Emergency Food for Beginners

[goldberry]

DH and I want to be a little better prepared for emergencies.  We live in an area where the primary natural disaster threat is wildfire, which would mean evacuation.  We are pretty well prepared for that, need to do a few more things, but have a good picture of those.

 

We do have a small potential of winter storm/loss of electricity.  Also I don't totally discount solar flare/viral pandemic type of disasters.  We don't have a good handle on "shelter in place" materials.  I don't have any extra food supplies in particular, although I do have a full pantry and so would probably end up with a lot of crap that we haven't eaten in two years because we don't really like it anyway! 

 

We have a medium sized generator, and a camp stove with propane. So here are my questions:

 

Do you only store food that can be eaten straight from the package, like tuna fish, soup, etc?  Or do you also store any food that would require boiling water to fix, like mac and cheese, etc?  Is that counterproductive since you would be using your water supplies?  

 

Realistically, how much are you storing?  Three days doesn't really seem like much if anything serious happened.

 

How do you keep track of replacing things when they expire?  That seems like something that would get away from me.

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

ETA, I have googled the typical sites, and these are some questions still remaining. Just wanted some real life responses.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by goldberry

[Carrie12345]

Man, I wrote a whole thing and then the internet ate it!

 

I have much more than 3 days.  Aside from a disaster, we won't starve (or eat too poorly) if, say, dh loses his job or some similar financial tragedy occurs.  I don't work toward a specific time frame other than "as much as I can manage before it goes bad."  My grocery store runs great deals, and I use them all. I do have to stay within a budget.

 

We do store easy heat (or don't) and eat stuff, but I focus more on ingredients.  We don't eat enough of that stuff to rotate easily, so I have to watch dates to make food pantry donations while they're still respectful. (Usually 2 months before "best buy".)

 

I keep a notebook of dates for the dry stuff we store in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, inside 5 gallon buckets.  I'm finally biting the bullet and getting a hand pump for my well to get around the water issue!

 

I'm also about to test my skills at building a rocket stove.  We're in the woods, so fuel wouldn't be an issue with that one.

 

What's driving me nuts right now is that dh is "supposed to" go to hurricane impacted islands.  I could have him set up real well if he could drive there but, you know... islands.

[Pegasus]

If you've already checked out the typical guidance sites, here's my tips:

 

Only stock up on what you are willing to eat and are eating NOW.  

 

Do not buy more than you will eat before it expires if there is NOT a disaster.

 

Rotate, meaning the newest box/can/package goes in the back and you are eating the oldest package today.

 

So, no cases of freeze dried foodstuffs that are not part of your current diet.

 

You can survive weeks without food so these are really just comfort measures in all but the more dire long-term emergencies. Water is more important and can quickly become urgent.  I'd focus there first.

[goldberry]

Man, I wrote a whole thing and then the internet ate it

 

 

 

I keep a notebook of dates for the dry stuff we store in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, inside 5 gallon buckets.

Can you tell me more about this?

[goldberry]

Water is more important and can quickly become urgent. I'd focus there first.

We have quite a bit stored and also have a Berkey filter.

[Carrie12345]

Can you tell me more about this?

 

https://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/ou-files/FoodStorageintheHome.pdf

 

I really try to stick to (any) state extension info rather than survival websites, though I usually get ideas from survival websites/books and then just fact check them, lol.

 

(I was going to link to Survival Mom's article on the topic, but it included questionable practices on other items, so...)

[Carrie12345]

Actually, this is probably more to the point.  https://extension.usu.edu/news_sections/home_family_and_food/foodstorage

 

I have a bunch of Utah extension publications printed out, but I can't seem to find the exact URLs while 4 kids keep interrupting me, lol.

[Carrie12345]

Ah ha!  http://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/  (Click on image for 120 page pdf)

[eternalsummer]

We also keep a supply of antibiotics, Iosat, water purification stuff, and vitamins.  

 

If you live near a decent water source that is likely to be free of contamination (so, not one that goes through a city before it gets to you, for instance), or you can and will store a lot of water, then stuff you have to boil is fine.

