How much supplies do you have?

MRE's for 4 people for a year.

A bit light on TP, though. I have been wiping twice each day, in case I'm unable to later.

I'm very pleased with the outcome of the above survey up to now.  90 Days of supplies is quite a feat, especially for first-time survivalists.

I would attribute the nice high level to this board.

Nice work at providing peer pressure that is stronger than that of the non-believers !!!!

I'm glad you found your way here pixie! 

What's the latest?

Hi. She who must be obeyed is my wife, after 17 yrs I finally realized that I'm only the grand figurehead of the family.

 She uses butter in the cooking, yes your assumption of my cooking skills was corrrect.... And I am having a hard time justifing 10 gallons of cooking oil. I won't buy that much but I want enough for 6 mos. So I need a rough estimate of what might be used so when I plead my case I sound smart. -Kevin

HI St.R.Fl. & KD, Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in...... I don't buy shortning bc I think it's just a gross blob of cholesterol.  I do have several cans of Pam stored b/c we use it all the time. I think Canola oil is a much better choice of oil than Corn oil from a cardiovascular point of view and many times it's on sale for exactly the same price as the corn oil. I have several gallons stored to date. Some in my basement and some in the cold garage and some in my fridge in the garage. The problem with oil is that it doesn't store well for very long periods of time.(making it a very good item to put on your last minute prep list) If you can put it in the freezer or fridge that is the only way to slow down the spoiling process that I know. Ofcourse it will be sealed up and if not in a can, you can wrap w/ allum foil to keep out the light. I store my everyday olive & canola oil in the fridge. Olive becomes solid but will become liquid in 10-15 minutes if left out on the counter or you can put the bottle in some warm water to speed the process to use quicker. In the books I've read cooking oil is a very prized pocession and probably an item that most last minute preppers will overlook. The deal is that you can't really cook anything w/o burning it w/o at least a little bit of grease. I like popcorn so I would need it for that and how would you cook your newly acquired powdered eggs w/o pam or a little oil? BTW, you might want to get the book Cookin' with Powdered Eggs by Peggy Layton b/c I think they are a little tricky to work with. I have 'em but I haven't wanted to open . I a can - too expensive . I opened a can of FD broccoli and it's kind of like tiny tiny florets in green powder. But it is broccoli. The first book I got by Peggy Layton was Cookin' with Home Storage. I think it's a very good first book to get if your new to dealing with FD & dehyd. food. In her book she states under Gen. Pre. Tips........"Cookiing oil is an extremely important item to have in your storage program. It adds calories and flavor and it is very hard to cook without. Oil makes a great barter item." Hope this helps. Dont mean to come off as a know it all. Far from it.  

ps Olive oil is a geat heart healthy choice too. but it does add a flavor that I think can overpower some foods. A good choice with savory or Italian cooking but not for baking or making eggs.  IMHO.

I've heard lots of bad stuff about Canola oil too, but am not sure what to believe. I know I tolerate corn well, so feel fairly safe with corn oil. I used to only eat butter and cold pressed olive and nut oils, but when finances got REALLY bad for awhile, I decided corn oil was our best option.

I believe corn is the oil that is sent to famine ridden countries as their only source of fat, and that played into my decision as it is the main source of fat for my family. We eat very little prepared foods or take out.

Doctors tell me my cholesterol levels are unusual. My bad cholesterol is normal, but my good cholesterol is SKY high :-0 I think it's from all the corn oil :-0 THey tell me it's fantastic, but I don't think they know for sure, since only a significantly insignificant percentage of people have cholesterol levels like mine :-0

It's certainly true that we are what we eat!

Fritz you did not come off as a know it all! We all need to post what we know. I'm sure there are as many lurkers as there are signed up members. We need to post info for those silent people not asking questions, but who are reading!

Fat is EXTREMELY important. Americans who are battling obesity are quite uninformed about the need for fat to prevent starvation. I was born into a wealthy family, but my parents battled substance abuse and I spent part of my childhood dealing with homelessness and hunger. Believe me, children especially NEED fat!!

My brother and I are both in our late 30s and we still talk about a meal of cabbage fried in Crisco and how it kept us going till the next morning and how thankful we were for that Crisco that was added to the otherwise fairly useless cabbage. This was in 1980 and it's one of our clearest childhood memories. We were SO hungry that summer :-(

And Fritz, I LOVE popcorn! I bought two jars of Orville's today :-) Yup need oil for the popcorn :-)

Albert, so what is it that made you smile today??

Hit a big sale?  

or do you like popcorn too? :>}

If you're buying lots of bags of beans I hope you're buying alot of water too to soak and cook'em in, you'll need it!!

Stock up on some cans too, they are ready to eat, nice and easy.

Best of luck.  :>}

Albert,

Can the pole be reset - probably most people's vote is obsolete per what they originally voted as people continue to prep.

I have a question. Today I was watching ABC's Today show and they were suggesting that American's stock up on canned tuna and powdered milk. I never thought about powdered milk until now. Does anyone know how much powdered milk cost and how long the shelf life is on it?

Thanks

Stormriderfla,

How long is the powedered milk good for if you freeze it? I think thats a good idea but won't the powder get moist?

Stormriderfla,

Wouldn't it cut the shelf life if you stuck the dry milk in the freezer? I am just thinking that because it shortened it when put in the refrigerator.

Hi I spoke with the folks at carnation and their recomendations for freezing powdered milk, here's what I got....don't freeze it. The shelf life is a year from mfg to maintain the highest quality. Go figure. 

I will still freeze several boxes because I'm just darn stubborn, it's a guy thing.