New to Prepping, where is the best deal on bulk long term food?

[BearAspen]

Hello, I am new to prepping and feel with the country the way it is I can't get started soon enough. I have a budget of about $500 to get started and would like to get the best bang for my buck. I am looking for at leat a 6 month supply of food for one person, with at least a shelf life of 7 yrs (25 would be even better). I feel lost searching varieties on the web and the stuff seems so darn expensive I don't want to get a raw deal(no pun intented) or just a crap brand that doesn't live up to expectations or their claims. I was hoping you guys would have the inside track on where the good deals are and offer me some solid advice.

Thanks and God bless.

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[Sun195]

You might get a copy of Passport to Survival and stockpile wheat, honey, dried milk and salt. I'm not sure if there are many ready-made options available in your budget & length of time.

 

[darkminstrel]

My opinion is to not buy pre-made meals of any sort. We stock bulk items; flour, beans, dehydrated items, etc. There is some MRE food and cans, but most of what we have is dry and stable. With $500 you can get quite a bit if you're frugal. What is your storage system going to be like? That'll cut into your budget more than the food will.

 

[Kaltbluter]

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/forum/preparedness-survival/28937-best-cheapest-places-pdx-bulk-food.html

 

[Bazooka Joe]

Here is a link to a <broken link removed> for $699.95. It's more than your budget, but take a look at what it contains and it can help you with your purchases. You can often buy some of the bulk foods cheaper from a local vendor like Costco, or other bulk-buy stores.

 

[Riot]

Order a catelog from <broken link removed> (the mormons). It's free and the cheapest food sources I can find. A case of 6 #10 cans of whatever (wheat/beans/rice) is only about $40 each!!!

 

[Decker]

One thing to consider it getting a good stock of canned food too. Its usually pretty inexpensive and anything in cans will have water already so it will take a lot less to get it cooked. Long term you'll want some bulk food but having a good canned food rotation system and stocking up a few months of food can be done pretty easily.

-d

 

[The Cheese]

Order a catelog from <broken link removed> (the mormons). It's free and the cheapest food sources I can find. A case of 6 #10 cans of whatever (wheat/beans/rice) is only about $40 each!!!

This! Except they only have very limited things that are pre-packed. If you go and DIY you get a lot more selection and you can buy odd quantities of cans. But you have to can it yourself so there is a bit of work involved, but its not a bad thing imo. Plus the savings are pretty substantial on some stuff.

The LDS church has the cheapest prices on most things. $500 will get a you a loooong ways there. Personally I would spend around half or so there, and either spend the rest there at a later date, or expand your food storage by getting some stuff from Honeyville Grain. Between those 2 places you can get pretty well set up. I would steer you away from the BePrepared stuff. While it may seem like a good deal, if you aren't eating the stuff in the kit or don't know how to cook it it will do you no good. Also, if you don't already eat a lot of those things and you have to tap into it (which you should be usign up your supply and refilling it as needed) you can really screw with your digestive system. My wife and I are on the Preparedness committee at our ward (LDS) so if you need any help or ideas lemme know. It may seem a little daunting at first, but once you get going its not hard its turns into a way of life.

 

[EZLivin]

One thing to consider it getting a good stock of canned food too. Its usually pretty inexpensive and anything in cans will have water already so it will take a lot less to get it cooked. Long term you'll want some bulk food but having a good canned food rotation system and stocking up a few months of food can be done pretty easily.

-d

+1

That is what we do. We buy canned in cases when they are on sale, and supplement it with bulk wheat, rice, beans, canned meats, cooking oil, sugar, salt, spices, vitamins, and sprouting seeds. We don't spend too much on the expensive storage foods, but do buy some storage dairy products such as Dried Dairy Combo .

 

[Wenis]

I would make sure your store bought can rotation is solid, because that is what you're rotating and that's what you should be eating first because it will go bad first.

Next I would focus on wheat, grains and beans. Things that you can seal in mylar lined buckets with 02 absorbers. You can parallel these dry items with #10 cans from the LDS canneries that are open to the public.

And lastly, freeze-dried food, which lasts 25-30 in #10 cans, but is the most expensive. There is a sale that ends tomorrow (Sunday) through costco that is the cheapest I've seen on #10 cans. I just ordered this 18 can set today at $280 shipped.

Also on sale through Costco until tomorrow is the Thrive 1-year #10 can set for 1 person that is $200 off. That's selling for $799.

 

[BearAspen]

Thanks for the good advice everyone. Yeah, I want to get in a good habit of rotation and make it more of a way of life, but just will not feel comfortable until I at least get a good supply of long lasting food (even if it is only a few months worth) stocked up as quickly as possible. It is funny that I have this gut feeling that I am going to need it soon but can't get past the mental hurdle of buing anything that has to be replaced under a couple years. lol

I will definitely check out the nearest LDS and probably buy some mountain house for piece of mind. I went out and bought some bulk rice, flour, etc. from Costco as a start... OF COURSE I didnt get on the computer and read about the online sales till today! keep me posted if anyone sees any more deals out there!

Thanks again.

 

[Decker]

Thanks for the good advice everyone. Yeah, I want to get in a good habit of rotation and make it more of a way of life, but just will not feel comfortable until I at least get a good supply of long lasting food (even if it is only a few months worth) stocked up as quickly as possible. It is funny that I have this gut feeling that I am going to need it soon but can't get past the mental hurdle of buing anything that has to be replaced under a couple years. lol


Thanks again.

I know that feeling and I think most of us here do... and a lot of others will probably be coming around sooner then later

-d

 

[Decidion]

+3 on the LDS cannery, although they have a limited selection on items. We also stock up on everyday canned goods at Costco. But for the long term grains and beans we buy from

Azure Standard - Quality Bulk & Natural Foods

And package it up in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers in 5 gallon buckets. Done this way, the food will last for a good 25-30 years. 50 lb of wheat berries will cost about $20, well worth the price. You will need to get a good wheat grinder though if you want to turn it into flour.

Interestingly enough, Costco white rice is the least expensive rice we have found. A 25lb bag is $7.79 at today's prices.

Last, don't forget about sugar, salt and other spices. 25 lb of sugar was about $15 and 25 lb of salt was about $8 at Costco.