The coming Depression, what is smarter Canned goods or MRE'S?

[sarcasmo]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that gloom and doom is near. With that being said what is smarter Canned goods or MRE'S, that's Meals Ready to Eat, military style.
If you have your blinders on and don't see it coming that is your choice, the reality is real.
The media will not report it until it has already happened, it is very close here in Michigan.

[Zywiec]

1. Is it possible to leave Michigan?

If not, I'd go with canned food. MREs are a lot more expensive.

[Kali]

2. Join up with Mitt's church - they will show you how to

store up a year or so's worth and cycle it so it doesn't go bad. I think you can mail order too.:evilgrin:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. around here, they give seminars in how to do this

and they don't bug you too badly about joining their church. At least that is what my friends tell me--but then they are on a Lakota spiritual path, and probably freaked out the missionaries that stopped by.

[El Supremo]

8. That's right. They are big on storing grain.

But I'd start a garden too.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. Very important

Get heirloom seeds and you can save them to plant next year, too. Sprouting, combined with rice/beans makes for a sustainable diet. Making yogurt is easy, and you can also make yogurt cheese. If you have room and the laws allow it, chickens and a goat are a good idea. Goat will keep down the weeds (no need for mowing), and billies can be slaughtered for meat. Nannies make good milk. And I know you can raise them in Michigan, as my uncle did this back in the '50s in Montcalm County.

[earth mom]

34. Do you have a good catalog source for the Heirloom seeds?

We are finally getting the garden going again after 3 years of being fallow. We have a ton of catalogs and are having trouble picking the best kind for the best price.


TIA! :hi:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

62. My neighbor Herb is the best resource I know

he is the one with a greenhouse full of heirloom plants. He's been a Seed Saver for decades, and knows just about everything you need to know about growing stuff. PM me for his phone number/or email address.

My husband went online to a place called Seeds of Change, I believe, where he got some heirloom seeds.

[earth mom]

65. Thanks, I will check that site out!

:hi:

[Changenow]

72. I found this blog

linked last night at Dailykos. It is a little nutty, but they seem to know about living off the grid.

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=9

[BronxBoy]

99. Here's a few

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

http://www.seedsavers.org/

http://rareseeds.com/

Most decent gardening discussions boards will also have a seed trading group where you can get seeds.

And ditto on the seed saving.

[Tyler Durden]

44. Have you been hacking my files on my home laptop?????

Something close to what I've got in mind. Just need one more year to make it happen.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

61. Nope, but if you ever need to brainstorm

or come up with more ideas, PM me and we can talk about it.

[Tyler Durden]

64. Thanks. Feel free to ask about my research and sources as well.

Networking will keep people from starving.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

66. Not just for churches

I think thats a wise thing for anyone to do...

My wife and I are starting to plan for this, Im figuring every week wehn we go shopping drop 20-30$ on any canned goods on sale until we have a years worth... Water is another issue..

[phantom power]

3. I'd go with canned goods, or better yet dried rice/beans

dried food is easier to carry for when you become a refugee.

[XemaSab]

31. The problem with beans

is that they take a lot of water and heat to cook. :(

[phantom power]

35. Yes, but if you don't have the water, your goose is cooked anyway.

[XemaSab]

40. My mom lives two blocs from the Sacto river

but heat for the food will be the kicker. She's got a few trees in the yard, and those would keep our food cooked for about a week. After that we'd be down in the natural area trashing the cottonwoods like goat herders on the sahel. :P

Canned food you can always eat cold. :(

[noamnety]

97. solar cookers are the way to go. (nt)

[NC_Nurse]

4. Don't forget the ramen noodles.

;-)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. depends on price

both are good, but if one is a lot more expensive than the other, don't get it.

Make sure you have a reliable water source.

Make sure you have built up your network/community. A community can pool their funds and buy in bulk. A community can grow a garden and share the produce. A community can trade goods and services, and a community can survive.

Good luck to you in the state where I was born.

[Birthmark]

7. I wouldn't go either way.

I'd go with grains/dehydrated foods/legumes, etc. The Mormons have some outlines that you might find helpful. http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,2006-1-1116-1,00.html

Good luck!

