Basic Food and Water
The most desirable plan is for the family to employ a home-based survival plan. There is shelter, perhaps warmth, water and cooking ability, even if it is only a bbq (do NOT use inside!), and it is a lot easier to eat out of the cupboard and the survival food storage than carry enough with you for more than just a few days if you have to bug out.
The storage of food and water is where basic planning begins. If you’ve been overwhelmed by the cost of freeze dried foods and then questioned whether your family would even eat it, think about this, you already know the foods they like so doesn’t it make sense to stock up on those?
Each week when I do my grocery shopping, I add a few extra items to the shopping cart and usually an extra case of bottled water. I’ve found that this is a great way to use coupons too! Often coupons require purchasing more than one item – buy this, get $ off that, or buy two and get one free. That plays right into my plan to increase the food storage at a reduced cost for a home-based survival plan.
So here is the fastest, simplest, easiest way to begin your basic food and water accumulation:
- Take an inventory of what you currently have in your cupboards and, while you are at it, use a permanent Sharpie pen to note the expiration date or, if there is no expiration date then enter the month and year.
- Identify the items you want to stock up on because they are family favorites, they are nutritious, easy to prepare and are appropriate for long-term storage.
- Plan to purchase extras of these items every time you shop for groceries to increase your food supplies.
- Add canned meats to your shopping list as they can be added to a variety of dishes to increase protein content.
- Purchase an extra case of water at each shopping trip.
- Lay in a supply of power bars, nuts, and dried fruits.
These few, simple steps will greatly improve your food and water storage quickly and without a significant blow to your wallet with the added bonus that you will feel more prepared and secure about your family’s readiness.
Supplementing these family favorites with staples such as rice, dried beans, flour and sugar will greatly extend your food supplies. In addition, storing water in large containers in addition to the cases of water you will be buying adds to the survival lifeline you are creating for your family.
You know better than anyone else how much food your family consumes. Your immediate objective is to purchase enough of the foods they enjoy to easily feed the family for a minimum of three days. Once that is accomplished, you can begin preparing for a full week’s food storage.
