Posted: 3/16/2009 2:02:58 PM EDT
| My parents want me to ask the hive for suggestions on places to buy bulk foods ie websites that sell like MRE's or something. Thanks in advance, +1 on the parents. |
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Before you start buying food in bulk you need to develop a plan.
How long do you plan to prepare for and against what threats? First of all and most important in water. 1 gallon per person per day. This can oftern times become the vast bulk of your supplies. You can go a a loooong time without food, only a few days without water and don't count on rain water or sitting water either... Ash, chemicals etc can contaminate open water sources and rain. When I was in San Diego during the fires a few years ago about 3-6 inches of ash covered everything, and not the nice wood ash either... Every sitting source of water was contaminated with nasty chemically ash. I wouldn't count on a swimming pool or local ponds for water. They are a bonus, not the primary. Now for you food, you should store what you eat. Start purchasing more and more of the foods that you normally eat. Stock up on can foods etc. Look for sales in the paper because you can often times stock up on food MUCH cheaper than you can buying bulk normally. Look for canned soups, veggies, fruits, meats, and canned meals. Work in week long goals. 1 week, 2 week, 3 week and then move to months until you find a healthy buffer of food. 6 months is the typical buffer of food and water most people store for. MREs are a VERY expensive and a VERY bulky way to store food. I would stick to canned goods (home canned and store bought), bulk grains and beans, and dehydrated goods. Now this just covers some of the basics, you still need a water filter(s), heating/power sources, medical supplies, lighting supplies etc. |
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Quoted:
Before you start buying food in bulk you need to develop a plan. How long do you plan to prepare for and against what threats? First of all and most important in water. 1 gallon per person per day. This can oftern times become the vast bulk of your supplies. You can go a a loooong time without food, only a few days without water and don't count on rain water or sitting water either... Ash, chemicals etc can contaminate open water sources and rain. When I was in San Diego during the fires a few years ago about 3-6 inches of ash covered everything, and not the nice wood ash either... Every sitting source of water was contaminated with nasty chemically ash. I wouldn't count on a swimming pool or local ponds for water. They are a bonus, not the primary. Now for you food, you should store what you eat. Start purchasing more and more of the foods that you normally eat. Stock up on can foods etc. Look for sales in the paper because you can often times stock up on food MUCH cheaper than you can buying bulk normally. Look for canned soups, veggies, fruits, meats, and canned meals. Work in week long goals. 1 week, 2 week, 3 week and then move to months until you find a healthy buffer of food. 6 months is the typical buffer of food and water most people store for. MREs are a VERY expensive and a VERY bulky way to store food. I would stick to canned goods (home canned and store bought), bulk grains and beans, and dehydrated goods. Now this just covers some of the basics, you still need a water filter(s), heating/power sources, medical supplies, lighting supplies etc. +1, but I do keep a few cases of MRE, and some Mountan House food. Try looking here http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-270/MRE-Military-USGI-Meal/Detail |
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Quoted:
Before you start buying food in bulk you need to develop a plan. How long do you plan to prepare for and against what threats? First of all and most important in water. 1 gallon per person per day. This can oftern times become the vast bulk of your supplies. You can go a a loooong time without food, only a few days without water and don't count on rain water or sitting water either... Ash, chemicals etc can contaminate open water sources and rain. When I was in San Diego during the fires a few years ago about 3-6 inches of ash covered everything, and not the nice wood ash either... Every sitting source of water was contaminated with nasty chemically ash. I wouldn't count on a swimming pool or local ponds for water. They are a bonus, not the primary. Now for you food, you should store what you eat. Start purchasing more and more of the foods that you normally eat. Stock up on can foods etc. Look for sales in the paper because you can often times stock up on food MUCH cheaper than you can buying bulk normally. Look for canned soups, veggies, fruits, meats, and canned meals. Work in week long goals. 1 week, 2 week, 3 week and then move to months until you find a healthy buffer of food. 6 months is the typical buffer of food and water most people store for. MREs are a VERY expensive and a VERY bulky way to store food. I would stick to canned goods (home canned and store bought), bulk grains and beans, and dehydrated goods. Now this just covers some of the basics, you still need a water filter(s), heating/power sources, medical supplies, lighting supplies etc. Good advice. |
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Also...
