When you think about stockpiling food the first thing that comes to mind is spending a lot of money. Most people who are living on a budget think they cannot afford to stockpile survival food. However if you live in an area where severe weather conditions can keep you homebound or other natural disasters tend to strike the area where you live, it is a good idea to always have food on hand that will last you for a while.
Okay, so it is important to stockpile food but how do you accomplish this on a tight budget? Here are a few tips that will help you learn how to stock your pantry regardless of your budget:
1Length of Time and Food Supplies
Typically you should have enough food to last two months for each member of your family. You can stockpile with foods that do not require refrigeration and are good for your health. These are basic foods that you can store in the pantry and consist of grains and healthy canned goods.
2Buy Only Foods You Eat
Take note of all the different types of foods you and your family eat and then stick to stockpiling only those foods. If you buy foods just because they are on sale you are wasting money because the food will likely just sit there because nobody likes it. Your money is better spent on foods that you and your family will eat.
3Get in the Habit of Browsing Sales and Finding Coupons
Start being on the lookout for sales and coupons for foods your family eats. When you find a great deal on foods you know you will use buy a lot of them to store in your pantry. If you do this gradually, over the long term you will save a lot of money when you add up the regular cost of the food.
Before you shop in a bulk food store make sure you know exactly what you and your family will use and then buy those items only. If you stockpile with food that was on sale but you never use, you will end up wasting a lot of money. On the other hand, when you use bulk food stores to stockpile what you and your family will eat it really pays off in the long run.
4Shop in Bulk Food Stores
Bulk food stores such as Sam’s Club or Costco can drain your budget or they can enhance your budget depending upon your spending habits. If you know what to buy and what not to buy in a bulk food store you can end up saving a lot of money while stockpiling survival food.
5Add an Item on Each Trip
When you are on a budget you can set small goals to stockpile food. Every time you go grocery shopping choose an item to stockpile. If it is an item on sale this is even better. If you choose an item for each shopping trip, you will be surprised at how fast your stockpile grows. This may sound simple but that’s because it is and it works.
6Shelf Life
Choose items that have a shelf life of at least one year and are not rich in fats that are bad for your health. For example, if you buy canned goods that contain beef, chicken, ham, or pork these items will be very high in saturated fats. On the other hand, if you buy canned goods such as tuna, sardines, salmon, certain nuts and seeds, and beans, these are all foods that contain fats that enhance your health and will have a relatively long shelf life.
7What About Protein?
Protein is the biggest concern when you are stockpiling foods since most protein foods such as cheese, meats, poultry, and other regular protein sources require refrigeration. You can maintain protein sources by stockpiling on nuts, canned fish as mentioned above, peanut butter, soybean oil, non-fat dry milk, and beans. Avoid buying the cheapest items if you and your family will not eat them. This is a true waste of your budget resources and the ingredients may also be bad for your health. Instead look for sales on the better quality items that your family eats and then stockpile those items.
8Stock Up on Dry Foods
In addition to canned goods, stock up on dried foods such as legumes, whole grains, rice, dried fruit, tea, coffee, nuts, and seeds. Whole grains can be used to make hot cereal, breads, and hot meals when mixed with beans. You can also buy spices in bulk to jazz up the food if you are homebound for any reason. Make sure you rotate these items on a first-in and first-out basis so none of the foods reach their expiration date.
9Drugstore Items
Make sure you have items on hand in the event of illness. If you check the ingredients on drugstore items such as cold medicine, vitamins, and other products you may use during illness, you will find that the generic brands sometimes contain the exact same ingredients as the well known brand except with the lower price tag.
