How's this for a start

[MYellowRose]

I've made a short list of food stuffs to buy at the beginning of October to put away for an emergency. Since there are 5 of us, 2 adults & 3 kids, I have to be kinda careful to get things everyone will be willing to eat. So far I've got the following on my list:

1 Flat of vienna sausage
2 boxes Ritz type crackers
1 can cheese whiz or the like
5 Bumble Bee prepared tuna salad lunch kits (we prefer these to the Charlie Tuna kits since these are premixed).
2 boxes GV cereal/ breakfast bars
2 boxes Emrald On the Go Breakfast Trail Mix

I'll add other things each month as I have a little extra money. I've also got to buy something to store it in that will fit under my bed and can be locked, otherwise the granddaughters will tear into it anytime they feel like it. If DD and the girls move out the stored food will last me longer than with them around but that's something I'm not counting on at this time.

[Cil]

Rose, I suggest you got to these sites and READ...

www.mrssurvival.com
www.frugalsquirrels.com

These sites will show you pretty much what and how much you need to store. Oh yeah, and how to store it.

[bassntrout]

MYellowRose--

It's a good start as far as food, but start assembling other emergency items. You may already have some of what you need. Check out this site:

http://divorceddadfrugaldad.com/2008/09/14/are-you-prepared-for-a-natural-disaster.aspx

Good luck with your preps!

[leera]

Vienna sausage wouldn't go very far nor would it offer much nutrition.......

I would also suggest you start by reading and compiling a list of foods that store well and will provide good nutrition.The links offered above are very helpful.

[MYellowRose]

* Leera I'm well aware of the nutritional value, or lack thereof I should say, of vienna sausage. *These were just ideas and I may very well replace it with more of the canned tuna salad, not all that healthy either but I need to put away things that three small girls will eat. *A couple of things I didn't mention that I'm going to put in it are peanut buttter and jelly. *I'll check all the stuff that's on the shelf and get whatever has the longest expiration dates so I won't have to replace them too often.
* I am looking at those sites for ideas as to what other things I want to add to my storage. *My storage will be two-fold, for emergency and for times when we run low on food, food stamps, and money at the end of the month.
I wanted to print out some suggested lists but since we seldom ever use the printer the ink in it seems to have dried up so I'll have to wait until next month after we buy some new ink.

[mom]

First thing I would do is lay down the law to the girls about eating things and getting into things that they are not supposed to.

I saw some smaller canned hams at big lots the other day - has to be better for you than vienna sausages. And as to the tuna salad - that stuff's expensive and so is the cheese whiz. Velveta cheese does not have to be refrigerated and it's fairly nutritious. Get canned tuna and the fixings for tuna salad. If they won't eat it, then they aren't that hungry.

What ever happened to feeding them beans and cornbread - canned beans & cornbread or corn or rice and you have a complete protein and it's cheaper than v. sausages or tuna salad.

[leera]

MMMM........I love cornbread! I should make a batch tomorrow!

I would definitely opt for Velveeta(or store brand)over cheese wiz.A canned ham would go a lot further than v.sausages too.Tuna in pouches take up less space than tuna in cans,and they keep just as well.

MYR,not to offend you in any way,but the items you listed are not things that would be good for the long term.High salt,high fat,and high sugar.

Yes you need things everyone will eat,but given the space and financial restrictions,I would look for items with the most nutritional value as well.You want to be able to get the most for your money.

[MYellowRose]

You're right ladies. I should have been clearer about the girls, they eat just about anything that's put in front of them. We tell them they can't say they don't like something unless they try it and we try to get them to take a taste of something new at least 3 times before deciding against something. That ususally works, believe it or not. Since DD has been doing this with them since they were old enough to eat solid food it's worked out nice. She's never fed them baby food, just mashed or ground regular food or soft food and they eat things many kids won't eat.
I hadn't thought of canned ham, I'll check it out and see if I can find a couple I can afford.
As for feeding them beans and cornbread, we've done it but I want most of this for a time when we have no utilities and since the trailer is all electric, something I hate, we wouldn't have any way to cook things.

[MNMOM]

If you are looking for foods with good nutrition that is easy to fix (no cooking), some things that you could add would be those individual serving cups of fruit, like applesauce. I know that something like this is pricey, but if you are looking for things for a short bug-out, they would be good for kids.

[mom]

You can buy canned beans which you can cook on a campstove or campfire - believe me I have done it. I have also baked cornbread in a cast iron skillit while camping on a campfire.

[cinok]

not great fora bug out but for lean time remember pasta cheap easy to store scrape together a little cash get 1/2 pnd ground beef or vegs or anything else makes a good filling meal

[Padre]

Your list looks ok to me. I spend alot of time on my land with no utilities,etc. Quick and easy is what I want alot of times and keep a supply of just about everything you mentioned.There may be times when stopping to cook isn't an option and your list is ok for those times.

