3 Month supply

[pam]

 I know we've done this before but there have been quite a few new people that have joined since this discussion has been brought up.  We have been counseled to be prepared  both spiritually and temporally.  One of the things that is counseled is to have a 3 month supply of foods/supplies that you would use on a regular basis.   So what are the things that you have?

Today I went shopping to really get serious about getting this all done.  These are some of the things I picked up.  Of course keeping in mind that I need to be able to rotate these items as well.

1.  10 packages of the Knorr side dishes.  Easy to make with water and it would be enough for a meal for me and sometimes even 2.

2.   5 cans of Spam

3.  10 cans of green beans

4.  10 cans of peas

5.  10 cans of pork and beans

6.  5 cans of peaches

7.  5 cans of pears

8.  5 cans of fruit cocktail

9.  2 bottles of shampoo

10.  2 deodorent sticks

11.  3 cases of bottled water

12.  Picked up a huge package at Costco of toilet paper.  (Kirkland brand)  

13.  5 boxes of Mac and Cheese

14.  3 cans of Spaghetti-O's.

 

I've designed a plan for me.  I'm making a list of things I want and need in my 3 month supply.  I am going to purchase and add one item each day to build up my supply.

While I'm in the mindset of food, I also need to think of all of the other things that would be needed. 

So jump right in with your ideas.  

@mirkwood  Please feel free to offer suggestions since you are the expert on this subject.

[mirkwood]

@pam :  Spam?

[mirkwood]

The key to the three month food supply is to analyze the types of things you eat on a regular basis and then store 3 months.  Personally I suggest that you do not include frozen or refrigerated foods as part of the stored foods.  They may be a part of your diet, but when thinking of storable foods I would not include those items as part of the 3 month supply.

[pam]

3 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

The key to the three month food supply is to analyze the types of things you eat on a regular basis and then store 3 months.  Personally I suggest that you do not include frozen or refrigerated foods as part of the stored foods.  They may be a part of your diet, but when thinking of storable foods I would not include those items as part of the 3 month supply.

Yep.  I don't consider those in my plans as well.  Power goes out for a lengthy period?  There goes that part of your food supply.

 

[pam]

6 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

@pam :  Spam?

Yes Spam.  I happen to like Spam and actually eat it quite often.  Fried spam sandwiches with some mayo are yummy.

[pam]

@mirkwood   What would be a safe way to cook inside if power and gas go out?  Isn't butane cooking stoves safe as far as carbon monoxide?

[mirkwood]

Butane stove.  That is what the caterers use and is safe for indoor use.

[pam]

27 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

Butane stove.  That is what the caterers use and is safe for indoor use.

I was just looking online at them. They aren't expensive at all and neither are the butane canisters.  I need to add that to my list.

 

[pam]

Oh one thing I forgot to mention that I did today.  While I was at the bank I got $25 in ones to put into my emergency supplies.  I want to have more than that but that's what I could afford today.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, mirkwood said:

@pam :  Spam?

How can i not link to Monty Python?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ6N5m8FpVg

 

[pam]

Sorry..but can we keep this on the subject.

[Guest]

(to the tune of particle man).

Spamity-Spam.  Spamity-Spam.
Heat it up on a butane can.

Is it like ham?
Or does it need jam?

Nobody knows Spmity-Spam.

Pork and beans or mac n cheese?
What to eat when we're on our knees?

Store the food when you're in the mood.
If you can't decide, there's always spam.

Edited October 6, 2016 by Guest

[NeuroTypical]

They Might Be Giants - Food Storage Show.

 

On topic: MRE deserts are good and don't need to be rotated as often.  Oatmeal cookies, fudge brownies, lemon poppyseed bars - mmm.

(Full disclosure - we rotate them every 6 months anyway, because yum!)

[mordorbund]

12 hours ago, pam said:

Yes Spam.  I happen to like Spam and actually eat it quite often.  Fried spam sandwiches with some mayo are yummy.

Must be your Hawaiian past catching up with you.

[pam]

On 10/6/2016 at 10:26 AM, mordorbund said:

Must be your Hawaiian past catching up with you.

You got it.  Spam musubi and spam fried rice.  You can't live in Hawaii for 3 years without indulging in Spam at some point.  It's the state meat.  

[anatess2]

Well, first on the list would be rice.

[anatess2]

By the way... we're on mandatory evac due to Matthew.  Goodbye food storage.  Hope you're still there when we come back for you.

[NeuroTypical]

Heh.  I had to abandon my food storage due to fire a few years ago.  Be safe anatess2!

