Emergency Preparedness (year's supply of food, 72 hour kit)

Various Sources ^ | 9/15/2001

[Geezerette]

Thank you for bringing back all the Y2K prep ideas that many of our FReepers exchanged in 1998 and 1999!

I got my year's supply of Perma-Pak from Utah, and have it in a cool dry place! I don't regret investing the $$, and have a good feeling knowing it's there!

Love those Mormons!!

g

[Geezerette]

Hi, blam and Nita!

Thanks for the flag!!

Seems like the good ole days, doesn't it?! I will bookmark this thread.

g

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Join the SPAM Club Today!!!

The Monty Python Spam Sketch

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Nice to see you again!

At Jim Rob's request when they loaded up new software here a while back, I changed my screen name.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thanks for the info, Marvin.

Bump!

[gjenkins]

ping ... me

[Inge_CAV]

I was lurking here and read most all the Y2K prepardness threads. Preparations were simple and easy but most all items are gone now.

[Utah Girl]

Do you have any estimated costs of what the total monthly investment is to fund these purchases for General Storage and 72hr kit that you would be willing to share with us?

We should all think of it as self-insurance, instead of paying premiums we invest in a safety net of commodities and foods. Saved for a short winter storm that we hope never appears but we must prepared for...

I don't have any idea what a monthly list like this would cost. It totally depends upon the number of people in your family, and their ages (children eat less than teenagers, adults eat less than teenage boys.) And if you rotate through the food storage, you kind of save money by buying in bulk and when it is on sale. I know that a local grocery store here has a canned goods sale every July. So I save a couple of hundred dollars for July and buy a lot of canned goods. Then when I use a can of something, I just buy one can to replace it as I go along.

In the future I'm going to post some ideas on what to buy, how to store it, and some recipes. I have a friend who is rich and a gourment cook. You should see her food storage. ;-)

Personally what I would recommend is to perhaps get your 72 hour kit together first. A lot of the stuff is lying around the house, I didn't buy hardly anything new. I did buy a solar, battery operated radio from Radio Shack for ten dollars. Here is the total list in one spot. I probably spent under 25 dollars for my kit, but I am single without children. The most money was buying the stuff for the first aid kit. One extra thing I threw in the first aid kit is four sanitray napkins. They work really well for compressing against a bleeding wound that needs to be staunched. I also store my sleeping bag and blanket right next to the 72 hour kit. I still use the sleeping bag when I go camping, so I didn't buy another one.

This 72 hour kit should meet the needs of your family. Use ready to eat foods your family will eat and hobbies and entertainment your family likes to do. Include individual medication as required by your family members. Whatever container is used should be portable.

You should have:

Immediately available Battery powered radio Flashlight and extra batteries Emergency Needs Instruction Manuals on Emergency Preparedness Water storage Sleeping bags and blankets Sanitation Kit Plastic bucket with tight fitted lid Plastic bags and ties toilet paper disinfectant improvised toilet seat (for bucket) feminine hygiene needs paper towels soap paper cups paper plates plastic utensils can opener utility knife Stress Factors Children - coloring book, crayons Adults - books, needle work In the Car Standard First Aid Kit Blanket Flashlight and batteries Reflectors and flares Individual Medical Needs Suggested Additions Family Photographs Medical Information Sheet Insurance Information Identification for each Family Member Will or Trust Information (copies of each)

Food - Ready-to-eat Meats: canned Fruit Cocktail Peanut Butter Powdered Milk Infant Care: Canned milk and bottles Dried Fruit: (caution - drink plenty of water.) Raisins, prunes, fruit leather Crackers Stress Foods Sugar Cookies Sweetened Cereals Hard Candy Standard First Aid Kit First Aid manual Spirits of ammonia Scissors Table salt Baking soda Eye drops Safety pins Matches Adhesive or paper tape Bandages Telfa pads (4"x4") Triangle Bandage (37"x37"x37") Roll of Gauze Elastic Bandage Splints Popsicle sticks shingles or thin board 40 page newspaper or magazines Heavy String At least one change of clothing for everyone including shoes

I've also thrown in a sweatshirt with a hood, an inflatable pillow, my scriptures (Bible, Book of Mormon)

[Utah Girl]

It is really hard when you live check from check to do this. I know when I started my food storage, I was living from check to check. I started small, I would buy two cans of tuna, instead of just one when I went grocery shopping. When toilet paper went on sale, I'd buy three packages, and store two. Things like that. Whenever I got a bonus (which was very rare back then), I'd take half the money and buy food storage stuff. I think the most expensive thing was the medications. I have arthritis, and that stuff is expensive. And I think it was almost a change in attitude too as much as anything else. Here's a link to a site that has a list for weekly shopping, it is much less expensive.

