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How Food Storage Can Get You Out of Debt

We have to have money to survive. Period.

As much as we wish that that could change, it won’t. Money is a necessity for all of us to maintain or improve our current lifestyles. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to come across an abundance of greenbacks, nowadays. A lot of the cause for the dollar difficulty, is debt.

With the economy being the way it is, surviving in this financial nightmare has become increasingly difficult. Making any monetary progress has seemed nigh unto impossible. With debt eating up hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars on your monthly budget, is it even possible to save money, anymore?

Fear not, my friends, for there are plenty of ways to save your bank account. One of them isn’t a very common one, however.

Although the idea of food storage is popular, rarely do we see the thought carried out into action. It can end up saving you a lot of money, too.

Some people don’t know how to start a food storage. Some people don’t have the desire. Other people don’t think it’s necessary. But what if there’s a natural disaster that hits your area? What if the economy drops, again? In the unlucky case that one of those things happens, you’ll be ready, and you’ll have a full belly, as well.

In the event that a huge disaster strikes, food can, and probably will be exchanged almost like it were currency. It’s very important to have a food storage, not only for the betterment of your finances, but for your emergency preparedness, as well.

Getting a food storage started isn’t as difficult as many people think it is, either. Every time you go to the store, you can grab a can of imperishable food, or two, and by the time you know it you’re going to be needing a huge pantry for your loads of food. You can also go a little more aggressive while you’re building up your food storage, too. Get three or four cans of food at a time, beans, etc. and you’re going to have the best food storage on the block. If you need help getting going, check out our complete survival food list for ideas.

Part of how a food storage will save you money, though, is by using it. Instead of going to get fast food every night (Which could cost somewhere between $7-$42 normally, depending on the size of your family), you can use a can of beans, which costs less than a dollar, and some type of dehydrated fruit or meat to feed your family. You’re saving a lot of dough, by buying and using your food storage.

By building and using your food storage, you’re going to be financially able to do so many other things. Instead of spending the big bucks on dining out, save it, build a food storage, and use the money you’ve saved to pay off your debts. It’s simple, easy, and it’s fun to be creative with the dishes you can create with your food storage. It’ll help you and your family get on the right financial track, again, too.

41 Comments for “How Food Storage Can Get You Out of Debt”

  • Working on the food storage…I have also taken to saving some cash for short term, small bills which will be more easy to use..e and coins as well, which we normally save for vacation, etc…IDK how long that will last, but its worth the try…I am banking on trading my medical skills long term, as an ER nurse, I know that will be helpful but not the total answer…

  • Keep your plan going Lee, it will work. I am glad to know we have someone with your medical skills on SCP. Where do you recommend purchasing first aid items in bulk? In particular I am looking for Tegaderm AG Mesh Pads 8″x8″, and Telfa Clear Wound pads 12″x12″. The reason for the larger sizes is to be able to cut them up into smaller squares as needed.

  • Interesting article. Great comments Lee and J-100. I too am very glad to know that on SCP we have someone with medical knowledge. J-100 there are several online sites you can order from. I will tell you a little secret also. Check out the vet medical websites first. You can a lot of your supplies there and much cheaper for the very same thing. From bandages to other things you may need. Lee how about writing an article or three? ;o)

  • Very good questions, J100. I can’t wait to hear Lee’s answers.

    I did an ixquick search (www.ixquick.com) and the companies that appeared first (the ones that pay big bucks to show up first when we do searches) were flagged with red by my alert program as “unsafe” (they’re mining your information when you click in to their site), so I won’t click into those to see what they have. I did find one “safe” site. I did not see Tegaderm mesh 8×8, but they may have them and I did not look hard enough at this site: http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?q=Tegaderm+mesh+pads&qs=ti&ga=us68&ts=go They also carry some Tefla pads.

    amazon and ebay often have such items. I would avoid buying stuff like this off amazon if possible, as they freely give info to gooberment, but, they may have it. Of course, ebay is probably no better. “Ya’ pays yer money, ya’ takes yer chances!”, so, it probably does not really matter, if those are the choices.

