Anybody else preparing for rising prices and possible food scarcity?

Via dolarossa said:
Sometimes I often wonder how we even survived in the ancient world.

We had to forage and hunt and plant and gather…

There was famines back then and weather disasters, pests and diseases etc…

We didn’t have the tools, nor the tech,

All this, and scrapping over territory.

Looking back, I think we have it easy now.

we can beat most of the things on the list now, but can’t even afford them🙁
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I agree.

We are quite spoilt in a sense because we have the tools to make our lives more comfortable and entertaining, but I am sure we will also quickly adapt to living a different kind if lifestyle if our survival depends on it. Human beings are very creative and adaptable.

The important thing is to learn some basic skills while we are able to. You mentioned foraging, and Lanolin has a lot of knowledge (and I guess experience) with gardening. Then there are skills like sewing, cooking cheap meals that require few ingredients, changing plugs, basic mechanics, bartering, first aid, bush craft, etc. The list is endless.

It is also important to get to know your neighbors, because the time might come when we need to help one another during difficult times.

Blessings.
 
paidforinfull said:
Siloam started a thread titled 'Inflated Prices', and I thought it might be a good idea share practical tips on how to cope with rising inflation and the possibility of global food and product scarcity.

With this in mind I put together a very basic list of what I think essential supplies to stock up on are. (What we buy and how we prepare will differ because of culture and diet preferences.)

A few things to keep in mind when doing this:
  • store items with a later expiry date behind the ones which will expire sooner;
  • only buy what you already use and know how to prepare;
  • only buy what you really feel you might need in order to prevent wastefulness.
Food with a longer shelf life:
Flour, white rice, pasta, popcorn
Baking Powder, dry yeast, cornstarch
Oatmeal and other cereals
Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc.
Peanut butter, jam/jellies
Honey, syrup
Chicken and beef bullion
Salt, pepper, seasoning, spices, and dried herbs
Oil, vinegar, soy sauce
Beans, lentils, peas
Tomato paste, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise
Canned food such as sardines, tuna, chicken, etc. (I don't really like canned food, but I do keep a few cans in case of emergency)
Powdered milk
UHT (long life) milk

Food with a shorter shelf life:
Butter, margarine, lard
Frozen meat and vegetables

Other:
Cleaning materials
Personal hygiene products
Batteries
Water filter with extra filters
First Aid Kit
Prescription medication
Plastic bags (garbage, freezer and sandwich bags)

I am looking forward to your replies.
Blessings!
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Agreed. Good advice.

IMPO........we are about to have soome very challenging days ahead.

May I also add to your list.

AMMO!!!
 
Via dolarossa said:
Sometimes I often wonder how we even survived in the ancient world.

We had to forage and hunt and plant and gather…

There was famines back then and weather disasters, pests and diseases etc…

We didn’t have the tools, nor the tech,

All this, and scrapping over territory.

Looking back, I think we have it easy now.

we can beat most of the things on the list now, but can’t even afford them🙁
Click to expand...

And Hank Williams said it best............
"A Country Boy Can Survive"!!!!
 
Major said:
Agreed. Good advice.

IMPO........we are about to have soome very challenging days ahead.

May I also add to your list.

AMMO!!!
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I understand that many people might need to get into self-defense mode, but I personally cannot bring myself to do so. We do take other precautions, though.
 
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Lanolin said:
It really depends on where you live for food.
If you have a climate like where I am, food can be grown all year round.

For those in colder climates, you need to store, can and preserve or freeze.
salting, and drying food is usually the method.

If your local food supplies are all good, and in place and you have a vege garden there shouldn't be any problem.

The most important thing to have would be seeds - set up a seed saving network. Cuba did grow everything when they were embargoed, although it took a few years to get into full organic food production, they did it. And now they are self-sufficient as a nation.
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I would love to grow my own food, but living in an apartment keeps that from happening.
 
