supplies
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I buy most of my stuff from Honeyville Grain because they are local. But since you likely don't live in Utah, that's little help to you. I'll hope that someone from your area speaks up and has a good local granary for you, but if not:
The LDS Church runs canneries that are open to the public. Sometimes you have to volunteer an hour or so to be able to buy from them, sometimes not. They do not mark up the prices on their food, and have a decent variety of stuff. They are ran by volunteers (typically old people) so be patient with them if they take time to answer your questions.
Do a google for "LDS Cannery (your city/state)" and see if something is close enough to be helpful.
The LDS Church runs canneries that are open to the public. Sometimes you have to volunteer an hour or so to be able to buy from them, sometimes not. They do not mark up the prices on their food, and have a decent variety of stuff. They are ran by volunteers (typically old people) so be patient with them if they take time to answer your questions.
Do a google for "LDS Cannery (your city/state)" and see if something is close enough to be helpful.
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SAMS
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Most grocerystores have a separate isle for bulk foods they wont be with the the normal sized versions of these foods.
BUT
I would store canned goods personally. They last just as long and require less attention and storage detail, mice dont often chew through a can, and humitity and moisture are not the concerns with canned goods they are with dried.
Just my 2 cents
BUT
I would store canned goods personally. They last just as long and require less attention and storage detail, mice dont often chew through a can, and humitity and moisture are not the concerns with canned goods they are with dried.
Just my 2 cents
If you are just starting out I think you would be bettered served by buying in smaller quantities. In stead of buying 50# of rice and 50# of beans buy them in 2#, 5# and 10# bags. I large use popcorn tins, they will hold 2 10# bags of rice, 16-18# of mixed bags of beans and 15-18# of mix types pasta.
The smaller quantities will allow you to stock a greater verity of food stuffs. A number of 10# bags will take less time to be used and replaced then one 50# bag giving less tome for it to go bad. Dollar general store has 10# bags of rice for $4.75 whereas the grocery stores here are asking $9.00+ for a 5# bag.
Different kinds of beans taste deferent and are prepared in deferent ways so verity will improve your quality of life postSHTF.
Allways look in the ethnic section when you shop a lot of times you can get the same food for less money. Some times you can find food that you will not find any where else such as Klass drink mix and spices.
Look at it this way if you were to go out today and buy 50# each of rice and beans and the bubble popped tomorrow, how long will it take for you to get sick of just eating rice and beans?
I buy my food by the day. Lets say I have X amount of rice, beans and pasta then I figure out what I need to buy to add to it to turn that into Y number of days worth of food then I start over with rice, beans and pasta add to it until all of would be use up and so on. It works out so that each 30 day worth of food that I buy completes a cycle of food buying.
All of the food that you buy needs to be marked with the date that you bought it so it can be rotated.
Some day when I get time I need to post 30 days worth of recipes and a list of every thing that you need to make them. You also need to stock ready to eat foods the last thing that you need to do when fending off an attack, are sick or trying to get a crop put up before it goes bad is take a time out to cook a big meal.
The smaller quantities will allow you to stock a greater verity of food stuffs. A number of 10# bags will take less time to be used and replaced then one 50# bag giving less tome for it to go bad. Dollar general store has 10# bags of rice for $4.75 whereas the grocery stores here are asking $9.00+ for a 5# bag.
Different kinds of beans taste deferent and are prepared in deferent ways so verity will improve your quality of life postSHTF.
Allways look in the ethnic section when you shop a lot of times you can get the same food for less money. Some times you can find food that you will not find any where else such as Klass drink mix and spices.
Look at it this way if you were to go out today and buy 50# each of rice and beans and the bubble popped tomorrow, how long will it take for you to get sick of just eating rice and beans?
I buy my food by the day. Lets say I have X amount of rice, beans and pasta then I figure out what I need to buy to add to it to turn that into Y number of days worth of food then I start over with rice, beans and pasta add to it until all of would be use up and so on. It works out so that each 30 day worth of food that I buy completes a cycle of food buying.
All of the food that you buy needs to be marked with the date that you bought it so it can be rotated.
Some day when I get time I need to post 30 days worth of recipes and a list of every thing that you need to make them. You also need to stock ready to eat foods the last thing that you need to do when fending off an attack, are sick or trying to get a crop put up before it goes bad is take a time out to cook a big meal.