    I bought my Israeli compression bandages from ebay seller shy_halat out of Israel and was very pleased with service; I bought “band-aids”, too, as these are made in Israel; all the “band-aids” available off the shelf in the US are now coming out of China, and there is something in the adhesives to which I seem to be extremely allergic. I break out and swell all around the shape of any such “band aid”, anywhere the adhesives touch skin. The Israeli “band-aids” do not do this. Ebay seller shy_halat carries some camping/survival stuff, as well.

    Are you just wanting something inexpensive for wound care? Have you considered sanitary pads? We have quite an assortment of them in various sizes and thicknesses. I have actually been hospitalized for surgery and awakened to a very thick “Kotex” type sanitary pad over the wound; this is what they used! And charged gazillions for it, of course.

    Note to all: while you’re at it, do you have some tampons in your medical supplies?

    Pads and tampons will be EXCELLENT for bartering post-IHTF (women will still want/need them), but they have many other uses.

    We keep tampons in each BOB; these can be used for filtering water (plastic tubes work best for this); of course, I will prefer the LifeStraw we also have in each, but, you never know! Tampons can be used to make impromptu arrows (feather/flight system); and tampons can plug a hole in flesh (such as a bullet wound, etc.), very nicely, until better help is available.

    They’re cheap, readily available (for now), and versatile. Just want to make sure y’all know about this.

  • Yes, debt free IS the place to be! (or, so I’m told!). We’re not there yet, but close! Really close…I can smell the freedom in the air!!!! ;)

    3 years ago, when the economy first started to tank, you may recall that interest rates went crazy. DH and I had held credit cards for 30 years with interest rates between 7 and 7 1/2%; nothing over 8%. We had, for 30 years, run them up, paid them off, and started all over again. We frequently preferred plastic because BACK THEN there were “rewards” for using the plastic that made it worthwhile, if you paid them off in a reasonable period of time. We got some pretty cool “free” stuff like that, over the years.

    Well, we had balances (some substantial) on all of them when the bottom fell out. We had four (4) cards that went from less than 8% to 22 to 26% interest, without warning! Same cards we had used for 30 years, so it had nothing to do with “credit”, per se. With those rates, we knew we would spend years paying nothing but interest, and that was not a good plan.

    I contacted the companies. I told them we would not be able to pay this, and needed a more reasonable rate. The answer I received: “I’m sorry; we’re not negotiating rates at this time”. After 30 years of doing business with these companies! My answer? “OK; I know what I’m going to do next”.

    Then we did our homework (or, DH did!); we chose to go with “CredAbility” as a debt reduction plan. A debt reduction plan is not a debt consolidation; it is not a loan, at all. It’s one of the smartest moves we’ve ever made, IMHO. ALL of the creditors participated, and not one of them was over 8% interest on this plan! That was 3 years ago. By January of this year, we will finish paying off all of this debt. The payments are actually (substantially) less than we would have been paying directly to the creditors, had we not done it. And in a little over 3 years later, we will be debt free!

    DO be aware that if you shop for a debt reduction company, creditors ALREADY have a baseline negotiated for interest; no one company can get you a better “deal” than another. Don’t buy that hype. But some companies are better staffed and do a better job of working for you.

    How does it work? Once a month, I go online and make a “deposit” straight from my checking account; I know the due date, and I know when it has to be paid; I make sure it is. I can go into our account online any time I like and see exactly what is going on with each account. I get an electronic statement every month from CredAbility to my email account, should I forget to go in and check myself. I get paper statements every month from each creditor; as soon as one comes in, I go online and check it against each balance. Usually, the balance on each account has actually been less owed (not by much, by small amounts add up!) than what CredAbility calculated. So if you’re like me and like to stay on top of your finances, it’s not hard.

