If you had to live on food stocks right now... how long?

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Blackjack, Jan 14, 2007.


  1. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++

    I'm wonderin' how much food y'all have stocked up in the house right now.


    If you had to live off what you have stored in the house right now.... couldn't go outside or anything, how long could you hold out. Livestock doesn't count unless it lives in the house with you, not what you could hunt or fish for, just what's in the house right now.


    I'll start...... 2 weeks.

    I've only got about 2 weeks worth for me and the wife, the dog has about a month. But then my plan is to travel the 8 miles to the farm if tshtf where I could stay fat for a long time.
     
  2. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Three weeks to a month depending on how hungry I get. This assumes sufficient water is available. Should be, at least out of the pond out back. What I do need is a means of purification if the city water system goes down.
     
  3. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Without going outside the house to storage, I could probably last about a month on canned and dry goods. The freezer is stocked as well but I'm assuming your scenerio means no electricity. The generator and fuel is outside of the house so that's a no-go.

    I could last a 2 months because I live alone. If my daughter and grandchildren were here, the 2 months bould be cut to probably a month (or less.) That's scary
     
  4. TailorMadeHell

    TailorMadeHell Lurking Shadow Creature

    Without food from another source, then I have enough for about three weeks depending on calories needed. Water would be a problem though I have a couple two liters saved. One I've had in a bottle for two months. It's my test water. I'll check the quality in a year.
     
  5. Clyde

    Clyde Jet Set Tourer Administrator Founding Member

    6 months
     
  6. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Just in the house, 3, maybe 4 months my guess with water running and electricity. Without running water, a lot shorter. We have about a month's worth of water stored. We might be able to stretch it out a little longer, that would mean being really being frugal, and really planning our meals. My stocks are way down, last summer I estimated I had six months worth of canned goods.

    I think it's time for another trip to Sam's. In one trip 3 months can become 5, or even 6.
     
  7. HomesteadMommy

    HomesteadMommy Monkey+++

    At least 6 months probaly longer.
     
  8. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    Around 3-4 months with no discernable difference, I have a good well too and back-up electricity, if someone doesn't take my fuel storage.
     
  9. drat

    drat Monkey+++

    we have about 4-5 mo. of stock for the 5 of us. stored water would be a pro. but we have a creek close by. we are working on your $20 a week food storing plan. we found it on www.mrssurvival.com
    this site help get my wife going on food prep./every day survival.this site is mostly woman.
     
  10. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Well, if we couldnt go outside AT ALL then maybe 6 weeks to 2 months. If I could go out to the front pourch where 1 of thefreezers is (could can the stuff if electric went out) then add a couple of months at least and if could go across the drive to the shed where the other freezer is then add another couple of months. The rabbits are about 10 feet from the house and the goats are about 40-50 feet from the house also if that counts and the chickens come up on the pourch so might be able to stay inside and reach out to grab a few of them.
     
  11. Tango3

    Tango3 Aimless wanderer

    2 weeks for 2 (easy heat- and -eat cans or pouches)...another canned 30-60 days past that for two depending on cooking and my "extenders," beans, noodles and 20lbs rice added in...How do you guys estimate
    the extenders ???,

    I figured one 14.5oz can of veggies at two servings(or 1 side dish meal serving/2people) if you mix one can mixed veggies and a couple of cups of rice You get a pot that'll go pretty far...Plenty of cooking oil, chilipowdwer, salt, black pepper, fruitcocktail.
    tuna 4packs, armor "treet"and hormel spam) coffee, tea, koolaid,egg noodles, batteries, probably a good for 2 months for two( depending on rations), 25galswater in blue jugs water set aside +40 in the water heater. We have an (ac powered) well besides city water, a katadyn hiker filter and live with a mile of a river/lake. We are short tp, ammo, and will continue to add kerosene, coleman fuel, eventually I want to add a couple of deep cyle batts and charging equipment.
    bought some canned nuts today good for comfort fats..trying to add every week.
     