Wheat and beans take years to go bad if packed properly. Buying canned goods or 2 and 5 and 10 pound bags is much, much more expensive than buying 50 pound bags from the right places.
Some grocery stores will sell in large quantities, but generally this is at a hugely inflated price. I buy 25 pounds of beans for about 11 dollars. I see the exact same bag at the store for 30. Costco is not so bad, but (at least here) they don't sell much more than rice, wheat and oil.
Buying a variety of things is important to stave off appetite fatigue, but buying a large quantity (say a year's worth) of the basics is a cheap, easy way to stay alive if food supplies are not available. I think the best advice there is to store up on the necessities, then add more variety to it.
You make awesome points on rotation, dating food, and shopping the ethnic section. I'm always so amused to see Corn meal go for 4 dollars and a larger container of Masa de Harina go for 3 dollars.
Quasi-related question:
Do you guys pack silica gel or some other moisture reducing materials in with your stuff? I was going to set bags of food aside in tins as mentioned above, but my storage room is in the basement and not as dry as it could/should be. There's no water seeping in, but it feels humid in there.
Do you guys pack silica gel or some other moisture reducing materials in with your stuff? I was going to set bags of food aside in tins as mentioned above, but my storage room is in the basement and not as dry as it could/should be. There's no water seeping in, but it feels humid in there.
Wheat and beans take years to go bad if packed properly. Buying canned goods or 2 and 5 and 10 pound bags is much, much more expensive than buying 50 pound bags from the right places.
Some grocery stores will sell in large quantities, but generally this is at a hugely inflated price. I buy 25 pounds of beans for about 11 dollars. I see the exact same bag at the store for 30. [/quote]
I am paying $0.50 to $1.00 a pound for beans you are paying $0.44 a pound. Granted .44 is less then .50 but $1.00 is less then $11.00. I can make a big batch of rice and beans for $11.00 and it will be something that one would like to eat, you on the other hand just have beans. I buy a lot of caned goods they keep and give a lot of verity to my stocks. To buy in balk I would need somewhere that sells in balk, If I have to spend $20.00 in gas to save $20.00 on food then it is a push.
Some grocery stores will sell in large quantities, but generally this is at a hugely inflated price. I buy 25 pounds of beans for about 11 dollars. I see the exact same bag at the store for 30. [/quote]
I am paying $0.50 to $1.00 a pound for beans you are paying $0.44 a pound. Granted .44 is less then .50 but $1.00 is less then $11.00. I can make a big batch of rice and beans for $11.00 and it will be something that one would like to eat, you on the other hand just have beans. I buy a lot of caned goods they keep and give a lot of verity to my stocks. To buy in balk I would need somewhere that sells in balk, If I have to spend $20.00 in gas to save $20.00 on food then it is a push.
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Here in west central Illinois we have a chain of stores called "Save-a-lot" there you can buy from one to whatever. Everything is off brand, no name brands but hey, we're talking savings not prestige right? They have especially good prices on case lots of can goods. I think I would go elsewhere to buy the dry goods.
If you are getting prices at the grocery store that are comparable to bulk prices, then yes, I agree with you 100%. Out here, grocery stores are much more expensive. I guess I assumed that was the norm, maybe its just where I live.
You are 100% right to figure in the cost of gas etc into your purchase price, driving 30 miles to save 10 bucks is probably a bad idea.
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When I started stockin' I did so under my wifes radar... I started stacking water in the bottom of closets, along with Cases of MRE's. When we went grocery shopping I would buy a few extra of everything. Kids want Chocolate milk mix, buy 2 boxes. 1 box of cereal.. 'wait this dosesnt expire for a year, better buy 5'. Before I knew it I was stopping the guys from stocking the shelves.. ("hey buddy before you cut that open and stick it on the shelf, I'll just buy the whole case, uh..um. uh it makes it easier to get to my car..yeah")
Now my wife is sure im nuts, I've built shelving into the kitchen for storage, BUT when she wants something its there. I make alot less grocery trips now.. and when I do its to replish what we've already ate.
Now my wife is sure im nuts, I've built shelving into the kitchen for storage, BUT when she wants something its there. I make alot less grocery trips now.. and when I do its to replish what we've already ate.
there are some oriental super markets in Denver i go to the 50# bags of rice are cheep they also have good prices on other bulk item noodles, sugar, salt, etc but you do need to know what your looking at as many labels lack english or at least understandable english my bro-in-law is fluent in Thai so he helps a lot.
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