Folks- it is time to re-evaluate our food situation. If for some reason you haven't already done so, now would be a good time to start stocking up your pantry. If you haven't thought about long term food storage I seriously think you should start. I cannot stress how serious this situation is becoming all across the country.
Just last month food prices rose 3.9 percent. That is just one month. The month before was almost as bad. According to the Labor Department this is the biggest gain since November of 1974. The increase of the cost of vegetables alone was almost 50% Bloomberg reported that coffee, sugar and cocoa prices will rise 50-100% by 2014. If those numbers doesn't freak you out I'm really not sure what will.
There are over 40 million people in the United States on food stamps. That is an incredible number and it is rising daily. It is a good representation of just how bad things are getting. People are finding that they cannot afford to eat the way they have in the past. There are more "meatless" meals being served. There are meals being skipped. Folks are going hungry. It is time for us all to take a really good look at what we can do to prepare ourselves for what is coming. It is no longer a matter of "IF" things are going to get worse. They most certainly ARE going to. So what can we do? How about getting up off our butts and getting involved in our own food storage plans. It can be a daunting task if you let it overwhelm you. Just don't let it. Get up, make it a priority.
Even FEMA suggests that you have at three day supply of groceries in case of an emergency. Personally I think that three days is not nearly enough. Of course it is a start but many emergency situations last much longer. For instance, we had a snow storm here this past winter. Nothing was moving. Even the mail delivery came to a screeching halt. Three days into it we had another huge snowstorm move through and the trucks couldn't make deliveries to the grocery stores. The local news reported that stores had run out of things like milk and bread. Because we were prepared this ended up being a "non-issue".
A few months ago I wrote an article (here ) about some of the things that I do to save money when I grocery shop. There are lots of valuable ideas that can help you while you are doing your shopping. This doesn't cover everything but it is a good place to start. There has been a huge resurgence of interest in gardening this year. It looks like some folks are finally waking up. I've heard that there are more people starting a garden this year than there ever has been before. You can save tons of money by growing your own vegetables. Not to mention the satisfaction that comes with it. You might be surprised at what all you can grow even if you don't have room for a big garden. There aren't to many veggies that can't be grown in containers. The cost is minimal. You need seeds, a place to put the seeds and a little bit of time.
Another thing that has been making a come back is home preservation of foods. Canning and dehydrating foods is easy. The hardest part is getting up off the couch and just doing it. There is a little cash layout to get started, but you have to remember that once you have the equipment, you will be using it for years and years. It will pay for itself in no time at all. There are even plans online to make your own dehydrator for next to nothing. Preserving foods like this can save you tons of money and is a super way to get your pantry stocked up for the long run. Not to mention how much healthier these foods are. You know exactly waht you are feeding your family.
I guess what I am trying to say is that if there ever was a need for having a well stocked pantry, that time is NOW. Make food storage a priority. Think of it as insurance against the rapidly growing rise in prices and the cost of feeding your family. I know that alot of you are already doing some or all of these things. For you guys (I'm talking to myself here as well) I suggest you pick up your tempo just a bit. What you buy today will only be more expensive tomorrow.
~~~ Hey ... I'm Just Sayin' ... ~~~
You are so, so right SFC. I almost choked on the price of milk the other day. And it is only going to get worse. We are usually in the 7-10 day range for food, but I would like to have it at least a month because baring an emergency - money is going to continue to get tighter.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Preach it, sister!
ReplyDeleteThese days, I struggle with having extra money to replace what I use from the pantry. I started living off my stored foods about a year ago, and have only been able to replace a percentage of what I used. There's just no money.
If YOU have money, use it to stock up. Please. The worst has not come yet. I am not a doom and gloomer. I am just not sticking my head in the sand.
Very good advice, my friend! I nearly go into shock every time I go to the store!
ReplyDeleteAs one that lives on a fixed income, believe me when I say it is going to be a very tight year for sure!
Thanks for bringing this up! Needs to be said more often!
Amen Sci Sister!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutley spot on Sci Fi! *Thumbs up*
ReplyDeleteWe are ramping up our stocking and rotation efforts in relation to sales.
Last summer, late summer, I bought two cases of butter, each 1-lb. box cost $1.40. We're running low and have been watching for a good sale for a few months, figured I'd best bite the bullet and by another two cases, on sale this time the 1-lb boxes were $3.40 each and regular price was $3.80. That's pretty darn close to $1 a 1/2 c. stick of butter* Sheesh* I told my family treat it like gold!
Got a goat, maybe two, both fresh, so if I can find a seperator cheap we'll be making our own butter again. :o)
Blessings,
Kelle
What disturbs me is that you try to talk to family and friends about it and they think you're crazy or say they don't have time to deal with it. I've given up and am now trying to stockpile even more because I know we're going to end up feeding some other folks if it gets bad. Thank goodness I found couponing a couple of years ago! Now I'm trying to master gardening, chickens, canning and dehydrating. Thank you for your blog and all the info it has given me!
ReplyDeleteYep you are correct. The powers that be are printing everything they can find that will take ink to destroy our savings and inflate away the massive debt while keeping the entitlement checks flowing. Soon those checks won't be worth the paper they are printed on. Then the real fun will begin.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed higher prices on just about everything I buy. I definitely need to kick my food storage up a notch.
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