Been prepping for just over a year. Did an inventory today, would love advice.
Posted by Prepsandgunsred@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 40 comments
I started prepping when Hurricane Helene hit. I had started considering it early that year and built basic go bags and car emergency bags, but the wife got on board after the hurricane. We are not close per se but not far (we were able to drive there and back to give supplies).
My personal goal was to get enough food on hand for the two of us, to last 31 days inside. One thing to note is I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and only have one closet so spare for most storage.
I have yet to find a good way to cook inside without power. This poses an issue cuz a large amount of the calories I listed below (pasta rice dried beans oats etc) require cooking. Gotta figure that out.
I have over the last year just stored canned goods by the "buy 1 put 1 away" rule or sometimes if there is a sale, like 10 for 10 ill grab that and put some back. Theres also a few things we don't regularly eat, that we would either donate when it gets close to the expiration date or eat. Not a lot on purpose, but we have maybe 10 cans of chef boyardee that we don't usually go for but it's a lot of calories in a can.
I just organized all this in containers by expiration date. All of the numbers are calories cuz my first goal was to get 31 days for me and my wife at 4500 per day. I believe I've hit that but where I'm weak is:
Water: I have 63 gallons broken down in to 27 gallons stored long term the rest in plastic gallon jugs/water bottles. My next purchase is 10 water bricks so I'd have 62 gallons stored "long term" and I can have less water in plastic jugs. But this number does not include any water put aside for cooking...
Way to cook without power. this is a big one because a lot of this (probably over half) its beans pasta oats and rice. That adds to the water issue...
Variety and meals. I notice other than the canned meals (like the chili, soup) theres not a ton of meals I can make just with the canned ingredients. Sure I can eat a can of chicken and a can of black beans for lunch, but thats not gonna be morally fun after a few days.
Grains: the lack of cooking has me unsure how to get bread or make bread if the power is out. Tortillas maybe but those don't have a huge shelf life. we have lots of peanut butter but nothing to put it on.
Other stuff: I'm focused on food here but I have a separate goal of getting a camping toilet, more toilet paper meds sanitation stuff etc cuz all of that I'm lacking. I do a lot of shooing and will be cutting back on that this coming year to invest in that other stuff.
Here's what I've got, I'd love feedback and tips. Numbers next to them are calories.
Roasted red peppers- 80
Beef Jerkey: 2 bags 460
Pasta: 51,200
Oats: 33,900
Peanut Butter: 38,950
Instant Mashed Potatos: 1,440
Pancakes: 7,040
Protein bars: 2,640
Quinoa: 8,960
Canned chicken: 12,060
Canned fish; 1290
Corned beef hash: 3960
Pasta sauce jars: 1200
Canned fruit: 2260
Soup: 4,960
Canned pasta: 5200
Chilli: 8000
Canned beans: 16,257
Pealed Tomatos: 1260
Canned tomato sauce: 1785
Diced tomattos: 1155
Canned potatos: 4000
Canned green beans: 1120
Sweet corn: 1400
Peas: 1760
Rice: 10 lbs (5914)
Dried Beans: 20 lbs (various)
Various Spices
Thats kind of it. Any tips and help is appreciated going into the next year of this, and yes, we rotate all of this so right now I have everything expiring before August 2026 in a pile that we will use and replace. On the 4500 calories a day taking way the dried goods it seems I have 24ish days of canned goods.
Ginger123456788@reddit
Keep up the great work👍
EmployerOwn5551@reddit
I was reading through the comments because I also don’t have a great way of cooking indoors without power. My partner and I have discussed adding a wood burning stove to our home at some point in the future. Both for heat and cooking!
Until that time comes, I have prepped at least enough food to live off of for 3 weeks that doesn’t require cooking. Our basement is prepped as a bunker/hideout if we need it, and so that is where that emergency 3 week food supply is, but I’m hoping in most situations it would be safe for us to come outside much sooner than 3 weeks. If access to the outdoors is available then we have grills and a fit pit that would work fine.
If anyone has any thoughts as to situations where someone might need to hide out for more than 3 weeks, please feel free to share them! I like running scenarios in my head to prep. I’m in the Midwest so no hurricanes or anything, but tornadoes definitely happen around here.
MountainTaker@reddit
Hey! I’ve seen some comments suggesting spreadsheets, or other ways to organize your food which can definitely be helpful. I just wanted to offer another option you might find useful: an app I’m developing called Prepva.
It’s designed to help you organize your food inventory, track expiration dates, get analytics, and set goals for your kits or overall storage and much more!