[mdmc]

50. kick

for the link

[Jamastiene]

9. Just pray to God hard enough to make you straight.

You are sick and need to be saved. And if you are already straight, just pray to God enough to provide you with enough roadkill to get by. MRE's suck. They won't fill you up or nourish you. Canned goods go bad in a year's time. Stick your head between your knees and kiss your ass goodbye. That goddamn mother fucking village idiot and his rich oil buddies have bankrupted the country and fucked each of us a new super sized asshole. It should be easy to find when you go to kiss it goodbye.

[Deja Q]

22. Naah. They're just taking care of global warming.

:shrug:

[Purveyor]

10. For what we haven't canned ourselves we stock up on canned goods.

Our local Meijer had a sale a few weeks ago on the canned veggies, 4 cans for a $1.00.

Quality is relatively decent and canned goods can last for a good 2 years on the shelf.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

67. Yea thats what Im doing

For years my mother canned but I just dont have the time for that so It'll be cheap creamed corn for me..

I was planning on moving back to upstate NY to be near family but being in IT and with a recession coming this may not be the best time to move from MN which has a pretty healthy job market..

[Habibi]

100. No, it wouldn't be

Upstate NY is in pretty bad shape, job-wise.

[roody]

11. Plant edible perrenials.

Plant beans that reseed. Save seeds.

[Angela Shelley]

14. Just make sure that the name "Monsanto" is not on the bag.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

16. Seed Savers is the way to go

Heirloom seeds are ones to buy, as these can be replanted and you know that you'll get an edible plant (sans chemicals). My neighbor has a greenhouse where he raises and sells heirloom plants, but you can get your start online as well.

[Gormy Cuss]

85. Open pollinated varieties (OP) are what's important.

These aren't always labeled as "heirloom" but like those that are, these are varieties that will reproduce true to form from saved seeds. Avoid F1 varieties because those are hybrids and they won't reliably produce plants with the same features from saved seed.

[The Straight Story]

91. kick for a good idea

:)

[roody]

17. !!!!!!!

[Capn Sunshine]

84. some people just HAVE to have a link

so here you go!

[librechik]

104. climate is key--lots of us can't grow year round like the lucky folks in Florida or SoCal

the only thing I can do well here in Denver is lettuce--the tomatoes have too long a growing season to do well here, though I do get som good ones before frost leaves dozens of green ones on the vine (yes, I know how to rescue those--they simply aren't as good.)

there aren't a whole lot of perennial vegetables, esp for zone 4 or cooler.

[Kali]

105. think like an Inca

there are cold/high altitude-adapted vegetables, may take a little work to find them but they exist

[Subdivisions]

12. I have studied and considered this question intensely and

I can speak with some authority that canned is the way to go. For one, a can of raviolis or peas will keep a hell of a lot longer than an MRE and, secondly, MRE's are wayyyy more expensive considering both are a single meal. An MRE costs anywhere from $6 to $9 (with heater). A can of Chef Boyardee beef ravioli is about $1. So, you get six meals with canned goods versus 1 meal with an MRE.

You might want to consider dried rice and beans as well as dried noodle meals like Ramen noodles, etc.

Forget about the MREs.

[conscious evolution]

24. MRE's are good for mobility emergencies.

If you have to evacuate an area MRE's are fairly easy to travel with.
I keep a 10 day supply.
In a pinch,an mre can feed more people than a can of spaghetti-o's.Also has better nutritional content.
For plain old fashioned hard times I have stocked on heirloom seeds and I am learning how to grow a garden.

[Subdivisions]

38. Agreed. I didn't mean to say that MREs are a bad thing. I just

happen to look at volume/dollar. And conveyance would me difficult in my case. One of my SO's primary concerns with regard to our food & supply stash is "If we have to bug out, how're we going to move all of this stuff?". And she's right. How are we going to move it, especially if we either can't afford, or there is no, gas?

I haven't crossed that bridge yet.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

68. Yes Grains are huge!

Rice is good, Millits pretty solid and of course couscous

But couscous has a good shelf life of about 6 months so a rotation while times are good is kinda critical..

[Xithras]

15. Can your own.

The jars are reusable, and the veggies will be healthier & fresher. Having the canning gear around also ensures that you can augment your food supply as food becomes available.

Personally, I'm not so worried about food. Farming is still primarily a domestic activity, and those farmers will still need to survive. Even in a total economic collapse they'll need to sell their food to SOMEBODY, and if the dollar becomes worthless it will simply be swapped for something else.

