There are many experts who believe that we are on our way to another supply disruption where grocery stores will experience shortages of food and cleaning products. Especially with the COVID-19 numbers on the rise in many states, it would not be surprising if panic buying accompanies the supply shortages we will soon face. People have still not recovered from the first wave of panic and many stores never quite recovered their toilet paper inventory.
Pandemics, power outages, wildfires, and other natural disasters can all lead to food shortages and cause panic to ensue. The best way to truly prepare for SHTF scenarios is to build a one year supply of food. This is not an easy feat, but these tips can help.
1. Think about caloric requirements
The first step in acquiring a year’s supply worth of food is to determine how much food that is. One way to do that is to break down your daily caloric requirements. The USDA recommends following a diet of 2000-2500 calories a day. However, that amount can change based on your gender and your activity level.
A bulk of your caloric intake can come from nonperishable items like rice, beans, spaghetti and other carb sources. However, these alone are not good enough for your year’s supply of food. You will also need to have everyday supplies and food with nutrients and vitamins. Having a diversified long-term food shortage will help ensure vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition. The best way to get your vitamins in will be from home grown fruit and vegetables from your prepper garden.
2. Grow your own food
Growing your own food will help you to not be reliant on grocery stores for when shortages do occur. You will want to make sure that your prepper garden is designed to grow excess for your needs. This way you can take a bulk of your fresh fruits and veggies and can them for later use. There are a lot of storage methods you can use, canning, dehydrating and freezing that will all help to supplement your year's food supply. All of these methods help preserve the nutrients and minerals found in produce. However, freezing can be unreliable if you are in an emergency scenario where the power goes out.
3. Buy a little extra
It can be expensive and difficult to obtain your year's food supply in a short period of time. Especially if you are creating a prepper garden and waiting for the plants to start producing. So while you are still shopping at the grocery store, buy a little extra every single week to add to your supplies. While one or two items does not seem like a lot on its own, it can really add up after a while and make prepping easier and more budget friendly.
4. Save it for a rainy day
The most important part of creating a food supply that will last you the year is to not use it now. This is your emergency stash that should only be used in times where SHTF. If you forget to buy rice for the week, it's imperative that you not go looking in your prepper pantry. You have to be disciplined and only use it when in true need.
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