Weekly Food Shopping list

Oooh, and here is a really good list on Food Storage for five dollars a week. Wow, this is wonderful. Here is the suggestion.

Food Storage on Five Dollars a Week  

Week 1: 6 lbs. salt  
Week 2: 5 cans cream of chicken soup  
Week 3: 20 lbs. of sugar  
Week 4: 8 cans tomato soup  
Week 5: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 6: 6 lbs. macaroni  
Week 7: 20 lbs. sugar  
Week 8: 8 cans tuna  
Week 9: 6 lbs. yeast  
Week 10: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 11: 8 cans tomato soup  
Week 12: 20 lbs. sugar  
Week 13: 10 lbs. powdered milk  
Week 14: 7 boxes macaroni and cheese  
Week 15: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 16: 5 cans cream of chicken soup  
Week 17: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins  
Week 18: 10 lbs. powdered milk  
Week 19: 5 cans cream mushroom soup  
Week 20: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 21: 8 cans tomato soup  
Week 22: 20 lbs. sugar  
Week 23: 8 cans tuna  
Week 24: 6 lbs. shortening  
Week 25: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 26: 5 lbs. honey  
Week 27: 10 lbs. powdered milk  
Week 28: 20 lbs. sugar  
Week 29: 5 lbs. peanut butter  
Week 30: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 31: 7 boxes macaroni and cheese  
Week 32: 10 lbs. powdered milk  
Week 33: 1 bottle 500 aspirin  
Week 34: 5 cans cream of chicken soup  
Week 35: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 36: 7 boxes macaroni and cheese  
Week 37: 6 lbs. salt  
Week 38: 20 lbs. sugar  
Week 39: 8 cans tomato soup  
Week 40: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 41: 5 cans cream chicken soup  
Week 42: 20 lbs. sugar  
Week 43: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins  
Week 44: 8 cans tuna  
Week 45: 50 lbs. wheat  
Week 46: 6 lbs. macaroni  
Week 47: 20 lbs. sugar  
Week 48: 5 cans cream mushroom soup  
Week 49: 5 lbs. honey  
Week 50: 20 lbs. sugar  
Week 51: 8 cans tomato soup  
Week 52: 50 lbs. wheat  

Some weeks you will have leftover change. Save the change each week in a  
kitty to be used for the weeks you may exceed $5.00 (for example, as when  
purchasing wheat or milk). You will end up with:  
500 pounds of wheat  
180 pounds of sugar  
40 pounds of powdered milk  
12 pounds of salt  
10 pounds of honey  
5 pounds peanut butter  
45 cans of tomato soup  
15 cans of cream of mushroom soup  
15 cans of cream of chicken soup  
24 cans of tuna  
21 boxes of macaroni and cheese  
500 aspirin  
1000 multi-vitamins  
6 pounds of yeast  
6 pounds of shortening  
12 pounds of macaroni  

This should be enough to sustain two people for one year. For every two  
people in your family, add $5.00 more and double or triple the amount of  
the item you are buying for that week.  

[Inge_CAV]

Thanks Utah Girl BTTT

[carenot]

Thank you!

[MHGinTN]

(((PING))))

[Bassam_Abu_Sharif]

Don't forget this most important item...

Storage Goal:
50 cans of soup, stew or chili per person
5 pounds of salt per person
20 pounds fat, oil or shortening per person
aluminum foil, plastic wrap, storage bags, etc.
At least 5 gallons water per person--recommended is 14
gallons / person for 2 weeks

[Utah Girl]

LOL!!!

[carenot]

Tell us what to do with the wheat.

[Utah Girl]

I think in the first month it says to buy a hand grain mill. I have one of those, also an electric mill. I grind it for flour, and make bread out of it. I also store flour (white) to lighten the bread up. 100% whole wheat bread is just too heavy. Plus cracking the wheat is a good idea. You soak it in water, and then you can cook it for cereal for breakfast. I've also thrown in the cracked wheat into chili and soups. I'll post some recipes tomorrow and ping you.

[carenot]

Thanks.

[SWake]

I do wonder though how many live from check to check though.

One thing to do is to buddy up with someone who has a fairly good storage routine already established. First off, they already have the habit of looking through the paper for sales on storable foods. Second, they can help jump start your storage by giving or selling you their older supplies as they rotate them out (hopefully before the expiration date, but you get the idea).

Personally, my rotated stock goes to a private school on the Navajo reservation and/or the food bank at the end of my block.

[SWake]

Tell us what to do with the wheat.

Aside from grinding for flour, you can boil it like rice and eat with a little butter, sugar, and milk. I sometimes throw a couple of tablespoons of wheat berries (whole wheat grains) into each cup of rice I cook to give it a little different flavor and texture.