Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 15, 2019

1

The Ides of March: I just got word of a massacre in New Zealand, by a self-described “Eco-Fascist”. This was a horrendous and reprehensible act. It will surely provoke more civilian disarmament legislation, throughout the English-speaking world. And there will also surely be a spike in demand, shortages, and higher prices for semi-auto rifles and full capacity magazines.

—

This is the birthday of General and President Andrew Jackson, in 1767. He was the 7th President of the United States (1829-1837.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 81 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 81 ends on March 28th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Using Mesh Networking, by Aden Tate

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Editor’s Introductory Note:  The following primer introduces mesh networking.  As a survivalist, I see the biggest limitations of present-day mesh networks are that: A.) Most are urban, and B.) Most are dependent on  the continuity of grid power.  But one implementation of mesh networking that overcomes both of those limitations is sold under the trade name GoTenna. A competing brand is called Radacat. Either of these will enable your existing Android or iOS phones to become Mesh devices that will continue to work in text mode even if the power grid and cellular networks go down. They both also have GPS capability. They need to be used in at least pairs. At under $160 per pair, that is a viable option for fairly secure communications at a group retreat or for comms between nearby rural neighbors. If you have teenage kids that are heavily smartphone and text dependent, then I recommend that you get them these. This way, they can at least keep in touch with their neighbor friends. That may help keep them sane, sensible, and productively coordinating local security, in the midst of TEOTWAWKI.

The historical photo that I chose for the top of this article (just for fun) is of the Newark, New Jersey Police Department, demonstrating a two-way UHF radio, back in the 1940s. I suppose we should call them Early Adopters.

—

I recently finished reading Matthew Mather’s novel Cyber Storm, which I found to be incredibly well-woven, and appreciated just how tangible Mather’s makes living in a world post-cyberattack without any power. Throughout the story, Mather’s characters make extensive use of a technology called mesh networking. I’d never heard of this term before. I found it fascinating, and began to delve deeper into the research behind “meshnets” to figure out just how they worked, and what benefits and services they could provide in a post-disaster situation.

Continue reading“Using Mesh Networking, by Aden Tate”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on Tungsten. (See both the Commodities and Tangibles Investing sections.)

Precious Metals:

Arkadiusz Sieroń: Palladium Price Hits Record High. JWR’s Comments: I’ve been mentioning the platinum group metals off and on in SurvivalBlog since 2007. One mention of palladium in the blog was back in February of 2009, when palladium contracts were just $219 an ounce, and meanwhile platinum was at $1,091 an ounce!  My current advice is to avoid getting sucked into the current hype about palladium. Don’t buy at the top. Platinum–which is presently priced below gold–is the real bargain, and far more likely to double in the next few years.

 

Economy & Finance:

At the great Zero Hedge site: NYC Dangerously Close To Bankruptcy, Experts Warn. Here is a quote:

“Financial analysts warn tax burdened businesses and individuals would flee in droves, and public spending would have to surge to record levels, which would set off a fiscal nuclear bomb.

Long-term debt is about $81,100 per household, and Mayor de Blasio will spend as much as $3 billion more in the new budget for a total of $89.2 billion.

Analysts said Mayor de Blasio had detailed $750 million in savings for the preliminary fiscal 2020 budget, but that amount won’t be enough to create a soft bottom during the next recession. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s preliminary budget has $600 million in cuts for the city in 2020.

Spending is up 32% since Mayor de Blasio took office, the analysts told the Post that more spending cuts would be needed to get the fiscal house in order to avert bankruptcy during the next recession.

NYC’s long-term pension obligations have also expanded to levels that may not be manageable.

New York state is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the highest taxes, and the top 1% of NYC earners pay some 50% of income tax revenue, per the Post. If businesses and people continue to flee to lower tax states while spending continues to rise, it could lead to financial hardships for the city, analysts warn.”

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” – Amelia Earhart

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 14, 2019

This is the birthday of fighter ace Major Raoul Lufbery (born 1885). He was shot down and killed in 1918.

This is also the birthday of Marlin Perkins. He is most remembered as the host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. He was born in 1905.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 81 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 81 ends on March 28th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Food and Sundries Storage – Pt. 3, by Pete Thorsen

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(Note: This is the third and concluding part of this article.)