You can check it out at https://prepva.org. It’s currently in closed beta due to Google Play’s testing policy, but if you’d like to try it out, just send me your email and I can grant you access (the email requirement is purely for Google’s system, not mine).
ConorBaird@reddit
You mentioned this is in beta? how long until it is live?
MountainTaker@reddit
It’s fully usable, and most features are working smoothly. I’m now welcoming early users to help identify any remaining issues, share feedback, suggest improvements, and enjoy the app. There may be a few minor bugs, but the core functionality is solid. I'm hoping to get out of beta asap, and that really depends on how many bugs can be squashed haha, but I expect around 2 weeks. If you'd like to give it a try shoot me a dm with your email or sign up for the beta on the website :)
ConorBaird@reddit
Cool, thanks! I just signed up on the website. It said I will be notified. Let me know if I should DM as well. Looking forward to trying it out!
Ryan_e3p@reddit
I recommend breaking things down in a spreadsheet. Lots of columns for different info. Here's my setup:
Columns:
A, Food name and unit of measurement (usually lbs for things like meats, but for cans it is ounces, things like that)
B. On-hand (how much I have)
C. Need (auto-filled, column D-B)
D. Total (how much I ideally want of something)
E. Servings Per (this relates to how many servings per unit of measurement in column A)
F. Calories Per Serving
G. Servings On Hand (auto-filled, column E*B)
H. Total Servings (auto-filled, column E*D)
I. Calories On Hand (auto-filled, F*G)
J. Total Calories (auto-filled, F*H)
K. Percent (auto-filled, B/D, and this is also color coded and automatically adjusts from red background cell to green, based on the percentage from 0-100%)
L. Food Group (Fat, Dairy, Protein, Fiber, Carb, Starch, some combinations of those, and "Yum", which is for things like coffee, chocolate power, etc).
M. Notes (just random notes if needed about the serving size, food ideas, etc)
I then have another sub-chart off to the side where I list out how long I can reasonably use the preps. I total up the calories, and divide them into various daily calorie intakes. 2000, 1500, and 1000. But, since calories don't mean much without balance, that's why I added the Food Group category, to make sure I have a good balance of each thing. Plus, I grow food most of the year in a greenhouse and have fowl for eggs and meat, so ideally, the 1000 calorie guide would help give me the best idea of how long I can survive between preps and what I can get from my backyard.
Otherwise, make sure you're also planning for medical, energy, and communications. What's the plan? Food and water is good, but in my opinion, if you strive for sustainability, that is ideal.
Plane-Pianist@reddit
Thank u mate, I think this list will also help me to prepare my home stock.
Queasy_Answer7484@reddit
Love this. Great inspiration. Lost oversight of my own pantry and the calories it holds. I also grow greens cale potatoes on the side, and keep chicken both for meats and eggs. I haven't really counted that in as inventory directly because it varies. We also eat out of the pantry, so it gets complicated to count. I'm a paper person though. Don't trust access to digital when I need it. The pantry book I'm keeping is getting so messy after years. Do you print your charts? How often do you take stock?
Ryan_e3p@reddit
Thanks! I didn't know that people would like it so much. Give me some time to get some coffee and wake up, I'll make a blank and upload it somewhere.
I inventory every couple months since I'm always grabbing the odd item or two from Costco. Or just get bored and reorganize things. Bag of rice here, jars of peanut butter there. Especially since Thanksgiving is coming up, meaning turkey is going on sale, and since I just bought a new chest freezer I'm going to be stocking it with hopefully a good 100lbs of ground turkey meat. After considering the weight of the carcass, it comes out to less than $1.50/lb for meat.
I keep the most recent copy updated and a dozen blank spreadsheets printed so I can manually make adjustments, but I'm hopefully not likely to need it. Fully solar with a beefy battery backup and several generators. 😁
ryan112ryan@reddit
For cooking I’d do a gas one butane stove which is rated to cook indoors without need of ventilation. They are cheap and the canisters are everywhere. Very easy to cook on.
I also have a solar oven, two actually. A go sun for smaller meals that’s pretty quick. Then a sun oven for larger meals or for a family. That doesn’t require any fuel and on sunny days it’s set and forget it stews, chicken, bread, etc.
No_Character_5315@reddit
Also bathtub water bladder it will add up to a extra 100 gallons. Will need 15 mins or so to fill it but if it's a hurricane type scenario you'll have plenty of time. Also if you're just sitting around a small apartment you'll only really need 1200 to 1500 calories a day to maintain weight add more if your physical activity goes up.