The real concern should be for anything imported...from gasoline to electronics, to basic medical supplies. Nearly all of those are imported nowadays, and if the money dries up so do the supplies of those goods.

[piedmont]

20. Re: your second point-- our agriculture runs on imported fuel.

U.S. agriculture is heavily dependent on cheap petroleum.

[Xithras]

23. Output might drop a bit, but it will not cease.

Mankind farmed for 10,000 years before oil was added into the mix.

Besides, it's important to remember that oil will never entirely vanish either. The U.S. is capable of producing roughly 40% of its current oil needs domestically. I would expect that, amid an economic collapse, we'll see the government reserving that domestic oil production for agricultural and military use. I really wouldn't be suprised if we saw something similar to ration cards resurface, and you can bet that farmers and Cargill will get all the fuel they need to run their tractors and fertilize their fields...even if you and I can't buy a gallon of gas to get to work.

[JBoy]

27. Oil will become less scarce if the economy really tanks

People choosing between food and gas will park their car. Oil prices are already starting to drop on the prospect of lowered demand.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

69. Wo Oil output will drop *ALLOT*

farming now is corporate factory farms there is no way to man them w/o machinery. Also we dont have the horse stock needed for tractor less working of the land.

[Xithras]

80. In some areas, yes. But not everywhere.

I live in farm country...there's literally a farm across the street from my house. In many areas like California, most farms are still owned and run by families, not corporate boards. The corporate farming numbers bandied around are not a reliable indicator for this, because most family farms nowadays are incorporated simply to reduce liability and spread ownership equitably among family members.

American oil output isn't going to drop any faster in an economic collapse than it is due to the existing peaking of the fields. We will not have imported oil any longer, but we will still have enough oil to meet roughly 40% of our needs. In an emergency like that, I would expect that the remaining production will be funneled into farm production and other services needed to keep us alive. There is, at a minimum, enough domestic capacity to keep our farms running for at least a few decades while they transition to something more sustainable. If immediate steps were taken to implement fuel reducing changes to farming practices, such as no-till planting and solar powered water pumping, it might even last longer.

[Kali]

88. well, with the slaughter ban and the huge increase being now shipped

to Mexico, along with big jump in neglect/cruelty cases I expect there are plenty of horses available. Of course all these poorly bred pets will take a bit of training to get them to actually work, but that shouldn't take long. Might actually help the horse market. :eyes:

[seabeyond]

18. so... with recession comes NO food available, we have to stock now?

i think even in recession this is a bit extreme and the same fear fear fear mentality we in this society enjoy in so many areas.

[Angela Shelley]

19. Is this an advertisement for MRE?

[Rosemary2205]

21. Poor people in the country made out very well in the last depression

But then the tax laws then were very different and the barter/trade/yardsale type economy that existed in the country amongst small farmers could not be done today - given that it's actually illegal in some cases for a farmer to give away food directly to his community.

[MadHound]

46. I live out in the country,

Trust me, the barter/trade/yardsale type of economy is alive and doing quite well, thank you. Sure, there are tax laws, but they are rarely enforced due to the fact that going after such a miniscule amount of fraud is pointless, and proving such a crime is next to impossible.

[LanternWaste]

25. Curiously and certainly close in format and message

Curiously and certainly close in format and message to those one reads on the Rapture Ready Board.

I know, I know... they're the crazy ones-- really.

[Der Blaue Engel]

57. Why would people who are going to be raptured

need to stock up on anything?

Isn't it the rest of us sinners who should be planning which rapturees' homes will have the best stuff left behind to loot?

[LanternWaste]

71. he hand-wringing, the apocolyptic sense of the end-times, etc.

Not so much analogous in the stocking, as it is the obligatory hand-wringing, the apocolyptic sense of the end-times, etc.

But just so you'll know... I'm booby-trapping my apartment just before the rapture. You can come in and take all my good stuff if you want, but you'll be showered by Chick tracts upon exit.... :evilgrin:

[Der Blaue Engel]

73. Thanks, I already have a huge collection of Chick tracts

They are so awesomely over the top, I consider them pro-atheist literature. :evilgrin:

[leftofthedial]

26. ammo

and alcohol

[virginia mountainman]

28. With a rifle, and a bit of easy to obtain skill..

You can hunt for food, and if it gets really bad, you can use the rifle, to keep the starving hoards from TAKING your food.

