Empty Wallet, Empty Stomach

         Today I noticed a sign posted on the vending machines at work. It stated that on September 10th, the price of sodas would be going up. The sign stated that due to the raising cost of food and labor that they had no choice but to raise the prices. I’ve read articles about the ever increasing price of food and the diminishing quantities of food you’ll be getting -basically paying more for less. And although I’m sure the grocery store has slowly been shrinking boxes and raising prices, this was the first time I really took notice of it affecting me on a personal level. Hard times are coming to this country. Soon riots won’t be fought over winning Championship teams or police brutality. Someday in the near future people will rob you for food and water. Desperate times make desperate people. Corporations are running on fumes. The status quo has to change. They’ll begin it by laying off workers and closing factories. That much we’ve seen already. After that, they’ll stop trying to make fresh, healthy alternatives and just process everything to sell you void, nutrition-less products. This has been the norm for years now. Then they’ll give you less of their product but charge you more for their services. Your dollar won’t stretch as far. Your food won’t last as long. Eventually this will all lead to people stealing and killing one another. If you are a prepper, you are already somewhat in the mindset of expecting this. If you are not a prepper, than I would strongly recommended preparing yourself and your family. Store long term food and water. Begin hoarding foods with long shelf lives. Sometime in the near future food and water will become a scarce commodity. So how can you prepare for the worst?

Stockpiles – Everyone should be prepared for long term emergencies. Regardless of the price of food or the possibility of food shortages, in the event of a long term catastrophe – such as earthquake, hurricane, tornado- it’s vital to have food on hand for you and your family to survive off of. There are tons and tons of products out there with five year shelf lives. Get them and stockpile away. Start off with a 72 hour pantry. Have enough food and water for your family (and pets!) for three days. Once that is accomplished, slowly grow that number out. Increase it to a week, then two weeks, then a month. Slowly over time, try to at least get up to six months worth of supplies. But keep in mind that every once in awhile some products need to be used and replaced. Check expiration dates once a month and keep track of when things may go bad. No sense wasting money by letting things spoil. Some foods that last a long time are military MRE’s and numerous canned goods. Several companies sell safely sealed five year water supplies. Try to avoid dehydrated foods as they will consume vital water supplies in order to properly eat them. Be sure to store goods such as sugar, salt, spices, cooking fuels, grains, flour, and multivitamins. Your favorite foods might one day run out, build up your supplies now and prepare for the long haul.

Gardens – Growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs will be extremely vital in order to survive a catastrophe. Not only that, but if food becomes scarce, you will have your own organic, fresh supply on hand. Be sure to do some research and find foods that are symbiotic to your landscape. It will be a waste of time and money if you try to grow something that isn’t native to your soil. Also learning how to can goods and salt meats will help you preserve and stockpile fresh ingredients throughout the non-harvest seasons. Experiment with it now, before it becomes a way of life so that you can build your confidence and skills for the real deal. Start small: perhaps a small collection of herb pots on the window sill. Grow something, keep it alive, and use it for cooking. Once you become aware of how to tend for smaller plants, branch out and start growing larger things. Once you really get the hang of it, start a garden. Instead of paying someone else for their labor, learn to do it yourself.

Homemade – One of the best things you can do for yourself is learning how to take raw ingredients and turn them into your favorite foods. We’ve all grown accustomed to purchasing prepackaged, already cooked foods from the store. But how many of us could make a loaf of bread from scratch and bake it to a golden crust perfection? Learn how your favorite foods are broken down. What are the main ingredients? What happens if you forget one or use too little/too much? Find alternatives for cooking without a stove or a microwave. By learning to cook and bake from scratch, you can save yourself hundreds of dollars in grocery bills. And you can stockpile long lasting ingredients to be combined and cooked later. The best possible example I can use is bread. You can’t stockpile bread. It goes bad, turns moldy, and decays at a fairly rapid rate. However if you know how to make bread, you could stockpile flour, water, wheat, grains, and all other pertinent ingredients, then you’ll be able to make fresh bread any time you please. If you know how to make casseroles, pies, bread, noodles, catch and filet fish, or hunt and skin wild game you’ll be able to provide for yourself if the worst case scenarios come true.

         The cost of food is only going to go up. Unless humans somehow evolve to need less water and nutrients, our daily requirement isn’t going to diminish any time soon. We all need food and water. It is as necessary to our survival as air. Keep an eye on the things you buy. Pay attention to trends in prices and volume in packaging. Be aware of what you’re getting for what you’re paying. If it starts to get too expensive, stick to the basics. Fresh produce, lean meats, no empty, sugar-filled foods. The only person concerned about what you are eating is you. Take care of yourself. The big processed food companies are only worried about the margins and profit.