Garden seeds should be included in your preparations. So in theory, unless you live in an apartment you can then grow at least some of your own food, in desperate times. Garden seeds are very inexpensive and take up very little storage space. And if you select non-hybrid (“heirloom”) seeds then you can harvest the seeds from so you have some to plant the next year again. At a dollar store, you can often buy four packages of seeds for a dollar.

Growing a large garden takes a lot of work, a lot of water, and some amount of knowledge and skill. Once you try growing your own food, you will no longer call anyone ‘dumb farmers’ ever again. Obviously, some things will be easier to grow than others and some things you will not eat. If the only thing out of a garden that you would consider eating is some watermelon, then don’t bother buying any turnip seeds.

Some things like potatoes you grow from the potato itself. You cut them up, and you can get three or four or more new plants from just one potato. A single potato plant may produce a dozen or more large tasty potatoes.

A garden can be any size from one square foot to a hundred acres. You can even have a hanging garden to save space. You can grow many things in pots. Many people now often grow some herbs in their homes in simple flower pots to have a fresh supply. Growing things inside your house or apartment in pots keeps it safe from animals and from raiding by pesky humans.

Continue reading“Food and Sundries Storage – Pt. 3, by Pete Thorsen”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”.  Today, we focus on gun ownership in California.

The Murderous Malware of the Middle East

Reader “F.” forwarded us this from MIT Technology Review: Triton is the world’s most murderous malware, and it’s spreading. Here is the article’s teaser:  “The rogue code can disable safety systems designed to prevent catastrophic industrial accidents. It was discovered in the Middle East, but the hackers behind it are now targeting companies in North America and other parts of the world, too.”

Hard Lessons: Hurricane Florence

Reader C.F. recommended this article: Hard Lessons: Hurricane Florence. Here is a key quote:

“In the wake of Hurricanes Florence and Michael, a few things do become clear. First and foremost: if you decide to evacuate, make every effort to leave early. We’re a coastal community in a state defined by a large number of sizable rivers. Every path to safety led over a bridge or six and the roadways got crowded quickly. Gas was available, but lines were occasionally lengthy as folks rushed to get on the road. This got worse during that brief period when we were anticipating a Category 4 landfall…”

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“As long as you have your wealth in the form of paper claims, you are prey to swindlers and con men, both those who work through government and those who work outside the law. Since almost all of the manipulation, subterfuge, and theft of your wealth occurs while it is in paper claims, you have a simple and obvious defense; keep your wealth in real goods instead of paper claims. The only safe, rational investment program for the average person in today’s turbulent economy is to eliminate the intermediate step. Instead of converting labor into money, money into investments, investments back into money, and money into real goods, simply stated, invest your savings in those real things that you will be consuming in the future. Save only real wealth.” – John A. Pugsley, The Alpha Strategy

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 13, 2019

Today is the birthday of the astronomer Percival Lowell, in 1855. His flawed “Canals of Mars” theory persisted from 1895 to 1909.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 81 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 81 ends on March 28th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Food and Sundries Storage – Pt. 2, by Pete Thorsen

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(Continued from Part 1.)

Keep in mind that if there is no grid power, there will be no refrigerator or freezer to store that meat. [JWR Adds: That is, unless you have an alternative power system.  A generator is only viable in a short term disaster.  For a situation lasting months to a decade or more, then photovoltaic power or perhaps a micro-hydro system is what you will need to provide power for refrigeration. An old-fashioned Spring House can also provide refrigeration, in some climates.]

And how are you going to be cooking everything? Plan ahead. If you have an all-electric house then how will you cook with no electricity? Even if you have natural gas (city gas) that will likely stop flowing to your house if the power is down for a while, so then what?

Do you have a propane gas grill with extra propane tanks? That will work. But if the neighbor sees you cooking on the grill (or smells you cooking up some barbecued cat, mmm!) He’ll be hungry and come over to eat your food.

A propane (or other gas) camp stove can be used inside your house to cook on, in private and in comfort. Remember to have extra fuel on hand for it. Yes, you can always cook outside with a campfire (or inside with a fireplace or wood stove). But you will need firewood, and the smoke will show everyone nearby that supper is cooking!

Many are afraid to use a camp stove to cook in their homes because they will be asphyxiated by the fumes or it will use up all the oxygen in the room, and everyone will die. That is hogwash!

