plastic five gallon buckets and store in a cool, dry place. You can put oxygen absorbers in the buckets as well to ensure long term freshness. Rice is filling, lasts forever and is the best filler or platform to build a meal upon.
Remember, brown rice has more oils and may go rancid sooner.

Soup bases - Chicken and beef. Most warehouse clubs sell the really big containers of these products. Use a soup base for soup or to flavor the rice you stored above. Soup bases must be stored in an airtight container and put in a cool, dry location free from moisture and humidity.

Milk powder - Milk powder is more than for drinking. It can be added to any soup or cereal to provide a thickener and a boost of calcium. Dry milk has no fat so it lasts longer and will not go rancid like canned or perishable milk. But dry milk has to be kept in a cool, dry place in well sealed container. Get the five gallon buckets and add oxygen absorbers for best results.

Honey - While sugar lasts a long time, honey is a healthy alternative with plenty of uses. Honey has been known to last for hundreds of years as it has been found in tombs and forgotten stashes. Get the five gallon containers rather than the little glass jars or "honey bears". Some stores sell honey in the big buckets, but make sure that the honey is real and not corn syrup with honey flavoring.

Dried fruit - Dried fruit like bananas, apricots and raisins last a long time in proper containers. They can be eaten as they are or served with hot cereal, in a dessert or rehydrated with water for a side dish. Store in a cool, dry place in a five gallon bucket. Many types of dried fruit can be found at the warehouse store, but watch the prices. Often, dried fruit is very expensive and is not cost effective for storage. A better idea is to get a dehydrator and dry seasonal fruit yourself.

Wheat - This is a tough purchase for many city folk. For starters, large quantities of wheat such as hard winter red is not available at the standard grocers or the warehouse club. Some organic stores carry it, but at higher prices for smaller quantities. The best bet is to find a grain supply source nearby rather than paying for shipping from one of the big outlets like Honeyville. Another problem with grain is "What to do with it?". Most of us have never had to grind grain to make cereal or flour. But that is where those things come from and having the knowledge to cook and use whole grains is crucial. Grain lasts literally for years in storage (remember the grain story from the Bible with Joseph and the Pharaoh?). Put whole wheat in five gallon buckets and store in a cool, dry place.

Pasta - Noodles are cheap and easy to get. Buy the largest bags you can find at the grocers or warehouse and store in five gallon plastic buckets. Pasta can be a platform for any meal and can be served with almost anything.

Cooking oil - Vegetable or olive. Oils do go rancid and will not last forever even in the best storage. But make sure you have five or more gallons on hand at all times. Cooking oils can replace butter when grilling or cooking over a flame. Also, our bodies need a certain amount of good fats which come only from oils.

Oatmeal - There is no complete food storage plan without oatmeal. Oats are easy to get in large containers from the grocers and you should have several pounds on hand at all times. Store in five gallon plastic buckets and your oats should stay fresh for months if not years. Serve oats with dried milk, dried fruit and honey for a hot, filling and nutritious meal.

There are some long term storage foods which are difficult to purchase from retail stores. Textured vegetable protein, cheese powder, powdered eggs, dried vegetables, and dried meats. These things will have to be purchased online from a company like Nitro Pak. The best part is these products come in long term storage containers which are easy to store and have on hand.

Anyone can start on a one year food storage plan, but you need to get busy now. Go to the grocery store or warehouse club with the list above and buy some of each item, store in proper containers, and start building a real food insurance plan.

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: 2009 + One Day

Well, the world did not end this New Years, but then we weren't prepping for Y29 were we?

Much to do with the new year. Here are some of things I tackled the past couple of days.

* Cleaned out a hallway walk in closet and another smaller closet in the same hallway. We have been blessed with plenty of closet space, but we have the ability to fill any storage space with as much junk as possible in the shortest amount of time. I now have two more storage areas for my preps and less clutter.