It's easy to get overwhelmed if you make a list of everything you'll need to get...and then think you've got to get it all right away. Start with food and water...like the previous posts mentioned. Throw in some extra batteries or toilet paper once in a while...take a look at a hand crank radio...handi-wipes... Shelter/warmth water food safety/security I think that's the top four in order. Please correct me guys if I'm wrong. Chech this out: I just put this together for my mom two hours ago. Don't beat me up if my notes aren't 100% accurate! Mom’s web shopping list
www.TheReadyStore.com Great freeze dried “year supply” stuff http://theepicenter.com Good overall selection of freeze dried, MREs, etc. “Fill in the gaps” stuff www.survival-warehouse.com Great selection of freeze dried “year supply” cans. FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDERS over $100 http://safecastleroyal.com Seems like a good site….IF you join their club. Otherwise, they might be too expensive. www.sosproducts.com Great site for gear. Yes, you’ll need some. www.yourfoodstorage.com Very hard core food storage. Might be over both of our heads. Look anyway. |
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you need to make sure they will eat mre's or mountain house or anything else you are planning on getting for them. they could have a nice stash, but if they wont eat it, what good is it?
Good point, but.. If you are that hungry, even the dirt in the back yard can seem appetizing 
Helping them get something stored is better than storing nothing. c0 ____________________________ Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine. Tpass.org |
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Simple, easy, inexpensive way to start off is bulk rice, beans, and canned meats. You will want to quickly and inexpensively get to a 3 month supply. You'll be broke long before you reach this buying freeze dried or MRE. Go to your local club store (Sam's, BJ's, Costco, etc.) and buy a membership if you dont' already have one. Pick up 100 lbs of rice (will cost you about $50 or so) and about 25 lbs of dried beans ($30 or so). Pick up several 6 packs of canned goods like Dinty Moore Beef Stew, Ham, Tuna, Chicken etc. Will run you another $30 or so. I'd also pick up a gallon of vegetable oil...$7. Go to you local Home Depot or Lowe's and buy a 35gal galvanized metal trash can. Put all your non-canned stuff in there for rodent protection. For around $150 you just bought yourself some inexpensive starvation insurance. The rice and beans will keep for years, perhaps as long as 5, and the canned stuff at least as long. This presupposes you have access to heat and water if there is a prolonged interruption. If you don't, then the rice and beans will be tough to cook. You'd be better off with just buying lots of inexpensive canned goods, most all of which can be eaten out of the can cold and will keep for many years. As several posters have already commented, make sure you have access to lots of water. If you don't, start storing it in used bottles and containers. Make sure the containers are clean. Your tap water should be good in these sealed containers for at least a year, probably 2 or 3. As funds permit, start getting into mylar sealing these preps and freeze dried/MRE. Also a decent water filter is a good idea...I have a Berkenfield (sp?), a Katydyn, and several gallons of regular bleach. |
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Before anyone even spends a nickel, you need a PLAN. What threats are in your AO? Winter storms, hurricanes, tornadoes? Possible Haz-Mat incident from overturned truck or derailed train? How about civil unrest?
You need shelter, water, food, and defense. What you will find is that 80% of likely events are best responded to by bugging in. As part of shelter, do you have a means of heating the house in the winter if the power goes out? Do you need to bug out in the event of a big hurricane? Sit down with the folks, and think about what threats you may face. Make a list. Then, rate each threat as to impact on your life, and ability to prepare for it. I'll give you two hints, the two most likely threats are gonna be unemployment and a house fire. Do you have smoke alarms? Do they work? Do you test them periodically? Once you get under way, you will find the following: 90% of threats out there are covered by shelter, water, food, and defense. Keep us updated. Ops |