# Help a new guy



## walter (Jun 5, 2013)

I found this place a few days ago and have been reading a bit. A little background, I live in East Texas near the little town of Milam. I live on a little place in the country that used to be a farm. I am 67 and retired and in good health. This place is about 10 acres with well and septic tank. It has a spring behind the house that runs year round. Because we live so far from town we generally have about 30 days of food on hand except perishables. I am probably better off than most without doing anything. I don't think I have major security concerns. I am on a highway but it isn't on the way to anything. We did see some refugees during Katrina.

As a first step I think I want to up my food stores to 90 days. I'm on a fixed income so cost is a factor. What would you recommend. I noticed the Mormon stuff but there are no Mormons around here that I know of.


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## sgtrunningfool (Dec 8, 2012)

I would suggest reading to LDS (Mormon) prepping stuff it is helpful but take it along with everything with a grain a salt. I am on a fixed income as well and the way we started building food stores was to start picking up a couple extras of the items we wanted at each paycheck and over time we got our supplies up. Also look for coupons and deals which help. 
I also started a garden and started learning to can. In east Texas you could grow most essentials and do it a large part of the year, even in the winter with a cold frame and/or greenhouse.


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## 8thDayStranger (Jan 30, 2013)

Yep. What the Sarge said. I am just getting started myself. We are depending on our garden to boost up most of our food stores this year. The misses coupons so whatever we can pick up from that helps too. A few costly repairs have set back our buying considerably but next month or so we should be able to get back on track adding stuff pretty much every week. Prepping on a budget is harder but it's doable if you think smart about it. Read around on here and you'll get some great ideas. Best of luck to ya


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Suggestions*

1. I saw this video and wanted to let you know that this is not the first time someone has posted a video about a major mistake in food storage--inadequate storage containers. Protect your food.






This shows why good containers are very important.

2. If you can purchase from a Costco or Sam's Club, you can get a good jump on your food storage. Costco has 25# of rice for 9.99, and 50# of the same rice for a little less than twice that. Pinto beans in 25# are less than $20.00, closer to $16 or there abouts. I haven't looked at any lately because I have a good amount of them and I am focusing on some other items now.

3. Google food storage. Read preparedness blogs. Watch the endless youtube videos for ideas and education. There are many talented, hard working, educated people who are sharing their knowledge for anyone who is interested and willing to learn from them.

4. Visit this forum and others frequently. We all have made mistakes. Some of us have some foolish ideas (I am talking about myself). Read, learn and grow.


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## rawhide2971 (Apr 19, 2013)

All of the above is good advise and don't forget to check out youtube. Some of the stuff on there is, well to be blunt junk, but there are some good people sharing good data, one guy I think a lot of is Technician775, he has some good solid advise and I have learned a lot from him. I use the LDS site a good bit myself but I am nto a big fan of the stuff from some of the big box stores that are advertised as Month or 3 month or more storage in a bucket. I think getting more specific items from the suppliers are better....by that I mean, specific vegies or meats...most (Sams, BJS, COSTCOS will have the emergency foods broken down by the case as meats, or meats substitues and vegies etc. powered milk, fruits, etc. it just depends on what you and your family might want to store and eat. Best advise I have picked up is store what you eat. If yoru truly on a budget then look at canned food and just pick up a couple of cans a week extra, dont try to do it all at once, seems to me that if you have your water secured your way ahead of most people because thats a high priority for most of us. Also, everyones situation is different, your unique location is much more different than mine or others located in different parts of the country. By the way a good vacumn sealer is always a good investment. Good luck, have fun and keep an open mind.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Do you have stuff you could sell? Like an extra vehicle? It would be great if you had an extra $1000 to spend on food. I believe we spent about $4000 for one year's worth of food for 4 people.

I don't know how much time we have left before the dollar collapses. If I didn't have all I needed I'd want to get it all as soon as possible.

For meals I tried to buy a lot of the stuff we already eat. I bought 300 cans of Campbell's Soup of various kinds. For breakfast we bought dry cereals and oatmeal. We plan on eating Dinty Moore Beef Stew once a week. We're going to make chili using canned chicken from Wal-Mart instead of hamburger. Same with Hamburger Helper Spaghetti. We bought 50 one-pound hams, plus a lot of canned vegetables, baked beans, canned fruit, rice, and gravy. We plan on having one meal a week of a chicken casserole that my wife makes. We plan on having two meals a week of baked beans, rice, a canned vegetable, and a canned fruit.

I hear a lot about people buying a hundred pounds of dried beans and a hundred pounds of rice but I don't know how people would be able to eat that stuff every day.


