This month we reorganized our finances. A side effect was that we had to pay forward an amount equal to one of our four paychecks. We pummeled our budget until it worked. The primary casualty turned out to be the local grocer. He gets practically nothing from us till September. This option is only available because we have food in our pantry and our garden is putting out.
Which is more reliable, your appetite or your ability to buy groceries?
Flood, hurricane, job loss, crop failure, transportation strike, disability, business collapse, earthquake, shortage due to price controls, unexpected expenses … there are near infinite possible disruptions to your ability to carry a grocery bag of your choosing into your kitchen on a whim. Can you handle any of them?
Buckets of wheat, dry beans and such are the foundation. Cans of fruit and vegetables are also crucial. Sauces and spreads make for palatability and variety in your meals. In many hard times and places, cooking oil was worth more than gold – be sure you have plenty of that too.
The most important feature is your head. The time to start using it is now. Go back to my opening question and decide your answer. If your appetite suddenly becomes less reliable than your ability to buy groceries, your heirs will thank you for your preparedness for many meals to come.
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Developing a reliable food supply is a HUGE subject that I won’t try to lay out here. I give you a few starting resources:
The Mental Militia – gulching/self-sufficiency forum
SurvivalBlog.com
Many organized religions preach some preparedness, but the Mormons are famous for it. Don’t count on your LDS neighbors to feed your family for a year cuz they probably can’t afford it, but it is worth looking at their accumulated knowledge on how to prepare a good pantry. You can find a wealth of good information if you do your own search on “LDS preparedness”.