Ra_a_@reddit
And a Saratoga Jack thermal cooker. Saves fuel
Achnback@reddit
We stock, as much as possible, canned goods as they already are in water and ready to eat out of the can if no power. Dried goods are your kink in your situation as they need water to prepare. Seeing your list, I actually think you are in pretty good shape, much better than 90% of our population.
Select_Pick_9346@reddit
Learn gardening and water purification techniques alongside your preps because your preps won't last forever
Academic_Win6060@reddit
Your water stores are looking good. Just don't store it all in the same place - water is heavy, spread it out - under beds, closets, behind the couch... And don't forget the water in your toilet tanks and water heater tanks. Thin milk-jug type gallons of water WILL break down and leak in just a few months time, get stronger jugs. I save all my sturdy gallon white vinegar jugs and fill with tap water for non-potable and washing. Get a small hand or foot manual or rechargable pump for your bottles - the convenience is well worth the small cost. If my pumps don't fit my bottles neatly, I cut a slice of pool noodle to fit in the underside of the pump to snug it up.
A can of chicken and a can of beans makes for a boring meal without a little spice. Add quality sea salt for the added trace minerals, and some other spices you prefer. Thyme, rosemary, cumin, cinnamon, clove - any kitchen spice really, stores well, adds flavor and medicinal properties to your meals. Also, chix and beans and maybe a veg would be really tasty added to a can of soup or chili or even to the chef boyardee. Throw in a handful of rice or oats to bulk.
Dried beans, grains, and pasta can be cold soaked beforehand to speed cooking and conserve fuel. Oats can be soaked overnight and eaten as is. You can bring your food to a boil, then remove from heat and wrap the pot with a comforter/blanket for awhile to finish cooking or retain heat for a later meal. If you have any insulated cooler to do this in - even better.
Rice, quinoa, and dried lentils all use the same 2:1 water:food ratio to cook. You can cook rice, or quinoa, and lentils in the same water.
Get a canned fuel single burner stove that doesn't require ventilation. Found easily at Walmart or an Asian food store and used inside every day by ppl worldwide without consequence. A collapsible solar oven is a fine idea if you get several hours of sun, and you can bake a basic rustic soda bread or quick bread easily. Or just make biscuits in a pan on the stove burner. Pre-make a dry biscuit or bread mix and vacuum seal it. Store these next to canned/boxed milk or whatever you'll mix it with.
Crackers and literally almost evthing else store for a very long time in a vacuum sealed bag or jar. Jerky, dried fruit, dehydrated veggies, grains, legumes... Don't vac seal salt or sugar unless you want to chip pieces off a rock. Pick up small vacuum sealer set like these -
https://a.co/d/8hPvTHy
https://a.co/d/hsJIUDa
Get a dedicated pot for water or coffee - whatever you drink hot - and wrap a towel or sweater around it to keep it hot longer. Keep in mind caffeine is a stimulant and a diuretic and will cause you to get dehydrated quicker, and use more of your toileting resources.
A simple toilet is a 5 or 7 (adds height for elderly or handicapped) gallon bucket with a decent lid - a short piece of pool noodle sliced lengthwise to push onto the bucket rim or a gamma seal lid- layered plastic bags inside (8 gal garbage bags work, even plastic grocery bags work in a 2-3 gal bucket). Pick up a couple of compressed bricks of aspen pet bedding (Walmart or any pet store), put a scoop in the bottom and another scoop every time you use it. Keeps odors down, is lightweight, and cheap. I store mine pre-fluffed in another bucket beside or nested in the toilet bucket. It fluffs up to an amazing amount so don't fluff unless you have storage space. Some people prefer compressed horse bedding pellets to the aspen shavings. Of course, keeping urine and feces separated is a huge sanitary bonus and keeps odor to a minimum.
You can often get a Dr to prescribe 90+ days of most meds to rotate through if you explain your reason or say you'll be traveling. I need to pay cash sometimes for an extended Rx but it's worth it.
PrisonerV@reddit
You don't have some way to cook any of this?
https://www.amazon.com/GS-3400P-Portable-Backpacking-Emergency-Preparedness/dp/B01HQRD8EO
It's like having a bunch of cans and no can opener.
Ornery_Ad_9523@reddit
Great option I like the dual fuel! Probably good they add CO / combustibles (everyone should have in the home)
https://a.co/d/3A3ctIf
Academic_Win6060@reddit
A battery powered detector would likely be a necessary version for an emergency situation
Ornery_Ad_9523@reddit
True good idea let me see if this dual power
CleanseFoldManipulat@reddit
I know this is mostly about the food, but guns, an AR platform for each, and a Glock in 9mm for each. 1000 rounds of ammo for each gun. (yes that seems like a lot, but consider you may be depending on those firearms for not only your safety, but to also help provide for food) If you have to bug out omn foot, yea, its unreasonable amount to carry, but if you bug in, or have a vehicle, you will be glad you did.
