• FOOD
• WATER
• MEDICAL
• SAFETY AND SECURITY
• POWER & HEAT
• TOOLS & MISC.
• COMMUNICATIONS
• COMFORT ITEMS
• SKILLS TRAINING
• PERSONAL

Mylar Bags – Combine these with your 5-gallon buckets to store your food. Just drop a few oxygen absorbers in the bag once filled and seal them up and your good to go. Here is a quick video  https://youtu.be/apRe0uKkmy0] on using mylar bags to preserve food. Grab some 5 gallon mylar bags to combine with your buckets.

Sugar – You can store this indefinitely if air tight. Sugar is useful for all sorts of cooking as well as doubles as a nice comfort food. TIP: don’t include a oxygen absorber in the bag as this will harden the sugar to rock solid!

Honey– Honey can last forever and is not only a natural substitute for sugar but a powerful antibiotic for colds and sore throats, energy booster, as well as treatment for burns and wounds. Honey stored in glass jars will preserve it best so that it will not crystallize.

Salt – Another essential storage item! Salt, useful not only for flavoring but for preserving foods as well, and a healthy body needs the minerals & electrolytes it provides. Salt will also be a powerful barter item if the local stores are closed. Estimates are about 4-5 pounds per person for 1 year.

Beans/Legumes – Beans & Rice combo makes one of the best long term food storage options for your prepping strategy. Combining rice and beans together is packed with protein and is a perfect substitute for meat. This is why some many cultures eat rice & beans at meals.

Rice – Simple and cheap to store. Buy the white rice as the brown rice has some natural oil mixed which doesnt store as well as.

Pinto, navy, black, and lima beans make good choices here.

Oats – Another staple, that is super cheap & easy 30 year storage option. Oats are perfect for the prepper because they only require boiled water to prepare, then just add some cinnamon or sugar and you have breakfast. It also helps to control blood sugar and cholesterol. Oats can also double as feed for most animals. ((Very Essential)).

Wheat – Another must-have in your long term food plan. Here’s a website on how to store and can food items for end time scenarios. https://extension.usu.edu/preserve-the-harvest/

Flour – Flour should also be included in your long-term storage. However, if storing grains or beans you can grind that into flour using a simple grain mill.

Pasta – Pasta is nice, because the packaging as is, is usually good for a solid 2 years. This makes it a great short-term food option. To get longer shelf out of pasta you will need to seal it up in a mylar bag.

Note, pasta has very little protein and although it fills you up. The beans & rice combo will be much more important for survival.

Powdered Milk – powdered milk is recommended to store 16 lbs. per person per year. Make sure it is not instant milk but powdered dry milk.

Powdered Cheese – For long term storage though, it will be best if you buy the dry powdered kind. **Augason Farms** makes a nice cheese blend in the famous #10 cans. This has a shelf life of 10 years! Now remember to store some macaroni in your pasta buckets.

Canned Cheese – A little company in Australia, called Bega, makes a wonderful canned cheese that can for a LONG time! The manufacturer says that the shelf life is only 2 years, but canned goods if handled properly can last much longer than that. Grab some

Bega for your next camping trip, and see how you like it, may make a nice addition to your long term food storage.

Peanut butter – High in plant protein and packed with nutrients, peanut butter is a great item to stock up on. However, because of the fat/oil content it contains, it will go rancid after 10-12 months most likely. So you will need to rotate your stash if you stock up on peanut butter. Great item to include in your bug out bag.

Power/Energy bars– While probably not the best for long-term storage, they make great for bug-out bags and short term food plans. Clif, Power Bars, & Datrex food bars are just some of the many choices you have if you choose to go this route.

Freeze Dried Options – Just add water! Nothing beats freeze dried foods & having a nice selection of #10 cans in your storage plan is a wise choice. Lots can be said here, and this option will definitely give you the longest shelf life, but it is the more pricey choice. There are some great food companies that offer freeze dried storage packs. 3 reputable food storage companies are:

 

Buy Emergency Foods

The Ready Store

Coconut Oil – What substitutes for cooking oil, butter, & health salve? Coconut oil! Most cooking oils will go rancid in a very short time.

However, extra virgin coconut oil can last 2-4 years if stored properly. It has many uses including cooking, dry skin, energy boost, reduces inflammation, and even heals diaper rash, but my favorite is to use it for popping popcorn. Gives it a nice buttery flavor.

Baking Powder/Soda – Must have for your long term storage as there are many uses for this: cooking agent, doubles as a toothpaste, household cleaner, and also great for heartburn mixed with a little water!

Coffee – This bean is a great all-around thing to have in a doomsday scenario. It gives water a nice taste, increases energy and alertness, and will always be a great bartering item due to many who need their morning fix. Buying the whole green beans is the best option for long term storage.

Tea – Tea bags as long as they are vacuum sealed away from moisture should keep awhile. You can also already buy loose cut leaves vacuum sealed.

Corn Starch – Will last forever if stored in a cool dry place. Apart from a sauce thickener, good for heat rash, sunburn, underarm deodorant, and works as a shampoo for pets.

Spices – Left in the original jars, most spices will last for 1-2 years before they go bad.

