How to survive the apocalypse

There is no such thing as to much vinegar

 

I'm happy you're eating too 🤗

 

Also this reminds me of something my cousin used to make for coffee. You pour a can of sweetened condensed milk and some vanilla syrup in a Mason Jar and then fill it the rest of the way up with milk and shake it.


It tastes just like gas station coffee creamer

 

This is exactly why I do it. Even though I can afford to spend more, there's no greater joy to me than feeding 6 people dinner for $4. It's like a game to me and I am addicted.

 

PART 2: Storage Solutions For The Apocalypse

Everyone's living situation is different, so it is important to find storage solutions that work for you. However, there are some basic guidelines that I will outline here.

#1. Nothing will attract pests to your living space like a stockpile of food in the basement. It is important to keep your dry storage pest proof. If they can't smell it, they won't come. Foods in cans or jars are safe to just set on a shelf. But food like pasta and rice that come in a bag or box should be placed into a plastic bin or glass jars.

#2. When choosing your storage containers, I highly reccomend clear bins or jars. It is much easier to maintain your stockpile when you can see what you have at a glance.

#3. A shelving unit is very helpful for storing your stockpile, but if you do not have space for a dedicated area I reccomend rubbermaid bins. They can be stored in out of the way places and will protect your stash from pests. If all you have room for is a couple of the short rubbermaid bins slid under your bed, it's much better than nothing!

#4. If you choose to store your dry goods in mason jars and you would like to extend their shelf life, there is a method called dry canning. It is said to keep dry goods safe to consume for up to 10 years. Personally I am to lazy for this step, as I am constantly rotating my stock and food does not sit for years at a time. But, I do know others whom use this method successfully. Here is a short how to video if you are interested in this method:


#5. Canning produce can also be easily done without expensive equipment. If you have a canner, great! (they are cheap, I think mine was on sale for $15), but even if you do not have a canner you can use this method with a deep pot with a lid and some kind of trivet to keep the jars off the bottom of the pan (rolled up tin foil works if you need in a pinch) Here is a video to explain this method.


#6. The final method of canning is super neat. It's called pressure canning, and unfortunately requires you to purchase a pressure canner (which can be pricey) to safely do. BUT if you do not have the room for deep freezers, it might be worth the investment for you. Pressure canning allows you to can basically anything, including meat! Creating your own shelf stable meat could be invaluable in an emergency situation and being able to buy meat in bulk without it going bad offers the largest possible savings on your grocery bill. Here is a video about it, the how to videos are much longer so I'd rather not post one here but they are easy to find.


#7. NEVER under any circumstances, keep your stockpile in cardboard boxes. BUGS LOVE CARDBOARD!!!! It's a bad bad idea and will cost you more money than you will save because you will be throwing things away and inviting bugs into your home.

#8. If you are going to be purchasing shelving for your stockpile, pay careful attention to the load bearing capabilities of each shelf. It will tell you on the package how much each shelf can hold. Remember, canned goods are heavy!

#9. Store lighter items towards the top of your shelves and heavier items towards the bottom. If for some reason your shelf collapses, you want to crush as little food as possible.

#10. Inspect each and every tin can for dents. Throw dented cans away immediately, they are unsafe to consume. Dented cans can be a sign of botulism, a deadly toxin that will posion you.

#11. Try to keep your stockpile in a cool, dark, dry place if possible. This will extend the shelf life of your food. If you have a perfect storage place such as this you can consider adding onions, potatoes, and garlic to your stockpile. You will need a solid colored rubbermaid bin for this, as you want to keep as much light out as possible. Inspect these bins often and remove anything that is starting to decay or it will spread and ruin your whole bin.

#12. Gallon size ziplock bags work great for keeping seasoning packets, or bags of pasta all together instead floating all over inside one of your bins. Organization is key in maintaining a stockpile, everything must be able to be grabbed easily. If it's a chore to dig something out, you will be less likely to use it.

 

No, I don't have the time or patience to sit there and cut out hundreds of coupons. I shop sales, buy in bulk and break stuff down into smaller packages, and buy produce that's about to go bad super cheap and then come home and either can it or blanch and freeze it right away.

 

I hope everyone has their potatoes stored away already, because they are gone at the mennonite store.

 

Lots of other stuff was gone too, but pictures wouldn't do it justice. The mennonite grocery store is not like a traditional grocery store as you know it

 

I'm not sure. We are projected to have a very bad winter this year. But I'm sure some election uncertainty is to blame also. There's a lot of people who think a civil war may be coming.