Prepsandgunsred@reddit (OP)
Wife has a hard time shooting and isn't comfortable with the AR. Not gonna push that issue with her. She does dry fire once a month with the home defense pistol and comes to the range every 6 months to be able to lock herself in the bedroom if theres a break in and call 911.
Next year I'll be investing in AR training as I just bought one and have shot maybe 500 rounds. Then figuring out some kind of chest rig. I conceal carry daily and take classes focused on that. I've got 5000 rounds of 9mm Blazer 115 and 2400 rounds of 5.56 PMC 55 grain. For me thats just under a years worth of ammo to go to the range each month. Then I have 11 AR mags filled with Gold Dot 55 grain and 10+ mags filled with Federal HST 124. I've also got an ammo can filled with 600 HST 124 and this year my goal is to stock one 50 cal ammo can of Gold Dot 55 grain so 1200 rounds. Might consider upping that to 77 grain gold dot but IDK the difference.
So in short I'm pretty good with ammo stored at the moment (final goal would be like 10k rounds each, maybe when I have 90 days of food and water stored and own a house). I gotta focus on cooking water and rifle training.
Wild_Locksmith_326@reddit
Water is a critical item. I have 7 5 gallon dispenser bottles one on the dispenser, and 6 refills. I also have a big Berkey water filter that would be set up on the kitchen counter when needed, and a life straw village filter to process water, combined with a good sized creek in my back yard. Cooking is easier with propane or butane than over wood. If you are improvising a cooking system then try to obtain a propane stove top, open a window for ventilation to reduce CO build up. Depending on the time of year the incident occurs will determine whether heating or cooling is an issue. Rice and beans is a daily meal for approximately half of the planet's population so it must be doing something right, but would require an adjustment if it was dropped on you suddenly. Be creative with your combination of food ingredients, and stock up on spices and seasonings such as bullion cubes, if nothing more than to change up the flavors. Buy what you will eat, so you don't waste it. Try what you've bought so its no surprise when that's all you have.
Tbear2u@reddit
Hi! Do you have the life straw community filter? Which specific product do you have? How do you feel about the quality of it?
Wild_Locksmith_326@reddit
Yes, I have not assembled it because in my opinion once you soak the filters the timer is now running. Both require clean water to prime the filters at initial setup, but once started you really can't just turn them off. This is why I have 35 gallons to start with.
Tbear2u@reddit
That makes a lot of sense. I have an under the counter reverse osmosis system for city water. I am due to prepping, unfortunately, my water collection system might be rainwater from an asphalt roof. In the event of a disaster, I was looking at either getting the life straw community or Berkey water filtration system for survival preparation. Do you think one system is better than the other? I couldn’t find much in reviews about the life straw community, except one or two comments complaining about the quality of the plastic. I also heard that the Berkey had some FDA type of complaint. I was also going to look into having some Sawyer products on hand, water, purification tablets. Recently it’s come to my attention that perhaps an alcohol distiller or solar distiller may be useful, but I haven’t researched that yet. I don’t know if you have any further thoughts, your comments are very appreciated.
Wild_Locksmith_326@reddit
I have the big Berkey I will use it as my kitchen water supply,the village filter is as much a backup system as an "Oops look like the neighbors need water as well" thing By having two systems I'm hoping to keep my water containers filler and use the dispenser as my improvised tap system.
KnifeNPaper@reddit
Beyond having a patio bbq with a 20-40lb bottle, you can get solid fuel pucks for mini burners, i wouldnt lean too heavily on compressed gas storage since youre in an apartment. Could look into a solar oven, solar panel set up with a hotplate, or even a dynamo generator for an exercise bike. Does your apartment have a centralized boiler or do you have your own hot water tank?
JRHLowdown3@reddit
Outside of this "tuesday" BS, if your planning for the actual long term, an apartment is likely about the worst location. I would start putting effort into figuring out a viable place to go.
SHTF is like just real estate buying- Location, location, location...
Prepsandgunsred@reddit (OP)
Have you seen the price of houses these days? What “SHTF” situation do you think will actually happen? Unfortunately for now I gotta live in the city while normal life is going on. If things got real bad I’d go out of state to family but don’t have a way to prep there and they aren’t on board so…
JRHLowdown3@reddit
You said "would love advice" so I gave it and the reality is an apartment where you are totally dependent on others for light/heat/water isn't viable in a long term problem.