 

 

[73349]

Do you only store food that can be eaten straight from the package, like tuna fish, soup, etc?  Or do you also store any food that would require boiling water to fix, like mac and cheese, etc?  Is that counterproductive since you would be using your water supplies?  

I store broth for cooking pasta, etc., in. Tip: having a box of matzoh crackers stored = something shelf-stable to put pb&j or tuna on. Also, don't forget breakfast! Instant oats need only a couple of ounces of water & it doesn't technically have to be hot; canned peach slices, a jar of applesauce, etc., are nice to have.

 

Realistically, how much are you storing?  Three days doesn't really seem like much if anything serious happened.

We live within city limits & not unreasonable walking distance of some stores and restaurants, and also keep a fair amount of everyday food on hand. I only keep a few days' worth specifically as an emergency supply, but I select it carefully: stuff we will eat rather gladly and as complete meals--for example, with tiny jars of my preferred spices with those foods, in case it all wound up in a trunk to evacuate. YMMV.

 

How do you keep track of replacing things when they expire?  That seems like something that would get away from me.

I mark the calendar twice a year and go through it (early March and sometime in the fall, so before tornadoes and then as hurricane season is winding down, but before ice storms  :rolleyes: ). I move anything that will expire before my next inspection date into the "everyday foods" cabinet. I make a note of what to replace & the earliest best-by date I'm willing to accept on new items.

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

ETA, I have googled the typical sites, and these are some questions still remaining. Just wanted some real life responses.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by whitehawk

[goldberry]

We also keep a supply of antibiotics, Iosat, water purification stuff, and vitamins.  

 

 

 

Side note, I though this was LOSAT at first and googled it to look up...  LOSAT stands for Line-of-Sight Anti Tank device.  I was thinking, wow, these folks are way too serious for me!  :lol:

[Χά�ων]

We buy regular food that is shelf stable. (Did you know there is shelf stable bacon?) It was an adjustment in my shopping to get shelf stable that is not crap food, but I managed. I buy the applesauce fruit purees that you open the top and drink to add fruits and veggies. I would love a better option, but it works.

 

After my "I refuse to do any work while camping" fit, I came up with the idea of rotating emergency food by using the oldest for camping food. It does not even have to be heated up. Madras lentils, rice, and sausage (not shelf stable, just a clean out the freezer food) together was a hit. If something is getting too close for comfort I leave it on the counter for the teen boy and friends to tackle. Works every time.

 

I do not keep canned shelf stable food in the bud out bag for weight reasons. On that same line I do not use freeze dried food in the budout bag because I do not want to waste prescious water and fuel preparing it. I have a zucca bag I modified to hold the food. It rolls and can be pulled up stairs and is a seat.

[prairiewindmomma]

We used to store 6 months of staples as a hedge against a drop in income or high medical bills. It saved us from bankruptcy at least 3 times. In our current house, we just don't have room for that much. Instead, we have enough for emergency weather scenarios <3 weeks. I also have a tote we would throw in the van if we had to evacuate. In that particular instance, everything is open and eat. Traffic during evacuations is horrendous, and food in shelters isn't necessarily familiar or tasty. Protein bars, protein shake powder that tastes good mixed with only water, canned fruit, packaged precooked lentils, etc. are the basis of our evacuation food. We also have flats of water and heavy duty filtration water bottles. There are 72hr kit checklists everywhere...in reality I think I tend more towards comfort items (inflatable camping pad, peshtemal to use as blanket or towel, etc) and less towards wilderness survival items. I am too arthritic to sleep well on a bare cot or on someone's living room floor without a bit of padding.

 

The people still in shelters here post-hurricane Harvey--most still do not have pillows or blankets according to my Red Cross worker friend.

[Carol in Cal.]

We have a solar oven, because if there were gas leaks in the area a cooking or heating fire would be dangerous.

We also have a lifestraw.

