what should a basic prepare for bad times pantry contain

[dembotoz]

offshoot of a discussion in gd.
not a doomsday prepper...jimmy bakker style dehydrated slop bucket....but what should we have in our pantry so that if we can not get to the store for a couple days or longer...we do not starve.

and perhaps what to do with the stuff once we buy it.

[hlthe2b]

1. a couple of days? Really? Good heavens, I've got six months worth of various dried and canned

goods plus peanut butter right now. Periodically I take a couple of months and take pains to eat mostly what I have on hand to "turn it over", but I always keep long store type foods on hand.

If you are interested though, I keep just about every type of canned bean (several of each) dried rice, lots of peanut butter, some of those Indian packaged meals that keep a long time, Atkins and other meal/snack bars, Muscle milk protein powder, powdered or canned milk (or sometimes a quart or so of long shelf life milk), lots of water, canned chili, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, green beans. That kind of thing.... Dried or canned/bottled fruit...

Oh and if you have a barbeque grill, you are golden. If not, buy one of those small butane table top grills meant for catering.

What to do with it? Well, I can make a veggie bean rice bowl out of just about anything or a veggie frittata using just about anything I listed. Smoothies with the protein powder and maybe some canned fruit or the peanut butter (you can shake it if necessary sans blender). The pouch meals (the Indian lentils are among my favorite--you just heat and eat over rice if you want).

No need to survive on junk. I've never had to go more than a few days without power, but heaven knows I could go for weeks if necessary.

[RKP5637]

2. I got a 3 day supply that feeds several from Patriot Supply.

I'm not a prepper either, but I got it just in case ... storms and all, etc.

https://mypatriotsupply.com/collections/short-term-food-storage

[Hortensis]

16. Nice to just lay in a pre-packed supply.

Now that's we're mostly retired we can't afford it, but I can definitely see the utility for those who can.

[tazkcmo]

3. Non perishables

Canned foods, rice, beans, pasta, Spam, tuna, sardines. Just a few suggestions. If you are concerned about being able to cook look for canned foods you can consume cold. Don't forget the water.

[Rorey]

4. You don't have to love it. You just have to live.

Still, I'd try to stock up a bit on foods you do like. When peanut butter goes on sale, I stock up. Rarely do we have less than three or four jars. Same goes for crackers. I happen to love peanut butter and crackers, and there's no cooking required.

I've always got lots of pasta and marinara, but of course the pasta would need to be cooked. I'm vegetarian, but my husband isn't, and he's always got at least a half dozen cans of tuna and other fish products on hand. High protein.

I watch sales and stock up, so we could manage for quite awhile. We wouldn't have exciting meals, but we wouldn't starve.

The most important thing, IMO, is water. We use a dispenser that takes the five gallon jugs. I have seven, and have considered getting more. I refill often. The dispenser is, I suppose, an indulgence, but I have few vices so I think I deserve it. The crisp cold filtered water is delicious and I drink a lot more of it than I did when we just used tap water.

On the topic of water, I'd recommend keeping a jug of basic bleach, and read up on how much to put in your water in case there's a problem with the water supply.

[Kaleva]

6. I agree with you about water. That's # 1.

An average adult in good health can go many days without food but potable water is critical.

[RKP5637]

8. Absolutely the most important!!! n/t

[braddy]

5. Regular groceries that you can buy years in advance and rotate is what poor people need to do, it

saves money because you can always buy during big sales.

There are many foods that you can ignore the "best by" dates on, try to get 1 or 2 years ahead on the ones that you use and then rotate them so that they are always being replaced with the just (sale) bought ones. Foods that you can quit worrying about going bad are the canned meats, Tuna, Spam, Corned Beef, Sardines, or even canned beef and canned chicken, etc. (dried) pasta, white rice, dried beans, lentils and such, canned vegetables like corn and peas, canned beans and canned chili, canned fruit, tomatoes and tomato sauce and juice, enough salt and sugar, some instant coffee if you need to be able to wean someone off of a heavy caffeine habit, and bottled water is good forever, just don't store it next to heavy odors like gasoline, it will remain safe but taste bad because odors will penetrate the plastic over time.

Store some paper products and get some solar yard lights that use rechargeable AA batteries and get some extra batteries for those, you can bring the lights inside at night and also use the daily charged batteries for your flashlights and radios.