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

Walter - welcome to the site... I would take a good look at the finances and see where a little trimming can be done first, second coupons, BoGo deals, and other specials are a good place to start. Your wanting to go from 30-90 days, which is 60 days total and i am going to assume you are speaking for two people - you and a significant other, so actually 120 days.

Let's just say for breakfast you eat cream of wheat - a box has 24 servings so that is 12 days supply, you would need about 8 boxes to go over the goal. Box costs $2.71 plus tax.

So your looking at $22. Plus tax to get you to your 90 days goal... You could split up breakfast into dry cereal as well for variety, and still be around $25 dollars total.

Lunch - my plan is a mix of soups, and what I call meal kits - like dinty moore single serve ready to go meals and such, they are around $2.50 a meal... And soups are $1.25 here in GA... So your average lunch should cost around $3.75 so your looking at $225 to get the lunches up to speed. Dinner - man that is wide open... But I figure we will do a lot like BillS, so I am guessing around $12 per meal... But it might be lower - it just depends. So your looking at $720 or so for dinners... 

One thing, buy on sale, buy generic brands, buy one extra every time, if you can afford to.

Plant a garden also would help too... Cause if you think SHTF is possible what happens after day 90?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Here are the sites I recommend to anyone wanting to increase their stores.

Prepared LDS Family
This blog has great monthly check lists that can help you build your stores at a manageable rate without breaking the bank. I use the check lists and find it helps when you don't have to think too hard about what to buy. Of course I change a few items on the list because my family's eating habits are different.

Stockupfood.com
This is a neat food storage calculator that can help you meet a goal fast. Of course the basic service is free and doesn't cover all areas of food storage but it helps if you need a confidence boost when you feel things are going slow.

My rule of thumb when money can get tight is "*Use one, Replace with two.*" Your stores will build fast with this one and can allow you to shop for deals.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

walter said:


> I found this place a few days ago and have been reading a bit. A little background, I live in East Texas near the little town of Milam. I live on a little place in the country that used to be a farm. I am 67 and retired and in good health. This place is about 10 acres with well and septic tank. It has a spring behind the house that runs year round. Because we live so far from town we generally have about 30 days of food on hand except perishables. I am probably better off than most without doing anything. I don't think I have major security concerns. I am on a highway but it isn't on the way to anything. We did see some refugees during Katrina.
> 
> As a first step I think I want to up my food stores to 90 days. I'm on a fixed income so cost is a factor. What would you recommend. I noticed the Mormon stuff but there are no Mormons around here that I know of.


Howdy.
PM me, I do free consultations and I prep for cheap.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

BillS said:


> I hear a lot about people buying a hundred pounds of dried beans and a hundred pounds of rice but I don't know how people would be able to eat that stuff every day.


BillS, I think it is about life style and how your family eats. Many families will be in a world of hurt if they can't get their daily take-out or pre-packaged and processed foods. I eat many of them currently because they are convenient and I like them.

There is a saying of "Store what you eat and eat what you store." I don't eat a lot of rice and beans, but in a SHTF situation, I would rather have something like this that can be augmented with whatever else is available. I have cooked and eaten lots of beans and rice in my life and like how versatile they are.

In many countries, rice and beans are the main foods and are served at almost every meal. Go to an Asian restaurant and you know what I mean. Go to a Mexican restaurant and rice and beans are classic sides. I store rice and beans because I can open a can of soup and add some rice and have more calories and more food for a cheaper price and longer shelf life. Find some greens and cook them up and have them over your rice. I could go on for a long time.

I had a professor from Sri Lanka who said that they had a pot that was kept and made for needy people, the hungry people on the street. Since rice is a mainstay in that country, it always began with rice, just as their family's meal began.

A cousin has a husband from the Phillipines. Rice was the main part of the meal and every person got a small piece of meat and vegetables in a sauce to eat with their rice.

Rice and beans are as boring and limiting as your imagination. I do not plan on living on beans and rice and wheat and oatmeal. But there are many possibilities with them, including, not starving! Add some sauces, spices and variations and you can change it up for a long time. If you think of food from around the world and tried to eat from each country, you could try recipes from more than 180 countries. I know families who do this to keep the menus fresh and interesting. How many countries eat rice everyday? Lots!

Also, some people really do not cook. They open containers and heat the contents. Having a way of cooking can make a huge difference in prepping. Imagine not leaving the house day after day, as may be the situation, and what will you do? If you have a decent cooking situation, you can cook!


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

I bought 90 days of food for 2 for about a hundred bucks or so if I remember correctly a five gallon bucket each of rice, pinto beans, flour, oats, sugar and lard.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

BillS said:


> Do you have stuff you could sell? Like an extra vehicle? It would be great if you had an extra $1000 to spend on food. I believe we spent about $4000 for one year's worth of food for 4 people.
> 
> I don't know how much time we have left before the dollar collapses. If I didn't have all I needed I'd want to get it all as soon as possible.
> 
> ...