If your defenceless, you would be powerless to stop them.

[Mugu]

47. That's what I was sitting here thinking.

As long as I have a rifle and some ammo to feed it, there will be food on my table.

Regards, Mugu

[Virginia Dare]

75. If everybody is forced to hunt for their food..

I doubt that the supply of wild animals would hold out for too long.

[Mugu]

90. I didn't say anything about wild animals.

Remember all the posters that claim they don't have a firearm because they're not so dumb as to be frightened?

Regards, Mugu

edit: spelling

[Virginia Dare]

94. Wow, that's an ugly thought.....n/t

[Mugu]

95. Desperate people can justify in their own minds doing ugly things.

The people that prepared for difficult times will have the additional challenge of defending themselves against those that didn't. The old adage about those who hammer their swords into plowshares will end up plowing for those that didn't still applies.

The social and political calm that we have been blessed with has lured some people into the smug attitude that they exist on a higher plane than the rest of us mere mortals. If a disaster ever occurs, how quickly their attitude will change once they realize that they have become the easy prey of aggressive predators.

During the Rodney King riots, many people that thought the police would always protect them, found out how wrong they were. Realizing that they needed to protect themselves, they rushed to a gun store only to find out that the five day waiting period hadn't been suspended. Reality mugged their smugness.

Regards, Mugu

Edit: To remove double negative.

[Virginia Dare]

96. Same thing in New Orleans..

it's scary to think of something like that happening on a national scale, but I guess you never know if a disaster is big enough. It could go either way though, some very ugly things could have happened in New York after 9/11 and they didn't. It just depends on what the situation is.

[TalkingDog]

102. And the reality lies somewhere in between

The Palestinians who broke through the wall into Egypt yesterday were hungry, scared and obviously nicotine deprived. But they didn't riot or kill. They got through, got food for their families and went home. No fuss, no muss.

On the whole, in a mass hunger situation people will help each other. As in Katrina, where guns were aplenty and the Idiot Boy King was the first President in history to try to forcefully repeal the 2nd Amendment and removed N.O. resident's right to bear arms.

People don't riot and kill because of food or hunger. If you know of an instance please share. Generally people riot and kill because some charismatic leader (or leaders) has incited them or because they are reacting viscerally to a perceived attack. Your Rodney King example is one.

The type of break down you are talking about is a chronic one. And there are too many people in this country who are well aware of the dangers of local "gang lords" and predators developing in that event. The patriots will take care of the pacifists. Or at least the true patriots will.

In the scenario you envision predators, IMHO, are rabid anti-social maladepts that should be culled from the herd. With extreme prejudice.
This world is not large enough to support those who disregard the wider social welfare and attack their own, steal from their own, damgage their own. And that includes politicians, kings and pretenders.

In the real world, we just have to rely on the flawed system we have.


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[Kali]

106. Peta could finally rid the world of domestic food animals in a few

short years! Who says you would have to hunt "wild" animals? :evilgrin:

[Rex]

29. Well MREs will stop you up, so drink lots of water and remember

each MRE is about 5000 calories. Canned goods, OTOH, depends on what you get. I wouldn't want to be stuck eating green beans for 5 years, but would if it meant my ass would keep from starving.

I would suggest a combo of both if you think the end is neigh.

[XemaSab]

32. I was frankly thinking getting and planting ingredients for soup

wouldn't be a bad way to go.

You can always make it weaker, or eat the goodies out and reuse the stock. :(

[Capn Sunshine]

83. Yeah, what's a good source for soup seeds?

If it all comes tubling down, I'm just going to revert to growing pot and distilling whiskey, and trade for what I need.

Oh, and .45 bullets will become legal tender.

[sarcasmo]

56. In no way am I an end timer. Looking to the future, and thinking of the past.

[TalkingDog]

103. Good God, 5000 Cal.? What do they put in them, pure fat?

I mean, that's 1/2 a McDonalds Happy Meal.... :P

I know the folks eating them are often using a lot of Cal. energy. Either from movement or from exposure, but damn...that many cal.s would last me 3 days of average activity.

No wonder they clog you up.


Jeebus.