  12. duanet

    duanet Monkey+++

    Length of survival time depends on level of activity and willingness to hang in there. Have enough for me and wife for 2 months comfortable, living near normal, and 6 months beyond that in survival mode. Beans, rice, wheat, dried peas, and a vitimin pill a day and a lot of cooking for something that will fill your stomach and maintain life. That said, it all goes down the drain if my grandson shows up with my greatgrand kids. That is one that I have to figure out soon. Rice at the asian markets in this area, northeast, is obsenely cheap. A 20 lb bag is in the $6 or so range the last time I bought some. The wheat at the grain store is cheap and for about $30 you can pick up a Corona type mill. It won't do an excellent job of making flour, accecptable, but it does a great job of making cracked wheat and that makes a good breakfast food type thing that is filling and easy to cook. For short run we store extra granola, dried fruit, and canned nuts in the freezer. If the power goes off it will keep for weeks, eaten up before that, and with the power on it is still fresh for months. Date it and rotate it. Use soy milk on it now, by choice, and eat some most days. With dried milk or dried soy milk, it is very good and it would keep us alive with no cooking for a couple of weeks. As stated before, a can of peas and a box of pasta mix with a little cooking will satisfy you for a meal, and we have 25 lbs of pasta and about 10 jars of pasta sauce in the house. Date and rotate and pasta best stored in the refrig. Although in a SHTF situation, you would probably be happy to pick out a few small bugs. It isn't unusual to have a 5 lbs for $3 sale at the local supermarket in pasta and $1 a jar for the sauce.
     
  13. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    This is an important point. Also, the difference between a situation which allowed us to get outdoors and one in which we are confined indoors.

    It would take most of us a while to transition from near normal eating in an short term emergency to longer term survival mode. It would take real survivalmode for me to completely change my diet from mainly fresh fruit, veggies, fish and seafood to a grain based sustenance diet. I don't know what changes my body would undergo with a new diet - would I have the same energy? How long would it take my body-factory to adapt and function normally?
     
  14. CRC

    CRC Survivor of Tidal Waves | RIP 7-24-2015 Moderator Emeritus Founding Member


    I had to change my diet like that , last year, RH....when I was so sick with that stupid MRSA....Not much energy, if any...I would skip days at a time and not eat, until I realized that was not helping....duh....
    I started eating more whole grains...and it took about a week for my body to adjust...but I actually had a higher energy level...and was able to do more......and I could start slowly with one meal a day...I was careful to make sure they were high fiber grains and such...not things like white bread, etc.....and stayed away from sweets entirely...Funny..I don't even have a taste for them now...I've managed to pass the Krispy Kreme here at least 8 times and not stop.... ;-) (that would never have happened a few years ago!)

    As for food...as long as it is just me, about 5 weeks...and I do have a generator ..but no fresh water supply...I just keep buying those 54 cent a gallon jugs at WalMart....
    New house provides storage problems...I am going to have an outbuilding put on ...it is an older home, built in 1952 ..originally 2 bedroom , and small...It has been added on to, but not enough storage or closet space...Something has to be done, even though this is not my last move...it will be home for a while.....
     
  15. ridgerunner58

    ridgerunner58 Monkey+++

    Myself & spouse...at least one year.
     
  16. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++


    Very Nice!
     
  17. TnAndy

    TnAndy Senior Member Founding Member

    Several months at least just with what is in the house.....but why the restriction to JUST the house ? A short trip to either of two storage buildings and we would be good for a year to year & half.

    Water, 3000 gallons in holding tanks at any time.....gravity fed.

    And the restriction on livestock is also questionable......part of my long term plan IS a few thousand pounds of beef and lots of chickens standing around at any time.
     
  18. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++

    Andy, the restriction was just my curiosity about what is on hand in the house. Nothin serious, don't have to stick to it or anything :)

    My own prep is very limited in my apartment, but just a few miles down the road is the family farm with pretty much a limitless supply of food and water (cattle and a hand pump water well).

    Just a "for fun" question.
     
  19. Scavenger Flatbedder

    Scavenger Flatbedder Scavenging The Wasteland

    Working on my 4th+ year supply now.
    The livestock,fruit and vegetables on site stretches that out even more.
     
  20. melbo

    melbo Hunter Gatherer Administrator Founding Member

    1 year depending on a few things. Could be more
     
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