 

Whenever 'something' happens (a little earthquake, 9/11, etc.) I fill up all the containers in the house with water immediately, including the bathtub.  That first water is the most likely to be potable.  The VERY first water gets put into the fridge. 

I also send DH out to get cash.

 

We also keep about 10 gallons of water in the house, and lots of canned goods that would be OK at room temp though better heated up.  We have fruit trees and I'm working toward having ripe fruit just about year round.  We have bleach and some water purification tablets as a backup for water.

 

We also have a commode out in the garage, which is gross, but would be useful if we didn't want to use scarse water for the toilet.

 

Our climate is mild enough that our snow gear would be plenty warm even if we didn't have a source of heat.  I do have a fireplace and a bunch of wood, but again, in a  bad earthquake scenario I don't think lighting a fire would be safe.  Too many old natural gas lines in the area.

 

We have tons of candles and matches and flashlights.

 

I think we would be fine for a week or two.  Our fridge stuff would be what we would use first, then the frozen, then the canned. 

 

Also I know how to  make a device to pull water out of the air and we have the materials for that.  I should probably just build a bigger one, though.  Mine would only be the right size for desperate last try stuff, not really enough to sustain people completely.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Carol in Cal.

[goldberry]

We used to store 6 months of staples as a hedge against a drop in income or high medical bills. It saved us from bankruptcy at least 3 times. In our current house, we just don't have room for that much. Instead, we have enough for emergency weather scenarios <3 weeks. I also have a tote we would throw in the van if we had to evacuate. In that particular instance, everything is open and eat. Traffic during evacuations is horrendous, and food in shelters isn't necessarily familiar or tasty. Protein bars, protein shake powder that tastes good mixed with only water, canned fruit, packaged precooked lentils, etc. are the basis of our evacuation food. We also have flats of water and heavy duty filtration water bottles. There are 72hr kit checklists everywhere...in reality I think I tend more towards comfort items (inflatable camping pad, peshtemal to use as blanket or towel, etc) and less towards wilderness survival items. I am too arthritic to sleep well on a bare cot or on someone's living room floor without a bit of padding.

 

The people still in shelters here post-hurricane Harvey--most still do not have pillows or blankets according to my Red Cross worker friend.

This is useful, I didn't think of pillows or blankets on our evacuation list.

[umsami]

We live in a hurricane state, so my first focus is water.  I often will pick up a 6 pack of gallon water bottles when at the store.  I used to have something that you lined the bathtub with to put drinking water in, but it got lost in a move.

 

My next thing is to only buy things I know we'll eat.  I do have some freeze dried fruit and such, but we tend to use those in baked goods/oatmeal.  

 

Last hurricane (Matthew, not Irma), I bought a few small bags of charcoal as well.  Could obviously have more, as I don't have any other cooking means.

 

I need to do better, though.  Friends in south Florida still don't have power.

[Bootsie]

We used to store 6 months of staples as a hedge against a drop in income or high medical bills. It saved us from bankruptcy at least 3 times. In our current house, we just don't have room for that much. Instead, we have enough for emergency weather scenarios <3 weeks.

 

Was there a reason to store 6 months of staples to hedge against a drop in income rather than keeping what you spent as an emergency fund to purchase staples?  I can't imagine having enough storage space for that much. 

[goldberry]

Here's another question, not about food but about having an emergency go bag ready.  I understand needing to have changes of clothes, but isn't that something that would be on your "grab at the last minute" list?  Or is the thought that you may not have the time to grab that?  Does anyone really have clothes stashed in a bag that they don't wear but just stay stashed in a bag?

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question!

[Bootsie]

Here's another question, not about food but about having an emergency go bag ready.  I understand needing to have changes of clothes, but isn't that something that would be on your "grab at the last minute" list?  Or is the thought that you may not have the time to grab that?  Does anyone really have clothes stashed in a bag that they don't wear but just stay stashed in a bag?

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question!

 

I wonder about this, also.  A spare set of clothing that would be useful would be highly dependent on the current weather conditions.  Would I put shorts and a t-shirt or sweats in a ready to go bag?

