Emergency Food Stockpile Buying Guide

[DealsLife]

(Article thanks to Dave Lager)

"If a disaster threatens your community, local government and disaster-relief organizations will try to help you. But you need to be prepared as well. Local officials may be overwhelmed after a major disaster, and emergency response personnel may not be able to reach you right away. What you do to prepare can make a difference." - FEMA

There are many good reasons to invest in food storage. We're all vulnerable to events beyond our control: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, power outages, viruses, war, terrorism, economic hardships caused by unemployment or unexpected medical bills. If a disaster occurs, you may not be able to rely on grocery stores for your food. You can, however, rely on yourself and limit the effect these events could have by having an adequate supply of food on hand. Food storage is a wise investment to protect you and your loved ones from the unexpected.

To begin with, you should have a short term food supply of at least 3 days. This will allow you to comfortably endure short term emergency situations. This is easy and relatively inexpensive do to. We recommend you look at the following kits:

3600 calorie emergency food rations - $11
One person three day safety kit - $19
One person three day safety kit - $19
MRE BASIC Self-Heating Food & Water 3 Day Supply - $36.75
Mountain House: 72 Hour Emergency Meal Kit - $42.99
Executive 72 Hours Survival Kit (Includes: shelter, food, water, and 1st aid) - $154.99

It is also a good idea to invest in longer term food storage. This way, if a more serious and longer lasting event occurs you will still be secure. You should concentrate on acquiring life sustaining staples like grains, legumes, dried fruit, sugar, salt, dehydrated milk, eggs and dairy products, and garden seeds. Having these basic items on hand will help you become self-reliant if the need arises.

In addition to these basics, it's a good idea to add some variety to your food storage since anyone will get tired of repeatedly eating the same meals. Extra self heating meals are an easy way to add variety to your meals as are soups and canned goods. Be sure to have essential cooking items like cooking oil, butter, shortening, baking powder, soda, and yeast. Also be sure to have a supply of spices that you enjoy cooking with which will allow for a greater variety of flavor. You may find the following food storage cookbooks and guidebooks to be helpful and inspiring:

I Can't Believe it's Food Storage
Emergency Food Storage Survival Handbook

As a DealsLifer, it's your responsibility to get the best deals you can! These emergency food companies often run specials on certain products. Look around in our emergency preparedness deals forum to find good food deals others have posted or even post a deal yourself if you find one!