Soy Sauce – Loaded with sodium this will last almost forever and is a great flavoring agent, especially to bland rice. However, with the high salt content, you better make sure you have your water storage filled to the top!

Vinegar/Apple Cider Vinegar – Great for both cleaning and cooking, several bottles of vinegar should be in every preppers pantry.

Drinking apple cider vinegar mixed with water also makes a great energy tonic and uses a multitude of uses!

Canned Tuna/Veggies– This is one of the easiest ways to start prepping for food. Next time you go to your grocery store pick up a few extra canned veggies to jump start your food prep. Canned tuna, corn, beans, green beans, etc… all make great starters.

Can Opener – If you’re going to store canned goods, you will definitely need a nice can opener. Be sure to buy 1-2 extra, you will want a backup of this item!

Unbreakable Dishes – If an economic collapse really does happen and chaos ensues, fine china won’t last long. Having some unbreakable dishware around especially if you have children will be prudent.

Plastic or enamelware camping tableware will work well in this scenario.

Paper goods, plates, cups, utensils – In addition to the above, having a nice stock of paper plates, cups, and utensils will be extra

convenient. Next time you see a super sale on these items at Costco’s or Sam’s try to shoot for a 1 month supply. These can always be used in a short-term crisis, as well as for the first month in a long term to eliminate washing while other critical things needs to be done.

Wood Burning Stove – These are great for not only cooking but if you love anywhere where there is snow on the ground 6 months out of the year can make great heaters if the power goes out. The price range can vary substantially depending on the size and quality of the stove.Cast Iron – Good cast iron can last a lifetime if properly cared for. Cooking at home or over an open fire makes this versatile cookware essential.

Grain Mill – These can be useful if you ever intend to grind/mill flour for breads. Since wheat berries store much better than flour, these can really come in handy. Unfortunately you ‘get what you pay for’ when you start researching around. This can also double as a coffee grinder & nut butter maker

Hand Processor – If you use an electric food processor or blender often, consider grabbing a hand or manual food processor as backup. Makes cutting and chopping much faster if only knives are available.

Solar Oven – Yes you can use the sun to cook without anything else. Although you’re not going to reach temps of 400F for all-around baking, 200 – 250F is enough to slow cook most food. You can check out this complete post that covers solarcooking.

Heirloom Seeds – Storing some heirloom seeds could be a smart choice. Apart from growing fresh vegetables from the ground, seeds will be a hot commodity which will always have value & be useful for bartering. Victory Gardens makes a seed bank with over 125 varieties of seeds for all hardiness zones.

Pet Food – Last but not least in the food department don’t forget to stock up on dog food, cat food, chicken feed, etc …

“Probably the most important item when considering prepping is your water storage. You can go several weeks without food, but water just for a few days. And given its bulk and weight storing water takes a little planning and prepping.”

“It is recommended to store 1 gallon of water per person per day. So for a family of 4, you will need ~120 gallons of stored water for a 1 month supply.”

Food Grade Plastics – Many people will just buy gallon water jugs and store them in the garage. Do not do this. Many of these plastics will leach dangerous chemicals into your water supply. For long-term storage be sure to get food-grade plastics.

WaterBob – The Waterbob, is a nifty way to fill up 100 gallons of water in an emergency situation. It is a plastic bladder that fits in your bathtub for quick fill up.

Storage Tanks – Water storage tanks are important and can be anything from 1 gallon jugs to 50 gallon barrels or 2000+ gallon water tanks. An important concept is to have a ‘dirty’ water tank and a ‘clean’ water tank. So if you need to collect water from a nearby pondRain Harvesting – Harvesting rainwater is an simple and easy way to collect water for storage. If you have a roof, gutters, and spout system you can start immediately. The main concern is keeping the water bacteria/chemical free, especially if you are harvesting it off your roof or gutters. or river, you can store it first in the dirty tank and then filter it to the clean tank.

Water Bricks – Patented design for a water and foo container, Waterbrick is a stackable and portable water container for easy water storage and great for preppers.

Water Filters (Big Berkey) – Water filters come in all shapes and sizes. One of the most popular filters for preppers is the Big Berkey. This little compact filter can cleanse over 6,000 gallons of water with 2 black filters. For a family of 4, that is over 4 years of water filtration if you assume 1 gallon per person per day!

Bug Out Hand Carry Filters – There is no shortage of ‘pocket’ filters.

The following 3 all caught our eyes:

Lifestraw – Great for the single person in mind, hiker, backpacker, and for general emergency preparedness. 1 ‘straw’ can filter and purify 1000 liters of water. Simple, compact and convenient. Throw one of these in your bug out bag.

Steripen– is an ingenious handheld ultraviolet water purification system. Just dip the wand in the water that needs to be treated and it kills 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and protozoa, including cryptosporidium and giardia. They even have a military grade version.

Katadyn – The Rolls Royce of water purifiers. The Swiss made Katadyn, besides your standard hand held water filter, they also carry tablets, as well as desalinators for boats. This little handheld filter is good for 13,000 gallons!

Chlorine Tablets – While not a long term solution, these can treat immediate water needs for about 5-10 gallons.