I have been feeling impressed lately that I need to get my food storage in order. My impressions are less around a global or national emergency as they are around being prepared for whatever comes our way (earthquake, loss of job, etc.) and to be obedient to the suggestions of my church leaders. To try and reduce the cost of replenishment and to promote easy preparation we decided to go with Mountain House freeze dried food. I ordered from The Ready Store, as they appear to have some of the best prices that I could find online.

I prefer to have freeze dried food over dehydrated food as it retains nutrients, texture and tastes better that dehydrated food. Freeze dried food is also much easier/faster to reconstitute for consumption. The meals that we got from Mountain House are full entrées, so one does not have to worry about putting together a meal with different ingredients. Mountain House has been a leader in foods for backpackers and campers for many years.

Kacy and I plan to keep about 3 to 4 months of "regular" food in the house and make up the rest of the year with Mountain House foods, Wheat, Rice, Cereal (rotated) and powdered drinks (milk, juice, etc.). Most food storage that contains dairy is only good for ~ 5 to 8 years, so we will be rotating those items more frequently.

I can't fathom the idea of my children or wife going through long term hunger...man, thinking about the little ones going through that kind of pain makes my eyes well up. So, what did this all cost...well...about $3400...yeah...ouch. I just look at it like insurance investment. We are truly blessed and are so grateful that we have the means to make this purchase!!

Thank you to the government for wasting our tax dollars in the form of an "economic stimulus" check :) Sorry, I guess we actually borrowed the 160 Billion dollars, so it will be our future tax dollars (and our children's) that will pay for this debacle.

P.S. - There are several less expensive alternatives to food storage. By no means do I characterize our method as being the best or only way to go. However, we found this to be the most convenient and useful means for our family. I recommend that you go to REI or your local camping store and pick up a pouch containing a Mountain House freeze dried entrée . The actual long term food storage items come in #10 cans, but you can do some taste testing with the pouches.