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Hmmm... as for the prepackaged processed food items tasting like restaurant food, I merely chortle.
Last night we had home grown mashed potatoes, honey-lemon baked chicken, and broccoli for supper. DH also has recipes for all sorts of things, like teriyaki pork chops (we don't raise hogs but a neighbor does) fried rice (rice bought in bulk, spices and meats added); we eat better than most of our neighbors that frequent the restaurants.
One stores the basics so one can be creative and versatile, not so one can eat bland boring food every day. I have several soup recipes to die for, and make my own pasta (flavored with things like garlic and basil) out of humble flour, egg and water. If you learn to cook, your kitchen can rival any prepackaged foil-wrapped food - and the expiration dates on things like wheat and beans don't matter, although most of mine are 20 years hence. We raised all of our kids to consider cooking from scratch an art form, and they didn't learn until later that it was actually good for them, too!
FEMA with its history of waste and inefficiency is partially responsible for driving emergency food prices higher (purchasing 1 billion dollars) from what they were months ago. Food for Health (the number one source has lines going 24/7 and opening up another four lines (including weekends) in an attempt to keep up with overwhelming demand while a mostly clueless ,pathetic, affluent society (US) remains ill prepared for any emergency not withstanding a food pantry. FEMA will remain suspect as a poor source of storage,handling and incompacitating distribution (should it be required). My wife and I purchased the 275 meals (foiled ,deoxygenated, dehydrated,20 year life for $89 last month it's now $157!!! and some compaines are charging similar high prices upwards to $300! The point is most will not be able to afford to "prepare" even with a plan, but for those still thinking creatively I'm sending out a warning to hunker down . Additionally, you need Seychele water filters, survival supplies,and even a pet pantry!!! I 'am begging all my friends in Data to get prepared for varying degees of widespread disasters where self sufficiency will be required.
Yea I can say from experience it is expensive. That's why I'm looking to purchase some land in a far away warmer area. But at the same time... there are good deals going on at the grocery store, atleast where I live. Asian stores as well have better deals on dry foods and beans. Not to mention BJs or somewhere for a big box of yummy oatmeal packets that you just add water and heat to make.
Above Busta has some valid points to counter my message ,but I didn't make a few points clear and thats my bad. Firstly, FEMA is broke as of this post and is seeking ironically emergency monies from Congress. Secondly, when I focus on disaster I'm referring to a complete shutdown of electricity precipitated by Solar Flares knocking out worldwide grids, astroid showers or earthquakes (that change the topography of earth not just local stuff like New Madrid etc. Anyway, FEMA should get credit for its energy and efforts (sorry for my bash) . My point is they WILL NOT be in your neighbohood nor will the Red Cross,Fire Department or EMS in the face of near doomsday level or catastropic North American events. They will not have a "path" to you based on clogged roads,no fuel,no power,no light no communication,no people as they will be attempting to survive themselves. Many of my friends have a plan whereby they will just die as an option ,but to me thats interesting, but not my or my families option, unless of course God raptures us then that's cool.Who ever thought
God would come as a thief in the night ...that clever God .
Last edited by DASULAR17; 09-30-2011 at 12:12 PM..
Reason: formating
Perhaps you should peruse some of the threads here about being off-grid, cooking/heating with wood, supplemental electricity and/or power, etc, if you are concerned about a loss of electricity.
You also might take a gander at some of the threads that talk about the tragedy of Katrina, where even a specific area that was supposed to be well-supplied and protected by the Federal Government failed miserably. Most of us long-termers on here already know that FEMA won't be anywhere near us, and are making preparations for that. (Some of us even moved more rurally so that they wouldn't be anywhere near us!) Self-sufficiency is a lot more than 3 months' worth of food - it is a whole lifestyle plan to generate one's needs without government supervision or 'help' in the event of a catastrophic disaster such as you enumerated.
Some other threads on here talk about not only natural but man-made disasters, economic collapse, peak oil, and discuss what to do both short-term and long term.
Look around, read, and learn. You're not alone, and a bunch of us have been where you are - just starting out.
Perhaps you should peruse some of the threads here about being off-grid, cooking/heating with wood, supplemental electricity and/or power, etc, if you are concerned about a loss of electricity.
You also might take a gander at some of the threads that talk about the tragedy of Katrina, where even a specific area that was supposed to be well-supplied and protected by the Federal Government failed miserably. Most of us long-termers on here already know that FEMA won't be anywhere near us, and are making preparations for that. (Some of us even moved more rurally so that they wouldn't be anywhere near us!) Self-sufficiency is a lot more than 3 months' worth of food - it is a whole lifestyle plan to generate one's needs without government supervision or 'help' in the event of a catastrophic disaster such as you enumerated.
Some other threads on here talk about not only natural but man-made disasters, economic collapse, peak oil, and discuss what to do both short-term and long term.
Look around, read, and learn. You're not alone, and a bunch of us have been where you are - just starting out.
Amen. Storing a bunch of MREs can be useful but it is far cheaper to be able to cook and eat well with variations on basic ingredients. I think what SCG is trying to say boils down to this: think creatively, and have options. You can have a coop full of thousands of chickens, but if all you can think of to do with one is roast it, eventually you will get pretty darn tired of that chicken. But if you know a thousand ways to cook chicken, you can eat something different every night for 3 years. So, store the basics, and learn how to use them effectively. And take some of the suggestions in this thread to heart. And one last thing, remember that those really drastic scenarios you listed are possible, even probable. But the likelihood of any of them occuring in your lifetime is far less probable. More likely are various other small disasters such as storm damage, job loss, and such. Don't fret over the biggest bad thing, and ignore all the other far more likely incidents that can pop up and ruin your day. Start small, and work up to the big bad world-changing events. You will actually get more done and be better prepared in the long run if you do it that way.
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