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A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
14 July 2015, 17:19,
#1
A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
I read the article below, today, and figured it was a good starting point for me. I even stole the title!

http://survivalblog.com/a-years-supply-o...et-by-j-h/

But my situation is different (as is everyone else's as well). In my case, I live in a retirement community. I want enough food to be able to hunker down and survive for three to six months, untill I can get out of here and back to Texas. I have a dog who I consider a primary means of protection, and a neighbor from Texas across the hall with whom I will partner for survival. That means that I want three to six months of dry food storage on hand for the two of us, plus enough "leftovers" for the dog.

I do want to even out the cash-flow on this project, so I don't have to purchase it all at once.

I really don't want #10 cans, since it will take the two of us quite some time to finish one once opened. I do want packaging that will keep the food safe from humidity and vermin. Since I've never heard of a mouse or insect that could chew through glass, I decided to pack my stores in 1 quart canning jars. Another advantage of the canning jars is that once emptied, these jars can either be reused or bartered.

I can also buy dried foods at the local discount grocery store, cheaply packed in plastic bags, so I'm not paying twice for fancy "storage" packing.

What are we stocking? Here's the current list:

Packing:
4 cases 1 quart canning jars with lids and rings - 48 jars
1 case 1 pint canning jars with lids and rings - 12 jars
Once these are filled, we'll get more

Food:
2 bags Black Beans - (2# bags) - 1 bag fills 2 quart jars
2 bags Pinto Beans - (2# bags)
2 bags Navy Beans - (2# bags)

1 bag Rice - (10# bags)
1 sack Masa - cornmeal - (2 kg bag)
4 bags Barley - (30 oz bags)
1 box Rolled Oats -oatmeal - (44 oz)

Dried Onions - (1# bag)
Dried Garlic Chips - (1# bag)
Dried Carrot Slices - (1# bag)

Whole Black Peppercorns - (1# bag)
Ground Cayenne Pepper - (1# bag)
Iodized Salt - (1# box)

About 1/2 of the jars are now filled.

Costs:
Jars - $53
Food - $102.00
If at first you don't secede, try, try again!
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14 July 2015, 19:20,
#2
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
I would add some powdered butter, a couple of big jars of generic coffee creamer, 10# of coffee and 5# of sugar and at least one more box of salt with all that bland crap you have.

I would also add a couple of BIG jars of bacon bits and a big economy sized container of dried, diced onions.

You might have a 90 day supply there but it sure looks a tasteless mess of protein-less carbohydrates.

Jonas, you are older than I am, and I'm old as dirt! How do you plan on traveling the 1500 miles from VA to Texas "post event"?

You carrying a Bible to Alcatraz or the Alamo or something?
__________
Every person should view freedom of speech as an essential right.
Without it you can not tell who the idiots are.
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14 July 2015, 20:56,
#3
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
Sounds very stodgy to me. Is that going to cause you any issues changing to a diet like that. I see it as food but would certainly like, and have arranged, a more varied diet for my hunkering down.

Plus you say hunker down for up to six months. Are you intending to leave after six months or during so you complete the journey at six months. Is that to feed you on your travels as well?

What I did and recommend is that you simply buy more of what you use at every shopping trip, excluding perishables, until you have enough for your needs then simply replace what you use every week/month/shopping trip.

One advantage that you have over there is few people sell anything bulk over here. Getting discounts on bulk buys isn't easy.
Skean Dhude
-------------------------------
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. - Charles Darwin
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14 July 2015, 21:25, (This post was last modified: 14 July 2015, 21:27 by Jonas.)
#4
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
SD, I live in a place where we get 3 chef-prepared meals per day. I really don't use any foods every day. I have a very small kitchen with a microwave ad a tiny refrigerator. I also have an outdoor gas propane grill on my patio. Stocking canned/frozen food here is not an option. That's why I'm going with the dried food route, with the exception of canned meats.

Quote:RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
I would add some powdered butter, a couple of big jars of generic coffee creamer, 10# of coffee and 5# of sugar and at least one more box of salt with all that bland crap you have.

I would also add a couple of BIG jars of bacon bits and a big economy sized container of dried, diced onions.

You might have a 90 day supply there but it sure looks a tasteless mess of protein-less carbohydrates.

Jonas, you are older than I am, and I'm old as dirt! How do you plan on traveling the 1500 miles from VA to Texas "post event"?

You carrying a Bible to Alcatraz or the Alamo or something?

Mort, I still have my 7 passenger van (with Texas plates and a Texas drivers license), so Texas is about 28 hours away with gas stops. I do have a place to run to in Texas. The coffee, sugar, and creamer is a good idea. Some chocolate may work too. I do have the onions, but the bacon bits are a good idea. Hopefully, I can get out of here real fast, but if not, I'll shelter in place until things wind down. I know, not the best of options but the best that I can see under the circumstances.