[leera]

I think some different ideas might be things like instant oatmeal,lipton noodles and sauce,or quick cook items that only require hot water.

As long as you have a way heat water to boiling,you can cook.A simple sterno stove can heat water up,or a small folding camp stove that requires minimal fuel.

When I have a day off again,I'll dig out some of my little stoves and post some shots of them.......all will easily fit in a suitcase or duffle bag......

I have a personal goal of finding the tiniest camp stove that will still work for my cooking needs in an emergency......the smallest one I've found(but not yet acquired) folds to about as big as a collapsable plastic cup.

I've practiced cooking on every camp stove I have,as well as camp fires and baking cakes on my gas grill........

[MYellowRose]

Leera when you post picks of camp stoves will you also post brand names of them? Also did you buy camping cookwear or do you just use whatever you have on hand.

I'm really enjoying the ideas you folks are throwing at me so please, keep them coming. "The more the better" to poorly paraphrase an old saying, sorry about the bad grammar there. It just sounded better this way. LOL

[mom]

Yesterday we did our weekly shopping. I would like to shop only once a month but DH works here and he and I enjoy an outing of somesort everyweekend. H.E.B. stores won the grocery ad for the week - ribs for .99/lb and whole chickens for .79/lb. BUT they had rice in 2 lb packages for .50 cents which is cheaper than I have seen it in a long time. I probably have 50 lbs of rice on hand so didn't buy any. They also had canned corn for .50 each. Try to have a few dollars that you can buy cheap stuff like this when you do your shopping.

Rice is easy to cook on almost any kind of cooking thing - throw in some canned cream soup, some canned meat or left over meat, some seasoning; some canned beans - it's all good and it's quick and easy. Or cook the rice and then make fried rice with your fresh eggs and left overs - any left overs.

I guess the point of my medicated ramble is to try to have even $5.00 left in your food budget a week to pick up those kind of tings - the give aways. I have no idea why rice was so cheap - it certainly wasn't out of date but there it was - Our philosophy on shopping is if it isn't on sale, and really on sale or it's not an emergency because we don't have any toilet paper or coffee(lack of those in my book are grounds for selling children into slavery) - we don't buy it. Sometimes we think what are we going to do with this - we do eat it BUT. If you never eat it don't buy it but if you do sometimes eat it - buy it. Canned milk; canned soup; beans, rice, coffee, things that don't go out of date easily. Buy just a little extra every time.

BTW if it is a choice between coffee and TP - well the coffee wins.

[cinok]

you cant make coffee out out leaves but you can use leaves for TP :D ;D :D

[mom]

you cant make coffee out out leaves but you can use leaves for TP *:D ;D :D
Ain't that the truth - gotta your priorities in order. Although people make coffee like beverages out of chicory and I love cajun coffee mixed with chicory. It grows around here - but I still have children I can sell into bondage so not to the stage of using chicory for coffee.

[cinok]

But how many people know to make coffe with out an elictric coffee maker those of us should have a safe supplyif the power goes out

[leera]

I know how to make coffee on campfire,campstove,grill with a side burner.........I don't drink the stuff but my DH could just about live on it.......

MYR I would be happy to,I've got several.

No I don't use special camping cookware,just the same ones I use on my stove top(gas stove),I've got a full set of cast iron cookware as well.

[leera]

P.S. MYR,keep in mind also that nearly everything I own was either bought on clearance somewhere or from a garage sale.......I'm pretty sure the only thing in the house I've paid full price for was the computer when I bought it........

You can find things cheaply if you look in the right places and don't seem too excited when you find a treasure priced overly cheap....like a copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette for 50cents......

[MYellowRose]

Yep, I know about bargain hunting. I've gotten pretty good at it over the years also.
On the second of Oct. I'm taking th 6 yr. old, dropping her at school, then going clothes hunting at some of the thrift stores I haven't been to in a while. I'll be looking for a winter coat with a zip out lining so I can pass on the one I have now to my daughter. I'm also going to see about getting some sweat pants and shirts since most of mine are so stained I don't want to wear them outside the house. LOL Talk about wearing clothes until you wear them out, that's me. Had to buy undies because most of my others had big holes in them but bought the wrong size. I've got 6 pair of never worn, still rolled up with the tape around them as they came in the bag, ladies size 6 undies and will give them to the first person who sends me a PM asking for them. Oh yes, I think they're Hanes.
I've got other things I want to keep an eye out for also and that's why I'm hitting thrift stores I haven't been to lately. I'm going to try and hit at least 5 before the day is over.
One thing I'm buying new is a small rolling shopping cart with the front wheels that will rotate. The one I want is $30 but if I wind up on my own again I'll need it to get groceries home. It will also help me take the trashbags out to the dumpster when they get heavy. I've kept my eye out for one used but by the time they hit the thrift stores here they're either taken immediately or in such bad shape that they're fit only for the trash. I am however going to check Craig's list before I leave that morning. I'll probably get up about 4:30 am to get ready and check the computer.