There is options, not all of them include overpriced chipboard McMansions in the suburbs. There is a great "off grid" reddit forum and some folks are doing some neat stuff with all kinds of various way to get off grid and away from cities.
I was in my 20's when I first bought 5 acres about 3 hours away from where I lived. While my buddies were going on vacays here and there I was driving up every weekend working on my property paying cash to build a small house little by little. As income increases I was able to do more, when income fell I did less, but in a few years, we had a nice small house to move to and then no rent or mortgage payment. Over time we developed the property more and added on to the small house in a similar manner- paying cash as we built a little at a time.
Some answers aren't conventional.
Beaver_Liquors48@reddit
I received a little Coleman grill that normally runs on the green 1lb propane bottles, but they sell adapter hose kits for the large 15lb white propane tanks. Could probably cook for a week off a 1lb can but with several full 15lb ones, I have yet to empty one tank fully yet.
There’s also the smaller butane stoves for camping that are good, I have a few. Same adapter exists to run them off propane if you want, but I think it only interfaces with the 1lb green bottles, which is fine, that’s a lot of fuel.
to There are ways to refill the isobutane tanks with butane, or to fill two half full ones all into one also, but I haven’t messed with it. If you’re refilling the 1lb green tanks from a 15lb propane tank, don’t over fill, use a scale and weigh a full one so you know how much to fill.
silversatire@reddit
I wouldn't use any of these inside, though, and I think that's what OP is looking for--they live in an apartment.
Beaver_Liquors48@reddit
This is the grill in question. As for indoors use, being by open ventilation would definitely be a safety requirement, CO build up. As far as heat build up, it would be no different than using a gas range, but keep away from walls/flooring as it may damage paint or finish. I just use a tv table outside. Oil splatter would be minimal with the cover down.
Speaking of, fire safety items would also be good add on prep, fiberglass cloth is good for smothering a grease fire, and an extinguisher also.
https://www.coleman.com/grills-stoves/grills/fold-n-go-propane-grill/SAP_2000020932.html
IlliniWarrior1@reddit
no mention of "last minute" water storage - a Water Bob is an absolute in your situation - ANYONE'S absolute necessity that lives in hurricane territory - 100 gallons of potable water in a bathtub liner bag - throw a detached door over the top for damage prevention .....
second possibility are 5 gallon poly blister bags that store flat until needed - store them in apartment areas that go unused for anything else >>> cube foot of storage space and you have another 50 gallons .....
**** open cooking post-SHTF event is almost impossible - not only impossible by the lack of food supplies to share with 10s of other apartment dwellers - under the WRONG SHTF could be actually dangerous ......
NerdyAdventurousLife@reddit
What kind of stove do you have? I lost power for three days a few years ago during a snowstorm and I was super surprised to find out that I could still light my gas stovetop with a lighter, even without power. So if you have a gas stove, check the manual and/or Google it, but you might still be able to use it as a cooking source.
Electronic_Umpire445@reddit
My wife and I are not as organized as you describe your setup. There’s only the two of us and we do have an extra food storage cabinet we cycle store can goods with our regular pantry. I’ve been dehydrating staple foods: tomatoes, carrots, yellow onion, squash, peas, corn, peppers and vacuum seal in mason jars. We also can vegetables, relishes ourselves. We are rural and do get snowed in often. I have a Ham license and a setup to monitor ARES/RACES emergency activations (search for local frequencies to monitor) and able to interact. Also radios for local broadcast, weather and short wave using common batteries. Have a list of frequencies. I’m a fan of old white gas Colman camping stoves and lanterns but I wouldn’t use indoors. They are reliable and white gas stores in original containers, in the outside shed for a long time. For me they work but may be a hazard for the unfamiliar. Butane single burner compact mini stoves seem to be the way to go. I’ve seen them at Aldi food markets for under $20. Don’t forget about pets and their diet needs.
Optimal-Archer3973@reddit
grab a solar oven, sounds like you are in the south and should get sun after the hurricane. A small camp stove and a couple cans of sterno. In a pinch you can cook over a few candles too it is just slow. Keeping a bag of charcoal is another good idea. I have cooked a meal over 6 matchlight coals all by themselves in one pot while I hand another pot above it.
palisairuta@reddit
Looks pretty sound as others have said small camping stove with disposable cans. Rice does take a while. Interestingly if your stove breaks soaking dried pasta in water will eventually be edible. Likewise dried potato powder still contains the calories. I have tried it and it’s horrible but this is about not dying, mostly.
stabbingrabbit@reddit
Get a saw and look for trees for cooking outside.