Personal Defense World
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Police News
    • Politics
    • Gun Facts & Laws
  • Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Shotguns
    • Specialty Guns
  • Ammo
    • Handgun Ammo
    • Rifle Ammo
    • Shotgun Ammo
  • Parts
    • Handgun Parts
  • Accessories
    • Holsters
    • Optics & Sights
    • Lasers & Lights
    • Suppressors
  • Gear
    • Knives
    • Flashlights
    • Storage
  • Lifestyle
    • Shooting 101
    • Training
    • Concealed Carry
    • Home Defense
    • Personal Defense
      • Self-Defense
    • Competition Shooting
  • Videos
    • Video Series
      • At The Ready
      • Everyday Carry
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Personal Defense World
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Police News
    • Politics
    • Gun Facts & Laws
  • Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Shotguns
    • Specialty Guns
  • Ammo
    • Handgun Ammo
    • Rifle Ammo
    • Shotgun Ammo
  • Parts
    • Handgun Parts
  • Accessories
    • Holsters
    • Optics & Sights
    • Lasers & Lights
    • Suppressors
  • Gear
    • Knives
    • Flashlights
    • Storage
  • Lifestyle
    • Shooting 101
    • Training
    • Concealed Carry
    • Home Defense
    • Personal Defense
      • Self-Defense
    • Competition Shooting
  • Videos
    • Video Series
      • At The Ready
      • Everyday Carry
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Personal Defense World
No Result
View All Result
 
*FREE GUN FRIDAY* Enter to WIN >> IWI Zion-15 Rifle & Black Hills 5.56 Ammo

How To Stockpile Food and Water for Trying Times

Jim Cobb by Jim Cobb
November 15, 2022
in New Products & Industry News, Survival
0
How To Stockpile Food and Water for Trying Times.

Photo by Pixabay

0
SHARES
325
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

When it comes to disaster readiness, one of the chief concerns is how you’ll keep your family fed during the crisis. I’d estimate that food and water storage is the number one concern among most of those who are new to prepping. Assembling a decent food pantry isn’t difficult, but it does take time and expense to do it properly. But what is the proper way to stockpile food and water?

When You Stockpile Food and Water, Water Comes First

Nobody has ever come out the other side of a disaster complaining that they’d had access to too much clean water. Hydration is critical to survival. Because a water supply is so important, I recommend a multi-pronged approach.

Various and sundry experts suggest planning on one gallon of water per person per day of the anticipated crisis. Bottled water is easy to find and relatively inexpensive. Currently, I can find a case of 24 half-liter bottles locally for about three dollars.

To make the math easy, 12 liters of water comes to a bit more than three gallons. Storebought bottled water will store just fine for upwards of two years if it is kept cool and away from sunlight.

When you stockpile food and water bottled water is cheap insurance toward hydration in an emergency.
(Photo by Pixabay)

Another storage approach is to clean and refill soda and juice bottles. Add a few drops of unscented chlorine bleach to the bottle before closing it up. Again, store it in a cool, dark place, and it should be fine for several months or more.

In addition to storing water, it is important to have the means to filter or purify water sourced from outside the home, such as rainwater or water from local rivers or ponds. There are numerous ways to go about this, from purchasing a filtration system such as a Sawyer Mini to boiling or using unscented bleach to kill any microorganisms that could cause trouble.

For those who are going to go with the latter approach, note that a bottle of unscented chlorine bleach only remains viable for about six months on the shelf before it begins to degrade.

Store What You Eat

The first rule of food storage is to store what you eat. There’s little need to go out and buy special “survival food” that’s marketed to preppers. Instead, concentrate on stocking up on food items you and your family already eat but that also happens to have a long shelf life.

Canned pasta might not be the most nutritious fare, but it’ll keep bellies full.
Canned pasta might not be the most nutritious fare, but it’ll keep bellies full. (Photo by Pixabay)

New foods can sometimes cause digestive issues. A crisis is stressful enough, don’t add stomach upset to the mix. Some examples of shelf-stable foods your family might already eat regularly include:

  • Canned goods (soups, stews, vegetables, fruits)
  • Pouched meats (chicken, beef)
  • Dry pasta and jars of sauce
  • Rice
  • Beans
  • Split peas
  • Peanut butter
  • Jerky
  • Oatmeal
  • Cereal bars

Add just a few extras to your cart with each trip to the grocery store. Take advantage of sale prices as well as coupons when they make sense, and you’ll be able to stockpile food over time without it impacting your wallet too much.