    You WILL pay a small monthly fee to your debt reduction company; they have to stay in business, you know. We pay a small monthly fee with each deposit; the debt reduction company has bills to pay, too.

    I think you have to have a debt of $5,000 (minimum) to qualify for a debt reduction plan, as I recall.

    Also, do be aware that under the terms of the agreement, should you miss even one payment, your creditor has the right to cancel the agreement and go back to the “original” agreement.

    Did this affect our credit in a negative way? Not at all! We did borrow money (quite a bit!) to buy our BOL, which is also about to be paid off. We used a bank we had never done business with before, in the county in which we purchased. They DID ask about the debt reduction plan, why we did it. My answer? “Too get out of debt; we never would have done so at the new interest rates”. The only response from this loan officer, who did not know us from Adam and Eve? “Makes sense to me”. Approved. And now it’s paid for (close enough, anyway). BTW, the $$ we would have spent paying interest on these accounts not using the debt reduction was more than sufficient to pay for our land! It’s all good!

    Or, you could use that “found” money to buy your food supply, which will never lose value!!

    I share all of this to let someone know, there is a way out, and it does not have to be bankruptcy, IF you can make the payments.

    I hope this helps someone.

  • I know I’m long-winded, but, one more important point. I DO believe it was our Heavenly Father’s will we do this, even though we may or may not have given His Will sufficient weight when we did it. You see, at the end of this year, just as we get “debt free”, DH’s job is gone, as well! A job he has done for 26 years, and loved. It has been eliminated. He is being forced into early retirement, but, we’ll be fine, debt-free! It’s all good!

  • Oh, and I liked the suggestion to use “expired” items as decoy pantry items for the zombies!

  • Servantheart, I am sorry about your husband’s job but its all in G_D’s plan. If it weren’t so he would have told you

    • Oh, you are SOOO right, Suni! We ain’t skeered – after all, He DOES hold us in the palm of His hand, and no one and nothing can pluck us out! Isaiah 49

  • Thanks for sharing your story servantheart. Many times these life crisis cause us to doubt God’s plan for our lives.I know this is not the case with you and DH.

    Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
    2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

    Sounds to me like He has prepared you and DH for a new chapter in your life story.

  • Being debt free is truly a blessing. We lived that way until about 3 years ago when we purchased “the homestead” from my mother’s living trust, and we pay our payment to her to subsidize her ss. We then repaired the upstairs apt. for son to live in after his divorce, and his rent makes the payment plus gives him a really, really, really cheap place to live. He also cares for the lawn (and snow in winter) and acts as mother’s “cabbie” for a few bucks (better to pay him than a bus or cab!). It really is a win-win-win situation for all of us. Though it might not be considered “debt free” … to us it is!

    • Sounds like things “worked together for good”!!!

      Romans 8:28
      And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

      AIN’T IT GREAT?!!!!!

  • As for tampons; we stock the pads etc., but never really considered tampons. Guess we’ll have to add that to our “staples”…even if neither of us need any of these items! LOL

  • SH…3 years ago both of us ended up losing the work we were doing. Although we were retired, we still worked and used those funds to start our crisis preparedness walk, plus doing alot of traveling etc. We both worked for the same individual and when this person passed on, it came as quite a jolt to us…financially, but greatly on the emotional side since we were very fond of the individual. I agree (wifey here) that we have a wonderful Father God that does indeed have our names written in the palm of His hand…AND…he owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and all the gold in the mountains. Aint it great!?

    • “Ain’t it great?!” It is GREAT, indeed, WE2! Thank you, Sister. I needed a little laughter at the moment! It’s all good!

  • http://www.backwoodsengineer.com/2013/09/grid-down-what-if-drill-was-event.html

    this was shared on in the comments on http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/

    in response to a ‘grid down’ post, and it really made me think…felt it was important enough to share…

    and, gah, y’all are goading me! If you really want some posts on medical stuff, email me any particular questions you’d like adressed at (the address you have for me).

