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Be Prepared Challenge – Restock & Rotate #1

January 31, 2011 @ 23:09 By Gavin Webber 6 Comments

So you have your emergency kit, grab bag, and stockpile all sorted, or at least are planning to I dare say.

This week Bec and I will be doing a few posts about Restock and Rotating your booty, I mean stockpile.   Things like first aid kits don’t need too much maintenance, just a six monthly check for items that you may have used, but food definitely needs fairly close attention to avoid spoiling.

Food in tins have a long shelf life, as does UHT Milk and do not need too much attention.  When we restock, we simply put the old stuff to the front and new stuff to the back.  Just basic stock rotation, just like any store owner would practice.  We do the same with fresh food as well.  In the fridge we have two crisper compartments and rotate between them.  For example one week we put garden harvest in the top one, and the next week rotate to the bottom draw and keep using the top until empty.  Then rotate.  We find this works wonderfully, and we rarely have any spoiled fruit and vegetables. One of the great things about having a food forest around your house is that most of the storage is in the garden itself.  You just pick when you need it!

Dried goods need a little more attention, with flour susceptible to weevils, and dried beans sensitive to high humidity.  We use airtight plastic storage containers to keep anything out of opened or damaged packets, and I know from experience that in the sub tropics it is best to store your flour in the freezer to kill off any weevil eggs before they hatch.  We don’t have too many problems with our flour, but keep it airtight anyway.

The method Kim and I use each week, is to write down items on a list as we use them.  I have a small whyteboard that Ben gave us, and I am going to mount that on the back of the pantry door.  This way, it will make it a lot easier each month to restock, as we will have a better idea of what we have used.

However, all this talk about restocking brings me to one big problem we are now facing.  Increasing global food shortages.  A very scary subject indeed.  Today in The Age there was this article titled “Fruit and vegetables set to rise more than 70 per cent“, which talks about the recent floods and it effect on food prices.  Then I found this one in the Irish Independent titled “Never mind banks in crisis, food prices are our real worry” which talks about commodity prices.  The icing on the cake for me was this article by Associated Press titled “Egyptians stock up on food, water as protests rage” which talks about the political unrest over the weekend. As I have written before, there are troubled times ahead, it pays to be prepared.

So what can we do about it, and keep our own families fed at a reasonable price?  Well, I have said this many times, and you are probably getting sick of me harping on about it, but grow and preserve your own food.  You will probably never become self sufficient on a suburban block, but I have managed to supplement at least 50% of our fresh food bill with home grown produce.  Even the odd chook or seven will come in handy if you can keep them fed for a decent price.  In January alone, my seven chickens produced 108 eggs, or 9 dozen, for the cost of $30 in feed.  At approx $6.50 a doz for free range eggs in the store which would have cost me $58.50, that is a saving of $28.50 per month.  It is even more of a saving when all the hens are laying, due to the fact that 3 of mine are moulting and are off the lay this month.  Growing your own food is a satisfying feeling, knowing that you are providing for your own families well being.  If you do choose to grow your own food, make sure you have an ample seed supply as well.

Another way to save is to buy in bulk.  We buy most items in the biggest size we can get, because it is substantially cheaper than smaller quantities.  If you don’t believe me, try checking this out.  The next time you go to a supermarket, check out the price per 100gm.  Most Aussie supermarkets list this calculation with their item price.  You will find bulk items up to $1.00 or more cheaper per kilogram!  We buy bulk sugar, flour, dried beans, rice, salt, milk, vegetables, etc.  You get the basic gist of it.  Even better, if you can source a local food co-op and join up, you will find even better bulk food prices, without all that packaging. 

During this week, I will do a bit of research for bulk food stores in each Aussie capital city, and list as many as I can.

So where is the task for today, I here you ask.  Well I feel that I have only scratched the surface, and I dare say there are lots of other ways to keep your regular restocking costs to a minimum whilst still maintaining an adequate supply for whatever crisis you are planning for! 

The task is for anyone that has any other restocking on the cheap suggestions, please leave them via a comment for all readers to enjoy and digest.  Also, if readers would like to share any food co-ops they know of and use frequently, please leave a comment as well.  It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, share the wealth and list your favourite co-op.

Happy restocking!

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Related

Filed Under: Be Prepared Challenge

← Be Prepared Challenge – Acquire #2 – Stockpile Beyond Earth Hour →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. Bruise Mouse says

    January 31, 2011 at 23:29

    On the west coast there is Kakulas Sister and Kakulas Brothers which sell a lot of bulk food. Also Weigh and Pay is great.

    Reply
  2. JulieG says

    February 1, 2011 at 13:27

    Yes, the Kakulas stores are great for bulk purchases. Swansea St fruit n’ veg shop also lets you bring in your own containers for dried beans and grains in bulk.

    Another benefit of buying in bulk is that you’re reducing the amount of packaging that needs to be recycled or disposed of. Just one less thing to fiddle around with, it’s nice 🙂

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    February 1, 2011 at 17:32

    Melinda says
    I live in Brisbane Qld, and one of my favourite shops is a greek deli where I buy my wholemeal flour in 12 and half kilo bags for $18.50 and all the nuts and beans for considerably less in bags of 200 grams to one kilo. I also buy yeast and bread improver for my bread maker a lot cheaper then any supermarket. I just love going there and checking out what they have. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I am not sure of the exact address but is called samios and is in annerley road annerley opposite the mater hospital.

    Reply
  4. Ros says

    February 2, 2011 at 09:45

    In the Lake Macquarie area, just south of Newcastle, I like to shop at Bibina Foods retail warehouse in Warners Bay. Great for bulk foods especially seeds and nuts. Has a lot of catering items as well.

    Reply
  5. Kate says

    February 4, 2011 at 14:51

    One thing to be careful of, when buying in bulk, is where does it come from? It is becoming very alarming to see how many ordinary things are now sourced from China, the USA and even Peru! Buy Australian whenever you can. It is false economy to buy imported food.
    I sell bulk organic pastas, grains and flours, all 100% Australian grown and made, from my pantry door, called The Garden Shed (eventually it will be in my shed, with the gardening supplies I sell!). I deal direct with the farmers and makers so there is no middle man.(Cygnet, Tasmania)

    Reply
  6. Thrivalista says

    December 10, 2011 at 16:06

    Kate, that sounds like a really good trade to have going post-collapse. Good on you for getting a head start, and supporting local growers while you do it!

    Reply

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An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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