Now is a good time to buy food

[teamnelson]

I know the primary motivator for many of us on this forum is to prepare for an uncertain future. The last big thing on my wish list is a homestead, but so far that's not coming together. So tonight my wife and I spent several hours (and alot of $) buying food. With prices going up almost between the time you pick it up off the shelf to the time you put it on the conveyor at the register, we decided it'd be good to lay in some things just in case. We didn't go for any of the prepackaged LTS stuff; just stocked up heavy on the stuff we know we'd actually eat. Have always had extra, but now we took it up a notch or three. Going to increase our water storage, and finishing up the final touches on the guns/ammo list. Still have a few things I hope to sell off, and a few things I hope to find, but I feel like we've reached another milestone in our preparedness.

If it has to come, I hope it comes while I'm at home and not when I'm deployed. We've prepared for that too, as best we can, but its not as comforting to imagine as I am sure some of y'all can agree.

I'm reading alot that indicates now is a good time to lay in food; anybody else seeing the same thing?

[mechanic]

Yep.  We have been stocking can goods and staples that will keep.  I want as much as I have room for.  We are setting up a rotation system.  After 6 mos. it gets cycled out with new.
 
Only problem now is sufficient storage to organize, but anything beats nothing.
 
Ben

[Bugflipper]

TN, last I heard you were stationed in HI. Do you have any ability to grow a garden and can? What about raising small animals? It's a lot cheaper to put food up yourself as apposed to buying it. I would guess that the things needed for a garden and putting it up would be less than 4 overstocking trips to the grocery store. Could yield a year of food instead of a month. I know a lot of people don't have the space to do so. But those that do can easily get up a good supply of food in a few growing seasons where weather permits.

[teamnelson]

TN, last I heard you were stationed in HI. Do you have any ability to grow a garden and can? What about raising small animals? It's a lot cheaper to put food up yourself as apposed to buying it. I would guess that the things needed for a garden and putting it up would be less than 4 overstocking trips to the grocery store. Could yield a year of food instead of a month. I know a lot of people don't have the space to do so. But those that do can easily get up a good supply of food in a few growing seasons where weather permits.

Bug, I'm in VA now, base housing, so garden and animals on hold. That's precisely why we'd like some land, but we're still a few $ short of what we need to make that happen. Great idea though!

[Victor3]

 Past couple of years, every time we use a can of something, I buy two cans (more if on sale) to replace it. Also, a side benefit to our recent healthier eating habits means that the canned stockpile is building up.
 
 Our local survival outfit http://www.majorsurplus.com/RetailStore.aspx occasionally has sales on bulk MRE's, Mountain House, etc. for cheaper than one can put together meals from the grocery store.
 
 Before Easter, one of our local stores offered a free frozen turkey for every $150 spent. We spent just over $300, so got two. My 85 year old Mom, who keeps about three days' worth of food on hand (her market is only a block away), got one turkey to 'store for us' in her freezer. Little does she know that stuff we put in her freezer along with a bunch of canned goods/water we store in her garage is her personal emergency supply.
 
 I've never paid much attention to our local dollar store and didn't know what kind of food they had. It's right next to the place I get my hair cut so I stopped in last Saturday. Del Monte corn two cans for a buck? Cup-O-Soup four for a buck? I had to ditch the little hand basket for a cart. We may not even have to eat the cat in a disaster. Her favorite dry food was on sale for ~30% of what I usually pay for it. 
 
 Unfortunately, I can go nuts on something that's not really that great of a deal. My Wife is the coupon queen, so I often give her a call when I'm in a store to make sure I'm not paying too much for an item.

[jlwilliams]

With the 'prepper' shows all over the TV and december 2012 coming fast, I see a big run on staple goods coming.  Not nessisarily a real disaster, but as we get closer to the Mayan doomsday date I think we will see 'the masses' behaving badly enough to upset the just-in-time invetory stream we count on.  Kind of a mini disaster caused by herds of morons expecting a disaster.  I figure around october we will see extream high prices and even shortage caused by Chicken Little behavior.
 
  I don't think "It" is about to happen.  I do think enough people are expecting "It" to cause a problem.
 
 

[teamnelson]

With the 'prepper' shows all over the TV and december 2012 coming fast, I see a big run on staple goods coming.  Not nessisarily a real disaster, but as we get closer to the Mayan doomsday date I think we will see 'the masses' behaving badly enough to upset the just-in-time invetory stream we count on.  Kind of a mini disaster caused by herds of morons expecting a disaster.  I figure around october we will see extream high prices and even shortage caused by Chicken Little behavior.
 
  I don't think "It" is about to happen.  I do think enough people are expecting "It" to cause a problem.
 
 

I think there's a lot of truth to this. It won't be the prepared causing the problem; it'll be the panicked who will respond disproportionately in fear to smaller problems.

[keith44]

With the 'prepper' shows all over the TV and december 2012 coming fast, I see a big run on staple goods coming.  Not nessisarily a real disaster, but as we get closer to the Mayan doomsday date I think we will see 'the masses' behaving badly enough to upset the just-in-time invetory stream we count on.  Kind of a mini disaster caused by herds of morons expecting a disaster.  I figure around october we will see extream high prices and even shortage caused by Chicken Little behavior.
 
  I don't think "It" is about to happen.  I do think enough people are expecting "It" to cause a problem.
 
 

I agree remember the Y2K hype?? Co-workers were all going nuts comparing what all they bought.  A few were talking and one asked me what I was doing to survive Y2K, when I told them I'd bought a new gun and 2 cases of ammo I heard no more about it.


As for the price of staples going up, yes I see it coming.  We are already stocked up on salt, sugar, and flour.  We raise cattle, so meat will not be an issue, or at least has never been an issue.  The garden areas are ready to plant, with some already sending up seedlings.  That leaves gas, water, and electric.  We are on propane, and have 72% in the tank now, with a top off coming around august or september.  Electric only runs the lights, frig, computer, etc and can go on either generator, or inverter.  Water can come from one of the ponds if really need be.

[Lost Farmboy]

  I think TeamNelson is right. Storing food is a hedge against inflation. Saw a guy on dooms day preppers say his stored food value is increasing much faster than any 401K. If hyper inflation hits a good store of food would put you ahead of the game. The recent inflation in food and energy is because of QE2. Now they are talking about QE3. It's the lost value of the dollar more than inflation. We appear to be nearing the end of Joseph's 7 fat years.


The problem I have is that what most people call food, I call toxic wast. We do not eat canned or processed food. I only want to buy food we eat. We buy 75 lbs of rice every December when the new crop rice comes in form Thailand. Rice prices are up 150% from 3 years ago. Our 5 gallons of coconut oil is almost gone. Need a new one. Price is up 100 % from 2 years ago. We do not use sugar. I keep a good supply around for feeding the bees in emergencies and starting new hives. We keep a good supply of honey. I have been trying to talk my wife into canning for years. She will only freeze the vegetables from the garden. If I want canned food I will have to do it my self.


This year I bought a few bags of deer corn. 40 lbs a bag for $8. We do not eat it. If the SHTF we can make corn meal out of it. If not I will feed it to the critters and replace it next year.


If I was willing to eat commercially prepared food I would start clipping coupons. Stock up on double coupon days.

[mechanic]

Be careful with the deer corn.  It has additives that allow the rangers to see it from above via ultra violet light.  It glows green.  I don't know what the additives are, but as grandma used to say, "it ain't nacheral".
 
Ben

[sturgeonhunter]

stock up and can everthing I started canning wild game about three years ago love it last year started canning all the fish I catch have pretty good supply now

[Buckskin]

Be careful with the deer corn.  It has additives that allow the rangers to see it from above via ultra violet light.  It glows green.  I don't know what the additives are, but as grandma used to say, "it ain't nacheral".
 
Ben

 
Now that is a good one!

[Lost Farmboy]

Be careful with the deer corn.  It has additives that allow the rangers to see it from above via ultra violet light.  It glows green.  I don't know what the additives are, but as grandma used to say, "it ain't nacheral".
 
Ben

 
And I was only afraid of the GMO. Shame on the environmentalist for poisoning the deer. Maybe nest year I'll get pig food. It is only a cheap stock for crap events. Cheaper that letting canned goods expire.

[mechanic]

I am making the assumption that there is something in the corn.  When you shine one of the "blood lights" on it, it glows green.  Regular corn does not.  And I was told this is how DNR spots illegal baiting.....so it may not be anything harmful, but I don't know.
 
Ben