    I’m already formulating a very general medical prep article, but I also want to answer specific questions.

    @ServantHeart, it sounds like you found a good debt reduction program. I got burned by one many years ago, and have been very leary of going that route again

    • Lee: I took out your email address. Readers can post questions here and you can respond as time permits. Suni and I (and Bev and Rourke) all have your email address. You don’t want it here, I don’t believe, for thousands to see, my friend. If I’m wrong, tell me, and I can put it back.

  • Tampons are great for treating bullet or penetrating wounds. Pads are very absorbent and also make great bandages. We don’t need them, but yes they would also be good barter items w/younger ladies. I bought my field medic kit on amazon, and they do have a good selection of various types of bandages. I gave a brief look at shopmedvet.com that @HerbalGerbil shared, prices look fairly reasonable there. I bookmarked it to look into further

  • @J-100 just remember that once you cut bandages into smaller size, they will no longer be sterile. TY for the positive comments, I guess I will be posting articles soon! LOL

    My first blog will be adressing preparing for what you know. If you are not a surgeon, don’t get an expensive surgical kit. Gain the skills and prep accordingly.

    IDK if I am relying too heavily on my medical knowledge as a ‘trade’, but I was a darn good ER nurse and had docs urging me to become a Nurse Practitioner. A couple docs went so far as to say I could dance circles around the NPs we had! (I’m not bragging, it’s just such a great compliment!) I really miss the ER, but I’ve been out for too long and am now too old, no one would hire me regardless…and I don’t want to have to work that hard at this time in my life…I came to nursing when I hit 30 and it was and is a vocation for me, was never just a job…the money was good, but the hours were long and it was very physically demanding…

    That said, my current job is in jeopardy, I am burnt out and have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I refuse to take on debt at my age to get an advanced degree. I will never give up my license, but am considering looking into other fields for employment.

    Mkay, done rambling…

    • Rambling is good…that’s why we’re here! ; )

      Have you considered doing “other things”, perhaps totally unrelated to what you have been doing? If you could do ANYTHING YOU WANT, what would that be? Now, go do it. Or, at least, get as close as you can.

      If nothing else, stick with the prepper community; I don’t think you understand just yet how valuable your skills are for “people like us”. You may just find your “next calling”!!

      Using myself as an example, I can teach a lot of things, but, when it comes to medicine or medical matters, I am student, and you are teacher and mentor. You are needed!

      • LOL, SH, I have so many ideas, always have…like I said, I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up! I need a paying job, one that will give me close to my current pay rate…but I have been exploring the online community and have affiliated with an up and coming sports blog/internet radio show combining my love for NASCAR with an opportunity to use my PR skills. Considering idea of hosting own website for prepping for beginners and combining that with my medical knowledge…that is a long way from happening…So much going on right now, as you know from our personal interactions…I just know I am not happy and need to make some changes…but right now, I need to secure a paying job, close to where what I make now…so that is a primary focus…

  • Well, it will come to you, in it’s time.

    Not to be discouraging, Lee, but hosting a website takes:
    1. Lots of time
    2. A good amount of money;
    3. Very strong computer skills;
    4. A nearly unlimited supply of patience.
    5. A commitment that will affect everyone in your life, especially your immediate family.
    6. A willingness to be up all night when the “baby” is not well, as often as it takes, like, when a hacker invades your site – and they always do. Ask Rourke about this one!
    7. I’m sure there is something very important I’m missing!

    In other words, it’s a full-time job, and it ain’t for sissies or lazy-bones!