Hello Walter and welcome. You are going to get a lot of good advice. Some of it will even be good for you. Some people like cars, some people like trucks, right now an SUV suits my needs. I may get a truck in the future. My point is, use that information that best suits you and put the rest on a back shelf in case your situation or opinions change. Do you know how to can?

Bill, I'd like to talk a bit about why I store beans and rice. First of all I like beans and I like rice. They will store for a long time and they are cheap, especially when purchased in the 25# or 50# bags. The dry beans can be cooked and canned plain, then used to flavor and bulk up a meal. I bought the 1# canned hams also. Mostly I keep ham for my white beans. A can of ham and four or five pounds of beans, a few odds and ends, and I have several meals. Any beans I don't want to eat right away can be frozen or canned. A few jars of kidney or black beans bulk up a chile quite nicely. I make my own refries so I keep pinto beans. OMG, if you can these do not overfill the jars, what a mess.:rofl: If you add a grain like rice, corn, or wheat to the meal you have a whole protein. A pan of cornbread with my beans and ham is a fine meal in my book.

I use rice in casseroles, soups, oriental meals, etc. If I am making stroganoff or other dish with a gravy I will probably use noodles to serve it on but rice is often my choice as are potatoes. Along with the rice and three or four kinds of beans I also keep pasta, potatoes, lentils, and barley. Along with these I keep plenty of spices so I can make a variety of menus.

As far as eating beans and rice every day, that is not the plan. The plan is to eat as closely as I do now for as long as possible.

Walter, it seems to me that you are in wild pig country. I assume you have a rifle and know how to use it. Your pork and venison will freeze and can quite nicely. I have corned and canned caribou and moose, venison should do well corned also.

Along with Sarge and others I recommend the LDS Preparedness Manual. As you can tell Bill and I eat differently, you do as well. While the LDS Preparedness Manual has an excellent food list use it as a guide not the Holy Grail. Store what you eat, eat what you store.


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## Reblazed (Nov 11, 2010)

I'm fairly equal to you age wise and prepping for 2 on a limited budget also ... and have found my two best friends for food prepping are my vacuum sealer and my canner. I also found that buying 'premixed' foods to start with sometimes makes more sense for smaller families. Things like "Pasta Sides" and "Rice Sides" even Ramen Noodles already have spices and sauces mixed in, you can add meat &/or veggies to them for even more variety and they are cheap. You don't have to worry about what to do with that 50# of rice until you are at the 60 - 90 day point you're comfortable with and want to increase your storage level to a year or two. Anytime I find something we eat on a good sale I buy at least double what I normally would, vac seal it and store it in a separate plastic bucket or tub ... you'd be surprised how quickly you accumulate the 'extras'. As for the pressure canner I've mostly been using it for meat in half pint jars. Equals about half pound of meat which I think is about right for the two of us right now. These are just thoughts I wanted to share.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

I found this list; can't remember where--but I do have all these, except wheat:
10 foods to store FIRST:
wheat- salt- beans- tomatoes- produce- oil- pasta- peanut butter- dried milk- rice 
added update=chocolate, sugar, honey. I have chocolate in powder form, white, brown, and powdered sugar in buckets, Amish honey :2thumb:

I have buckets of pancake mix and canned my own maple syrup. Yep--it has corn syrup in it, but if I'm hungry, won't care.
At my house, macaroni/pasta and a can of tomatoes goes a long way--cost for two? 60 cents.
I have a wonderful husband that will eat anything I place on the table if it has cornbread with it.
Powdered buttermilk, cornmeal, and powdered eggs are in my stores!!

There is not ONE item in my storage I don't eat regularly. I just bought a case of them instead of one. It adds up fast.
For instance, I have tons of store-bought chicken noodle soup--BUT, I also have chicken bouillons, canned chicken, and spaghetti pasta/noodles to make my own....healthier, can feed two or three instead of one like a can would do.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Ifin yall can, find yerself a vac sealer.

Fer food stuffs, canned goods, canned goods an canned goods. Shop the sales. Store what ya eat, eat what ya store.

Beans, rice, an dry goods. Boxed goods like taters an such. These can be vac sealed fer longer term storage.

Sugar, keeps fer ever. I vac seal mine. Flour keeps fer bout 3 years, longer ifin ya vac seal it. I always get mine when it be on sale.

Got a dollar store round ya? I get stuff there to. Seasonins what get vac bagged an specials on canned an boxed goods.

