Time To Think Like Mad Max

There are some advantages to thinking like a post-apocalyptic scavenger when it comes to food storage. At the very least it means that you will always some food on hand; that alone is worth the price of admission. There are three major areas worth looking into: canned foods, food preservation, and farming. By looking at these areas you can make sure that you will always have some sort of food on hand.

At any given time your food stores should consist of at least one-third canned goods.

Given their longevity and they don't require any special storage (such as refrigeration), they can easily expand your food stores as well. They can be easily added to almost any meal, as well make for some great meals on their own. A good idea is to have about half of the cans be vegetables, including tomato paste, a third be meals such as enchiladas and soups, and the remainder a good mix of various beans; this should give you a lot of options when you go to create meals, especially later on in the month when you are spending less time on peparing meals, usually do the cost of food.

You may also want to look into canning and jarring. Although it can be quite a mess, it means that you can fully take advantage of seasonal foods while at the same time spreading your food stores out. The obvious upshot of all this is that with a little preparation you can be enjoying summer squash virtually throughout the entire year, as well as enjoying your own jams and jellies, usually for a lower price than the equivalent item from a store. This is not a minor advantage, especially if you are worried about preservatives and other adiitives.

You would be surprised how little space it takes to grow your own food. As long as you have some land available to you, you can grow something. It should start with some fruit trees; not only do they provide fruit but also provide shade that can help with electricity bills. You should also debate even a small garden; a quarter-acre properly maintained can provide a wide variety of foods and take a serious dent out of your food bills; even a small mix like squash, beans, and corn can make for some great meals. Throw in a couple of chickens and a goat or two, and you should have plenty of food the next year.

By combining these three techniques you should be able to extend your food budget to a ridiculous measure. A pack of seeds, some jars, and a little extra land can actually save you a lot of money throughout the year, and that can make the labor worth it. Better yet, these are all techniques that require little modern technology to make happen, making them great skills to have when the apocalypse finally happens, and probably saving your life when people realize that you have some skills that mean their survival. So learn these skills and master them; they could bring a really nice number of advantages later on.