When it comes to a disaster, the first thing you need to worry about is safety. The second thing?
Food. Many preppers will recommend that you have an adequate supply for your cheap food prepping whether it is through your own Meal Prep or buying from buying pre-packaged food. In fact, preppers have suggested for families to have at least seven days of food and water for each family member and pet in short emergencies.
However, it never hurts to be prepared for long-lasting emergencies, e.g. Hurricane Irma and Harvey. In those cases, you’ll want to store one to three months of food and procure a high-quality water purifier. Of course, it never hurts to have six months to a year’s worth of food prepared for disasters.
What Prepper foods should I Stockpile in case of emergency?
While there are kits to stockpile for your home – and we’ll get to that in a bit – here are some foods you should consider storing in case of pandemic or disaster.
- Water (This is the number one priority!)
- Peanut Butter
- Nuts and Trail Mix
- Cereal
- Granola Bars
- Dried Fruit
- Canned Meats (tuna, chicken, salmon)
- Canned Soups
- Salt and Pepper
- Sugar
- Powdered Milk
- Multivitamins
- Canned Vegetables (tomatoes, pumpkin, etc)
- Oil
- Tea
- Beans
- Instant potatoes and oatmeal
- Rice
- Baby Formula
Remember to check the expiration dates every few months, to ensure that your stock remains fresh.
What about these emergency food kits?
Fortunately, lots of companies, such as Amazon, Wise Food Storage, Mountain House, and more, sell emergency food kits. However, if you want the biggest bang for your buck, your best bet would be to stick with Amazon for your Budget Food Prepping.
Emergency supply kits typically include food sealed in pouches which makes them great for budget food prepping. The process is simple: add boiling water to the packet to create a tasty meal. Furthermore, these food pouches contain enough calories (if not slightly under) for the average person, so you won’t have to worry about starving.
So what are the best available food kits?
Best Quality for Your Money:
Wise Company’s Entree Only Grab and Go Food Kits
Wise Company can make some tasty meals, but this particular kit has been touted by customers as one of their best. With three weights to choose from – 11 pounds, 20 pounds, and 21 pounds – these kits offer a variety of meals, including chili macaroni, teriyaki and rice, pasta alfredo, savory stroganoff, cheesy lasagna, and more. However, there is a breakfast option, which features 120 servings of assorted breakfast meals.
Better yet, these foods have a shelf life of 25 years!
Longest Lasting Shelf Life:
Mountain House Just in Case
The award for longest lasting shelf life goes to Mountain House Just in Case!
If you practically never want to worry about rotating an emergency supply, then you should purchase this product, as there is a 30-year taste guarantee.
Better yet, just add water to the food pouch and you can eat in less than 10 minutes. Meals include Chili Mac with Beef, Rice and Chicken, and Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.
Most Servings for Your Money:
Augason Farms 1-Week 1-Person Emergency Food Supply Kit
Want the best value? Then you should opt for Augason Farms 1-Week 1-Person Emergency Food Supply Kit, which includes a whopping 78 servings for $40. The kit includes 12,480 calories and eight meal varieties with a 25-year shelf life.
Meals include: cheesy broccoli rice, Spanish rice, creamy chicken flavored rice, chicken and creamy potato soups, oatmeal, banana chips, and more!
Cheapest for Short Term Emergencies:
Wise Company 72-Hour Emergency Food Supply
Feel like you’ll need a bucket for just a few days in case of emergency? Then look no further than Wise Company’s 72-hour emergency food kit. For less than $30, you’ll receive one bucket with 34 total servings of meals with a 25-year shelf life.
Meals include: brown sugar and maple multi-grain cereal, apple cinnamon cereal, chicken noodle soup, and more. All of which are great for cheap food prepping.
It is in your best interest, especially if you live in a hazardous area, to invest in an emergency food kit. After all, nutrition is essential to survive in the midst of an emergency.
Lastly, a Quick Comparison:
Update: Feb. 2018
Best All In One Prepper Meal & Survival Pack:
Tac-Bar Ready to Eat Tactical Food Rations for 5 Days
While browsing new potential preps we came across this. It has 5 days of food and light survival gear packed into one easy to tote container. Basically we think it would be good to have in short term Prepping scenarios.