And yes, I have a Bible, but I won't be headed to San Antonio.
If at first you don't secede, try, try again!
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14 July 2015, 22:08,
#5
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
Biltong.

Feeds you and the dog.
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15 July 2015, 02:05,
#6
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
How are you fixed for meds Jonas?

You on any regular meds you need to stock up?

And don't forget the vitamins. When you are not eating right they are a necessity.
__________
Every person should view freedom of speech as an essential right.
Without it you can not tell who the idiots are.
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15 July 2015, 07:33,
#7
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
Jonas .....sounds like your both breaking out of there !....i have this vision of you and the guy across the hall...lifting a stove with two ..two by fours...and existing underneath your seven seater, i have made up a name for the other guy...Roger...on a serious note...I can understand the need to get HOME and to the place you love ...if it comes down to it...and you have to go ...I wish you both well and hope you make it back safe !.............send us a post card ....J & R enjoying the sun in Texas....you take good care pal.
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15 July 2015, 10:08,
#8
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
Jonas,

That makes it a bit different but I'm sure there are other items you can add that would not break the bank and give you variety. Items like canned meat that you could keep for a year and then instead of rotating you could feed it to the dog and replace it for another years cover.

As a different topic with a 28 hour journey and two of you I would consider setting up for a rapid departure. If you can set a valid trigger point and then make a run for it before everything falls apart. You could always return if it is a false alarm but you never know what that 28 hours will turn into after 6 months. just a thought.
Skean Dhude
-------------------------------
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. - Charles Darwin
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15 July 2015, 16:11,
#9
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
(15 July 2015, 07:33)Straight Shooter Wrote: ...on a serious note...I can understand the need to get HOME and to the place you love ...send us a post card ....J & R enjoying the sun in Texas....you take good care pal.

For Jonas it is more than just a love of home or getting back to a comfort level. This move is absolutely essential for his survival

When he was displaced he moved into the pits of Liberal Hell on the east coast, in the middle of the political center of our nation. He moved to ground zero of the "coming insanity".

if there is a terrorist attack, it will be there.
nuclear bomb, he is in THE major target
overthrow of government, he is right at the nation's capitol
epidemic, he is in one of the most populated areas of the world
financial meltdown, he is in a totally systems dependent environment

His move was much like you moving to London.

He is on the southern edge of the Urban Megalopolis that stretches for 1500 miles of unbroken dense population that contains almost 1/3 of our 360million people. A population density of over 1000/psm

When things go bad they would go triple bad in his area.

As compared to Texas, where not only does he know more people and have a support network, the society and cultural reactions will be more predictable and acceptable.

As an example. If there was a threat of general unrest in Texas, and Jonas was seen in his own garden wearing a pistol on his belt as he worked no one would raise an eyebrow, they are wearing one too. Self defense is considered a basic human right.

If he did the same thing in his Virginia residence HE would be considered the cause of the civil unrest, a swat team would be dispatched and he would be taken to jail. If he claimed wearing the pistol on his own property was his right he would be taken for a mental health evaluation. You are not expected to defend yourself, that is what the police do, until the don't, because they have given up and stayed home.

He must make a run for our eastern mountain range and get out of the densely populated area to have a chance of surviving any serious problems or a general meltdown, which I know he expects this autumn.

The basic problem is that he must travel for 1500 miles to get "home". That trip will take him through at least a half dozen major cities the size of Bristol or Manchester, it will require 5-7 fill ups of his gas tank and unblocked, open roads. It will require the crossing of one river that is over a mile wide with easily controlled bridges and several smaller rivers 1/2 mile wide.

He also has an added problem due to there being no direct route between VA and TX. He has to take a wide swing, probably south for 500 miles to reach I-40, then west for another 1000+.

It is not a trip one would take in the middle of a meltdown or post event. It really needs to be accomplished at the very start of the event, before most people realize what is happening and react in whatever way they do. Otherwise the vehicle will have to be abandoned for lack of fuel, or due to blocked roads, and the trip finished on foot, and no one can carry enough 'bug out gear" on foot to make a 1500 mile trip with the world in chaos. We are talking a stroll that lasts 3 months at 15 miles per day.

Personally, I would do my "bugging out" now, while things are normal and you are a traveler going home, and not considered a refugee, target, or hobo.

Good luck Jonas.
__________
Every person should view freedom of speech as an essential right.
Without it you can not tell who the idiots are.
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15 July 2015, 16:58,
#10
RE: A Year’s Supply of Food on a Budget
Quote: STRAIGHTSHOOTER posted: Jonas .....sounds like your both breaking out of there !....i have this vision of you and the guy across the hall...lifting a stove with two ..two by fours...and existing underneath your seven seater, i have made up a name for the other guy...Roger...

You'd like to see the "guy" across the hall... her name is Mary Elizabeth. She's generally referred to as BHC (Blue-Haired Cougar)! Smile
If at first you don't secede, try, try again!
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