what food to start collecting

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wow, thanks everyone!! im going to try out couponing and getting some 5 gallon buckets to store food in. right now i only got a 7 gallon jug of water stored that i got about a week ago.

For a single individual, that 7 gallon can last you about 9-10 days in stretch mode. In very econo mode (meaning purely for drinking), about max 14 days.
That's a start.

When you start storing foods, there are some steps you have to observe to extend the life of your stores like making sure moisture is kept at a minimum for dried items, food items with expiring dates get rotated, etc.

Plan and Set an initial target (e.g. stores for 2-weeks, then 1 month, etc.). IMO
 
I'm 15, a young pepper ( not one of those childish litte kids. Lol). The only time I go buy stuff is during the summer, when I work. But every now and then I try to pick up some things from the store.
 
What you eat now. Don't buy things you don't normally eat or you have wasted your money. Learn to can. Buy a dehydrator. You can wax cheese and it lasts for years. Start with mild cheddar because it ages over time to turn into delicious sharp cheese. Eggs can be rubbed with mineral oil and last for months and months even without refrigeration. You can can butter easily using just your oven. I lasts for five years. You can dry can grains, flour, beans and rice in jars in the oven instead of buying expensive mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. Ask everyone you know if they have canning jars. Estate sales always have canning jars. You can start with a bin and stock a weeks worth of food into it. Then buy another bin and do the same. Keep repeating until you have reached your goal for however many weeks you want to store up. I know someone that does this and she can just pull out one bin at a time and knows everything she needs for a week is in that bin. Great for bugging out too. Grab 4 bins and you know you are good for a month, etc. If you have a smaller family, you may be able to fit more days worth of meals into the bin. Build rain barrels and make your own water filtration system. Don't forget to stock up on vitamins too.
 
I'm 15, a young pepper ( not one of those childish litte kids. Lol). The only time I go buy stuff is during the summer, when I work. But every now and then I try to pick up some things from the store.

A can here, a can there.... swipe from the pantry (hehehe.... looting pre-SHTF).... and in no time, you would have a hefty stock
 
Things that I do for my food is when we go to the store I buy extra cans. (Last week I bought 5 extra) then I toss them with my BOB and wait for the next time we go when I grab an extra can or 2. That way I always have extra (up to about a month for 1 person) and I know what to get next. One thing that is sorta like an added bonus is most of my cans are pull tops
 
I haven't actually started yet, as I am very new to prepping, but here is what I have on my list so far:

Rice, Beans,Oats, Peanut Butter, Ramen Noodles, Mac and Cheese, Nuts, Dried Fruits, Canned Meats and Veggies, Powdered Milk, Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Tea, Coffee, Tea Bags.

I am sure things will get added and subtracted as I really get into the process. :)
 
Water is the first thing to start collecting (either real water or a way to get at drinkable water.) But water isn't food is it, lol...a belly full of water isn't going to do much for you (except maybe make you pee!)

Some folks say rice, beans, etc...but if you don't like rice and beans or don't know what to do with rice and beans then don't store that.

Store what you eat and/or what you WILL eat.

I stored rice and beans early on but then I had to figure out what else to eat with rice and beans! So, now I really look at what I do eat and I try to store those types of food.

I like the concept of one jar meals...a jar full of everything I'd need to make a meal...pasta, dehydrated or freeze dried veggies, meat, seasoning, sauce, etc,,,all I need to add is water and somewhere to cook it. Canned foods like stew etc can serve the same purpose but I don't eat that stuff! However, in a pinch I WILL eat that!

But, for a younger person who doesn't have years of cooking experience I would think for now that canned foods you can purchase (or scrounge) would be good. Try to think about eating the same thing day in and day out...if you can't see yourself eating that for every meal then make sure you have a variety of foods...
 
Personally I am planing on canning/jarring when I get back home. I also plan on starting a massive garden when I get home also. As for rice and beans: I plan on having a few differemt kinds of beans and I know how to cook a few different meals with them. I eat everything that I store
 
Like Tyler said, eat what you store. In SHTF situations, it would not be good to be adjusting to a new diet (you might get the runs) at the time.