Get ya some them drink mix's what come in the little pouch's. Vac seal em. Good fer a real long time. Like coffee? I store instant coffee (I get a no name brand at wally world fer a buck a jar) an vac seal it. Also get a cheap creamer there to. I've drank both. Okay, it ain't folgers, but it'll taste real good ifin I wan't a hot cup a joe in a disaster.

Learn ta can ifin ya don't already. Ya can save a fair amounta money on meat by cannin yer own. Hot dogs be cheap an can well. 

That'll get ya a start. Ask questions. Lots a good folk on here what be willin ta share.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

These guys all know what their talking about. 
Sometimes when I shop I buy new things to try if I see they have an extended expiration date(and it is cheap!). I try it and if its something I would eat again I buy several on my next trip to the store. I have found many cheap items that keep a long time(a year or so) that taste fine. I'm a very frugal guy. Just up your food purchases a little at a time and try some inexpensive items.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

A lot depends on what you already know, such as home canning, gardening, butchering, raising farm animals, firewood for heat, carpentry skills, and so on. By the time you follow all the advice given in this thread, you will be well on your way. 

My tidbit is to BUY USED, everything you can to stretch your budget. Clothing, shoes, household needs can be gotten cheap at Goodwill and Salvation Army stores. I shop junk uards regularly for tools, scrap steel, and who knows what. I have found such things as steel fence posts, barbed wire, shovels, chicken feeders, a wheel barrow, mechanic's tools and a stainless steel kitchen sink, all for a bit over scrap metal price.


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## cazetofamo (Mar 18, 2012)

Has anyone else noticed the sudden boom in newcomers?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

cazetofamo said:


> Has anyone else noticed the sudden boom in newcomers?


It seems to happen every so often. Not sure if it is connected to something in the news or the on set of something else.

But really, how many of the new members stay active in the forum after a few weeks let alone days!?


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Grimm, good question*

And equally as important, how many stay active as preppers.

I was running errands today, and some of those included fulfilling some of my current prep goals. While I was driving, I was thinking about goals and how we set our goals based on our beliefs of what could happen and maybe what others are telling us.

There are the people who are prepared (maybe) for natural disasters such as hurricanes or fire evacuation. They think 2 weeks worth of food and water is good.

There are the people who have heard that they should be prepared for something but are not really that into it. They may have a month or two of food and water. And they think they are good.

There are the people who have 3 months of canned and other heat and eat food. They think they are really in good shape.

There are the people who have a years worth of food and think if a year runs out they will raise their own food.

There are the people who are past a years worth of food and who think they will never have enough. They probably have rice, wheat, beans, powdered milk and other long term foods. They are always canning, dehydrating, gardening, and storing something like good squirrels getting ready for a very long winter or two or three or more.

There are the people who believe that 7 years worth of food is what the bible tells them to store and that is their goal.

I am just talking about food mainly here, but there are plenty of other preps to come along with the food: water, shelter, fuel, light, heat, defense, medicines, and more.

I'll bet there are a very few people who have more than 7 years worth of food and preps.

So Grimm, the interest in this forum as with all other things prepping is really based on level of concern and interest IMHO.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

Welcome Walt! For food I have rice, beans and whole wheat berries sealed and stored up. Not crazy exciting but beats going hungry. Add to that lots of seasonings because bland food is terrible! Like a prior poster said, hunting and keeping small animals will keep you fed nicely also. Add in a garden (even dandelions make great salad!) for greens to keep you healthy and you can remain self sufficient for quite some time.


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## tleeh1 (Mar 13, 2013)

Welcome, Walt! You'll find a lot of great ideas here. 

First off, make a list for three months to see what you use. Include everything you use -- food, cleaning and hygiene products, paper goods, etc. I use a marker to indicate on a jar or package what date I opened it, and keep a list in the pantry so I can tell how quickly I use it up. Once you get an idea, start picking up one or two extra "whatever" each time you go shopping. You'll be surprised how quickly things build up.

I also recommend a dehydrator. You'd be surprised how easy it is to dry all kinds of things and how much less space it will take up -- plus no refrigeration means you won't loose something when the power goes out. 

I second the vacuum sealer. I use my all the time. Be sure to get the canning jar sealer attachments, too. You can store some great 'stuff' in the jars -- dehydrated or otherwise. It's also a great way to re-use those canning lids (you don't have to use new lids every time you seal/re-seal a jar.) If you encounter trouble sealing a jar, just stick a 2nd lid on top of the jar, pop on the attachment, and that problem if solved. I also suggest getting a brake-bleeder hand pump so you'll still be able vacuum seal when the power goes out. Got mine at Harbor Freight for about $20 (get the brass one, not the all plastic one), and it works like a charm.

Finally, visit this forum often for new ideas about just about everything. I often find that as I grow as a prepper, I need more skills, advice, or suggestions and this is a great place to discover just about anything I'm looking for.


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