Here's another from APN for $50 a week (although it is mainly focused on food) The 52 Week Food Storage Plan; Made Simple - American Preppers Network
In a similar vein--that is, prepping as a slow and steady endeavor--I'd like to bring up the concept of "copy canning." In essence, when you go to the grocery store, just buy two of whatever can goods you get. If you can afford it, buy 3. Put one in your pantry, put the other/s in your rotating food storage area (with a date). You keep on doing this every time you go to the store and before you know it, you've got a month's supply of food. After a year, you might have 6+ months. It is really a burden lifted when you get to this stage. You don't have to limit yourself to cans--pastas, powdered mixes like pancakes or potatoes, oatmeal, rice, beans--are also good IF they are a regular part of your food purchases. Most of these you can vacuum seal also. What "copy canning" does is ensures: You buy what you eat (ensures you eat what you buy--anybody have a big package of lentils that will be the very last thing eaten if you can help it? I do.) You buy portions you're used to preparing (what are you going to do when you open that #10 can of Showboat pork & beans? eat beans for a 5 or 6 meals I guess) Alleviates you from having to spend a large chunk of money at once
Yup, I do too. Someplace in the far distant past, I read that lentils are about as close to a perfect food as can be found, if tasteless and unappetizing. The same is said for survival rations like Datrex bars. Got a couple of them, too. If those backups get cracked open, it will be in the full and complete knowledge that it's a last gasp before rescue, if that's even possible. (I've also heard it said that boiling lentils with a ham hock improves things dramatically. Dunno, never tried it.)
On "Copy Canning" this also allows you to do "opportunity buys". If you have figure out you need to keep 10 of item x on hand for your 30 day supply, and you are now have 9 on hand, if the item is not on sale this week, you can wait one or two weeks until it is, then buy an extra can or 2 to resupply your stock. I like lentils, they are easier to make than regular dried beans. They make for great soups (spit pea soup, which is made with lentils not peas).
Exactly @ghrit. In the beginning, I bought a bunch of stuff that you're supposed to have--pails of legumes, rice, beans, and wheat. If I'm eating that stuff, I'm a year into some $h!tst0rm and will be happy to have it, but to start out, I think this approach is better. I have found if you put the legumes in chili you can't taste their nothingness and it adds some "health" aspect to it . . . along with the liquified barley, malt, and hops that must be consumed with chili.
If you like lentils and split pea soup, I think you're OK with that "texture" that both have in common, which is what I think I don't like. Plus, it takes forever to cut all of those little peas in half for the soup...who's got time for that?
I have one also and must remember to pack a bottle of Tabasco in them...it makes pretty much anything (except maybe liver and lima beans) edible... After posting this I saw od's post...great minds and all...