  • creedyrn, thanks for the tip on cutting bandages. That’s just one reason we need your knowledge, and others (Lee). Like servantheart said rambling is good, as we all need someone to talk to. Sometimes it is easier to talk to a family you have never meet, like the family here on SCP.

    creedyrn I am going to add your name to my prayer list. This may not be the appropriate place to mention this, but after reading many of the comments the last few weeks, I am starting a prayer list for our SCP family, and anyone who would like prayers to our Father in Heaven, please let me know via a comment.
    Any prayer warriors who feel led to join in, please do the same.

    Prayers for:
    Creedyrn- For a refreshing of her Spirit and joy. Give her directions for her life and how she can use her gifts,

    Suni- Comfort her and her family on the loss of her brother-in-law.

    servantheart- Give her and her husband guidance in the months to come concerning the loss of his job at the end of this year.

    Harriett- Help her get her strength back and restore her physically so that she may deal with all the trials of this life.

    Ariiene- Give her strength and endurance for her recent knee surgery, and that the PT will continue to go well.

    Bev- A prayer of thanks for a time of refreshing of her Spirit as a results of her recent trip.

    Rourke- Continue to give him the strength, insights, and wisdom for the works he has started.

    Hear these prayers O God, and give to each one your mercy, love, and grace as only you can!
    A-Men

  • J-100 What a truly wonderful thing to do. I too will join you in lifting up Creedyn, Servantheart, Harriett, Arlene, Bev, Rourke, and you J-100. May the Lord Bless and protect you all. May the Lord shine his Glory on you and may he met all of your needs. May the Lord bless this site and may it continue to fill a void in peoples lives,In Jesus name I pray these thing. Amen and Amen

    Thank you for the lifting up of my family at this time. Jim will be sorely missed. He was a wonderful, G_D loving man.

  • Wonderful, J100!

    I think we’ll be hearing from Arlene soon; got a short blurp from her yesterday.

    Would y’all please add DS (dear son) to prayers? He lost his job yesterday. 29, still living with parents, and unemployed (again). This job has lasted about 1 1/2 years. At the end of the year, there will be no one in our house with a paying job, unless the Lord chooses to provide another one! This is not a fear statement, it is but a statement of fact.

    DS needs a job; Mom and Dad can not and will not pay his bills (again)! Nor does he want us to. He does not walk with the Lord, and I have told him this should be his first concern.

    2 Chronicles 26:5 As long as he sought the Lord, he was made to prosper. (This isn’t talking about $$, it’s talking about “success” in G-d’s economy.)

    “This is the day the Lord has made; I WILL rejoice and be glad in it”!!

    G-d is good, all the time. All the time, G-d is good!

  • Oh, oh, oh …. Lee – I had no idea we had your talents here. I would love to see an article or a list of something like, “When there is no doctor – an ER Nurse helps you prepare.” I’ve been working on developing a trauma bag to include in my shooting supplies and had no guidance other than copying contents from cmmercial pre-made kits – and those normally aren’t great. Most commercial first aid kits include 1,000 bandaids but little in the way of bandages. Where can you get a good supply of bandages at a reasonable price? There are so many different tourniquets on the market – what makes a good tourniquet? WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

  • J-100. How generous, how thoughtful, how caring, how beautiful. The world could use more souls like you.

  • It also follows the blessing that assures us will come when we “care for the widows and orphans” … which is pure religion according to the Word.

  • Good point WE2-
    James 1:27 “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

  • Here’s another good reason to go debt-free, if at all possible. It would be better to live in a one room cabin, paid for, than a mansion owed, IMHO.

    Do you want your insurance company to inspect your house before deciding whether they will renew your homeowners’ insurance? How about gooberment people showing up with a warrant (or, no warrant at all) to search for an illegal wood-burning stove (doesn’t meet their “standard”)?

    The EPA Takes an Ax to Self-Sufficiency: Most Woodburning Stoves Will Soon Be Illegal

    http://www.thedailysheeple.com/the-epa-takes-an-ax-to-self-sufficiency-most-woodburning-stoves-will-soon-be-illegal_092013#sthash.uv2HCv6d.dpuf

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