Will there be massive, widespread food shortages in America and the rest of the world? Will there be an economic collapse? Is war on the horizon? Will that asteroid they recently started warning us about actually hit the Earth?
It’s easy to get worked up over all the existential threats we face today. Modern society has never faced so many potential collapses and disasters at the same time, and whether that’s by design or just bad luck is for some of us to debate on a different Substack. In this article we’re talking about prepping so let’s stick with that.
First and foremost, don’t panic. Sure, things look awful for many of us but that doesn’t mean we have to curl up in a ball and wait for the apocalypse to whisk us away. As Daisy Luther noted, we’re probably going to be okay. Then, there’s the perspective of my fellow Bible-believing Christians that even if things go very much south in this life, we have something far better waiting for us. Whatever you need to do to stay calm while remaining motivated to act, now’s the time for it.
One of the biggest mistakes I see new preppers making is they go straight for the long-term storage food. I visited a relative who proudly showed me her family’s many food buckets. Some of them they had bought. Others she had made herself. I noticed one of them opened in the kitchen a little while later. Sensing my confusion, she said, “Oh, we ran out of rice so I went ahead and busted open one of my buckets.”
The fallacy here, of course, is that she had two closets full of buckets, #10 cans, and mylar bags while keeping a pantry that was half-empty. I’ll discuss more about that in the list below, but this is why our new Whole Cows beef company offers both frozen steaks and other beef products for consumption in the near future as well as freeze-dried beef cubes in mylar bags for long-term storage. Eat well today. Eat well tomorrow. (And if any of my readers want to take advantage of our launch specials, they can use the “late prepper” promo code at checkout for 15% off).
For experienced preppers, the list below is probably unnecessary. But for those of us who are relatively new to the preparedness world, this hierarchy of food priorities should help you form your plan.
#1: Today and Tomorrow Foods
There are some foods among our basics that are generally only good for the near future unless you process them specifically for preservation. Milk, eggs, bread, fresh produce, and the like can all be made to last in the long-term but generally they’re perishable at first.
Then, there are the long-term storage foods that include freeze-dried meals, powdered products, certain canned goods, and others that are best to keep stored away until you need them.
The first thing people starting to get prepared should stock up on are the everyday “flex” foods. These are food items that you’ll use today but that can also be stored away for the long term. You keep a stock for now and you build a stock for later. These are foods that, when properly stored, can last a decade or two. Or three.
As I noted with my niece in the story above, she had one source of rice. It was all in buckets. What she should be doing is keeping enough rice to use now and in the near future while also storing away rice for the long-term. There is no reason to make a 25-lb bucket of rice that you’re going to break open anytime soon.
We keep a rotation of two 10-lb containers. When one empties, we open the other and note that we need to refill the empty one during the next available purchase.
While that daily-use rotation happens, we’re also building new buckets. I’m not a fan of buying buckets of rice because you generally pay two- to three-times as much as you would if you just bought in bulk and put them in food buckets with oxygen absorbers yourself.
The reason I tell people to start with this is because it begins the habit of buying for now and later. Technically, the top priority is to fill the refrigerator and pantry with food to get you through for weeks or months that you properly rotate, but I moved that recommendation down to second on the list because we want to start thinking about preparedness. Telling people to buy more of what they’re already buying doesn’t establish a new habit.
Other examples of “flex” foods are beans, pastas, honey, and certain canning items. I’ll discuss cans and canning in more detail in a future article.
#1A: Stock Up Regular Food
As I mentioned before, it’s silly to start buying food buckets or a freeze drier before you have weeks or months worth of food that you eat normally. Filling your refrigerator, pantry, cupboards, and freezer so you could survive a months-long catastrophe is so close to being the top priority that I’d recommend for those with the means to do this and the previous step simultaneously.
Before you just go out and buy a bunch of stuff, it’s important to make a plan. Know what you need to purchase. Prepare to rotate properly. It’s a serious shame when we buy food and it goes bad before we can use it. My mother, who grew up poor in the Philippines, considered it a true sin when food was ever wasted.
