A full pantry is always good. A long time ago there used to be cellars stocked to the gills with root vegetables, home canned food and other storable items. It was a way of life. We have gotten away from this simple principle. Convenience has taken over our lives. We have come to a point where food and even coffee is ordered online and brought right to us. This seems insane to me in a world where I have seen and interacted with people that cant find their way to work OR HOME!!! Without their phones. These will be the very same people who will banging on your door begging or insisting that you help them, because they chose not to do anything to protect themselves and their families. Now don’t get me wrong, I want to help my fellow man as much as anyone, but when things get bad. The rules change. You help one stranger, then you will have fifty strangers at your door, not taking no for an answer. This is a tough position to be in. This is also something that will be discussed in the near future. Survival is a choice. If you are reading this, then at least you took an interest. You can share information ahead of a disaster, but you don’t HAVE to provide for those who chose to do nothing when they were told how. This is a fascinating topic that deserves a thorough look. It will come up in the near future.
We brought up the empty store shelves and the mobs overrunning a looted store. We have a firm belief that it is easier and safer to begin a small collection of items that you use. Start with some bottled water, canned food, dry goods like flour and beans and rice. We have a cute little practice that we started years ago called the “Toucan” Policy. It simply meant that every time we went to the store that we would pick up TWO CANS of food to add to our shelves. Canned goods are a quick, cheap and easy way to make sure you can get through a tough time. One thing I have to mention is that we have experimented with canned goods. We have tested many items. Well into five years past the expiration date and they were completely fine. One thing we have found is to steer clear of canned foods with the pull tab tops. They have a very short shelf life. Less than six months. NOT GOOD! Good o’le fashioned cans that require a can opener are the way to go. Except for spam. That is a completely different category on its own. I have yet to find a dated can of spam that was not still edible.
Once you have an adequate supply of food for several weeks you can start collecting other items. First aid, toiletries, toothpaste, coffee, ramen, freeze dried foods. There are some storable foods out there that are delicious, take little time or resources to prepare and have 25 year shelf life to them. They can get pricey but absolutely worth collecting. A little bit every day is better than nothing. Get creative, don’t forget to stock up on condiments. I have found that a diet of mainly survival food can get bland. But stocking your shelves for emergency is a critical first step on your survival journey