For winter, save your old blankets and sleeping bags (and heavy winter boots and clothes) and be prepared to move all of your canned foods and water, liquid cleansers, etc into your bedroom to try and keep them from freezing if such a situation arises, get a gun and a couple of quality flashlights and a book on first aid, and a water filter, if you are into camping then you are way ahead of the game.

Getting and being prepared is interesting and fun, and such a useful and comforting activity, and the buying ahead of foods, toilet paper, etc. really saves you money once buying on sale and in bulk becomes a habit.

[Hortensis]

10. Never thought of bringing one of those cheap solar yard lights inside

after charging all day. Good idea. Have you tried it? Could you read for pleasure by it, do you think, presuming nothing else available?

[braddy]

14. Always buy ones that use AA rechargeables so that they are easy to renew when the batteries get

old, also so that you can use them to charge your own AA batteries that you use in your own flashlights, transistor radios, and your READING headlamp that you also use in the kitchen or when working on things at night, also look for ones that have on/off switches

Keep in mind to look for even better solar battery lights that have motion sensors and switches etc..

I like these as survival lights, they have a switch and are brighter. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014IDYRNK/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but look at the vast variety of solar yard lights, security lights, post lights, closet lights, under kitchen counter lights, and choose what fits your needs and budget.

[Hortensis]

15. Also use them to recharge AAs. (!)

Okay. This forum has paid off already.

Thanks very much, Braddy.

[Hortensis]

7. Hi. I'm of the unlikely to happen but need to stock for a few months

anyway school. Not just the couple weeks FEMA recommends. Look at Puerto Rico and imagine your power grid taken out for months by a rogue nation.

#1, as said, has to be WATER. Many could live a month without food, but elderly people in a hot climate with the power out could die within hours. It's what would be driving many people into the streets within a couple days when they should be staying safe and comfy at home.

Minimum 1/2 gallon per day just for drinking. We've learned that those thin bottles of cheapest water in the supermarkets leak over not much time. Need sturdier containers, like sanitized orange juice bottles, 50-gallon barrels if can afford, etc. The problem of course is storing it, but no less than a month's supply. Serious business. We have room to store a fair amount, but if we didn't we'd also buy a 100-gallon bathtub storage bag that'd sit in its box on a shelf until needed, $25-35. In most municipalities and emergencies, I'm guessing there'd be time to fill it before the water stopped running, but rushing home to do that ASAP would be imperative. Could become illegal to draw that much water at once within short order.

As for food, we also just lay in more of what we'll eat and use over the year anyway. I cook a bunch from scratch so have lots of spices and lay in extras of the condiments and other ingredients I know we'll use. We buy extras when they're on sale, which makes it FRUGAL.

Our big basic food stock is of dry rice and beans, which combine to make a complete protein and will last 2-3 years stored properly. Their vitamins are reportedly basically gone after 5, though they'd still provide other nutrition and fill the stomach. I'm not thinking of a 5-year disaster but rather of just being able to store them in a tight plastic container in the basement or under the bed and forget about them that long. Also salt. Both, btw, could be eaten without cooking after being soaked in liquid, and some of even old beans should be able to sprout.

Multivitamin as part of the food supply to stay healthy. These last about 2 years before starting to lose efficacy but are still good for some while after. Walmart's Equate line will supply one person about 3 months for $3-4 or so, so a year for each person, plus some to give away?


Beer could last several months if my husband didn't know it was closer than a trip to the store.

[dembotoz]

9. Thanks

[dembotoz]

11. Rotation seems key

Confession a few years ago I cleaned out my mom's pantry after she died. Not a fussy eater, but some of the stuff did not look safe. Rusty cans, way out dated eat by date, some with no eat by date at all. I see the same tendencies in myself. What I need is a cabinet where up put stuff in the front but take it out the back.
Being frugal means not letting stuff go to waste
I am finding that I eat better when I eat frugally cause I cook more simply.
Amazing shit to learn n ur mid 60s

[Kaleva]

12. And don't forget to stock food, supplies & water for pets

if one has them.

[dembotoz]

13. Good point, means cat litter too

At this moment my car is in the shop, brakes. And the wrong calipers got sent. Monday they say....the cat litter is in the trunk. I think I have enough on hand. .