Food is far more expensive today than it was a year ago. The chances of it being cheaper this time next year are slim considering the economic trajectory of the nation. In fact, some of the more aggressive economic doomsayers are projecting massive increases in certain foods, especially proteins. We’re already seeing this with eggs. Chicken and beef are next.
For those who have been keeping up with “conspiracy theories” about The Great Reset, multiple manufactured crises, and the globalist elite cabal’s depopulation and control agenda, we know one of the near-term goals of the Powers and Principalities is to force as many people as possible to depend on lab-grown meats and insects as their primary sources of protein. But one does not need to be a “conspiracy theorist” to realize the climate change cult is gaining influence and pushing for a meatless society.
Whether through distrust of our financial futures or by heeding the warnings of conspiracy theorists, it behooves Americans to build up their accessible food supplies as soon as possible. This should be a top priority, which means if you have to cancel your Netflix subscription to squeeze out a little more food to store away, please consider doing so.
Before I get into more details, let me say that I absolutely understand not everyone is in a position to stock up on a ton of food. Many of us are struggling just to get today’s meal on the table, let alone next week, next month, or next year. Then, there’s the challenge of storing large amounts of food when space is at a premium. I get it and I’m empathetic, but I strongly encourage everyone in tough situations to seek ways to make self-reliance possible. Whether we want to admit it or not, there is a food war being waged against us. You can attribute it to whoever you’d like but acknowledge that food is being used to control us and risks will only get worse in the near future.
As Henry Kissinger famously noted, “Who controls the food supply controls the people.”
While we witness massive challenges that are putting our future food security in jeopardy, we also have to take into account sudden catastrophic collapses as not only possible but likely. We’ve seen strange weather all winter that makes it difficult or even impossible for some to get to the grocery store. The supply chain has been in a constant state of flux for nearly two years. Bird flu, strange mass deaths of cows, attacks on our power grid, fertilizer shortages, farms being bought up by the Chinese Communist Party… the list of events that put America’s food systems at major risk seems to be growing every week.
It’s important to note that I have never been a “Chicken Little” when it comes to this stuff. I laughed at the hysteria surrounding Y2K. I didn’t freak out and run for the hills after 9/11. The economic downturn of 2008/09 made me tighten up my finances but I didn’t run out to buy a bunch of gold at that point. The rise of Obamacare was the first event that prompted me to buy a couple of bugout bags, just in case. I was lambasting people for stockpiling a year’s supply of toilet paper in the early days of the Covid lockdown. The point I’m trying to make is I have been a steady hand for decades, never succumbing to paranoia or heeding false alarms of impending doom.
Today, I’m ringing the VERY REAL alarm bells about food security because the writing on the wall is undeniable. That’s why I consider myself to be a “Late Prepper.” It’s okay to be late as long as we act quickly.
Now, let’s get into the details. First and foremost, I strongly recommend everyone stock up on food they want to eat first. Make sure you have plenty of food that you eat regularly. There’s no point in getting a year’s worth of long-term storage food if your pantry and refrigerator are bare. Stock up heavily on the foods you and your family will eat whether there are food shortages or not. Get it built up to a reasonable amount and then start rotating with new purchases.
For example, if you know your family will eat six cans of soup for lunch per week, get to a three-month supply of your favorite soups. Then, start replenishing this supply with six more cans rotated in every week. If you have a heavy week and you eat eight cans, replenish with eight more. Repeat this process with all of the various foods you eat that have a good shelf-life.
As preppers have been saying for years, take advantage of sales. With the canned soup example, it wasn’t too long ago when I could get each can for under a buck. In my area today, I can’t find a basic can of soup for under $2. Stocking up is harder now than it was, so getting bulk when the price is right makes the most sense.
As for perishable foods, there’s always a risk of buying too much and wasting it. With food prices where they are and the assumption that they’ll get even worse, nobody should be wasting any food at all. One increasingly common practice is to freeze dry extra foods. It’s expensive up front but in the long-term a properly utilized freeze dryer will pay for itself. We recommend Harvest Right freeze dryers for this. Canning is also a popular option. I’m not a fan of dehydrating foods (which is a shift since just a few months ago I was recommending it) because the quality loss is just too great. Some foods are fine to dehydrate but most of them just aren’t very edible.