[Guest]

Starting in September, I start stocking up on about 2-3 weeks of canned/frozen goods to last in case of a bad winter.  This last year, there was a period of about 10 days straight where it pretty impossible to leave the house.  I actually couldn't get out of my garage.  If it doesn't get eaten over the winter, then it slowly gets eaten up by next september.

I also have lots of dry beans, 50lbs of flour, 20lbs of rice, and pasta coming out the wazoo in case something happens to my income in the next year.  Forgot...I also have significant stash of wine and beer.  For cooking, of course.  ;)

Edited September 18, 2017 by WendyAndMilo

[Andromeda]

We keep a stock of canned and shelf stable food items. These fall into the following categories: meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, beans/legumes, grain/pasta, "other", and comfort food.

 

For meat I like the Keystone meats brand, which I buy on Amazon. I get a couple of cans every month or two so it doesn't cost too much at once. I have cooked with these and my family has eaten it just fine. I have ground beef, beef, chicken, and pork.

 

Vegetables: peas, peas and carrots, sliced potatoes, diced potatoes.

 

For fish, I used to keep a decent supply of Crown Prince brand tuna, sardines, and salmon, but these have gotten too expensive, so I don't really have any at the moment. Purchased from Amazon also.

 

Fruit: squeezable apple sauce/veggie packets for the kids,single serving apple sauce cups, pineapple, pear, peaches, fruit cocktail, tropical fruit (such as papaya), and also Oregon Fruit tart cherries, blueberries, and sometimes golden cherries. The Oregon Fruit stuff is purchased from Amazon. To use it up, I put them in cakes, pancakes, and my kids also love to eat it straight up. It is pretty much fruit in light syrup, but it is nice as far as canned fruit goes.

 

Beans/legumes: red kidney beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), black beans, pinto beans, baked beans (vegetarian and cooked with bacon)

 

Grain, pasta, other: instant rice in boxes, quick cooking oatmeal, complete pancake mix (just add water kind), couscous (need to restock), crackers (Triscuits, Saltines, etc.), and just regular pasta - angel hair, or whatever is on sale at the moment.

 

I also keep jars of pasta sauce, Ovaltine, instant coffee, tea bags, powdered coffee creamer, bar-b-que sauce, powdered milk, small juice-box sized shelf-stable milk, a few packages of juice boxes for kids,  canned coconut milk (organic first press), cartons of low sodium chicken broth, Fiber One Bars, small single serve packets of little cookies (oreos, animal crackers, Teddy Grahams). The latter are all comfort food. We rotate these by taking little baggies on car trips - much cheaper than stopping someplace for snacks.

 

So what can I make with this stuff?

 

-  pasta sauce + meat + peas/peas and carrots/chickpeas over a carb (couscous, instant rice, pasta)

- pork or chicken with bar-b-que sauce over crackers 

- chicken broth with meat + potatoes+ beans + peas/carrots = soup

- coconut milk + curry powder +  meat and/or chickpeas + peas/carrots over rice 

- baked beans over crackers

 

I can also make pita bread if I can use my little Coleman camping stove or my normal house stove. That would use normal flour, oil, salt, a bit of sugar, water, and a yeast packet.

 

I can probably make more recipes than that with what I have. I need to think more about this.

 

 

[Guest]

We just have a large box filled with MRE's. And a life straw. We're good.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Kinsa

[goldberry]

We keep a stock of canned and shelf stable food items. These fall into the following categories: meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, beans/legumes, grain/pasta, "other", and comfort food.

 

 

 

Thanks for giving all the details! 

 

Wow, I had no idea you can get ground beef in a can!