Eat What You Store

A few boxes of granola or cereal bars are tasty and can be stored for a while when you stockpile food and water.
(Photo by Pixabay)

The other half of the food storage equation is to rotate through your supplies regularly. This ensures you’ll always have the freshest foods available. One thing to understand, though, is that expiration dates are largely meaningless. The date printed on the package is just the last date that the manufacturer will guarantee optimum taste, texture, and nutrition. It isn’t like the day after that date the food is suddenly inedible.

It is a good idea to eat from your food supplies on a regular basis and replace what you eat as you go along. The end result is that if a natural disaster or some other crisis hits, the food you have available hasn’t just been sitting around for years at that point. Plus, the more often you access your stored food, the quicker you are likely to notice any problems, such as rodents.

Perishable Food

Most families have at least some amount of food in the freezer and refrigerator on a regular basis, right? If a disaster occurs, don’t let that food go to waste if you can avoid it. Do what you can to use them up before they go bad.

Under normal conditions, the food in your freezer should remain viable for at least 24 hours without power. That is, as long as you’re not opening the door every ten minutes to gawk at the contents. A mostly empty freezer will warm up quicker than a full one.

The food in your refrigerator should be consumed before it spoils, if possible.
(Photo by Pixabay)

If you find that you have a lot of space in the freezer, consider filling some clean 2L soda bottles with water and freezing them. Make sure to leave a couple of inches of head space, so they don’t burst.

Not only will this help your freezer run more efficiently, but it’ll also keep food frozen longer in a power outage. Plus, you’ll have that much more clean water to drink, should the need arise. You could also cover the freezer with a blanket or two to help insulate it during a power outage.

As for the food in the refrigerator, things go downhill a bit quicker. You have about four hours without power before some items will start to turn. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that any meat, milk, eggs, and cooked pasta be tossed after two hours above 40F.

What all of this means is that in the event of a crisis, consume what you can of your perishable items before you start digging into your emergency food. This will help extend the time that your emergency supply will last your family.

How Much is Too Much?

When it comes to putting together an emergency supply of food and water, the big question is, how many days’ worth should you have on hand? The answer is going to differ from person to person. It boils down to comfort level as well as available storage space.

While it would be great to have enough food supplies available to feed your family for multiple years, the reality is that most people don’t have the luxury of that kind of storage or budget. It can also be overwhelming to think about trying to get that much food in a short period of time.

A good approach is to set simpler goals. Start with getting together enough food that will last your family for two full weeks. When you reach that point, the next goal could be one month, then two months, and so on. Keep going until you reach a point to where you’re comfortable with the amount of emergency food you have stored.

By following these guidelines, you’ll be able to stockpile food and water for survival emergencies without too much trouble.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

CLICK HERE FOR COMMENTS

Related Posts

5.11 Tactical and USCCA Host ABR Academy Classes Across U.S.

5.11 Tactical Hosts ABR Academy Classes with the USCCA

What’s One Survival Tool You Think Everyone Should Have?

Real Talk: What’s One Survival Tool You Think Everyone Should Have?

What to Do When the Power Goes Out in the Winter

What to Do When the Power Goes Out in the Winter and How to Prepare

Proper self-defense tactics ensure success during close quarters combat.

Tactics for Close Quarters Self-Defense when Hands go to Handguns

Load More

PERSONAL DEFENSE WORLD VIDEOS

Discussion about this post

FEATURED POST

Study Proves the Good Guy with a Gun Theory.

Good Guy with a Gun: Study of CCW Holders Stopping Mass Shootings

Following the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, gun control advocates have taken the anti-gun narrative to a fever pitch. They insist...

Read more

TRENDING

With a 5.5-inch barrel and 18.75-inch overall length, the Springfield SAINT Edge PDW becomes a unique self-defense tool.

Springfield SAINT Edge PDW: New 5.56 Pistol Is Just 18.75 Inches Long

...