[Ironhold]

Down here at least, Chef Boyardee is often significantly cheaper than Spaghetti-Os. I can buy a 10-pack from Sam's Club for $9 (or $0.90 each), while Spaghetti-Os are usually $1 each per can, if not more. Raw price alone means that Chef is a better deal, but adding insult to injury is the fact that the Chef cans are usually bigger, too. 

[NightSG]

39 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

Down here at least, Chef Boyardee is often significantly cheaper than Spaghetti-Os. I can buy a 10-pack from Sam's Club for $9 (or $0.90 each), while Spaghetti-Os are usually $1 each per can, if not more. Raw price alone means that Chef is a better deal, but adding insult to injury is the fact that the Chef cans are usually bigger, too. 

Doesn't HEB have either a HCF or HEB brand that's even cheaper?

IME, HCF is usually equal to or better than the national brand, and HEB brand isn't far behind.  My kids and I often prefer HEB sodas over the name brands now that Dublin Dr Pepper is gone.

[Budget]

 

As a beginner, not knowing anything and starting from zero, I was wondering why I saw over and over to store 50 lb. buckets of wheat and beans.  I remember telling my husband; "What would I do with 50 lbs. of wheat?" and "The kids don't even like beans."  So instead I did what of course what came naturally;  buying extra of what we already used.  Instead of 50 lbs. of hard red wheat, beans and rice I bought extra peanut butter, crackers, pasta, canned foods and granola bars. 

Fast forward about 15 years. 

I TOTALLY store wheat now... and yes I know to use it.

Anyway - I enjoy prep - although we don't have much money to do it on so it's a strict budget, little by little gets the job done.  Although I've taken baby steps over the past 16 years, I got serious about it over the last 5. 

 

Edited October 7, 2016 by Budget
I tend to ramble on too much. LOL.

[Guest]

GRAINS: Rice, Wheat, Oats (groats as well as rolled)
LEGUMES: Pinto beans, canned beans of all kinds, & peanut butter.
MEATS: Tuna, chicken, sardines. chicken broth.
FRUITS & VEGGIES: FD strawberries, partially dried Dates, dried apricots, raisins, multiple types of canned fruits, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, pickles, we grow stuff too.
MISC: Chili, soups of various kinds, Olive oil (we use a lot) vitamins & supplements. Pain relievers and toiletries.

DON'T FORGET THE TOILET PAPER!!!

I'm not listing a LOT more.  Basically, if it is a shelf item which we use everyday we have lots of it on the shelves.  With a family our size it pays to buy in bulk.  And in case anyone is wondering, yes, we use FD strawberries a lot.  We us it to enliven cereal, vanilla ice cream, various drinks we mix ourselves... sometimes with the semi-dried dates and other dried fruits.

We probably have about 4 or 5 months worth of stuff on our shelves of just the stuff we use everyday.  Then there are the 72 hr kits and our long term storage which was thrown together from about 5 or 6 sources.  We'll be eating well for the first 6 months or so.  Then we'll start missing our favorite stuff.  But we could last about a year or two just off of our food storage.  We wouldn't be happy for the last six months.  But we'd survive.

I really like Thrive.  They make good products and their prices weren't so bad when we first bought stuff.  I think their prices have gone up in recent years.  But so has everyone else's.  But one thing I'm finding is that no one really makes good DH milk or eggs.  I just don't think it can be done.

[pam]

 

Quote

 

Doesn't HEB have either a HCF or HEB brand that's even cheaper?

IME, HCF is usually equal to or better than the national brand, and HEB brand isn't far behind.  My kids and I often prefer HEB sodas over the name brands now that Dublin Dr Pepper is gone.

 

I have not a clue what any of these acronyms stand for.

[Ironhold]

7 minutes ago, pam said:

 

I have not a clue what any of these acronyms stand for.

H-E-B is a regional grocery chain that operates in Texas and Northern Mexico. 

H-E-B uses a pretty aggressive "low-cost leader" strategy, in which they push in-store coupons and store brands like "Central Market Organics" and "Hill Country Fare" in addition to their own logo as active competitors to national brands whenever possible. 

They're also big on giving back to the community, which is why every single week one in-store coupon will net you a free kid's book courtesy of Bendon Publishing (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Bendon_Publishing_International,_Inc. -> TF Wiki.net article on them; yes, I wrote it). The idea is that by doing this, they can get books into the hands of kids who might not otherwise have them. Furthermore, every September they have a 2 - 3 week period where all in-store coupon deals provide a free book, and donation bins are set up so that people who do not want their books can donate them; the books are then collected and distributed by the company. 

[pam]

Well people should spell it out if they are things that are specific to an area so we know what in the heck they are talking about.