Food Insurance - any experiences or thoughts?

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by BigAggie06, Oct 24, 2011.


  1. BigAggie06

    BigAggie06 Monkey+

    Recently heard Hannity pumping FoodInsurance.com. I checked it out but wanted to see if anyone here had any info they would be willing to pass on.

    They have the 2-week packs for $200/250 and then longterm solutions starting at $1800 (632 entrees).

    The bulk purchase runs at $2.84/meal and the two week options run at about $5-6 per meal (the difference in the packages is one comes with a first-aid kit and multi-tool on top of the emergency pack)

    Is this a good deal? High? Other options where you don't buy bulk?
     
  2. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    First, allow me to be clear, this is my opinion only. I have tried something similar from another company and let me tell you, no one in my family would eat the food that came out of the pouches. Complete waste of money, and if was the only food, I am sure we would have choked it down. But it was, IMO nasty. This comes from a guy who LOVES MRE's and if you can eat an MRE (and like it) you can eat damn near anything.

    Now that is out of the way, "food insurance", or any pre packaged "bucket" of food is a waste of good money that can be used to buy food your family will actually eat. Let me clarify that point.

    Many people do not eat the kinds of food or the types of food found in these ready to go survival buckets on a regular basis. They have unfamiliar tastes and textures (which kids will turn their nose up at, and so will some adults). They are loaded, many times, with excessive amounts of sodium. Ounce for ounce they cost any where from 5 to 10 times more than preparing emergency rations on your own, using vacuum sealers, home dehydrated ingredients, or even purchased freeze dried ingredients.

    You do not have to buy at a bulk store to get one years worth of food for 4 people, under $300.00, if you are willing to put the time in. I am, of course, speaking of Scotch Broth, a simple, filling and nutritionally complete food. I have done this food storage plan 3 times now, and have enough food to feed my family of 5 for 3 years for less than you would pay for 632 entrees from foodinsurance.com. According to the food storage calculator on foodinsurance.com, with 2 adults and 3 children that 632 entree packages will last exactly 90 days with 2 meals per day. Let me see, 3 months food for 2/3rds the cost of 1 years worth of Scotch Broth? I'll pass.

    Yes, it would get boring eating the same thing day in and day out. The alternative is going bankrupt buying these pre made convenience meals and hoping that they taste good. With things like Scotch Broth, this is something that is economical, the ingredients are easy to obtain, and you have a great foundation to work from.

    With the extra money you saved - $1500.00 - you could but a whole lot of additional preps like bottled water, water purification systems, ammunition, medical supplies, even tools.

    As with anything, your circumstance is different than mine, YMMV and to each his own. I hope this was helpful in some way.
     
  3. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    I made the grave error of buying 2 different types of buckets, a lesson well learned. In one, it was supposed to be all kinds of vegetarian soups ( costco) that were tasteless and beyond bland. I'd prefer baby food! I gave it away even though I paid over $100 for it. No one would eat that stuff UNLESS they were starving. Now as for the other one, it was pure stupidity on my part egged on by curiosity. They were selling (marked down) for $99.00 at local sportsmans store. They had more junk than my son had toys as a kid. Infact most ot he "tools' in that bucket were worse than toys. They did not sell well and now I know why. Not a decent knife, no can opener, a few hand warmers, no TP, a junk survival kit, and some water tablets...they originally were to be selling for $149.99! There's a BIG market for almost anything a person can throw in a bag or a bucket and stencil or label it as survival material.
    The best survival kits I have found is to make a list and buy the items you know you will need, buy the very best you can afford, and pack your own stuff! You will save time, money, aggravation, and won't be cheated and you'll know exactly what you have!
    JMHO
     
  4. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    The best advice I have read from many 'Prepper boards' is to "Store what you eat, and eat what you store". Use foods your family is already familiar with and likes.
    Rice
    Pasta
    Beans of various sorts
    Wheat (need a mill)
    Corn
    Peanut Butter
    Canned goods - veggies and meats

    MREs, Freeze Dried (like Mountain House), etc are expensive, loaded with preservatives and not to everyone's taste - I like them fine, but limit my use. Camping, emergencies, etc. NOT to live on long term.

    Once you get into storing your own food, it gets easier. Everything has a learning curve. But in the long run, you can store a LOT more food, that the family likes, for a lot less money.
     
  5. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    I think one of the MOST important things, to consider here, when looking to build a Prep Storage, is, "Did you learn anything in getting your Prep's in-house?" If you just bought someone else's concept of what they think you need, then the answer to that is NO. If you did the research and built your own BoB, or Preps Storage, then you will have learned, a lot of Good Information, in order to make the required Purchasing Decisions. The most important thing is NOT the Preps themselves. They are the product of the Learning Curve, in making the choices, in what fits your specific Family NEEDS. When you travel up that Learning Curve, you are training your Critical Thinking, in the Prep'er LifeStyle, which will serve you, and your family, much better, in the long run, than just having the Prep's stuffed away, in the basement. ...... YMMV.....
     
