How's everyone doing on preps?

**old guy** · 01-10-2016, 08:00 PM

I'm wondering...should I swap out those canned goods for fresher ones? Use the ones I have down there?

Mormon families have tilted shelves in their store room. A canned goods shelf would be about 6 inches deep, go the length of the room, and one end is 4 to 8 inches lower than the high end. The cans all lay on their sides - when you pull a can from the bottom, the whole row of cans rolls down one can. Then when you go shopping, you put new cans at the top of the row.

**frugalwarrior2** · 01-10-2016, 09:32 PM

Amy-my pantry isnt a stash. It is the work center for food all thru the year. So I rotate when new things come in. Also like I am right now I go thru everything and tag things coming close to date. Meals are planned around these things to use them up. If I find quite a lot of 1 thing i know i cant use I may donate it to the food pantry. Tuna is overstocked. .50 sale and I have 50 cans that were bought purposely to donate periodically.

**brenda67** · 01-10-2016, 10:21 PM

You can safely eat past best buy dated canned food..if its bulging, rusted or doesn't look or smell right then throw it out.

I have been doing this for years..

FYI..I learned this from my nurse that is a Registered Nurse that OTC meds never expire just lose their potency over time as in pain reliever meds like Tylenol, Motrin, Advil etc...

I remember hearing about how antibiotic's that were several years old were tested and proved to still be good.. EXCEPT for one particular antibiotic that I can't remember the name of that IS FATAL if used after the expiration date.

Here's a situation that happened to me along time ago..I was a hour away from home with my dh at a gun store when all of a sudden I was hit with a gawd awful headache out of the blue..I went out to our vehicle and found a bottle of Tylenol that ended up being over 5 yrs old but, I was desperate so I took 2-tablets and just closed my eyes while my dh was still in the Gun store..within a 1/2 hr my headache was gone so....I know for a fact that expired Tylenol was just as effective as it was before the expiration date...I can't tell you how much money I threw away because of best buy and expiration dates.

This is just my experience so use your own judgment.

**jayceef12** · 01-16-2016, 06:02 PM

I just went through my pantry not to long ago and got rid of the older stuff. AmyBoyz you should check the expiry and change them out if need be. I organized my car some more, but still have to get some of the major stuff I am looking for. Hmm... Maybe I need to add a prep account to my savings list.

**brenda67** · 01-16-2016, 09:05 PM

Best if used by (or before)" date. This refers strictly to quality, not safety. This date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date. Sour cream, for instance, is already sour, but can have a zippier, fresh taste when freshly sour (if that's not an oxymoron!)

FYI..Do Food Expiration Dates Really Matter?

**brenda67** · 01-16-2016, 09:09 PM

•"Sell by" date. The labeling "sell by" tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires. This is basically a guide for the retailer, so the store knows when to pull the item. This is not mandatory, so reach in back and get the freshest. The issue is quality of the item (freshness, taste, and consistency) rather than whether it is on the verge of spoiling. Paul VanLandingham, EdD, a senior faculty member at the Center for Food and Beverage Management of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., tells WebMD the "sell by" date is the last day the item is at its highest level of quality, but it will still be dible for some time after.

Do Food Expiration Dates Really Matter?

I hope this helps answer some questions you might have.

**frugalwarrior2** · 01-16-2016, 09:35 PM

well,your already preaching to the choir brenda but i like to have the longest dates in there possible. Say something happened tomorrow-whatever job loss/end of the world if you prefer.lol I would like more things to be 2018 than 2013 right. And the pantries around here are desperate. Also I was hearing about metal leaching into the food so yummy but pass. And i want to know they are good not think I have 12 cans of peaches and find out 2 are off color,1 smells funny and the 3 last cans are rusted. When my kids were little we battled rim dents all the time. Shhh dont tell mom I dinged the can just sneak it back,yikes.

So new prep I am thinking of is a siphon kit. Whether HM or bought that way.