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[XemaSab]

30. MRE's are expensive

You can get a LOT more canned food for the same price. But get canned fish, boxes of mac, spices, and other stuff to mix it up a bit.

[zorahopkins]

33. Not Canned Goods

Not canned goods -- Canada.

When things get really bad economically here in the US, I hope it will still be possible to go to Canada.

[fed-up]

36. plant a huge garden and dehydrate or freeze veggies and meat-takes up less room

than canned goods-you can also freeze your dehydrated foods for a much longer shelf life

my favorite is dehydrated cherry tomatoes-super sweet as dehydrating concentrates the sugar

freezing grains like rice and also nuts for 48 hours kills the bugs especially important if you live where those ever multiplying coddling? moths live

[Seabiscuit]

74. How do you dehydrate vegetables?

I'm curious how do you dehydrate vegetables or do you already buy them dehydrated then freeze. I ask because we are starting to plant a vegetable garden of our own.

[CK_John]

37. Get both and several boxes of shells. n/t

[knitter4democracy]

39. We canned a lot last summer and froze some, too.

So far, our electric bill is doable, so I'm keeping my deep freezer stocked and ready. Last summer, we got half a bison from a local ranch (AJ's Bison Ranch down by Coldwater) done up by a local butcher in Scotts, and it filled up our freezer.

I get frozen veggies when they're on sale. I've found they keep for a good year, even if the bag says otherwise (towards the end of that year, think soups). I stock up at Meijers and Horrocks when they have good sales, too. Add to that our homecanned food (tomatoes, apple pie filling and applesauce, peaches, apples, and salsa), which the Ball Canning book says is good for a year. We should be okay.

The one thing I want to get together is an evac box--everything we'd need if we were evacuated or whatever in one spot. Copies of papers, prescriptions, food, blankets, stuff like that. I already have a storm box (though we're outside of Michigan's Tornado Alley by a bit, we've had our fair share of close calls), so an evac box would be in addition to that.

[lagavulin]

41. Neither. The answer is to begin reinvigorating your local economy asap!

Holing up in your home with canned goods is pointless, because what we're facing is far more than just a short-term economic depression. Falling stock markets, bond collapse and Dollar decline are just the latest chapters in a larger story about a civilization coming apart at the seams.

Virtually every major system underpinning modern society is crumbling or showing itself fraudulent, and it's no coincidence they're all doing so at the same point in time. Cheap oil, fake money, global transport/distribution, multi-national "corporate stewardship" of the planets people and resources, corporate governance over (s)elected leaders, immediate gratification consumerism via permanent compound-interest loans-cum-Lifestyles, unsustainable and depletive factory farming practices, massive-scale animal confinement operations, the elimination of real nourishment from our diet by the processed-food industry, Warfare as the most profitable industry in the world, "demand destruction" as an acceptable profit motive for "reconstruction", "penalization" and "private security" as two of the fastest-growing private industries today, intensive promotion of crowd-control weaponry research, privatization of water rights & distribution, privatization of vote counting, increasing polarization of Eastern and Mid-Eastern cultures against Western cultures, over-population leading to rapid depletion of basic resources, etc., etc., etc.

None of these are passing problems, and none will be alleviated in any way when a new Presidential administration is (s)elected for us. They're symptoms that more than 150 years of petroleum-fueled progress have reached an apex, a point of negative return on energy invested, and are about to come around again to find a more sustainable and reasonable level. And that isn't something a pantry of sterilized food-products is going to see you through.

Besides, the survivalist/food-hoarding mentality is a false path anyway. A prideful hubris. It stems solely from Fear--representing the desire to preserve and maintain your present (failing) way of life rather than learning and adapting to new challenges and conditions. We need to listen to what history is now trying to teach us. We need to become more open and sensitive, so we might consciously respond to new cultural imperatives and not be trapped later on by the reactive herd-mentality panic.

And no matter how you look at it, no matter what particular looming problem the media might choose to focus on this week, traced back to its roots we continually discover that the solution involves re-establishing a healthier, more responsible, more personal relationship with our food and water. Rather than rely on a globalized, industrialized economy spinning wildly out of balance, we need to continue to forge and to support diverse, locally-based, independent economies, which are inter-dependent with other locally-based economies on a regional level. And all healthy local economies must be founded on the traditional, essential, time-tested "basic economic unit": responsible, natural, small-scale family farms.