Edited September 18, 2017 by goldberry

[MotherGoose]

We used to store 6 months of staples as a hedge against a drop in income or high medical bills. It saved us from bankruptcy at least 3 times. In our current house, we just don't have room for that much. Instead, we have enough for emergency weather scenarios <3 weeks. I also have a tote we would throw in the van if we had to evacuate. In that particular instance, everything is open and eat. Traffic during evacuations is horrendous, and food in shelters isn't necessarily familiar or tasty. Protein bars, protein shake powder that tastes good mixed with only water, canned fruit, packaged precooked lentils, etc. are the basis of our evacuation food. We also have flats of water and heavy duty filtration water bottles. There are 72hr kit checklists everywhere...in reality I think I tend more towards comfort items (inflatable camping pad, peshtemal to use as blanket or towel, etc) and less towards wilderness survival items. I am too arthritic to sleep well on a bare cot or on someone's living room floor without a bit of padding.

 

The people still in shelters here post-hurricane Harvey--most still do not have pillows or blankets according to my Red Cross worker friend.

What are flats of water? And, I wonder if those people in shelters with no blankets never had any plans to evacuate or if they went there after a catastrophic emergency like their house flooded? So even if they had emergency plans it wouldn't have mattered? Just thinking about things. Edited September 19, 2017 by MotherGoose

[prairiewindmomma]

Was there a reason to store 6 months of staples to hedge against a drop in income rather than keeping what you spent as an emergency fund to purchase staples?  I can't imagine having enough storage space for that much. 

 

At the time, we stored staples for a few reasons:

1. I was grocery sale shopping for things that we already ate.  Mentally, putting aside the $14 I saved after a grocery store trip just wasn't happening. I had four young children (under 8), and I just kept my grocery budget at what it was.  I did a lot of bulk buying--Zaycon frozen chicken breasts in 50# increments, flats of soups when it was $1/can, etc.

2. I was storing basic, inexpensive items.  I didn't have 6 months of frozen pizza in my freezer.  I had a lot of beans, a lot of rice, a lot of oatmeal.  50# of rice and the 500 1c. servings that offered was a lot more helpful to me than $20 (2008 prices).

3. The hits we were having to our financial savings (which we DID have) were catastrophic---a child with cancer (radiation + chemo), a child in NICU, a kid in occupational therapy that insurance didn't cover---it was way more than any normal household tends to be able to cover without hiccups. Knowing we were going to be able to eat was a huge mental relief.

[ktgrok]

I'm in an area where it doesn't get very cold, but we do have hurricanes and power issues. Before hurricane season we want to have:

 

LED lanterns (SOOOOO much better than flashlights for lighting the house and general comfort)

Battery powered fans 

water - a "prepper" friend gave us dozens of 2 liter bottles filled with purified water. We also keep at least one case of smaller bottles of water, most of them in the freezer to act as ice

a WELL stocked first aid kit

A tent, camping gear, etc (it is cooler to sleep outside in the tent than inside with no power, plus if we had to evacuate we could bring it with us)

All important paperwork in one accordion folder, including insurance policies, ID, animal vaccination information, etc

 

Canned beans

canned beans with pulled pork in them (new find)

tuna canned

canned chicken

boxes of pasta

boxes of mac and cheese

peanut butter

unopened jelly

crackers 

granola bars

protein bars

cans of starbucks coffee (vital to have caffeine!)

coffee for french press

shelf stable half and half (little singles)

bottles of a protein shake we all like, ready to drink style

beef jerky

trail mix

apple sauce 

apple sauce fruit squeeze things

capri sun (in the freezer)

baby food

instant oatmeal

instant grits

sausages (room temp kind)

bag of pepperoni

extra pet food (just rotate it, but make sure to have extra)

extra cat litter

extra litter box (kept clean and empty for if we needed to evacuate)

cat carriers

leashes/etc

extra canister of propane for our grill

 

I alsways have on hand flour, cornmeal, sugar, etc

 

Then right before the storm we bought hot dogs and buns, bread, lunch meat (we have a big cooler for the cold stuff), milk, fresh fruit (apples last the longest), and some meat. Between what I had already and what I bought I had the hot dogs, frozen hamburger patties, frozen pork chops, chicken thighs, and a pork roast I think. 

