Why I Didn't Buy Pre-Packaged Emergency Food Kits

When I first started storing food, our friends purchased a complete years supply of emergency foods. Since I was responsible for our food storage I seriously contemplated doing the same. I did a LOT of research, pricing and came to the final conclusion that instead of the convenience, I would work at storing what we actually eat. 
The main issue was that whatever pre-packaged set I checked out, there was the strong possibility that I wouldn't actually eat/use probably 70% - 80% of any pre-package kit except in an extreme case.  
For the record, I do have several individual cans of Augason Farms products. They are foods I actually use. I also use their water storage containers, since they are a really good buy.

I will remind you that this is before I knew what prepping was. Instead I embarked on a journey of figuring out what we actually ate, and built our food storage and my skills based on our real preferences. 

Pretty early on I decided I needed to learn about dehydrating and pressure canning. Also building our stores around recipes that we already ate. Basically I would take a recipe and store the foods needed to make that meals. 

Then I discovered the LDS org site for cases of basics like wheat, flour, sugar, beans, oats, plus Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. This best kept secret, really changed things for me. 

Today's post is really more about encouraging you to think about what you store & why. Don't just blindly follow what others tell you to store. Build on your skills, pick a skill and try it out. I think because I started out not being a "prepper", I was able to create the solution that worked best for us and I encourage you to do the same. 

What others have been purchasing this month:

   

I participate in the Amazon Associate program, where I receive a small % commission for linking products that I recommend. I only recommend products I personally used and like. Your support is very appreciated, anything you choose to purchase through my link, is helping me to be able to share more things that I do with you. Perky Gramma Teaches Amazon link.

___________________________________________________________________________

The breakdown of the one month kit shown above:

$174.00 @ Walmart $213.77 @ Amazon, just for comparison:

• 543 total servings
• Up to 30 year shelf life*
• Recipe booklet included
• 21 different food varieties
• Recipe included on each can

The Augason Farms One Month Food Storage Pack Contains 48 Everyday Size (quart) cans, including:

Bakery

• 3 Buttermilk Pancake Mix

Cereals & Grains

• 4 Long Grain White Rice
• 6 Creamy Wheat Cereal

Drinks

• 2 Orange Delight Drink Mix
• 2 Chocolate Morning Moo's Milk Alternative

Eggs & Dairy

• 1 Dried Whole Eggs
• 2 Country Fresh 100% Real Instant Nonfat Dry Milk

Fruits

• 4 Honey Coated Banana Slices
• 1 Freeze Dried Sliced Strawberries

Meats

• 1 Beef Flavored Vegetarian Meat Substitute
• 1 Bacon Bits Flavored Vegetarian Meat Substitute
• 1 Chicken Flavored Vegetarian Meat Substitute

Soups & Sauces

• 2 Cheesy Broccoli Soup Mix
• 3 Creamy Potato Soup Mix
• 3 Chicken Noodle Soup Mix
• 3 Southwest Chili Mix

Vegetables

• 1 Dehydrated Chopped Onions
• 2 Potato Gems
• 2 Freeze Dried Sweet Corn
• 2 Dehydrated Potato Dices
• 2 Freeze Dried Broccoli Florets & Stems