http://www.dailypaul.com/255983/for-just-a-couple-hundred-bucks-i-am-prepared-what-a-feeling
I noticed at Wal-Mart the 64-oz. box of powdered milk is over $18 now. If this is on your list, get it before prices go up much further. Milk and olive oil are usually the priciest things on a list. Since I am lactose intolerant, I use whey protein instead: http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-whey-protein-complex-powder-with-bcaas. This product is sweetened with xylitol and stevia, so may be okay for diabetics or other sugar-sensitive people, but check with your doctor first.
I'm getting my order ready for the Mormon cannery. In good times, they serve everyone, but when times get hard they will, understandably, only serve their community. They have one of the lowest prices. You can buy bulk in boxes and "can" it yourself. The Mormons have canning equipment, as do some communities. I'm in a rural area and a local high school has canning equipment (for metal cans) the community can use. This saves money. The other best price place to get food is through Walton Feed at their new website @ http://www.rainydayfoods.com/.
"Can" is an interesting word because it doesn't necessarily mean metal. Using glass jars and boiling them is one method of canning. You can also "can" by putting dry foods in plastic buckets with oxygen absorbers.
I know we talked about buying tuna in oil before. It is still relatively cheap. The oil (instead of water) keeps the can from rusting and also keeps the tuna from dehydrating. Plus oil provides calories and nutrients, whereas water doesn't. This will be very important in a severe situation.
I made tuna mac last night for dinner and noticed something. I didn't need to add butter or water. The oil in the tuna (partially drained) and leaving a small amount of water in the macaroni made a nice replacement. The dehydrated cheese blended well and it tasted good.
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If you live in an earthquake-prone area, you might want to add a layer of bubble wrap?
I put most of my dehydrated foods in mason jars. wrap in newspaper and stored in plastic bins. I guess I am OK.
It's better to use O2 absorbers, but I have buckets of wheat from 1998 without O2 packets that are still good. For items that have indefinite shelf lives and are stored properly (dark, below 70 degrees, protected from vermin) it doesn't seem necessary. Miles Stair at endtimesreport.com says one can put food in plastic bags (food grade) inside plastic buckets (for protection against rodents) and use a straw to suck out most of the O2 from the bag. Check out his site for other ideas.
Isn't that what keeps out the little buggies?
Cheryl, do we really need oxygen absorbers???
You're welcome, of course. When you order O2 absorbers, inquire when they were manufactured. My recall is that they are only good for six months after date of manufacture. If you are going through a middle man, then ask his source.
Yes, it takes time but it saves money. You can also put food in food-grade plastic buckets (such as you get from bakeries that had icing in them) and throw in some oxygen absorbers. I'm getting 50 lbs. of powdered milk for $94.40 (bulk price) from the cannery. It's the best price I've found.
We do not have this here. Maybe I should check at the local chapter of the Mormon. That would be nice to can ffod in metal cans. Well the labour is another issue. You need the time to do all this.