* Cleaned out the laundry room and inventoried my cleaners and disinfectants. We were in better shape then I thought, but we need more laundry detergent. Along the way, I cleared out two more cabinets (more storage space), threw away a bunch more junk and cleaned up quite a bit, (lots of interesting things behind a dryer).

* Pulled a stack of boxes and other trash out of the garage for heavy pickup.

* Took a pile of stuff down to the recycling box in the shopping center.

* Restacked and inventoried food storage space under the guest bathroom. Threw away a stack of flats the canned food came in and moved several cans to Big Pantry 1.

* Cleaned out Decoy Pantry 1 in kitchen. Nice little stack of ethnic foods and odd ball packages to fool any home invader looking to steal some victuals.

* Dumped all the patio pots into the compost heap along with plenty of table scraps. I have two huge piles for spring fertilizing cooking away.

I had some spare time after this, so I created a few more websites to take advantage of the New Year. Simple subjects like resolutions and how to quit smoking, etc. Hope to start making some extra money (we will all need that in 2009).

I get most of my information from the Internet and so I spend a good amount of time online. I read this little blog post this morning..

I like how these writers cite movies as an example of why survivalism is a waste of time. Rarely do they mention specific real events like Katrina, cold weather emergencies, power outages, 9/11 and other imaginary events which have occurred the last few years.

With the holidays, a number of our fledgling SHTF writers must have some spare time on their hands. New SHTF fiction on AR15, Survivalist Boards, and Y2K. I am sure there is more out there; if you find a good online piece of SHTF fiction, feel free to leave a comment.

SHTF: Food Riots

A long time ago, I wrote a post which basically laughed at concept of "food riots". For the most part, I stick by what I said which is "food riots" are unlikely in our present situation.

BUT and that's a big but, there are some situations which would lead quickly to rioting over food.

Here are some real scenarios which might lead to food riots.

Long term trucking strike - Teamsters (and truckers in general), emboldened by a new Democratic political leadership and inspired by repeated bailouts and favors for other strained industries demand lower fuel costs, increased wages, lower taxes on their rigs and better working conditions.

When Congress and private business is unable to meet their demands, truckers begin a sudden and rapid shutdown of trucking across the country. At first average drivers notice less traffic on the freeways and enjoy their shorter commutes. But as gasoline deliveries cease, and businesses start closing for lack of deliveries, the country begins to worry.

The president considers issuing an emergency order temporarily nationalizing critical parts of the trucking industry which further exacerbates the problem. Consumers start to make runs on banks, grocers and retailers to stock up so they ride out the crisis.

Grocery stores run out of critical products in the first day and within three days are nearly out of stock of most items. The President orders National Guard troops to start transporting food stocks from distribution warehouses, but the allocation becomes a political nightmare as various members of Congress, state governors and well connected city mayors get preferential deliveries to their constituents over other, less well connected leaders.

As the accusations start to fly, people begin to panic. Convenience stores, vending machines and restaurants are stripped of anything edible by roving mobs caught up in the situation. Criminals begin targeting homes for food stocks rather than cash or jewelry. Grocery store managers and owners are targeted for violence and kidnapping.

As some deliveries make their way into the cities, mobs overrun the trucks and distribution points leading to shootings and gun battles with police. Several cities go under curfew and the Guard is called out.

Hospitals, day care centers, schools and other institutions are either out of food or on short rations leaving the most vulnerable to starvation and illness. The situation spirals out of control as the President comes on television to announce to a hungry nation he is ordering national martial law and nationalization of the entire food production chain in the U.S. for the duration...


A distant war
A sudden flash fire war breaks out as Israel drops conventional bombs on Iran which escalates to a small scale nuclear conflict in the region. As a result, all oil exports cease suddenly leaving the Western world, dependent upon 70% of its fuel from oil products, without little fuel.