The average American household had less than two weeks worth of food on hand. That was a statistic from several years ago and considering the state of the economy it may be less than that. It makes sense to raise your short-term storage supplies as high as possible without risking waste. It doesn’t take a full-blown societal collapse for us to need to be able to “bug in” for weeks at a time. Another pandemic lockdown, for example, could be around the corner. If whatever disease gets rolled out is far worse than Covid, it seems very likely that even “essential” movement will be limited or even forbidden.
One pro-tip is to consider the possibility of grid challenges. If the power goes out, will you be able to keep your refrigerator going? Your freezer? We have solar generators but I cannot recommend either because I couldn’t afford the “good” ones at the time. I desperately need to replace them but at least I have something for now. Be sure to have power available in case of sustained grid outages. And remember, the more full a refrigerator or freezer is, the less power it needs to stay cool.
#3: Move Up Based on Budget
The first two recommendations are fairly universal. The third recommendation, which is to establish mid-term food supplies, all depends on your current and future situation. For those of us who are not loaded with extra cash, a decent mid-term food strategy is to build up a large supply of canned foods.
It’s not ideal. Canned foods are lower quality, generally have lower nutritional value, and are usually loaded with preservatives. But as long as cans of raviolis and creamed corn are still relatively affordable, it makes sense for many of us to lean on them as the semi-cheap way to get months of emergency food stored up.
There are challenges to this strategy. They can last for years, but sometimes they do not. Sometimes you can tell by inspecting a can that the food has gone bad but other times you might think you’re in good shape only to open the cans and find out they’re spoiled. They come with “Best By” dates, but these are not expiration dates. I’ve opened cans of food around the “Best By” dates and found they had been compromised. I’ve also opened up cans of food that are multiple years beyond their “Best By” date and the food was fine. It’s hit or miss.
Then, there’s the need to eat them. If things don’t go south, you may find in a couple of years you have canned food that you’ll need to either eat or discard. This is why it’s important to get food that you like. Yes, getting as much nutritional value as possible from canned foods is a consideration but if you don’t like it then it can become more of a burden than a blessing.
For those who have the means, canning your own food is better. It can last longer. It generally tastes better as long as you like your family’s cooking. It takes time and effort but many who can their own food find it to be a relaxing and rewarding hobby.
There are also Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) that some love. Others hate them. They can last 5-7 years from production date, so it’s important to know when they were made. Buying them at a discount on Amazon can often result in MRE boxes that are already several years old when you get the,
They’re much more expensive than canned foods and if you get the full packs they take up much more space, but they’re complete meals. You won’t get the variety that you can get from store-bought cans or self-canned foods, but the quality is generally decent. There’s also the added benefit of not needing to build a fire to heat them in a grid-down situation. Most MREs have flameless heating packs.
Most flours properly stored can last a couple of years. If you store them better, they can arguably last a decade (I say arguably because I’ve never tested 10-year-old flour myself and the various experienced preppers are torn on the topic). We have wheat berries and a grinder that we’ll be using if the crap hits the fan.
There are literally dozens of other forms of mid-term storable foods. Be creative. Do your research. Build the mid-term food storage plan that fits your needs and situation.
Once you have your short- and mid-term food supply rocking and rolling, THEN it’s time to get into long-term preparedness. Don’t skip these steps and go straight to hoarding food buckets.
BONUS Move: Produce Your Own Food
On a previous version of this list I released last year, I put producing our own food as the top item. Those who have the means, the space, and the skills should have as big of a garden as they can grow. They should keep chickens and other livestock if possible.
The reason I moved this off this new list and included it as a “bonus” is because I was flooded with feedback about how most people simply can’t grow big gardens or raise chickens based on their circumstance. I get it as I’m not in a position to grow more than a few tomato plants. So I moved this down to a bonus rather than a general piece of advice.
With that said, this should be the top priority of those who DO have the means, the space, and the skills. No matter how big your food supply is, it won’t be perpetual. Producing your own food can be as close to perpetual as we can get in America. There are always risks and challenges, especially in a societal collapse scenario, but being able to sustain ourselves without society’s help is a worthy endeavor.
Hopefully, this can get more people heading in the right direction. We don’t know what’s coming, but we do know our trajectories as a nation and a planet are not good. Like the Boy Scouts used to say, “Be prepared.”
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