[sarcasmo]

42. I am neither a hoarder or a survivalist, but in the last Depression my grandmother stocked up on

Canned goods and until the day she died had cupboards full of canned goods. My Mother said it was because that she went with out during the Depression. If I can see it coming I am sure others can too, and 800 dollar rebate checks aren't going to help.

[Virginia Dare]

76. I saw the same thing with my Grandmothers' generation..

they never lived on credit either. If they couldn't afford something, they didn't buy it. They always kept a ready supply of cash available too.

[sarcasmo]

81. Gold and silver maybe better the way our dollar is tanking.

[ileus]

89. I would say invest in ron paul dollars, but bushco shut them down.

google: liberty dollar or ron paul dollar.

[AZBlue]

93. Thank you!!

Instead of bringing on the doom faster, let's do something to avoid it!!

[Kali]

107. VERY GOOD POINTS

Still, no harm learning some self sufficiency.

[kineneb]

43. hmmm, wild turkeys are plentiful here...

I am not too worried, although a diet of wine grapes might get tiresome... there are lots of turkeys and deer, some cattle, and the guy down the road raises bison. I still have my collection of canned goods as a backup... have to work on getting the garden in shape, however...(mutter, mutter, damned hard dirt... need dynamite in the summer).

MREs? Where around here would I get those? I live in the boonies, county population 65,000...not like one can find those at the grocery. Spaghetti sauce, canned meats, yes, MREs- no.

[Tyler Durden]

45. We have 8 months worth of canned goods in the basement....

48 x 4 24 oz bottled water, one disassembled wind generator, xxx rounds of ammo, and firearms.

And I ain't telling you where I live.

[Mugu]

48. That's a problem that many people don't consider when making disaster preparations.

If you do prepare for the worst and it were to happen, people that you told about your preparations will show up at your door. You will then have the unpleasant decision of whether to feed them or fight them.

Regards, Mugu

[Tyler Durden]

63. That's why we're trying to move out of TOWN....

And not TELLING anyone about it...

Unless of course they don't know how to get to where we live....

[Virginia Dare]

78. My grandmother fed strangers at her door many times..

during the Depression. And they could barely afford to put food on the table for themselves. Since everybody was poor, there was nothing really to take from anybody else.

[sarcasmo]

55. Bottled water is good for only two years right? I am not sure on canned goods life span.

[Mugu]

58. Even long after the expiration date canned goods don't turn poisonous.

The flavor, looks, and texture deteriorate until they are no longer palatable. Stockpiling is a way of life where you always have enough on hand for some period of time. New items are placed in the back of the pantry and you eat from the front. Basically, a FIFO inventory system so nothing ever gets out of date.

Dry goods that I don't normally eat (it's just easier to open a can than to soak beans for hours) are stored in glass containers with metal lids in a dark, cool corner of the basement. Every 7 or 8 years I throw them all out and replace them. Dry beans and rice don't cost that much, they store well, and would be a welcome item if something unthinkable were to happen.

Regards, Mugu

[sarcasmo]

59. First in First out is the way I do it as well. I only have about a month or two supply.

[Mugu]

92. I would think that a month or two should be enough

for all but a worst case event, which hopefully none of us will ever experience.

Regards, Mugu

[robertpaulsen]

49. I like this question. You should make it a poll.

I'm sticking with cans.

[sarcasmo]

54. Thanks, I thought cans myself, the MRE's in the military were OK in the 80's but

Tomato soup is much better. IMHO, polls suck.

[malaise]

51. An indoor and outdoor vegetable garden

Start hoarding black eyed peas, kidney beans and chick peas. -refrigerate.

[bdamomma]

52. oops not on topic.

[BluePatriot]

53. Seriously...

I think someone needs to start a good "preparing for a recession or depression" thread. I've never lived through one and want to hear others' experiences of how they adapted. It's not just about paying off debts and stocking up on oatmeal/beans/rice...although that could be helpful :) Certainly there must be more tips/details, something smart to do, some realistic perspective on the experience of living through a crappy economic time while keeping one's sanity.