  6. Willie51

    Willie51 Monkey+

    I agree with all here. As Seawolf said, "store what you eat and eat what you store" and customize for you and your family. We are diversified with our preps here. We have some freeze dry, some dedydrated, some in #10 cans, some in pouches for quick meals, and some from Sams and the grocery store that are carefully selected for their expiration dates. We also store grains and beans in mylar bags ourselves and vacuum seal them for long term. FoodInsurance.com works for some people (if you have plenty of money and don't want to take the time to do you own), but is only one of many many options. A company that I use for some is EfoodsDirect.com. Their's seems healty without the preservatives. Just another humble opinion.
     
  7. northga

    northga North ga

    If you want to store your own food and save the money, how long of a shelf life can you get? Is there a way to store foods that will last 10 years or so? If so, please tell me how and what foods to use.

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank You!
     
  8. beast

    beast backwoodsman

    my opinion on prepackaged survival food...
    its garbage prepacked cuz some idiot will buy it cuz of the label
    and is too lazy to buy and store real food
    you get what you pay for
    i can eat an mre but i aint stockpilin them
    not when i can grow and store stuff thats good to eat
     
    dragonfly likes this.
  9. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    Beans, rice, wheat berries, whole dried corn, oats, most any grains, dried beans and.or legumes will last 30 years or more properly stored.
     
    Seawolf1090 and dragonfly like this.
  10. Mechwolf

    Mechwolf Monkey+

    Falcon15 thanks for passing that recipe on. This seems like something my family will actually eat. I did a small test this week. While I was at the Army Surplus store buying some canteens I saw an energy bar right next to the MRE stuff. I had never seen or heard of the brand before. They had several different variety's but I decided on the raspberry since it is one of my favorite flavors when it comes to other foods. I looked at the packaging and it had a shelf life of 5 years which didn't surprise me. I took a few bites and thought man I could only eat this if I had no other food for days. Well I brought it in the house told my wife to try this new candy bar. She looked at it and told me "Hell No". After a few minutes of pestering her she finally tried it...then proceeded to spit it out. I was laughing my a$$ off at this point. I then had the kids come in and try it. No one seemed interested in doing so , so I broke the rest of the bar into 2 sections. The first I gave to my Wolf/ Husky hybrid. He scarfed it down relatively fast. The other part I threw into the garage for my beagle/corgi. While I was out cleaning the garage today I noticed his half of the bar was still laying on the ground. I realized then my dog was smarter than me. If my dog won't eat something then It defiantly will not go in my pantry for a SHTF scenario.
     
    kellory, dragonfly and Falcon15 like this.
  11. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    food insurance is a waste of money for most of us

    Survival is the name of the game. Most important considerations there are; Water, Shelter, and Security. Without those you are on a downhill slide ..... probably to death.

    For less than $360 you can still obtain 240 pounds or rice, 60 pounds of Beans and 12 buckets with lids (5 gallon), 12 cans of sea salt (26 oz ea), and 24 boxes of 24 each knorr bouillon cubes (each cube makes 1 pint broth). The bouillon I buy equally is Chicken, Beef, Tomato/Chicken.

    Divide this up equally within each of the 12 buckets. 20 lb Rice, 5 lb beans, 1 can sea Salt, 2 boxes bouillon cubes. For a little extra you might obtain a jar of multi-vitamins for each bucket as well.

    As expressed by previous posters this will sustain life, but will be somewhat boring. If it were me and extra money was in short supply, and it was, I would buy this first. This would be my initial purchase and goal for food security.

    When the SHTF the stores will have bare shelves in very short order. In minutes in fact. It happens every time there is a serious hurricane scare. Check with someone who lives in coastal areas that have been threatened in the past. You need to be prepared in advance of the scare.
    .
    After you have the basic food insurance above covered, I would suggest you add variety and additional food stores of the following;

    grains and rice, popcorn, pasta, canned veggies and fruit, textured vegetable protien TVP, peanuts, nonfat dry milk, honey, baking soda, salt, sugar, wheat, barley, nuts, canned soups, cereals, beef jerky, pickles, power bars, sports drinks, crackers, peanut butter, instant rice and noodles, coffee, tomato sauce, cocoa powder, juice powder, drinking alcohol (can be used for medical also, but you can not drink medical alcohol), potatoes, vinegar, tea, spices, dried fruit, Heirloom garden seeds, vitamins, store water (recycle your 2 liter bottles), an outdoor cooking source, pots and pans, sealable bags, boxes, cans, and jars, hand can openers, manual egg beater. ............ That would be a healthy buffer against the insanity and help ease your mind.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2015
  12. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    Recently I went on a $100 spending spree and bought whatever I found on sale in the Dollar store...I sorted it all out when I got home and tried some of those 10 for $10 cannned goods. Some were delicious, even though I had never heard of some of the brands or the combinations inside....I was surprised. Of the assortment of some 10-12 different types, only 1 or maybe 2 were not to my liking...They were seemingly based on some southern style cooking..? Yes, they were edible, and I really will go back and get much more of the one's I enjoyed...I had to taste test them before I go and spend a lot on something I can't or would NOT want to have to eat.
    Here's a partial list of those I got and liked...
    "Hoppin' John", "Seasoned cabbage", "Tomatoes, okra and corn", "Seasoned Lima beans", "Red beans and Rice", "Triple succotash..." and there's no more of the others left...Now that tells me that they must have been really tasty! I know I'd tried some sardines which I had to be careful about, last time I was NOT paying attention and got some fire-hot puppies! This time they were so good that I ate 2 cans on the way home...You'll never know what's out there UNTIL you actually taste it!
    I have used a lot of canned foods, just to make sure I liked them and they were all different and unknown brands, to me anyway...Like an unknown brand of Chili and Beef stew! YUMMMM!
     