We tested three of the most popular 8-shot revolvers on the market today.

8-Shot Revolver Showdown With S&W, Ruger, and Taurus

...

The Lone Wolf Arms Dusk 19.

Lone Wolf Arms Releases the Glock Gen 3-5 Compatible Dusk 19

...

pistols, pistol, 1911 pistol, 1911 pistols, concealed carry, concealed carry pistol, concealed carry pistols, pocket, pistols, pocket pistol

Top 5 Compact 9mm 1911 Pistols [2022]

...

PICK A CATEGORY

CONCEALED CARRY SPOTLIGHT

Nexbelt Adds the Supreme Appendix EDC Gun Belt in Black Camo.

Nexbelt Adds the Supreme Appendix EDC Gun Belt in Black Camo

Nexbelt has brought innovation and performance to the gun belt arena in recent years. Fortunately, the company isn’t just a...

CONCEALED CARRY SHOWCASE

Memorial Day 2014 tribute

Memorial Day: Honoring Our Fallen American Heroes

CEO of Fenix Ammo Delivers Conditions for Free Ammo to MTOA.

Fenix Ammunition CEO Torches MI Police After Free Ammo Request

The Premier Body Armor Home Shield.

Premier Body Armor Home Shield – Protection You Can Get Behind

The Beretta 92XI SAO.

Beretta Expands Its Popular 92 Line with the 92XI SAO

Using paper targets during shooting practice for immediate feedback.

Shred It: Shooting Paper Targets Provides Important Feedback

Nexbelt Adds the Supreme Appendix EDC Gun Belt in Black Camo.

Nexbelt Adds the Supreme Appendix EDC Gun Belt in Black Camo

The Hatsan Factor BP Bullpup PCP Air Rifle.

Big Bore Power: The Hatsan Factor BP Bullpup PCP Air Rifle

Taurus Issues GX4 Safety Notice.

Taurus Issues a Safety Notice Regarding its GX4 Pistol Line

AMMO SPOTLIGHT

handloading, handloader, handloading tips, handloading ammunition, handloading ammo

5 Common-Sense Handloading Tips

A rundown of five essentials every handloader must know before he starts rolling his own ammunition.

site logo
Gun News, Gun Reviews, and Self Defense Tips

Tactical

  • tactical-life.com

Magazines

  • Tactical Life
  • The Complete Book of Reloading
  • Guns of the Old West

Facebook

  • Tactical-Life Facebook
  • Guns of the Old West Facebook

Twitter

  • Tactical-Life Twitter

Self Defense

  • PersonalDefenseWorld.com

Magazines

  • Personal Defense World
  • Combat Handguns

Facebook

  • Personal Defense World Facebook
  • Combat Handguns

Twitter

  • Personal Defense World Twitter

Shooting Lifestyle

  • BallisticMag.com

Magazines

  • BallisticMag.com

Facebook

  • Ballistic Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Ballistic Magazine Twitter

Alpha Lifestyle

  • SkillsetMag.com

Magazines

  • Skillset

Facebook

  • Skillset Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Skillset Magazine Twitter

Instagram

  • Skillset Magazine Instagram
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
© Athlon Outdoors, All Rights Reserved.
You use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and awareness of the California Privacy Rights. Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Outdoors.

Manage your GDPR consents by clicking here. Manage your CCPA consents by clicking here.
No Result
View All Result
  • Guns
    • View All Guns
    • Handguns
    • Shotguns
    • Rifles
    • Specialty Guns
  • Ammo
    • Handgun Ammo
    • Rifle Ammo
    • Shotgun Ammo
  • Parts
    • Handgun Parts
  • Accessories
    • View All Accessories
    • Holsters
    • Optics & Sights
    • Laser & Lights
    • Suppressors
  • Gear
    • View All Gear
    • Knives
    • Storage
  • Lifestyle
    • View All Lifestyle
    • Shooting 101
    • Training
    • Concealed Carry
    • Home Defense
    • Personal Defense
      • Self-Defense
    • Competition Shooting
  • News
    • New Products & Industry News
    • Police News
    • Politics
    • Gun Facts & Laws
  • Videos
  • Subscribe

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.