For those cannot or do not want to freeze dry their own food, buying packaged freeze dried food is an option. It can be expensive; I had major sticker shock the first time I went to buy freeze dried strawberries.
There’s also a quality concern as some of the “budget” brands of freeze dried fruits and vegetables get low quality leftovers and package them up in hopes that by the time anyone every opens them, the apocalypse will have come and their customer service line will have been shut down. I work with a company that offers an awesome fruit and vegetable bucket. The first bucket I bought is no longer used for long-term storage because we’ve actually been eating and enjoying it. (disclosure: they are a sponsor so use promo code “jdr” at checkout for 15% off and free shipping).
Once your pantry is full of food you actually eat and you could survive without having to leave the house for weeks or even months, then it’s time to get into long-term storage. It’s unfortunate that many prepper websites recommend stocking up for three months. It seems like a long time but if there’s a full-blown food crisis those three months will go by fast. I’m a big fan of no-limit food prepping. In other words, when people ask me for how long they should stock up food, my answer is, “Longer than whatever you have now.”
That’s not a copout answer. Unless you’re sitting in a bunker with three decades worth of long-term storage food filling up your stockpile rooms, then there’s always a need for more. Cans and other shelf-stable foods can last for years. Properly contained frozen meat can technically last indefinitely though the quality drops dramatically after being in the freezer for a year. Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) can last five to ten years from their packing date. Build your food supply with these and calculate how long you could survive without government assistance should there be a total societal collapse.
Do I think it will come to that? Eventually, but in the near-term it seems hard times that fall short of collapse is more likely. Better to be safe than sorry, especially when we consider that this is food we will eat over time anyway. Don’t get a bunch of food that will go to waste if our nation’s trajectory miraculously improves. Rotate, rotate, rotate.
All that I’ve discussed so far is advice for those who are currently living like most Americans in cities or suburbs. Ideally, we’ll be moving away from such places and getting situated in the relative safety of rural America. That’s when we can get into the best way to dramatically improve our food security: By making our own. Those with the means and a healthy concern for their future should consider living where they can grow food, raise livestock, and be completely self-reliant. There are other concerns that arise from embracing such a lifestyle, but food security is mostly alleviated when you control the sources of your own food.
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For those of us stuck in or near the city and with various restrictions that make complete self-reliance impossible, we can still grow something. Our own food-growing adventures in my family with a tiny backyard showed that it’s not always easy, but it’s worthwhile. We failed after four attempts to grow avocado trees. We also failed with most of our other crops in grow bags, but we’ve been wildly successful with tomatoes. I imagine others will have better fortunes growing foods than we did, but unfortunately I cannot speak from experience.
At least we have plenty of tomatoes.
Last but not least, there’s the “easy button.” For those who just want to buy a few months supply of long-term storage food in buckets that they can stash in the closet for when the crap hits the fan, I have multiple options of various price-ranges on my food page. We’ve gone through pretty much every food company’s products and abandoned most over quality. The ones we have at my store (remember, promo code “jdr” at checkout) are the highest quality we found which is why I sell them directly. We also sell organic, sous vides, freeze dried chicken at Prepper Organics (promo code “jdr” again). Beef is coming soon (ping me if you’d like to be notified when it’s available).
For those on a budget, there’s the ultimate “easy button” for a three-month supply of food that’s currently on sale. Even those who are growing their own food should have a backup supply just in case the world goes really crazy and the garden or chicken coup get taken out.
I do NOT want to sound like a fearmonger. I pray that none of this will be necessary and things can go back to normal. I’m just not very hopeful that it will. But never forget that through the doom and gloom, there really is a bright future ahead. For Bible-believing Christians, the future we see is one in which the hardest of times are followed by a wonderful eternity.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