Continue reading“Food and Sundries Storage – Pt. 2, by Pete Thorsen”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on BedBunker Gun Vaults. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

Blog reader Phil J. suggested this best-selling book: The Case for Trump.

o  o  o

Reader C.G. recommended this book on the controversial “Q” material: QAnon: An Invitation to The Great Awakening

 

Movies & Television:

Polycarp. Available on DVD or for free streaming to those with Amazon Prime.

o  o  o

Sahara. The classic Humphrey Bogart movie, made in 1943. Available on DVD or for free streaming to those with Amazon Prime.

o  o  o

The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams. Although it was produced on a modest budget, this film is well worth watching. It is even fairly family-friendly. (There are some battlefield scenes, but not much gore.) Interestingly, the film was written and produced by descendants of the protagonist.  I wish that were more films like this!  Available on DVD or for free streaming to those with Amazon Prime.

o  o  o

A long-running television series recommended by blog reader Charles K.: NCIS. Available on DVD or Blu-Ray.  Charles describes the show: “NCIS is a great show (CBS Tuesday at 8:00 PM), one of the very few on television. The Gibbs character, played by Mark Harmon, is a Marine Gunnery Sergeant, now team leader for NCIS home office in DC. Gibbs (Leroy Jethro Gibbs) has 51 rules, so far, we don’t yet know what all the rules are. Oh, and the character oozes masculinity. No wonder it usually ranks #1 in the ratings every week.”

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on Kyle Bass and the Big Yuan Short. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

Niels Christensen: Gold Has Room To Move Higher But Don’t Expect A Breakout Rally – Analysts. Here is a quote:

“The rally in gold comes as the U.S. dollar remains resilient, trading at its highest level since mid-December. Looking ahead, many analysts have said that strength in the greenback is less of a headwind for gold because of global central bank action.

George Milling-Stanley, head of gold investments at State Street Global Advisors, said that there is a “race to the bottom” among central banks as they try to stimulate their respective economies. He added that the U.S. dollar is strong, not because of any significant resilience in the domestic economy, but that it the best option out there.
“I am looking past all this short-term volatility. I see a general atmosphere of higher uncertainty, more equity market volatility and a weaker U.S. dollar, which will all be good for gold,” Milling-Stanley said.”

o o o

When “face value” is much different: Florida Man Redeems Rare Stolen Coins Worth $33,000 In Supermarket ‘Coin Star’ Machine

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Punctuation is the art of dividing a written composition into sentences, or parts of sentences, by points or stops, for the purpose of marking the different pauses which the sense, and an accurate pronunciation require.” – Grammarian Lindley Murray

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – March 12, 2019

March 12th is the birthday of science fiction author Harry Harrison, who is best known for his Deathworld trilogy. (Harrison was born in 1920 and died in 2012.)

On March 12, 1850 the US Mint issued the first US $20 gold piece.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 81 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 81 ends on March 28th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Budget Food and Sundries Storage – Pt. 1, by Pete Thorsen

24

(This is the first part of a three part series.)

Food storage is a very important part of any preparedness, and thoughts on food storage vary widely. Some people store buckets of wheat, corn, beans, and rice. For many people, they would only know what to do with maybe the rice. With the prepper/survivalist fad right now many companies are selling long term storage (LTS) food.

Some of these LTS foods are just as is, so to speak, like beans or wheat. Some are dehydrated, and some are freeze dried. And of course, some is your standard canned goods. Advice commonly given is ‘store what you eat and eat what you store.’ That is very sound advice. What they mean is buy stuff that you normally eat and then always eat the oldest item first, so you rotate through your stored food supply.

The great thing about storing food for survival is that it is easy to start, and not expensive. Cans of vegetables can often be purchased on sale for about fifty cents per can. Most people have an extra buck so they could buy two cans for storage. You don’t have to buy a whole year’s supply all at once. You buy a little extra each week. Like when you are planning on eating spaghetti soon, so you buy a box of the pasta, just buy an extra box. Pasta has a long storage life and it is very reasonable to purchase. Start slow and just buy extra of the regular foods you always buy.

So if you eat canned green beans and you buy twenty cans when it is on sale then store it with the oldest cans to the front, so that is what you use first. And the next time they are on sale again buy more but put the new cans in back behind the older cans. This way you rotate your stock of food. And you are only storing food that you will actually eat.

Continue reading“Budget Food and Sundries Storage – Pt. 1, by Pete Thorsen”