Hello paidforinfull;

I don't have the time to research cost effective tips from the past? It seems these are timeless and still work from then to today?

I have a question. What about salvaging bars of soap that get small after being used? Is there a method to melt them or something and form a larger bar of soap? This to me would be cost effective.
 
I heard there were already 'food deserts' in the US.
This is partly why rural people have moved to the cities. Though farms just outside cities are able to produce or even on suburban land, so it's not a beast to freight everything.

If you are reliant on fuel and freight (air travel is dependent) trucks, are rail and the roads don't reach your area, then you need to be more self sufficient. If you are not near a navigable river, or harbour then you do need to make do with what resources you have.

Living on an island has some benefits because we have the sea and a good growing climate. Dependence on one country to buy all the exported goods is not always healthy. This is what happened with the British/NZ relationship, they would buy our lamb and butter, and wool. When the Brits got a better deal and joined the EU, and turned to other materials instead of wool, there was not a guaranteed market anymore, so NZ was in the poo. If nobody is willing to buy your goods, the nation suffers. So we looked to other countries and diversified exports. But we've always been self sufficient with feeding our own population.

Unfortunately, some issues are - farmers use chemical fertilisers which leach into rivers and upset the balance - so we might be able to grow more, but the fish in the rivers suffer. Also those chemical fertilisers have to be mined from elsewhere, and freighted over. And they don't regenerate the soil, they seem to harm it so ppl need to keep buying more. Sometimes its two steps forward and then one step back. Like draining wetlands might make land productive at the expense of wildlife that balance the land and filter pollutants.

Anyhow, its not really that food is expensive, its more rents and cost of land that eats into grocery bill. If you can live rent free then that would save a lot of bother and not plunge you into poverty. In movie Gone with the wind, when they had the war at least Scarlett still had her land. But she'd stand to lose it if she didn't pay the taxes on it or someone else bought it.
 
bobinfaith said:
Hello paidforinfull;

I don't have the time to research right now but are these tips from the past? It seems these are timeless and still work from then to today?

I have a question. What about salvaging bars of soap that get small after being used? Is there a method to melt them or something and form a larger bar of soap? This to me would be cost effective.
Click to expand...
Hi bobinfaith;

Yes, these tips are timeless. I like them because you don't have to go and buy all kinds of special household and gardening products.

The easiest way to reuse soap scraps is to fuse the used one to a new bar of soap by wetting them and using them together.

You can also grate, heat and cut them into shape, but the easiest no-boil method seems to be:


Blessings.
 
Lanolin said:
I heard there were already 'food deserts' in the US.
This is partly why rural people have moved to the cities. Though farms just outside cities are able to produce or even on suburban land, so it's not a beast to freight everything.

If you are reliant on fuel and freight (air travel is dependent) trucks, are rail and the roads don't reach your area, then you need to be more self sufficient. If you are not near a navigable river, or harbour then you do need to make do with what resources you have.

Living on an island has some benefits because we have the sea and a good growing climate. Dependence on one country to buy all the exported goods is not always healthy. This is what happened with the British/NZ relationship, they would buy our lamb and butter, and wool. When the Brits got a better deal and joined the EU, and turned to other materials instead of wool, there was not a guaranteed market anymore, so NZ was in the poo. If nobody is willing to buy your goods, the nation suffers. So we looked to other countries and diversified exports. But we've always been self sufficient with feeding our own population.

Unfortunately, some issues are - farmers use chemical fertilisers which leach into rivers and upset the balance - so we might be able to grow more, but the fish in the rivers suffer. Also those chemical fertilisers have to be mined from elsewhere, and freighted over. And they don't regenerate the soil, they seem to harm it so ppl need to keep buying more. Sometimes its two steps forward and then one step back. Like draining wetlands might make land productive at the expense of wildlife that balance the land and filter pollutants.

