Today, 1 ounce of gold purchases about 1 year worth of food.

gecko109

This is not a plug, nor advertisement.....rather just a simple unbiased review on the Wise Food long term food storage system.


Everyone should be well rounded in regards to a possible SHTF scenario. Some very important items to consider stocking up on are also VERY inexpensive! Items such as a good quality water filter system (like a Katadyn), a decent magnesium fire starter, a lead dispersal device or 2 with plenty of lead for dispersal, plenty of silver and gold in fractional/small sizes for barter, a good knife, a good ax, a good saw, and some very basic fishing gear are all desirable. A hand crank radio is also a must have. There are probably dozens of other things you could add to this list, but I would like to talk about FOOD.

Recently, I purchased a couple of buckets of Wise Food, long term storage food. Each bucket contains 84 servings of a mix of 6 or 8 different foods. All the food is freeze dried and nitrogen packed in pouches of 4-5 servings per pouch. The shelf life is 25 years, so it truly is a "throw it in your closet and forget about it" type of item. The 2 buckets arrived a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to add a few more.....to have on hand at least a 3 month supply of food for my family. But before I decided to invest anymore money in the product, I wanted to actually try some!

Last week, my wife got home from work and I had "dinner" ready. I made the creamy chicken pasta...per the directions. Just boil 4 cups of water and add the packet....wait 12 minutes...stir and dinner is ready. As my wife and I ate the entree, we both looked at eachother several times. It was clear that both of us would rather be eating something else! I then asked my wife....."if there was no other food available, would you be happy to have a 3 month supply of this stuff"? She said...."ABSOLUTELY"!

I wont lie, the food was a bit salty, and the flavor wasnt comparable to something from Olive garden....BUT, it was edible, and would be very valuable to us in the case of a food run for whatever reason. We just tried the 1 entree and also the granola. The granola was DELICIOUS and something I could eat every week, no problem.


Currently, Wise pricing structure is such that a 720 serving portion of food can be bought for just under the price of an ounce of gold. Thats food for an entire year for 1 person! In my opinion, its a phenomenal insurance play that could turn out to be the best investment one ever makes! I ordered another $600 worth of the product today, and plan on adding another $600 in a few weeks. If I buy this stuff, and throw it in a closet.....and never use it for the next 25 years...im a big winner! If, on the other hand, events occur that forces my family to live off this product for 3-6 months, then its the best $1200 I ever spent in my life. It seems to be a great play in order to weather any short storms of food shortage. Kind of like a gap or transition stage that may very well buy you some very valuable survival time!


Check out the website!

ttown

I don't buy it unless a year of food cost you around $1400 a year now. Gold tends to insure purchasing power it doesn't go up and down it follows the strength of currencies. Gold up strong usually the dollar is down strong without outside government forces.

If you want food buy canned goods, beans, and rice. It's dirt cheap these 10-25 year canned products cost hundreds of dollars just to make it a month. Canned goods are 50 cents and after 2 or 3 year you can donate them to a food banks and buy more for 10 or 15 dollars. Rotate what you use and you never hit that big time. Store beans and rice in food grade buckets with air packs and they last a lot longer than you think. Buying some of the high priced 25 year stuff isn't bad just don't go overboard or you'll be broke, use the low cost option IMO.

Justacommeman

It's important that your system/body gets used to food storage stuffs before a SHTF event. Helps deal with the stress. Most food storage companies sell individual packs for testing before you buy "the buckets" or bulk. This is important. Some of the stuff is good, some is tolerable and most of it blows. Might as well get stuff that you like. Obviously a clean water supply is the key............MJ

ttown

A good water filter cost a few hundred dollars for a camp type unit (1 gallon per hour). The ceramic filters will last a long time but the carbon element is good for about 6 months. Here's the best deal on them I've found and are used by WHO. I didn't look at the present price but you supply the buckets and you can get one of these for around 20 bucks so you can buy a lot of extras.


http://www.monolithic.com/stories/a-practical-life-sustaining-water-filter

ttown

Here's the best site with free shipping I've found on large canned goods that will last 10 to 25 years. Look at the Irish oats, mashed potatoes, and banana chips. All cheap and all will last for a very long time.