 

I cooked the chicken and made pulled chicken, which we ate the night of the storm and the next day. I cooked the pork into pulled pork and then refroze it so that as it thawed we could eat it. Kept the hot dogs/burgers/chops frozen to use as they thawed. 

 

Oh, and I cook up or order pizza before the storm because you can munch on it cold as the wind howls (that and the sandwich stuff) and it tastes fine cold. Then when the wind dies down we fire up the grill for our meals. 

[Arcadia]

Our emergency food are dry rations like pull top cans of sardines and cans/boxes of soup that we can easily eat without cooking.

 

I understand needing to have changes of clothes, but isn't that something that would be on your "grab at the last minute" list? Or is the thought that you may not have the time to grab that? Does anyone really have clothes stashed in a bag that they don't wear but just stay stashed in a bag?

We actually have two bags with clothes, one at home and one in the car. My kids get car sick so we have at least a spare set of polo shirt, jeans and socks in the car for each child. We also throw in a spare hoodie each during winter time.

 

For the evacuation bag at home, that has socks for everyone, a top each and a jeans/pants each for everyone, a small pack of sanitary napkins for me.

 

The clothes in both bags aren't new but slightly oversized for each child and gently used. We tend to buy at least half a dozen of polos and jeans per child so we have spares to put in those bags.

 

If we have to evacuate due to an earthquake, the last thing we want to worry about grabbing is clothes. We would be making sure we grab all important documents that we need and just grab the evacuation bag which has the clothes, spare toiletries and emergency radio packed already.

[HollyDay]

You mention winter storm.  I'm assuming you are thinking about getting snowed or iced in for a period of time.  That can be different.  An alternate heat source is very important.  I grew up in the county where we could be iced or snowed in for an extended time.  We had a wood burning stove at the time with a good supply of firewood.  Mother could cook on top of the stove if necessary.  Nothing like a nice hot cup of tea on a winter night.  We ate soup, stews, etc.  Again, a nice hot bowl of soup on a snow night was warming and cozy.  She had canned veggies (usually canned herself) too and canned meats.  Things that could be easily heated or prepared with minimum clean up or storage. 

[justasque]

Here's another question, not about food but about having an emergency go bag ready.  I understand needing to have changes of clothes, but isn't that something that would be on your "grab at the last minute" list?  Or is the thought that you may not have the time to grab that?  Does anyone really have clothes stashed in a bag that they don't wear but just stay stashed in a bag?

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question!

Not a stupid question.  

It doesn't have to be an amazing outfit.  It doesn't have to be new.  It can be swapped out as seasons change, or layers can be added or removed.  It doesn't have to be a wilderness survival outfit, unless that's your most likely emergency scenario.  For most people, it would be a "visiting the relatives" or "staying in a shelter" kind of thing.  

You can, of course, obsess over things like "quick drying" or "must have pockets" or whatever.  But really, a pair of yoga pants, a t-shirt, and a change of undies might very well be sufficient.   So it can be more like "hmm, I have three pairs of yoga pants but I only ever wear these two, let's put the third in the go bag instead of the Goodwill bag".  Or "Hey, my kid's friend gave us a couple of t-shirts that my kid isn't big on; let's put the least objectionable one in the go bag."  Or "Dh's work gave him this t-shirt to celebrate their 50th anniversary, but he's got a ton of t-shirts.  Into the go bag!"  Or "hey, this knit dress at the thrift is fairly plain and forgiving in the waist and fits me and it's only six bucks.  Into the go bag!"  Remember if you do need to evacuate, you won't just have the go bag, you'll likely have whatever you're wearing as well.

 

Dd's school requested that she have a go bag.  If I remember correctly, we put in a cami (hand-me-down), a t-shirt (ditto), a knit dress (thrifted), a pair of leggings (older pair she didn't need), a change of undies (third-best), track jacket (can't remember where this came from).  There might have been another piece or two.  The clothes are all black and can be layered in various ways.   

 

You can think about it like a capsule travel wardrobe, for a "one bag", couple-of-days trip.  