Anyhow, its not really that food is expensive, its more rents and cost of land that eats into grocery bill. If you can live rent free then that would save a lot of bother and not plunge you into poverty. In movie Gone with the wind, when they had the war at least Scarlett still had her land. But she'd stand to lose it if she didn't pay the taxes on it or someone else bought it.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Living standards are very high in NZ, and it is a lovely place with very friendly people. We've been there, and we liked it a lot (most of my family live there.) You are fortunate.

Food and supplies are becoming increasingly expensive in many places, as does rent, gas, etc.

Blessings.
 
I wouldn't say living standards are high in all areas, but we do have clean water (relatively..rivers are becoming polluted) and we have hydropower.
If you live in remote areas of course everything will be more expensive though.
We have our own salt pans/sea salt though, so it's not a problem to get salt!

If you can grow a soap nut tree, you can have natural soap and you don't need to make it from lard and caustic soda.
The neem tree is also good to use as against bugs. Although that doesn't grow in all areas, if you can grow it, its a good natural resource.

Look at the plants in your local area and what uses they have. It might surprise you that weeds can be used for so many things.
 
I used to be involved with child sponsorship through Childfund.
In Zambia they have good soil and can grow their own food, everyone farms. But the farmers must grow cash crops so they can make money to house and clothe their families and pay for things like school (if there is one) and medical care. Some of the food they grow ends up overseas, I've seen snowpeas from Zambia end up in supermarkets here, and of course, in tropical places, they grow coffee and chocolate. Not to mention sugarcane.

I am sure people can survive without coffee though, it doesn't seem fair that people might need what is a drug like coffee or sugar to drink everyday, when so much labour is spent growing it, and the people who actually grow it don't have enough to survive and often live in terrible conditions.
 
Lanolin said:
I used to be involved with child sponsorship through Childfund.
In Zambia they have good soil and can grow their own food, everyone farms. But the farmers must grow cash crops so they can make money to house and clothe their families and pay for things like school (if there is one) and medical care. Some of the food they grow ends up overseas, I've seen snowpeas from Zambia end up in supermarkets here, and of course, in tropical places, they grow coffee and chocolate. Not to mention sugarcane.

I am sure people can survive without coffee though, it doesn't seem fair that people might need what is a drug like coffee or sugar to drink everyday, when so much labour is spent growing it, and the people who actually grow it don't have enough to survive and often live in terrible conditions.
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Yes, it isn't fair at all! Unfortunately human greed is one of humanity's weaknesses and sins.

I am sure many people (myself included) would be more than willing to pay more for commodities such as coffee and chocolate if it would mean fairer wages for the laborers, but unfortunately most of the money will never reach the people who do the actual work.

Life has never been fair, but we can each do our bit to shine God's light to make it a bit more so.

Just a thought: it seems to me subsistanse farmers might fare better than most during an economic collapse and great depression. They at least have the land, crops, and the skills necessary to provide for themselves and their communities.
 
paidforinfull said:
Hi bobinfaith;

Yes, these tips are timeless. I like them because you don't have to go and buy all kinds of special household and gardening products.

The easiest way to reuse soap scraps is to fuse the used one to a new bar of soap by wetting them and using them together.

You can also grate, heat and cut them into shape, but the easiest no-boil method seems to be:


Blessings.
Click to expand...


Will the soap stay whole if you don't melt?
Microwave melt is quick
 
D3vot3d2G0d said:
Will the soap stay whole if you don't melt?
Microwave melt is quick
Click to expand...
Apparently it will, if it is done correctly. I haven't tried it.

I am interested in the microwave method - I'll check it out on YouTube, thanks!

PS - I checked it out, but there's not a whole lot of videos on this. Could you please leave a quick description of how it's done?
 
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paidforinfull said:
You could grow a window garden if you have a sunny window, or, if you have a balcony, a potted garden.
Click to expand...

We don't really have sunny windows and our balcony has a roof and is screened in. It only gets about 3 hours of actual sun in the summer time that shines through to the balcony.
 
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