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/

You look at companies like Mountain House (the best) a variety pack is going to cost you $120 for a week of limited food and not near your 2000 calories. A 24 cans of corn, green beans, peas will cost around 12 bucks use and rotate donate the ones left after 2 years. 24 years of doing this unless food gets out of sight would cost right around the same but it's better overall food and calories. Tuna and canned Chicken are good and cheap and they'll last at least 5 to 10 year even though the best if used by date is expired.

You might want to try this, the butter and cheese is great (haven't tried the meats yet). This will let you sample some of the stuff:

http://www.internet-grocer.net/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=1377

I've got about 3 months of goods but I live on the lake and hunt and fish so food is less of a concern to me. I do have several good water filters in case I have to use rain water or lake water.

piecesofme

I mentioned something to this effect awhile back on a thread that was something like..."so, what are you collecting"...and I didn't get a single reply in reference to it.
THIS is what you will need to survive when the shtf, not f'in pm's. I'm glad to see that people are finally realizing that, to some degree.

racecap97

<< <i>THIS is what you will need to survive when the shtf, not f'in pm's. I'm glad to see that people are finally realizing that, to some degree. >>

percyb

Phil, Remind me during the post apocalyptic era if I see you that I should not eat your cooking (unless you can submit to me a certificate that you had some training before the SHTF).

Does the food bucket come with a Betty Crocker Cookbook?

I was thinking you could add your own spices....lemon pepper or oregano or red pepper to enhance the flavor.
What's on the menu by the way?

pitboss

S.O.S. for breakfast every day. We have both white and red sauce if you are from R.I.

Moxie

Wow, Gecko, how weird.
Two days ago, I just ordered 4 months worth of food, for a family of 5, from that same company. I don't see us ever using it unless we have to. And if we have to, even if the taste is less than satisfying, we'll be glad we had it.
We also went to Sam's Club yesterday and bought a two years supply of stuff like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, cough medicine, razors, etc.
Sounds crazy, but when we saw how the price of EVERYTHING has already noticably increased, we felt we made a good decision.

piecesofme

We also went to Sam's Club yesterday and bought a two years supply of stuff like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, cough medicine, razors, etc.

Was the etc. water, because you're going to need uncontaminated water for most of that stuff to work as intended?

Moxie

<< <i>
Was the etc. water, because you're going to need uncontaminated water for most of that stuff to work as intended? >>



Good point.

I was thinking about purchasing the Katadyn water filter. But big thanks to ttown!!! I checked on the Monolithic water filter bucket system and clearly it was a much better alternative - both in practicality and price (saved over $150)

I was probably ordering the Momolithic system while you were writing your post. So, glad to have that base covered.

RedTiger

Does anyone stockpile MREs (military meals ready to eat)? I heard that current ones are good quality, that people actually like eating them. The downside is that they are a lot more money than what Gecko bought (like $7+ per meal). Still, it might be nice to have a few for a higher quality treat during lean times.

For smokers, cigarettes have a shelf life of a year, and will have enormous trade value in certain scenarios. Similar for chocolate, with proper storage, chocolate bars can be stored for a year or two. Same for liquor, and that often gets better with proper aging.

It is good that folks are focused on water. Humans, especially the typical slightly overweight American, can survive for months on very minimal food. Water becomes super critical in a few days.

piecesofme

You all seem to be assuming that an existing water supply will still function when the shtf. What if all water supply as we know it that runs from a tap or even from a well is contaminated?
Do you have 1 years supply of water supply available that cannot be contaminated or stolen from you if the s-REALLY hits the fan? I wonder just how deeply folks have thought this whole shtf scenario when I see all this survival chatter.

Personally, I'm in the camp that hopes that if all hope is lost and there is no point in going on at the point of the s-REALLY hitting the fan, that we'll be the first to go on to a better (eternal) life than what remains. Does that make me a weak person the way things are now? Sure, I/we try to plan, but when the black hand of Death gets a grip on all I have, I will NOT be afraid to leave this place to go to a place where the streets are made of Gold. Or will you fight to survive in what has become Hell?