Remember the 3 rule:
3 days without water, you die
3 weeks without food, you die
(there are a lot more, just can't recall them right now)
 
One of the main reasons rice and beans should be core staples in any preppers stockpile is because they do NOT need to be cooked to be eaten. Actually, most things don't. With rice and beans, just add water and let it sit until it's reconstituted. I do think you need to be sure you have plenty of food that does not need to be reconstituted with water, as well.
Personally, if it's edible, I'll eat it if I'm in a situation where it's all I have. Even if that means rice and beans at every meal for a year. Any food is better than no food. And I guarantee if you get hungry enough, you'll eat anything too.
 
instead of buying expensive mylar bags and oxygen absorbers
These aren't too expensive. $1.50 each (if you buy 10) at beprepared.com (an oxygen absorber pack is under a buck each).
Ally has awesome advice though, if you haven't yet, search for her posts for some great insights. She's obviously been doing this a while, and really has her stuff together. ;)

Remember the 3 rule:
3 days without water, you die
3 weeks without food, you die
(there are a lot more, just can't recall them right now)

3 minutes without air, you die
3 hours without shelter, you die (but only in really harsh environments..so I kind of toss this one out usually)

I'm 15, a young pepper ( not one of those childish litte kids. Lol). The only time I go buy stuff is during the summer, when I work. But every now and then I try to pick up some things from the store.
Part of me wants to say you're too young to worry about this, but really, the way things are going, probably not.
My guess is you live with your family in a fairly urban area. Your big challenge will be stocking up on water too. So something to consider.
Hopefully, your parents have firearms. If they don't, I'd try to sway them, but without being pushy. Do they share your ideas? Or do they consider it foolish?
If the latter, you may want to visit the threads on how to get others onboard. Mostly, don't put it as "doomsday" prepping, but more for short-term natural disasters or unemployment, etc.
 
Check your local stores, like Food Lion in my area. They have super sales wher you ca maximize savings. This week at Food Lion, the canned veggies are 2/$1 and this month, the super sale is buy 40 store brand items get a $10 Catalina to use on your next purchase. So today I bought 120 cans of veggies fo $40 AND I have another $10 Catalina. To me, that's. significant stockpile with huge savings!
 
Check your local stores, like Food Lion in my area. They have super sales wher you ca maximize savings. This week at Food Lion, the canned veggies are 2/$1 and this month, the super sale is buy 40 store brand items get a $10 Catalina to use on your next purchase. So today I bought 120 cans of veggies fo $40 AND I have another $10 Catalina. To me, that's. significant stockpile with huge savings!
OMGosh, I want to do that so bad, but my husband would kill me if I brought home 120 cans of veggies. I've been looking at that sales flyer for days now trying to figure out how I could get away with it.
 
Easy. Go to Food Lion, get 40 cans for $20. It will print a $10 Catalina. Go back tomorrow lol, buy 40 more cans and use the $10 Catalina. Out of pocket will be $10 AND it will print ANOTHER $10 Catalina. Keep the loop going lol
 
Easy. Go to Food Lion, get 40 cans for $20. It will print a $10 Catalina. Go back tomorrow lol, buy 40 more cans and use the $10 Catalina. Out of pocket will be $10 AND it will print ANOTHER $10 Catalina. Keep the loop going lol
The problem isn't buying it. It's figuring out how to hide it from my husband! It's not even the money to him - it's how much space it takes up.
 
Ah.....yeah, I just had to do some serious rearranging of space to make those fit. My husband, dead panned face, " do we have enough?" Nah, I think I can squeeze a few more...
 
Ah.....yeah, I just had to do some serious rearranging of space to make those fit. My husband, dead panned face, " do we have enough?" Nah, I think I can squeeze a few more...
I went to Food Lion tonight and was really depressed to find it was only corn, creamed corn, green beans, French style green beans and peas on sale. I'm tempted to complain to management that the ad says "vegetables" not "select vegetables." I don't think I want 120 cans of something I can grown in my own garden. Oh well, I'll keep watching for things I do want.
 
Hello, Hey guys im new to prepping and i was wondering what food should i start storing.
Welcome!
A couple years ago I put together what we call the "Food Map." It is designed for folks new to food storage and prepping and built on a $15/week budget. Being in health care, I wanted to put together items that were both shelf stable and nutritious. If you would like, I will be happy to email it to ya.

Blessings,
Shenandoah
 
I would like to say that I WISH I could have a garden. With a job I work 43 hours a week, planting time falls during a peak month for us. I simply don't have the time that's required to tend a garden. I did tomatoes and watermelons this year. Got enough tomato to can up 11 jars of sauce. The watermelons never got bigger than a golf ball. Only got two. Buying cans of veggies is my only option it seems. I was disappointed to not see carrots though.
 

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