Long term storage.

BIgfamilyhomestead.com posted a list of foods that keep a long time, some almost indefinitely for the our lose of having emergency rations.  

Whether or not you are going to have an emergency ration storage big time, is up to you,  what I got from this is you don't have to believe every pull date on the store.   I do expressly adhere to the pull date on meat.    Fresh vegetables speak for themselves.    Ofmthemfreezerof slime, they are pretty much toast,    I have been drying anything that looks like it might go to slime.    My daughter bought cilantro.   In three days it was slime.   When I bought parsley, I dried it,   It is a lot greener and fresher looking than the stuff in a bottle.  

I know there are adult children that go into their parents food stash and throw anything near a pull date,   Pull dates are deceiving and not to be taken at first glance,    Canned meat and fish has a shorter shelf life as does anything with acid.   But, things don't go bad instantly the day after the pull date. i would use it within the next month unless there are tell tale signs that it is bad.  Ise your own good judgement,  

The list of on hand foods that are good almost forever.    

1. Ramen noodles.   Obviously, keep dry,   Not much food value, but will keep your tummy happy.   
2. Rice 
3. Beans 
4. Dry milk 
5. Salt 
6. Sugar 
7. Hot cocoa mix 
8. Honey 
9. Maple syrup ( real pure ) 
10. Instant coffee 

I Would add pasta . Pasta, according to a in line class from BYU, has an 8 year shelf life.    I don't keep ot 8 years, but I buy any pasta that is under a dollar.    Preferably, the ones with veggies on them or with added fiber.    I am surprised he didn't add flour.    Most of that stiff I have a small storage of already,    I buy a big bag of salt and soda .  Ot doesn't go bad and ot so soo much cheaper than buying a small box.   I cherish my big glass jars I have saved over the years.   We used to sell the, for five dollars all the time at the antique store.    The pickle jars now are plastic and they hold the smell And don't seal as well.   If you need to keep insects out of a jar, the USDA big guy told me to out plastic wrap over the jar opening and then screw the lid on tight,    

If you are having trouble with starch moths. Freeze your rice or pasta before you store it,   Like for three days when you bring it home from the store,  I got starch moths from one particular grocery store years ago, I took me a year to get rid of them.  I took everything out of the pantry, washed it all with bleach, scrubbed the shelves. And still they came back.   Finally I called the extension service ( no longer there ) and they referred me to the USDA big guy.    I finally got rid of the starch moths  and haven't had any since.    I also don't buy cheap pasta.  

Before someone ( foodies) say...OMG I would never eat that, you would be surprised what you will eat when there is nothing available to eat.     Better safe than sorry,     

I posted a blog on what you could do with dollar store food.   Some of dollar store food is. Ore expensive than the grocery store.   It is, however, on small quantities.  Assuming that you had to start from scratch, and had limited transportation and money was my focus.   Make your tummy happy until money was available for food.    The dollar store has .....

1. Pasta sauce ( more expensive than discount ) 
2. Pasta 
3. Pizza crust 
4. Cheese (watch some is cheese product ) 
5. Beans 
6. Rice 
7. Almond milk 
8. Eggs 
9. Peanut butter 
10. Oatmeal 
11. Coffee 
12. Nuts 
13. Ramen noodles 
14. Hot cocoa mix 
15. Green beans 
16. Fruit - pineapple or frozen 
17. Frozen potatoes 
18. Chicken , frozen 
19. Tuna 
20. Bread 
21. Pepperoni
22. Sausage 
23. Applesauce 
24. Baguettes 
25. Mashed potatoes 

Some of these things are not what I would buy on a regular basis. Some are more expensive than 

buying them from a grocery store.   But. With limited transportation and money, they would get you through.   There are not a lot of fruits and veggies at the dollar store.   Pretty much everything is either canned or frozen.   The frozen fruit comes from China mostly.   But, you could , with good decisions, get enough food to be somewhat balanced fir an emergency  situation.    

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until it goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck.