Has anyone else been squirreling away food this last yr?

[uppityperson]

I have a good sized emergency kit put away, in case of earthquake, and another smaller one in my car in case I'm too far away to walk home easily. MrUP bought a 25 lb sack of rice to add to the stock last week since he's been feeling the food/money crunch.

I've been warning people about food prices going up for the last yr, looking ahead at gas prices, and telling those who say "just drive less" that more importantly it's going to impact food supplies. People panicking aren't going to help things, but gradually adding bits here and there seem to be the way to go.

Here is an interesting website, how long can you survive in your home?
http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/v/trapped

[WCGreen]

1. Oatmeal, Rice, Tuna, Canned Tomatos, Beans...

I have abut two months worth of food if things go rotten.

[uppityperson]

3. I started after 9/11 when got really paranoid about our gvt

thinking of what they might pull. So I got my earthquake kit put together. Then I went to gulf coast after Katrina, came home and made car kit. Growing up with a full pantry, makes me feel more like my mom all the time, not just in the mirror but in the pantry too.

[WCGreen]

24. My grandma use to have a small grocery store in her cellar...

She remembered the Depression and trying to keep her family fed.

[Virginia Dare]

32. I think that's true of the entire generation who lived through that..

they also kept/keep plenty of cash hidden away.

[frickaline]

25. <sry wrong location - retract>

[lisa58]

2. I kinda always do...

...not for any emergency - it's just that my husband used to live in Canada and he taught me you never just buy one of anything. With gas prices and food prices the way they are now - I'm really glad he did.

[ixion]

4. I've been stocking up on rice, beans, oil

and soon coffee. I always keep a month's food sacked away, but I'm going to increase my stocks (slowly) because of what's going down these days.

[madeline_con]

28. I bought ammo

Guaranteed I can get food.

[varelse]

33. Or lead poisoning

some of us might shoot back.

[Speck Tater]

5. I shop once a month or less

and buy storables like rice, dry beans, pasta, etc., in bulk from a restaurant supply place, and I usually have at least a year's supply of everything (except fresh veggies) just laying around. Half of the year I get my fruits and veggies from my own gardens (1/2 acre), orchard (28 trees, apple, pear, plum, cherry), and tiny little vineyard (1/4 acre).

[NightWatcher]

6. nothing serious yet, but will be reviewing my plans and supplies this weekend

and will be stocking up two different locations for "hurricane season". I am afraid of what would happen if a storm were to hit an oil platform.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

7. This little fella has

[Speck Tater]

9. Yummm! Time to stock up on squirel meat. nt

[uppityperson]

11. Looks like at our house. Found a stump yesterday with a huge pile of debris on it.

Squirrels eat the nutty part and leave the outer part. It's very cute and funny.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

8. For awhile now I've been stocking up on canned goods

but I found out that they go bad after a couple of years, things like canned corn, green beans and the like. They just start corroding and leaking through the bottom and the air gets to it. I guess dry goods are definitely the way to go for any long term situations.

[Blackhatjack]

10. Yep.... but no one knows how long it will take for the food shortages to subside once started...

Once that distribution network slows (or heaven forbid, shuts down) it will take a long time for it to come back to what we consider normal.

[theboss]

12. I follow the "grocery game" website

Shopping for me has become a kind of puzzle that I really like. And I buy insane amounts of top-quality foor for ridicuoulsy low prices. I think my record was $325 worth of groceries for $165. And this included yellow fin tuna filets and lobster tails and stuff.

[uppityperson]

18. Yes, having room to stock what is on special is a good idea.

It can take a while to get stock built up, but being able to buy and store what's on special can really help. Want to have me over for dinner (lobster, yum)?

[Raine1967]

13. I am going back to canning veggies and fruits.

We are also stocking up on the Rice, in our area it is becoming scarce...
We are actually investing in a vacuum packing machine for the meat. We found a good priced source, and buy it in bulk.

Next up.... with the (b)rie-bate that bush is giving us, we are buying a scooter. Things are getting out of hand, and we want to get on the best side of things we can. Not panicking, just planning the best we can.

Buy what you can, and either can or freeze it for the future. The meat can last a bit in the freezer, the vacuum sealers are a godsend.

[AndyA]

14. WTF?

Pets (additional food source)

NO WAY IN HELL!

[uppityperson]

19. oh dear, I totally misread that part, thought they meant food FOR pets.

No way will I eat my smelly old dog or cats.

[AndyA]

35. I hope that's what they meant, but it's up for different interpretations.

I hope they meant you could eat their pet food, I'm sure they wouldn't mind sharing it with you. But I would never, ever, be able to use my pets as a food source. My pets are my family. :shrug:

[Mojambo]

15. I rent a 10 by 10 foot room

And am allotted precious little pantry space in my current living situation.

I'd love to start stockpiling some food stuffs, but logistically it just doesn't work.

[icymist]

16. Strange site......"Pets (additional food source)"?!?

There's no way I'll be eatting my pets!

[redwitch]

23. How about your leather furniture?

I think I would rather die than eat my cats or leather furniture( if I had any).

[madeline_con]

29. I would eat grass first!

[Warpy]

17. I always keep a supply of staples on hand

which means various varieties of beans and grains. I also have ten pounds of flour because Wild Oats had a sale on King Arthur bread flour. I have powdered whole eggs, egg whites, and buttermilk plus a quart of maple syrup that generally lasts me a year or so.

In other words, I just have the same stuff kicking around that I always do, plus an extra five pounds of flour.

My staple stash came in handy when I was poor and there was always month left over at the end of the money.

[NV Whino]

20. Yeah.

And now those damned acorns have sprouted and I have to start all over.

[JuniperLea]

21. I live in Earthquake country!

I always have food and water stashed.

[fight4my3sons]

22. we try to put some things away

like cereal, rice, beans, canned stuff, but usually we barely make it to the next pay check or fs date. Kids seem to go through food quickly!

[magellan]

26. You said squirrel!

:rofl:

I'm sorry, I just get such a kick out of that photo.

To your question, we have hurricane supplies but they could use topping up. I also intend to stock up on dry staples now that our finances have improved a little. Like many others we're feeling the squeeze.

[madeline_con]

27. I got 85 days. Long enough to build an ark.

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

30. I've been going in the wrong direction this year.

But, the impulse is still there and when work gets anywhere near normal, I will be again.

My worst mistake was not storing the pet food properly in the basement and someone ate all 50 lbs of the food I'd put away for the cats and for Kid in case of an emergency. Boy, did I feel stupid! Somewhere in Golden Gate Park, there are some fat and happy possums!

:)

[frickaline]

31. keeping a stock is fine but stocking additionally right now is irresponsible

We are creating a crisis out of nothing more than baseless panic. All source keep saying that there is plenty of food supply. Its a good idea to always keep a stock of food to thwart any crisis you might encounter but to make a "run" on rice right now is only making a bad situation worse for people. There is no reason for panic, only prudence.

[El Pinko]

34. I have been hoarding All-Bran.

I eat it for breakfast every day, and it keeps, so when my neighborhood supermarket hat it for $2.99/box (it's usually about 3.60, and over $4 at other stores), so I bought a total of about 20 boxes. Still working on'em.

I would have bought a lot anyway, but I bought more having heard that wheat products would be going up.

[Ilsa]

36. I have friends outside of DU that are squirreling away

food and ammo and working on their vegetable gardens. One is in his early sixties and he swears it will get worse. He is good at reading the economic tea leaves and other subtle changes, like the subprime market three years ago, media consolidation,and what would happen without the fairness doctrine. I swear, this guy can look 20 years into the future.