How much is enough?

[jansman]

Juvecu, we are NOT self sufficient, and you can sure as heck bet we have gaps and shortfall in our preps. But I sure aint gonna lose sleep about it, and nor should you. IMO just one weeks worth of grub, and the ability to cook it, is fantastic.
Unsure, I am with you on the 3 to 6 months, and unemployment is THE biggest threat to us all at the moment( imo).

[Technik]

For ME enough is a 1 year stock of food and all other equipment required to survive that year - at the moment I'm maybe half way through... maybe

[jansman]

For ME enough is a 1 year stock of food and all other equipment required to survive that year - at the moment I'm maybe half way through... maybe

Half a year? BRILLIANT ! Damn fine I say. Like I said before even 1 week of prep is good.

[Plymtom]

I think when like Jansman rotation without having to discard is a good level to stick at, but I'm sure he like any of us having got the bug would find some other area to improve

I am with you on the 3 to 6 months, and unemployment is THE biggest threat to us all at the moment

Yes and for some of us this DWP/WCA/ATOS benefit shake up could loose us our income whilst we appeal, I sound like my mother moaning about the price of food too, but the few percent increase the government keeps quoting is bullcrap for the poor some things in the value lines folk like us have to go for has doubled since the Tories got in, corned beef.. a useful preping food would have been a better investment than gold three weeks ago, it was £1.54 at Asda even for the value stuff which was well up on what it was but the £2 a throw it is this week scares the crap out of me, how can any of us keep up with increases like that?

On the up side it makes prepping by buying as much food as you can store a better investment than money in the bank if the Facebook bloke spent his money he got on corned beef he could have made another half billion by now, unlike the ones who bought shares in Facebook who have seen their investment going south fast

[jansman]

Funny you say that as a lot of my meat trade contacts a year ago DID invest in corned beef ( by the pallet) as it was makin more than the bank. Wish I had.
But... Storing food IS about actually having it to eat, not as a money making venture methinks.

[Plymtom]

Storing food IS about actually having it to eat, not as a money making venture methinks.

Too right mate, I was saying in a round about way that prepping beats saving at this point in time, if corned beef goes back down I'm getting some more, and if anyone has any clues about potential imminent food price rises... let us know please.

[jansman]

Storing food IS about actually having it to eat, not as a money making venture methinks.

Too right mate, I was saying in a round about way that prepping beats saving at this point in time, if corned beef goes back down I'm getting some more, and if anyone has any clues about potential imminent food price rises... let us know please.

If only ...
But as a heads up, All meat products are starting to rise. And will rise further. A beef farming friend of mine commented on the price of 8 mth store calves. Pigmeat is also rising at an alarming rate. In the last week it has jumped more than in the last 5 yrs.
But don't panic, really.

[Arzosah]

Skippy, jansman, thanks for your responses. Not panicking, thankfully - the food preps I've done this last two months have got me maybe 2 months of food? I haven't calculated, tbh but two or three plastic crates of dried beans, rice and pasta, with another crate of tinned food too. In tandem with food preps, I've also been getting little bits of gear - the ResQme tool, a few led lights - but there's lots of research I've been doing for bigger items that I've yet to buy. I certainly have much more stored food than is usual in our society - as we've been saying, that puts me in a better place than most. The thing now is to consolidate - for instance, to *know* exactly what we've got is really important, so the preps don't get lopsided, and we totally forget toilet paper in favour of tubes of tomato puree

As to food prices - as a vegetarian, I'm not involved in meat price rises, but soybeans, the best all-round bean you can get in terms of amino acids, is very affected by the food shortages, and if I see any, I'll buy them.

[jansman]

The price of soya most certainly is an issue, in fact with World harvests routinely( it seems) failing or being poor,the pressure is on high protein foods. I too store dried beans as we have a few dishes we enjoy made from them. In fact beans are a very easily stored foodstuff. Beans, rice and fresh veg from the garden( or even foraged) you most certainly would not go hungry.
Rice and pasta was where I started and then built up and out around that.

[Ferricks]

In terms of storage right now - I'm carb-tastic. I have about 30kg of pasta, 25kg rice with potatoes in the greenhouse, garden, tins, jars + Mr. Mash......

I have a LOT of dried lentils and other pulses (probably 50kg total with 20kg of that in the form of red and green lentils)

30kg of tinned tomatoes, loads of herbs, 200 stock cubes, 25kg sugar, 10litres of honey, about 200 asst tins (cant be bothered looking up what they are but many are meats/fish for added protein), 200 toilet rolls......

and it's nowhere near enough - because I'm light on flour, fats, seeds, dried fruits, jams, chutneys + growing salads...... I could go on! The list here is my real "basics" - I'm fine for family toiletries etc. for about 1 year and I'm aiming to get my stock up to that level for all items as a matter of "routine" and then expanding those items with mega shelf life to maintain higher stocks of them.

We've agreed not to buy ANY food this week and just work through what's "at hand" to get a feel for our requirements. We do this periodically and its a useful exercise.


'hope this contributes!