When tap stores?

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  • dprimm

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    Jan 13, 2013
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    I understand rotating stock ... first in, first out. But if you have put it up for long term... when do you tap your reserves?

    A little better scenario. We go through 5lbs of rolled oats a month. I get some extra and put them in a vacuum sealed, O2 absorber containing Mylar bag. Keep adding 5 lbs to the stash monthly.

    Look forward to to having up to a years backup. Do you start opening bags and put new into storage? If the price skyrockets, do you open reserve and not replace?

    Maybe I have missed this part of the discussion in youtube videos or other places.

    Obviously a SHTF scenario is different than others.

    Hope me this makes sense.
     

    Sniper 79

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    I would date the bags and rotate out every so often. Keep them fresh and to test how they age.

    If the price sky rockets I would sell and not replace. Find something to substitute for half the price and pocket the rest. Great trade fodder too.
     

    snorko

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    Apr 3, 2008
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    You are storing what you eat regularly which is a big plus. If your goal is 1 year in storage, I would build up to that then each month store a new 5# pack and open the oldest for use.
     

    therewolf

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    Nov 9, 2013
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    Allow me to digress for a moment. I'm in the process of "rotating my stock" of emergency food, right now, i.e. eating all the stock beyond the expiration date.

    1. Foods hit their expiration date faster than you think they will. Time flies.

    2. In deference to #1, be sure that your "emergency stash" is foods which you like to eat.
     
    Last edited:

    Tactically Fat

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    1. Foods hit their expiration date faster than you think they will. Time flies.

    Minor niggle - not aimed at you specifically, therewolf.

    The dates on our foodstuffs here in the USA are "best by" dates. They're not expiration dates. Foodstuffs do not automatically go bad or expire on the date printed on the packaging.
     

    spencer rifle

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    Minor niggle - not aimed at you specifically, therewolf.

    The dates on our foodstuffs here in the USA are "best by" dates. They're not expiration dates. Foodstuffs do not automatically go bad or expire on the date printed on the packaging.
    This. I know the owner of a canned meat facility. He puts 10 year expiration dates on his products, but told me that, as long as the can is intact, the contents are good. The same goes for most other canned goods, most antibiotics and common medicines. And some items have no expiration date - honey, vinegar, etc.
     

    Karl-just-Karl

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    Nov 5, 2014
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    I am no expert on this by any means. I have failed twice at attempting to keep relevant and practical food stores.

    My guiding principals at this point (in no particular order):

    Canned food is good five years past the best-by date, as long as they aren't bulged, dented or rusted. Some things cans leak. Cans sitting in the leaked fluid start to rust. Lots of bad things can happen if not monitored or mitigated.

    Maintain a supply of goods that are regularly consumed. When something in the kitchen runs out, retrieve the replacement from the back-stock. Replace the back-stock next time I go to the store.

    Accept some items that are seen as insurance that might need refreshed/replaced from time to time. I don't prepare a lot of beans or rice (often) from the bulk, dry, stored state. Having $10-20 worth of stock put away is a lot of servings of dried beans and rice. If I throw it away (refresh it) every five years it isn't the worst investment I've made. If it is stored in a food safe container it might help prevent it from picking up off-tastes from things like a wood cabinet.

    Barter goods; flour and sugar, while they might be excellent barter goods for the mind's eye, a few bottles of Old No.7, Jim, or Patron can be bartered just as easily, keep better, and might trade for a better return. TP also keeps well and might be highly prized, just sayin'.

    I've given up on the year supply of food. A year's supply of food is a good thing, don't get me wrong. I have some friends that maintain that much of a store, but I haven't been able to do it and maintain it. Realistic expectations, that's what I call it. 30 days. 30 days is practical for natural disaster or temporary disruption. It would be nice, but being totally prepared for the apocalypse is apparently beyond my ability.


    It isn't about tapping the reserves, it is about keeping the reserves in motion or being able to permanently park/store specific things. It has taken me a while to personalize and assimilate this understanding.

    Additional input is welcomed. I am still learning and growing in this process.
     

    GIJEW

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    Mar 14, 2009
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    This. I know the owner of a canned meat facility. He puts 10 year expiration dates on his products, but told me that, as long as the can is intact, the contents are good. The same goes for most other canned goods, most antibiotics and common medicines. And some items have no expiration date - honey, vinegar, etc.
    FWIW I read a Nat'l Geo article about a group that retraced the steps of Amundsen and Scott in their race to the south pole. They found canned food left at Scott's base that was still good after about 100 years! Of course, it was left on a shelf in a cabin in Antarctica. YMMV
     

    bwframe

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    This last year was pretty lean for me financially. It actually turned out to be a good kick in the butt to use stores that too often get put up and forgotten about.

    I got into some regular routines, using and finding uses for my own garden and lake harvests.

    I think a solid idea for me (possibly others reading also?) is to not get complacent at the grocery store. I'm hoping to run my food purchasing budget a lot tighter, forcing the usage and rotation of my own harvests and storage.
     

    dudley0

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    Mar 19, 2010
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    Friday I had a can of soup that was 'expired' in 2014. Tasted the same.

    I am having to slowly eat my reserves because I am supposed to start a lower sodium diet. (can't bring myself to toss them and most don't want donations of old goods) Swapping out cans with low or no salt added is tough to find at times.

    Now all the MREs I have stored are supposed to be off limits. At least they will store for a very long time.
     

    HarleyMason

    Marksman
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    Mar 7, 2019
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    Roanoke
    I’ve had beans and rice in storage for 10+ years, vacuum sealed and out of light. My dad has been stocking up on the Wise products, I’m thinking of throwing some $ down that route.
     

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