Feed a family of 4 for 1 year, for less than $300

Please note: This article was written a few years ago so if you are a little over $300- blame inflation.
I really like the combo of items that this article suggested. This list adds variety because if SHTF eating rice and pinto beans everyday would get real old, real fast. The shopping list of prep foods goes with the recipe that I posted here- Recipe - Survival Soup | Survival Forums Please follow the link because the whole article is good and in the 8th bucket they suggest 10 lbs of a happy food. Barley and lentils are some of my favorite. I have made lentil burgers in the past so I thing I would be increasing the amount of lentils stored.

What they say to prep:

Feed a family of 4 for 1 year, for less than $300

 

Rice is still pretty cheap. You can find most of this easily and cheaply. The beans go on sale, etc.

This is a great post, @Motomom34. Anyone could do this!!!!

I get buckets at the deli in our local store, but, buy the gammas. I love those lids.


Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Us too!

 

There are less than 230,000 total calories in this plan, less than 10% of what a family of four would need for a year. Do the math. I have been doing these calculations for years now. The cheapest way to feed one person 2,000 calories a day for a year I have found is about $500 in long term storage containers. My present plan is slightly less than $700 at 2,200 calories a day, per year, per person.

 

Ain't nothing in there I'm going to eat.

 

The storage plan would make a satisfactory core for a rationing regime, but it is pretty austere, and not a nutritionally balanced diet (yes, it has carbs and plant proteins, but lacks a full range of micronutrients and fats/oils). The regime will probably be challenged by food fatigue in the longer term. A garden that produces fruit, vegetables, nuts, berries and forage for small livestock will be a necessary supplement to this storage plan.

 

I ran numbers a while back and I knew without pulling the calculator that just 8 buckets for 4 people isn't even close for a year. I ditto Riley's concern.

The Gamma lids are great because they are easy to open and close, but new (haven't had lip cut to break seal to remove) regular snap on lids are much cheaper and I think a better storage choice. They seal just as well as Gamma lids and might actually be better long term as they only have to seal against the bucket rim. G lids have to seal to the bucket rim and also to the screw off section as well providing double the opportunity to fail. Stacking loaded buckets will increase the compression on the seal to the bucket rim but tends to flex the lid inward which doesn't do any favors for the seal to the screw off lid section. Personally, I only use conventional lids for long term storage for this reason. You only need several G lids to replace the regular lid for use when frequently dipping into the food stores.

AT

 

Since posting this I have been reading more about barley. I definitely will be adding barley to my storage. We are not a gluten-free family so barley will not be an issue for us.

Barley info- Barley

This is a good starting point for food storage- less then $1 a day. As the article said, this is a good starting point.

 

A balanced diet is necessary for survival: What If I Ate Only One Type of Food?

FYI: Food Storage Calculator

 

From my storage efforts I find that a basic years supply of food for one person weighs about 500 pounds and is about 20 cases of #10 cans for me. Your mileage may vary. I base my storage plan on calories, fat, carbs, protein and fiber for the average member of my group. Vitamins and minerals are covered with supplements, garden produce and foraging. Carbs, protein and fiber are usually covered by targeting the desired calories. Fat is more difficult as it will not store long and in not abundant in most basic food storage items (beans, rice, wheat) and nil in most green vegetables.

 

We plan to eat pretty much like we do now, and prep accordingly.
Food storage CAN be done on the cheap, like anything else it just takes a bit of effort. Like so many "problems" in life it requires more than one answer. Sam's Club and the like are a huge help, but do not over look your local grocer. @Sassenach and I make our biweekly runs for food, and part of that gets put away for the future. We have several stores that we hit every time. Aldi and Big Lot are two of those. Both of these have HUGE dollar sections and are good for staples.

The above is a small sample from the dollar sections. All of these cost $1.00 or less. Sass hates hamburger helper type meals, while I OTOH don't mind them(too many years eating on the run in the oil patch) There are some that she will eat, and we often find them in the dollar sections as well. I know some here are on a diet that doesn't allow pasta, but for those of us that aren't it's cheap, filling and there are 1,000's of variations one can use to make different meals. Down here rice is another biggie that is used, and it's cheap as well. If you can't go to Sam's and get the mondo bag 'o rice the above packages will last more than a couple of meals and store easily. I store smaller packages in the tins that Christmas cookies come in. You know, those cute little cans that you want to save but can never seem to figure out a good use for? They work great for this. They will keep out any little critters especially if you run some duct tape around the lid. Usually cheaper than ammo cans and lighter as well.

Another store we go to regularly is in a predominately black neighborhood. The store has been there since Moses wore short pants and has excellent meat at very good prices, as well as having hard to find items such as lard and sow belly(for bacon). Having a REAL butcher shop in the back, they will custom cut anything we want, AND they have a large dollar area as well. Farmers markets are an excellent place for seasonal bargains as well. Just because you don't have the room for a garden doesn't mean you can't can food.
Water bath canning is easy, cheap and a person can put up most all of what you'd find in a garden. The largest expense is getting set up with the jars, and they aren't that bad.

As I said earlier, like so many things in life there is more than one way achieve your goals without always having to spend a boatload of money.

 

We eat alot of hamburger helper, some of it is fine as it is, and some of it we spice up with other things like veggies, or extra hamburger. (We always brown and spice the ground beef to suit first). Broke food is a staple around here.

 

In case anyone is interested, this is my working plan for 2016 - Suggestions, Comments always appreciated.

 

Is that 31.2 lbs in a case of pinto beans? What is #'s per case? I just pulled the 2015 LDS price list- unsure where you got you #'s or prices but some of your prices are way high.

 

31.2 Pounds per case, 6 #10 cans per case. I do not have a LDS Storehouse near me so I have to order online. The prices list is what I wish I could buy it at and pick up locally. I use to be able to do that in Houston. All weights and prices came from here. Calorie counts came form their nutrition labels. If I got it wrong, please let me know. Shipping is $3 per order regardless of cases. Some of the shipping cost in no doubt in the case prices of each item.

http://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/sto...839595_10557_3074457345616706237_-1_N_image_0

 

@Motomom34
It could be prices vary by area. We have a campsite in the mountains of NE Georgia. The prices in the Walmart there are noticeably less than the one here.

 

Now I know why it is so high............ you are budgeting buying it canned and sealed. You could order rice from Amazon cheaper and store it yourself. @BTPost has eaten rice he put away years ago. I know many of us monkeys use mylar bags and buckets.

 

Correct. With the exception of the items from Sam's everything is packaged ready for long term storage. I wish I lived were I could buy other bulk grains and beans and package them myself. I have 70+ 5/6 gallon buckets, some I packed myself with Mylar and oxygen absorbers. I notice a price difference between my WM where I live and the one close to my BO location, sometime as much as 10% on staples. Sad, but it's higher at my BO location which is a very poor county compared to where my home is, less than 50 miles away. One of the reasons I have very little respect for WM. I have noticed that people on government food nutrition programs are not very price, value or nutrition conscience, one of my pet peeves. BTW, rice is grown where I live and I can buy it very cheap, $.33 a pound on sale at the local market.

 

Affordable One-Year Emergency Food Supply by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E. - Grandpappy
As a basic storage program, it still has some holes, but as a starting point, you could do worse....

 

The Grandpappy storage program has a bit more variety than the OP plan. But as has been commented in both posts....good starting points. Powdered egg (or egg substitute) wold be a good addition that would offer a little more flexibility in recipes that require egg as a binder. Herbs and spices that may not be readily available locally by self sufficient gardening would add to variety and fight food fatigue. A selection of nuts and dried fruit ought also be considered.