  13. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    I buy the Hoppin' John and Santa Fe Corn, among others. Pretty good for canned fare. Southern Style Butter Beans (Limas), Green Giant Southwestern Style Corn, and 'Eden Organic' brand has "Cajun Rice & Beans' (needs some salt).
    Various canned Chilis are good - I prefer With Beans but sometimes get it beanless (better for dipping Tosttitos in).
    When a Hurricane is coming, I dolike to go to the stores for the 'floor show' - watching the soccer moms and college kids literally fighting over the last few cans or batteries, or bottles of water - it's a hoot!!

    I have beaucoup dry rice, beans, etc stored away, but for something short tern like a 'cane I just use the canned and dry-packaged foods.
     
    Sapper John, tacmotusn and dragonfly like this.
  14. dragonfly

    dragonfly Monkey+++

    I loved watching the insanity prior to the Y2K thing! It was rare! Batteries falshlights and generators flewoff the shelves...2 weeks later I was in the same store and saw some idjit try to return a case of batteries and some 100+ flashlights.."I'm Sorry sir, there are NO returns on those items"!
    Wow was he irate! I left in tears before I got clobbered for laughing so hard!
     
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  15. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    It boggles the mind to think how they don't seem to expect other emergencies down the road! They seem to think they'll return the 'un-needed' items today, and just buy them again if something happens next month or year! I like to buy stuff once and save it back. If I don't use it this time, I likely will next time! And the prices will be higher then.
     
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  16. Pax Mentis

    Pax Mentis Philosopher King |RIP 11-4-2017

    Like many here, our first storage was rice and beans...though we went with a 2-1 ratio and used a 3 bean variety of red, pinto and black beans (not mixed). Coincidentally, I was learning to make jerky and smoked fish at the time (we live on a really good salmon and trout river, close enough to the mouth to get good runs of steelhead), so we also had a good amount of each vacu-packed. If you have the ability to "gather" fish, beef, venison, etc, this is a good "second step", but can get spendy if you have to buy the "raw materials".

    Next was a 50lb bag of salt, spices, garlic powder and dehydrated onions, along with beef and chicken bouillon cubes.

    For travel rations for a week or two, I basically took a lesson from the Vietcong and made cloth tubes (old shirt sleeves work OK, if one is in a hurry...or a pair of kid's pants) that can be filled with the bulk items and either affixed to my pack or just looped over the shoulder sort of like a sash. Jerky, smoked fish and spices can go in an outer pack pouch. Cooked rice will stay good for 2-3 days so one doesn't have to have a fire every day, and cut up jerky boiled with a bouillon cube with cooked rice added along with your choice of spices makes a pretty tasty meal. Learn food plants that grow wild in your area and it becomes a veritable feast.
     
  17. GrandpaDave

    GrandpaDave Monkey++

    Ya know you can just go to Sams Club...
    For $898 bucks you can get the Augason Farms Emergency Food Storage Kit - 1 year they also sell a 4 person kit but that one is like 2 grand

    Augason Farms Emergency Food Storage Kit - 1 year - 1 person - Sam's Club
    Edit to add... this kit is said to be good for 25 years of storage BTW

    Another Edit to add... while looking over their web site I found a 40 person emergency food kit
    http://www.augasonfarms.com/food-storage/Kits-Mega-40person-1year-Food-Storage-Set
     
  18. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    Gramps, with all due respect, you could do far better for far less money putting this stuff together on your own.
     
    Pax Mentis, Sapper John and beast like this.
  19. tacmotusn

    tacmotusn RIP 1/13/21

    Yup! What Falcon15 said. DITTO !!!

    Not only that, but how many times do you need to hear, "Store what you eat, and eat what you store".

    If you buy it and store it until hell freezes over, or you try it for the first time and don't like it, you are probably just wasting your money.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2015
    stevel likes this.
  20. Alpha Dog

    Alpha Dog survival of the breed

    I buy alot of can food most have a three to five year shelf life like sardiens I love them and they have a long shelf life. what I do is rotate it out into the pantrey each month or so like green beans or corn Ill put my oldest on the shelf and replace my stock with a new case. That way when SHTF atleast experation wont be a problem fo a while. same with mac & cheese, and box stuff
     
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