[Eurobabe]

60. Just fast, it's healthier

and there will be alot less global warming. :sarcasm:

[pitohui]

70. canned is better, as others have already said

mre's just plain cost too much, they are best seen as a short-term solution, for example, if you need to have a TRANSPORTABLE form of food for 72 hours, mre's are the way to go and they could be part of a hurricane evacuation kit

if you are dead broke and stuck at home, such as, the crisis is you lost your job, it is more important to have several months to a year's supply of food, the best quality you can afford the most cheaply

unfortunately many plans, such as the mormon plan i saw in the 1980s, rely heavily on cheap grain, which means that if you have diabetes, metabolic syndrome, celiac disease, etc. you are going to get really unhealthy really fast -- just at a time when you probably can't afford medications either (the mormons may have a healthier plan today, but the one i was given was just pure sugar, corn, and wheat, and completely worthless for anything except calories)

if you are concerned about your health, i think there is no alternative to having lots of tinned protein (which usually means tuna, sardines, etc)

having a garden is fine but doesn't provide sufficient calories if you look at it hard, most vegetables and herbs have damn few calories, they should be grown if you can for flavor and vitamins but they won't keep you alive by themselves

everyone should have chickens once the economy drops to a certain point, they turn your leftover crap and insects they've scrapped up in the yard into valuable eggs and protein, chickens kept me going thru some hard times before

but for the apartment dweller, really, it's going to come down to cans, a lot of cans, to tide you over

remember, high end albacore tuna is a mercury risk, the cheapest grade of tuna is what you want to buy if you're storing a lot of it to eat in an emergency because you don't want mercury exposure

many people will find they can't fish today without a mercury risk, the squirrels my dad hunted as a kid in the great depression may carry disease now, some deer may carry a disease risk, so i think we're going to find that hunting/fishing won't be as good for survival as they were in the 1930s, they will be a supplement food but if you eat too much of them, who knows, i read of men getting a brain wasting disease from squirrels in kentucky!

shotguns/rifles may be required to defend your home but i wouldn't assume you can get enough food these days just by hunting

so cans, plenty of cans

[Seabiscuit]

77. I can see something is coming, not sure if it will be a depression or deep recession.

I'm sure different parts of the country will be hit in even harsher ways, but something IS coming and I think we can all feel it. We've started planting vegetables for fun, but now with local prices going up (don't even get me starting on milk and meat prices) it makes sense.

[DiverDave]

79. Just google "MRE"

I found 1:http://www.survivaly2k.com/

I have been thinking along the same lines for several years now.

[ileus]

82. also include guns and ammo, protect what you have.

[Iris]

86. Do you have to add water to MREs?

Cause I live in a drought state.

[TalkingDog]

87. Links: Just a little hobby of mine

Best Bulk Prices:

http://www.survivalacres.com

http://www.aaoobfoods.com
along with good storage info.

Food Storage here too:
http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/PFSFAQ/PFSFAQ-1.html

http://www.honeyvillegrain.com
Oxygen Absorbers for long term storage

Bulk Coffee
http://coffeeandteawarehouse.com

Concentrated Fruit Syrups
www.brownwoodacres.com/

Best Canning Supply Prices
http://www.canningpantry.com

Raising Chickens:
http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/chickens.htm

Raised Bed Ag.
http://www.minifarms.com/rba.html

http://solarcooking.org/

Tips and tricks:
http://www.justpeace.org/better.htm
http://www.wisebread.com

Just in case:

Where there is no doctor:
http://www.hesperian.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HB&Product_Code=B010R&Category_Code=ENG

Survival (survival) skills
http://www.survival.org.au/skills.php


Always glad to share. Just be sure pay it forward.


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[sentelle]

98. preserving is good

MRE's not so much.
Canning is fine for some things. For others, preserving is better.
I am personally looking at curing my own meats so that I have food on the table for the apocalypse.

I'm waiting for all the post apocalyptic movies of the 70's to return.

[lonestarnot]

101. icky MRE's (sea rats) arg...

ppppp uuuuuuuu

[amborin]

108. medical supplies/drugs

someone already mentioned this but it bears repeating

recent article in ny times (someone with with time to find it?) talked about how US big pharms get their drug ingredients from china of all places

there is the ever-present danger of economic nationalism

during some global epidemic especially...nations would likely ration scare ingredients and provide to their own citizens first

we don't share crucial military tech with them, why become dependent for crucial med ingredients?

[Medusa]

109. Start your own garden if you can

can your own goods. Freeze what you can. Even invest in an extra freezer if necessary.