If you look in any Preppers closet you would probably see an entirely different collection of items in all of them. What that means is that we all have a different idea about what is important to have on hand. It doesn't mean that anybody is WRONG but that we all think and prepare differently. Perhaps this post is long overdue because I want to explain my personal approach to prepping and also long term storage items.
When I stop in a store with fellow prepper friends, I always notice that we all buy different things. Some people think that they have plenty of the basics and would rather focus on the more "gourmet" things in life that make surviving more mentally pleasing. Others buy only the convenience foods that are quick and easy to prepare. There are some who buy only a very limited amount of things because they eat very simply and can't really afford much more. Myself, I focus mostly on the basics and then try to learn to MAKE as much from them as I possibly can. I also try to grow and raise as much as I can while I learn the skills necessary to make more.
I don't want you to think that there aren't any specialty items in my preps because I do have them. In my pantry you will find those odds and ends that when added to the basics or when used in moderation will make a simple meal into something special. Maybe you will find that special treat that is there to lift my spirits when I'm sick and tired of eating the same old thing. There isn't any milk chocolate but there is dark cooking chocolate and cocoa powder. There are extracts for baking. There's lots of vinegar salt and sugar for preserving. There are spices like cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg that I can't grow myself. There are home canned jams, pickles, jellies, meats and vegetables but there are very few things that are processed and packaged. That's not because I never eat them because I LIKE rice a roni and ramen noodles. I just try to focus on mostly basic staples. I can make pasta from flour, eggs and water but I do store some of the smaller pastas for salads and other dishes. I just don't have a closet full of them. I'm not against them being a part of food storage. I just believe that the more streamlined basic storage is cheaper, takes up less space and is more versatile and nutritious.
Mostly what you will find in my pantry are the bare bone basics. In the medicine section you will also find the basics. The reason for that is because you can't consider yourself prepared if you rely on things that will eventually run out and cannot be replaced. It is also much easier to store a five gallon bucket of beans, grains, rice or other staples then it is to store shorter term food such as hamburger helper. Its easier to take down a jar of plain carrots or beans and add them to a meal then it is to incorporate an already prepared specialty item.
For instance, if you have flour then you can make cakes, pastas, breads, biscuits, crackers and cookies plus many other items with the addition of some other basic ingredients. So, I don't store things like cookies and chips and crackers. I learn to make them from the basics. I also don't store other things in bulk that can be made from the basics. Packaged instant oatmeal and grits can be made from stored corn and oats although it will require longer cooking time. They are also more healthy then the packaged foods which have other things added to them. So, buying and storing the basics just makes sense to me. It means less packaging, less additives, less storage room and more variety as you can make ANYTHING from basic food storage rather then just whatever is in the premixed package.
Something that is even better then storing the basics is learning to grow or produce your own. Its like the old saying, "give a man to fish and you feed him for a day. But TEACH a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". If you only store up supplies and foods then you will eat and survive just until they run out. On the other hand, if you work towards producing or growing your own then you will truly be heading towards survival. So getting back to the grits and oatmeal, rather then storing ten years of grits and oatmeal it is better to store basic corn and oats. Even better in my opinion is to learn to grow them from the seeds. That means learning the skills of saving seeds, planting, harvesting, composting, feeding the soil and preserving it all for the next years harvest. So when your food storage, which is a very important "bridge", runs out you are already growing more food storage to replace it.
While I talked about oats and corn the same concept can be used for all aspects of survival. Your medicines will run out so learn herbal remedies. Your food will run out so learn what it takes to replace it. That includes all aspects of gardening, raising and hunting animals, preserving the food to the next harvest and processing it all into something useable. Your fuel will run out so learn to adapt and plan for that event. If you use it for heat then plan for another source of heat. If you need it for cooking then plan on another form of cooking.
Which brings me back to the point. Focus on the basics. Especially focus on skills. Learning to make vinegar might not seem important until you can't buy anymore. Learning to make pasta may not seem important until you can't buy anymore. Learning to raise and butcher meat animals may not seem important until you can't find anymore. Learning to grow corn and potatoes and beans may not seem important until you are craving a potato chip or a pot of beans and cornbread. Growing wheat or other grains may not seem like survival skills until you are out of self rising flour. Learning to harvest weeds for food and medicine may seem like a far fetched idea until there are no more doctors. Learning to compost may seem unimportant until there are no more store bought fertilizers for the garden. Learning to hunt or fish or trap may seem like something you would never do until you're truly hungry. Learning to shoot may not seem like something you would ever need to know until someone tries to take the last bowl of oatmeal from your babies.
So, as you read the posts here and on other sites, focus on storing the basics FIRST rather then storing a little of this and that specialty type of food which takes up more money, space and usually has less nutrients. Learn to cook more with less. Focus on learning skills and being able to replenish those long term supplies for when they run out. Use the teachings here and elsewhere to learn those long forgotten skills that have been lost since they built a convenience store on every corner. Hopefully, together we can build a survival stash of supplies and knowledge that will feed us all for a lifetime.
Southern Wood Elf