Preppers are greatly misunderstood, but their methods are anything but mad.
When it comes to storing food for the not-so-distant future, a prepper must adhere to food safety and health standards while also planning for the unknown.
So, what's the difference between a survivalist and a prepper? As a last resort, a survivalist will consume expired foodstuffs in order to survive, but a prepper won't have any expired foodstuffs hanging around in the first place.
On a practical level, survivalists are grateful to have lived through a life-threatening catastrophe, and they are highly relieved to still be in one piece.
Preppers, on the other hand, have no time to sit back and smell whatever roses are left. They know their work is just beginning, and they have planned for the future, not just for calamity.
There are many reasons a prepper would want to keep enough food on hand for six months to a year - anything from earthquakes and hurricanes to illness and loss of income.
Let's review the basics of long-term food storage and the biggest mistakes preppers are likely to make when amassing food and liquids for survival.
1. Forgetting the Good Stuff
Most everyone would plan on having a good supply of canned goods, pasta, and rice in case of an emergency, but preppers must always be thinking one step ahead with stocks of flour, sugar, oil, powdered milk, powdered eggs, and yeast.
With those basic ingredients, you can make fresh cookies and breads that you can't get out of a can.
Check supermarket baking aisles for premixes and other just-add-water products that will simplify the food storage process.
2. Not Having Your One-A-Day
When you're forced to live on stockpiled foods, your body will likely lack the fresh foods it's used to and the vitamins and minerals these fresh foods provide.
Your immune system might be more vulnerable as a result, so be sure to store a year's worth of vitamins and supplements. I'd suggest a giant bottle of generic multivitamins from one of the major drugstore chains.
3. Same Old, Same Old
A common mistake that survivalists make when stockpiling food is going for quantity while forgetting that variety is the spice of life. The tendency to store foods like pasta and rice in large quantities of 50 or 100-pound sacks will lead to meals that keep you alive, but these meals are hardly satisfying or nutritionally balanced.
The solution is easy - establish a routine to keep replenishing your favorite foods as you eat them. Create a "living storage" cabinet where you eat and replace the food in your emergency supply.
Not unlike a supermarket that keeps fresher items toward the back of the shelf, you will always have a variety of your favorite foods in storage without very much preparation.
4. Not Feeding Your Sweet Tooth
Let's face it - sometimes you feel like a nut. You have to include plenty of treats in your stockpile. You'll thank me later! If you're a hard-core prepper who thinks that candy bars are just for happy campers, keep a few granola or protein bars on hand.
Always store some yummy snacks for comfort. Chocolate and candy are not just guilty pleasures. Instead, they do for preppers in an emergency exactly what they do everyday - help us get through excruciatingly stressful situations.
5. Overlooking the Importance of Containers
It's not just the right foods that will get you through the tough times. No, it’s the right containers to store them in.
It's cost-effective to buy foods in bulk, of course, but often these foods start to go south as soon as you open the big container.
Make plans to transfer food into smaller containers or Ziploc bags. Invest a few bucks in a kitchen vacuum sealer, a product that can be bought for the price of a toaster. But don't just use the vacuum sealer to prepare your food storage supply - put the sealer and a good supply of bags inside your emergency locker!
Now that you understand the mindset of preppers, I have a question. How many preppers does it take to screw in a light bulb? None! We are not eventouchingthe case of bulbs until we finish all the candles!