Naturally, the government steps in and declares immediate rationing and curtailment on fuel usage. Farmers need fuel for their machinery, truckers and trains need diesel to run and homeowners need fuel oil for their heaters and winter is setting in. Mathmatically, there is not enough fuel to go around and to make matters worse, Mexico and Canada are stopping all exports to supply their own country's needs.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, designed to tide the U.S. through these types of crises, has only a 90 day supply of crude and most of that is of a grade unusable by U.S. refineries. The situation worsens.

What started as an inconvenience for the American worker and consumer has become a life and death struggle as grocery stores are emptied by panicking mobs. Police and ambulances, running on rationed fuel, are unable to respond to emergencies and the problem explodes.

Mobs fight over food from stores, restaurants and each others homes. As soft politicians used to polls and backroom deals are unable to confront the crisis, new strong men spring up and quickly demonize farmers who are "obviously hoarding vast quantities of fresh produce, meat, eggs and other foods" from those who need it more than they. Impromptu allocation forces (raiders) begin the task of spreading out from urban areas to "inventory and request" (loot) any agricultural operation within traveling distance.

The situation deteriorates as the violence leads to civil war within the U.S....

Food riots can occur in certain situations. Hopefully they won't..

Best to get ready anyway...

SHTF: Survival Foods on a budget

Remember the TV show "Jericho"? If you recall, the story centered around a sudden nuclear attack on the United States which left the country fractured and disorganized. Food shipments stop and within a few months the town is existing on rice rations and trying to grow turnips and carrots in their backyards.

I don't ever want to be in that sort of jam and for several years have been into preparedness. Most of my preparedness plans however, have centered around food - where to get it, how much on hand, etc.

With those two things in mind, there are several types of "preppers". Most can be broken down into one of two groups: Those who have been doing it for years and those who are new. The newcomer camp is getting stronger because of the recent financial news, gasoline shortages and hurricanes.

If you are a new prepper and found this site while searching the internet and just received your golden parachute payment from AIG, Lehman Brothers or Bear Stearns, please go to either the Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak link above or the Mountain House link on the right and get a year or more supply of food.

If you are a new prepper and recently watched your net worth drop to pocket change but still want to build a supply of survival foods for the coming months and years, I can help you there.

When building your survival pantry, you must remember the goal; do not starve. Often, newcomers get caught up in the "eat what you normally do" philosophy and quickly realize they don't have the money or space for several cases of Slimfast, Stouffers frozen dinners or McDonald's (or 365 lattes from Starbucks) nor to mention the means of keeping such fare fresh and edible.

Rather, plan on building a "just in case, budget survival food system for the end of the world".

Welcome to the Frugal End of the World Restaurant. Here are the specials...


Oatmeal -




Healthy and filling, oatmeal is cheap and easy to make. Go to the grocery store or better yet, warehouse club and purchase 10 or more big containers of instant oats. No, not the little packets, but the big 3 Minute Oat canisters.

You will be eating a cup of this a day. It is easy to make and can make itself by adding boiling water and leaving in a thermos or closed pot for 15 minutes. You will need one cup of water for each bowl of oatmeal, so store an equivalent amount of water now. Water comes from the tap in your home or apartment and is less expensive than the bottled stuff. Put water in large sealed container and it will last a long time.

Price: Large containers with multiple servings = less than $5.00

Ramen Noodles -



Ramen Noodles are the cheapest food known to man. Exaggeration, but nearly true. They sell Ramen by the case, but individual packets are usually .10 or .15 each. My warehouse store sells a case of 40 or 50 packets for less than 7 bucks each. Buy as many cases as possible and stick them under the bed.

Another cup of water should be stored for each packet purchased.

Price: Case of 24 to 72 from different retailers = less than $5.00

Vitamins -
A good multi vitamin to replace nutrients missed due to lack of variety and fresh foods. Buy a generic rather than a One-A-Day type product. Get at least 500 tablets, more if you can afford them.

Price: Large bottle of generic vitamins = $10.00 or less

Tea -
Coffee is too expensive and sodas won't keep long. Your body will want caffeine once you drop the daily Starbucks habit post-TEOTWAWKI. Tea bags are cheap, cheap, cheap, especially the store brands. Get a few hundred and add to your stores.

