Today I want to talk about your food stockpile.
I know, I know…in general this topic has been covered so many times, but those are the basic “how to” type articles.
So instead I would like to share a few of the unique challenges you will face with your food stockpile when SHTF.
Many people feel they are prepared for a massive food shortage event, but they are sadly mistaken….
First you must procure enough food (the easy part) and then secondly you need to protect it (the harder part).
Procuring Your Emergency Food Stockpile
So let say you’ve got a little bit of “extra” food stored and when SHTF you’re going to be fat, dumb and happy, right? Not so fast…
First of all, if your food plan is to keep a freezer full of frozen goods then you’re in for a world of thawing hurt when the grid goes down.
During a seriously bad SHTF survival scenario, that requires you to begin breaking into your food stockpile, you’re probably not going to have grid energy.
Freezers or refrigerators cannot (and should not) be relied upon come SHTF if they are tied to the grid (unless you plan out some backup energy sources).
So for most of us, we cannot safely rely on a stocked freezer for survival…your frozen foods will start going bad in days.
Since you can’t rely on your frozen goods, then you must focus your efforts on your dry goods.
You have basically 2 choices when it comes to building up your dry goods stockpile.
The “Do It Yourself” Method Or The “Done For You” Method
I highly recommend the “Done For You” method if you have the means to do so. Just find a reputable emergency food supplier online and buy as much food as you need. Done!
What if you don’t have the means for the “Done For You” emergency food method?
Begin purchasing a little extra each month during your strategic grocery shopping.
Buy items that have a very long shelf life and bonus points for things with extra high calories.
Remember this is survival and while it doesn’t have to taste terrible, it most certainly won’t be 5-star quality either.
You can start with a few basic survival foods: beans, rice, oatmeal, peanut butter and powdered milk.
When SHTF, you’re going to wish you had at least a 1 year or 2-year stash.
OK, let’s say you have your food stockpile ducks in a row and have a nice stash of non-perishable high-calorie survival foods in your stockpile.
Phew…Now you can eat high on the hog when food is scarce…right? Maybe, maybe not.
If you live in a high density neighborhood, then you’ve got some difficult choices to make with your food stockpile. Do you share it or keep it hidden?
Don’t Tell The Neighbors
If you share it with your neighbors, it won’t last as long as intended. If you hoard it, then you need to keep it a secret (which is harder to do than it sounds).
In a longer term food scarcity event, neighbors will go from the smiling, waving, friendly variety….to possible enemies.
Are you certain you can trust a neighbor who is a desperate, father of 3 starving kids? Willing to stake your life on it? Me neither.
Rule #1: Don’t Tell Anyone About Your Food Stockpile
If your starving neighbors even suspect you have a food stockpile, you won’t have that food much longer without some serious conflict.
Rule #2: Don’t Break Rule #1
Now that no one else (outside of your immediate family) knows about your food stash, you may need to fake mild starvation over the long haul.
Yes, you hear me right…you need to starve.
Sure, you have a year’s worth of food, but if every else in your neighborhood doesn’t, then you’ve got to play the part. While everyone else is losing weight and looking gaunt; you can’t afford look fat and happy…they will notice.
So even though you have food, you should only take in the bare minimum of calories each day. You want to stay healthy, but also need to begin to look thin along with everyone else.
You won’t look as bad as the worst neighbors, but you cannot afford to look well fed either. It’s a dead giveaway that you have a food stockpile.
Same goes for all of your family members.
You need to set strict rations for each family member and everyone needs to stick with it. Strict rationing also has the extra side benefit of ensuring your food stockpile will last even longer than originally planned.
You should feel hungry often, it will hurt, but this will ensure you keep your food stockpile to yourself.
It’s gonna suck, but this is SHTF, and it’s a necessary evil if you live near neighbors and don’t want to share.
“No food here neighbors”…nothing to see here. “We are hungry too”.
You’ll also want to proactively ask your neighbors if they know where to find any food. You must fully act as if….as if you have no food.
Author Bio
“Just In Case” Jack
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