Food Storage on a Shoestring Budget

Allow me to start by saying that growing and preserving food from your garden is BY FAR the most economical way to store food.

HOWEVER, there are several groups of people who will greatly benefit from this post…

1. “I am not in a location where I can garden, but I understand that I need to have some food storage on hand for my family.
2. “Right now I have money, but not land.”
3. “I want a backup source of food if I become disabled.”
4. “I want a backup option if my garden is hailed out or destroyed.”

I adapted the plan you see in the video from an e-book called, Locusts on the Horizon, by the Plan B Writers alliance. They have some highly practical tips for living a more self-sustaining lifestyle. I would definitely recommend that book to anyone wanting to live a more independent lifestyle.

Okay, here’s a quick breakdown of the math:

a. Each pound of dry rice contains 680 calories. 

b. Each pound of dry pinto beans contains 600 calories. 

c. That’s 1,280 calories per day.

But we’re not done yet…

Extra Virgin Olive Oil contains 120 calories per Tablespoon of oil.

Add a total of six tablespoons of oil per day to your meals of rice and beans and that pads your total by 720 calories per day.

Add that to the 1,280 calories from our rice and beans and you now have 2,000 calories per day.

You will also want to purchase two #10 cans of iodized salt. Yes, you could get by with only one can, but salt is so cheap and it is great as a bartering item and for use in other dishes.

Finally, you will need:

• A years worth of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
• A years worth of a vegan multi-vitamin
• (Optional) Tea and/or other drink for variety and comfort

Here is what you will need to provide food and nutrition for one person/year and how the costs break down. Some amounts have been rounded up or down:

Rice: (8) 50 lb bags = $420.91

Buy From Honeyville

Note: You will able to buy 50 lb bags of rice MUCH cheaper from Costco or Sam’s Club.

Beans: (4) 41 lb pails = $190.88

Buy Here
It is possible to save $4 or $5 by buying 3 pails and (4) #10 cans, but I would just get the pails since they are reusable.

Oil: (17) 2 liter bottles = or $261.63

Buy here from Jet

Salt: (2) #10 Cans = $16.60

Buy Here

Spices: $50 (Guesstimate)

Vegan multi-vitamin: $70

Buy Here

Vitamin C: $30

Buy Here

Grand Total for a years worth of food

1 Person: $1,040.02

2 People: $2,080.04

3 People: $3,120.06

4 People: $4,160.08

That’s only $86.67 per person, per month! THAT’S 95 CENTS PER MEAL! You are getting 2000 calories worth of food for just $2.85/day. Now THAT is inexpensive famine insurance! Remember, this is just ONE idea for a food preparation plan and it is designed specifically for people who are trying to prepare on a tight budget.

If you want to get all organic supplies, then you can plan on easily doubling or tripling the above figures. But remember this is BACKUP food. Your FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE IS YOUR GARDEN! If you need to crack into this long-term food storage backup, you’ll probably just be glad to have food of any kind at that time and you’ll probably be much less worried that it may not be organic. But again, do whatever you feel is best for you and your family on the budget you have available.

Here is a video we did a while ago that talks about this food storage content; but I’ve got the cost whittled down by $10 from where we were just a few months ago. Score!

Remember, you can lower your price significantly by buying your rice at Costco or Sam’s Club.

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What did you think about this long term food storage idea? Like it? Have an idea to make it more economical? I would love to hear from you in the comments below and please be sure to SHARE this post with your friends!