Water again, one cup per tea bag.

Price: 100 count box of generic tea bags at my local market = $2.99

Bisquick -



You may prefer another type of product, but I like Bisquick for preparing easy pancakes and biscuits. Bread is a comfort food and people like it.

Many Bisquick recipes call for milk or eggs. Let me tell you from my poor lifestyle past experience, you can get by with water in many cases and it works.

Bisquick comes in really big boxes at warehouse stores they sell to organizations which host pancake breakfasts and what not. You can generally get a big box for less that $5.00.

Price - Big box with multiple servings = $5.00

Rice -
Rice has gone up in price, but has stabilized lately and is readily available again. Start with a 25 or 50 lb bag and build a supply from there. Put it in a bucket with lid to keep the bugs and water out.

Again, cup water for each cup (actually two, but you get my drift).

50 lb bag at warehouse store - $20.00

Extras -
Buy some large bags of generic sugar, flour, and salt. Garlic powder and pepper are nice to have as well.

Extras - $2.99 - 11.99 per bag.

That's it.

What about protein? Guess what? In a survival situation, you can survive without it. For the big meat eaters out there, it will take some getting used to, but if you are man enough for the new world, you will deal with it.

(If you really are a baby, buy a case of Vienna sausages or Spam. Treat yourself to a can once a week for Sunday dinner. Odds are you will gobble the whole case down the first week so this is a moot point).

What about variety? There won't be much, but for a couple of hundred dollars, you can easily put together a 1-3 month food supply. And with the food suggestions above, you can estimate how much water will be needed and start storing that as well (it is found in the tap in the kitchen, again).

Budget a hundred dollars this month and next (that's 22 Starbucks visits) and you can build a fast supply of foods which incidentally, will last for several months if not longer.

Repackage most of the above products in water proof buckets and store under the bed or back of closet.

When the poop hits the fan and your cupboards are running bare, you have a supply of food that most of your neighbors will be envious of. (Might want to take some of those food savings and make a tangible investment with Remington, Winchester or Ruger).

Prepare: Emergency Food Supplies

Take a look at your food situation at home. What sort of shape are you in?

The average home has food in the refrigerator and freezer, the cupboard and maybe in a closet type pantry.

This same average home emergency food supplies consist of whatever is on hand in these locations. Now, how long can those supplies last in a real emergency? I am not talking about a 8 hour power outage but real emergencies like a biological or nuclear attack, pandemic, or massive and widespread civil unrest.

Now how long can the average home's food supplies last? A few days? Maybe a week?

For real preparedness, you have to start thinking about your home's food supplies and what you and your family will do in a real emergency.

To start, break down your food supplies into a "consume order" plan. For instance, foods which are perishable in the refrigerator will go first, followed by foods from the freezer.

Next, foods which do not require refrigeration or freezing, but have a shelf life all the same.

Finally, ling term food supplies will be consumed when augmented with other food sources.

So to get started on your emergency food supplies and your plan.

Take an inventory of your shelf stable food supplies such as canned and dry goods, macaroni and pasta. How many days will those foods last? Your goal should be to have at least three months of those types of foods on hand for your entire family and with some available for others. Better yet, because these foods last longer, shoot for six months or a year if possible.

Next, concentrate on your long term emergency food supplies such as sugar, flour, rice, dried beans, cooking oil, honey, corn starch, baking powder, dried fruits and vegetables and jerky.
Attempt to store at least one year supply of these basics.

Finally, consider long term storage foods like those available from specialty retailers like Emergency Essentials, Provident Pantry, etc. Some people like to store military Meals Ready to Eat (MRE), but I have mixed thoughts about those.

The goal behind your emergency food supplies is to have a long term stored food plan in place before a real emergency takes place. Remember, the day IT happens will be the day it is is too late to do anything about it.