[Ausmumof3]

All I have to contribute is make sure you have some bottled water. We thought we would be fine with our rain water tanks but the fire trucks drained the tanks to save the house. Also if you have fire retardant sprayed on your roof you can't drink your tank water.

 

I don't know about well water but I think it would still be smart to have some separate supply in case of contamination.

[Ausmumof3]

Also if you are in a fire zone look at protective clothing to wear during evacuation. Long sleeved clothing and boots for everyone - and hankies or masks for smoke.

 

Make a last resort plan as well as an evacuation plan just in case. Usual advice is to shelter in solid structure and if that becomes compromised move to already burnt ground.

[Pawz4me]

We aren't preppers and don't live in an area where we're likely at all to need to evacuate quickly. I do keep stocked up for power outages (we tend to get strong thunderstorms and the occasional really bad ice storm) and mostly because I hate running out of shelf stable stuff. I figure if money and storage aren't big issues there's no reason I should ever run out of things like bottled water, an assortment of crackers, coffee, canned beans and soups, peanut butter, tuna, rice, flour, kibble/canned pet food, etc. We aren't food purists so we usually have a fairly good supply of packaged chips, cookies, pudding, microwave popcorn--comfort food type stuff. Those are all things we eat regularly and are easy to rotate--as I use them the newly purchased replacements go to the back. Just like a grocery store would (or should) stock items. In the event of an emergency I'm not aiming to be able to fix gourmet meals. Just to have enough food to meet calorie needs for awhile. We have a fully self contained RV with generator and so would have access to a goodly supply of water (hot, too), a small fridge, microwave/convection oven and small (propane) stove. So we could carry on pretty much as usual. I still stick with easy to eat foods. It just makes sense to me. In an emergency I'm not likely going to want the hassle of cooking even if I could.

[Carrie12345]

Thanks for giving all the details! 

 

Wow, I had no idea you can get ground beef in a can!

 

I was so excited when I found ground beef in a can!  (Also, roast beef and shredded pork.) The only brand I've found is from South America, sold at Dollar General, and expensive (by weight), but I occasionally grab one to add.  I have a pressure canner at home, but I still haven't used it!

[Carrie12345]

Here's another question, not about food but about having an emergency go bag ready.  I understand needing to have changes of clothes, but isn't that something that would be on your "grab at the last minute" list?  Or is the thought that you may not have the time to grab that?  Does anyone really have clothes stashed in a bag that they don't wear but just stay stashed in a bag?

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question!

 

This was a struggle for me.  There are always sweatshirts in my trunk, but that's an every day lifestyle thing for us with cold mornings and evenings even in the summer months.  I did have full outfits stashed at one time, and when I rechecked them, the youngest kids had already outgrown the contents!  Then I switched to a small bag of just socks and underwear, but I don't even have that right now.

 

With a few minutes time (not a house fire), my kids do know to grab extra clothes. During our most recent drill/precaution (possible dwelling fire around the corner, didn't actually go up), my 6 and 10yos calmly gathered up some stuff, including clothes, and tossed them in the trunk.  It was probably about half their clean wardrobes, lol. And I caught the 6yo trying to pack his snow gear!  So we still have to fine tune.

 

In case of a personal, immediate evac (like house fire), I can go or send someone to Walmart and grab some inexpensive stuff to start with.

[Carrie12345]

Was there a reason to store 6 months of staples to hedge against a drop in income rather than keeping what you spent as an emergency fund to purchase staples?  I can't imagine having enough storage space for that much. 

 

Price, for the most part.  The psychological factor, for another.

 

I don't ever pay full price for food storage unless they're specialty emergency stuff, and even then I try to hunt sales.  And I would still *want to buy fresh foods, which would be easier knowing I didn't have to stretch $X over a scary, unknown time period for ALL food. It's a lot easier to haggle with myself over 50 cents when I don't need something immediately than when I do.  Or, more importantly, when my kids do. KWIM?