OH, that's it, i'm gonna get labeled as being a nut now, so I'll just fade away from this conversation.

Justacommeman

Yes RT some of the MRE's are fantastic. Chicken Chow mein baby. Barrels of water is also a good idea. Buy the empty barrels and treat and store tap water...........MJ

HalfStrike

They actually made a good money about this, Panic in Year Zero! in 1962. A nuclear bomb goes off in LA and the family heads up in the hills.

Movie Trailer

RGJohn

I'm unfamiliar with this particular line of long term food storage product that you refer to Gecko, but I can suggest from experience that you try the 'just-add-water' rations that our soldiers eat. I think ( but memory is not my long suit) that they are called MRS or something like that. I ate several varieities not so many years ago while on an archaeology dig and I recall that I preferred some of them to the food which I had brought with me. Perhaps it was just the novelty but you might want to check them out. They come with the coolest little gzinkes to heat them up with too. And they are absolutely indestructible, the ones I ate had been abandoned in the field months previously. Just as good as new.

dontippet

<< <i>You all seem to be assuming that an existing water supply will still function when the shtf. What if all water supply as we know it that runs from a tap or even from a well is contaminated?
Do you have 1 years supply of water supply available that cannot be contaminated or stolen from you if the s-REALLY hits the fan? I wonder just how deeply folks have thought this whole shtf scenario when I see all this survival chatter.

Personally, I'm in the camp that hopes that if all hope is lost and there is no point in going on at the point of the s-REALLY hitting the fan, that we'll be the first to go on to a better (eternal) life than what remains. Does that make me a weak person the way things are now? Sure, I/we try to plan, but when the black hand of Death gets a grip on all I have, I will NOT be afraid to leave this place to go to a place where the streets are made of Gold. Or will you fight to survive in what has become Hell?

OH, that's it, i'm gonna get labeled as being a nut now, so I'll just fade away from this conversation. >>




I agree with you. I probably won't want to be here anyway, other than I have a young family to protect and provide for.

57loaded

<< <i>S.O.S. for breakfast every day. We have both white and red sauce if you are from R.I. >>



NICE!!!!!

i'm in the pinto beans and rice staples crowd, just gimme enough "Tapatio" sauce and some corn tortillas

bidask

sell gold and go to whole food markets

piecesofme

<< You all seem to be assuming that an existing water supply will still function when the shtf. What if all water supply as we know it that runs from a tap or even from a well is contaminated?
Do you have 1 years supply of water supply available that cannot be contaminated or stolen from you if the s-REALLY hits the fan? I wonder just how deeply folks have thought this whole shtf scenario when I see all this survival chatter.

Personally, I'm in the camp that hopes that if all hope is lost and there is no point in going on at the point of the s-REALLY hitting the fan, that we'll be the first to go on to a better (eternal) life than what remains. Does that make me a weak person the way things are now? Sure, I/we try to plan, but when the black hand of Death gets a grip on all I have, I will NOT be afraid to leave this place to go to a place where the streets are made of Gold. Or will you fight to survive in what has become Hell?

OH, that's it, i'm gonna get labeled as being a nut now, so I'll just fade away from this conversation. >>



I agree with you. I probably won't want to be here anyway, other than I have a young family to protect and provide for
I'm in the same boat, that's why I said, "that we'll be the first to go" and not I. Maybe I should've said, if I've done all I can and they have passed on, then I would hope it's my turn.

RedTiger

More on water: if a person lives where it rains, simple barrels or other containers for collection, some gallons of bleach for sterilization are a realistic solution (teaspoon of bleach per gallon of rain water). In the Third World, sealed clear plastic jugs in the sun, are used to make water potable. The water might seem icky, but it is drinkable. With rain to collect water, and direct sunlight to sterilize, this is a long term renewable solution that a good deal of the world lives on.

Tomohawk

piecesofme: AMEN!

And you are definitely NOT a nut...the view is gonna be great from the clouds, eh?

piecesofme

And you are definitely NOT a nut...the view is gonna be great from the clouds, eh?

Don't get me wrong, i'm in no hurry to get there and don't take for granted that I will, but if it comes down to the scenario spoken of on this thread...Conductor, please punch this ticket.