Cheap Preparedness Food Longer Term Storage

My current longest term storage is in things that don't spoil that fast even if you don't do anything to them. That is things like rice, beans and grains that are not even flour yet. I also think things like popcorn, and rolled oats are necessities for me, so I get lots of those. They are ok to have enough bought in bulk to last me longer than my things that spoil more easily. I don't try to have food in my freezer that will last me for the next year, for example.


That is not because I don't think it is a good idea. It is just because my funds don't stretch far enough for me to prepare that far ahead. If you can afford it, you might want to have more food in the freezer to last you for the next year. 


You will have to think about what you put in your freezer for your emergency storage because freezer burn and tasting yucky from being frozen too long are problems.


I do use my freezer for emergency storage, but it is for shorter term foods. I make my own casseroles for emergency storage. When I make a casserole for dinner, I make two or three of the same thing and cook them in the oven at the same time. I eat one and freeze the other two. 


I rotate them into my menus when I don't feel like cooking or don't have enough time. I can just take one of my frozen casseroles out and thaw it ahead of time or defrost it in the microwave. I really like the convenience of doing my casseroles this way. I probably like it too much. It is hard to keep enough in the freezer because I use them up too soon.


Making my own frozen casseroles is much cheaper than buying frozen casseroles from the store. I often like the ones I make better than what I get from the store too. A lot of the time my homemade convenience foods are more healthy than those from the store as well.


If I manage to have any frozen casseroles left in my freezer during an emergency, they will not even have to be cooked. They can simply be thawed out and eaten, so they are good for emergencies. I just need to make them more often or eat them up less often.


One of my emergency preparedness frozen foods is veggieburgers. I make my own in batches of 60 or so at a time. I like them quite a lot and think they taste better than the ones I get from the grocery store. They are considerably less expensive than those from the store, so they save a lot on my food bill all the time. I have a hard time leaving enough of those in the freezer for emergencies too.