Edited September 19, 2017 by Carrie12345

[Ausmumof3]

This was a struggle for me. There are always sweatshirts in my trunk, but that's an every day lifestyle thing for us with cold mornings and evenings even in the summer months. I did have full outfits stashed at one time, and when I rechecked them, the youngest kids had already outgrown the contents! Then I switched to a small bag of just socks and underwear, but I don't even have that right now.

 

With a few minutes time (not a house fire), my kids do know to grab extra clothes. During our most recent drill/precaution (possible dwelling fire around the corner, didn't actually go up), my 6 and 10yos calmly gathered up some stuff, including clothes, and tossed them in the trunk. It was probably about half their clean wardrobes, lol. And I caught the 6yo trying to pack his snow gear! So we still have to fine tune.

 

In case of a personal, immediate evac (like house fire), I can go or send someone to Walmart and grab some inexpensive stuff to start with.

That's what we did. A cheap pack of underwear and clothes each. That said if you are prone to the kind of disasters that might shutdown Walmart this probably won't work...

[SamanthaCarter]

We have liked a lot of the Saratoga Farms foods that come in #10 cans. I think they have a 10 year shelf life. We are in the process of using stuff up since it's about 7 years old. The rice and quick oats were very good quality, biscuit mix delicious and still rises as if new. The freeze dried raspberries are great. I think I'll be restocking with more berries. We had some #10 cans of stuff from Thrive that I didn't think was as good. Particularly the lentils, which must have been old when packed because they took a very long time to cook until soft.

 

We have a camp stove with a propane tank adaptor for cooking without power.

 

We have a Berkeley water tank that when needed has filters for making stream water safe. And a stream nearby.

 

That's the extent of our shelter in place prep. Lots of frozen and canned foods, and a plan for water and cooking and light.

 

 

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Edited September 19, 2017 by SamanthaCarter

[73349]

O hey I thought of another tip: if you're going to store pasta, consider looking for the one that will cook the fastest. Six minutes vs. twelve = half the fuel.

 

Re: evacuating, I assume we will literally only have a minute. Fire & gas leaks are more likely here than hurricane-force winds, for example.

 

One point against storing very large quantities (like six months of food) is that a house fire, earthquake or tornado might (depending on where you live) be as likely as something like a catastrophic medical bill (depending on your insurance and the family's ages & general health). Assuming it's all stored in the house, it gets destroyed with the house, and you're out the money. I prefer to push money into a savings account so it's invisible to me. The interest is not much of a hedge against runaway inflation or something, but the credit union is probably safer than my house.

[SamanthaCarter]

Shelter in place assumes your house is livable. I agree that six months is too much unless you're stocking a fallout shelter. [emoji6]

 

 

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[Carrie12345]

One point against storing very large quantities (like six months of food) is that a house fire, earthquake or tornado might (depending on where you live) be as likely as something like a catastrophic medical bill (depending on your insurance and the family's ages & general health). Assuming it's all stored in the house, it gets destroyed with the house, and you're out the money. I prefer to push money into a savings account so it's invisible to me. The interest is not much of a hedge against runaway inflation or something, but the credit union is probably safer than my house.

The food we lost during Sandy was covered by insurance.

[73349]

The food we lost during Sandy was covered by insurance.

 

How long did that take? (I've never had to file a claim.)

 

I think I'd still rather have the money already in the bank than need to ask the insurance company. But again, I live where disasters are likely to be on a very small scale & groceries, etc., are walkable if need be.

 

[Tina]

Thanks for giving all the details! 

 

Wow, I had no idea you can get ground beef in a can!

I recently saw the cooked canned meat at Walmart.

[Carrie12345]

How long did that take? (I've never had to file a claim.)

 

I think I'd still rather have the money already in the bank than need to ask the insurance company. But again, I live where disasters are likely to be on a very small scale & groceries, etc., are walkable if need be.

 

 

Well, it was part of the overall claim, and State Farm was cutting partial checks on site (remainder after work submission.) So you could say immediately, or you could say weeks and weeks later, lol.

 

(I wouldn't file a claim just for food, when you consider the deductible and possible rate increases. But we had to file for our roof, anyway.)