**brenda67** · 01-17-2016, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior2

well,your already preaching to the choir brenda but i like to have the longest dates in there possible. Say something happened tomorrow-whatever job loss/end of the world if you prefer.lol I would like more things to be 2018 than 2013 right. And the pantries around here are desperate. Also I was hearing about metal leaching into the food so yummy but pass. And i want to know they are good not think I have 12 cans of peaches and find out 2 are off color,1 smells funny and the 3 last cans are rusted. When my kids were little we battled rim dents all the time. Shhh dont tell mom I dinged the can just sneak it back,yikes.

So new prep I am thinking of is a siphon kit. Whether HM or bought that way.

I understand what you mean but, dates are just that dates like I said prior use your own judgment.

I feel good that I have the skills to use a pressure canner & water bath canner to preserve some of my homegrown goods. I'm going to try to go full force this year to break away from buying the "store bought cans" by growing my own fruits and veggies and buying meat on sale to can...

I don't ever see myself canning spinach, tuna fish or chopped clams so I will be buying them... so other then that this is my goal this year..

**NikoSan999** · 01-17-2016, 02:50 PM

Also.... how you store stuff whether it's packaged, canned or whatever ... storage condition has a lot to do with how long it will stay good.
Heat more so than cold. Light. Temperature of the room or storage area.

Believe me. Been there and doing that goat rodeo right now. Darker is better. Cold ( not freezing ) is better. Also dampness. No dampness.

Ugh... in my case do NOT put storage pantry/stockpile shelves in the same room as washer and dryer with no air conditioning and 2 windows with light coming in in close proximity.

**brenda67** · 01-17-2016, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by NikoSan999

Also.... how you store stuff whether it's packaged, canned or whatever ... storage condition has a lot to do with how long it will stay good.
Heat more so than cold. Light. Temperature of the room or storage area.

Believe me. Been there and doing that goat rodeo right now. Darker is better. Cold ( not freezing ) is better. Also dampness. No dampness.

Ugh... in my case do NOT put storage pantry/stockpile shelves in the same room as washer and dryer with no air conditioning and 2 windows with light coming in in close proximity.

Hugs..

Yes, Yes & Yes ALWAYS store your canned goods whether it be home canned or store bought cans in a cool dark place..I have mine in my basement where the windows have been painted black so not much light..I unfortunately don't have a controlled climate to regulate the temperature at all times but, this is planned in the near future.

I put the all purpose flour (100lbs plus) & pasta's ( also 100lbs plus) in 6-gallon pails some w/gamma lids..on top of cinderblocks also in my basement..

**frugalwarrior2** · 01-17-2016, 04:39 PM

Agreed most hardily. I have the heat duct blocked in the pantry and towel up over the blinds at the door and window. All the shelving units have a gap so air flow still occurs. I used to hang bags of garlic and onions on S hooks and quit because when they bloom w/ bugs they head for the oatmeal and pasta. I vaccumn seal the sugar and flour and store in tubs w/o light. Light ages things as well as heat and humidity.
The pantry has a bifold door also to block more light and heat. I have a great shade tree on that corner of the house too.

**Jayceef** · 02-22-2020, 05:24 PM

Anyone beefing up their preps again? I organized my pantry last night when I got home. It's pretty bare compared to what it used to be. The only prepping I have been doing is keeping one of hand to use and one extra on the shelf.

**Contrary Housewife** · 02-22-2020, 09:31 PM

I've been stocking up on the basics for the freezer, trying to pare down or use up dry goods. My 2nd pantry is going away for a while and I've nowhere else to store extra cans and boxes right now. I recently picked up ground beef and turkey on sale, chicken breasts on sale, pasta and sauce for quick meals, and extra bacon on sale. I plan to pick up more ground meat, and when it goes on sale, more sausage and fish. This is all stuff we eat on a weekly basis, and I was out of nearly everything. I'm not a prepper, and I don't think the end times are coming, but I like to have enough for a couple week's worth of varied meals. I had a lot left in the freezer from last year and have been eating it down to almost nothing. I'm hoping for some good fish sales, what with Lent coming up.

**Contrary Housewife** · 02-23-2020, 06:14 PM

Added more to the freezer today. 4lbs bacon on manager special 1.99 ea. ~6lbs boneless chicken 1.69/lb, and 1 pack sausage patties. They were on sale, but it was not their lowest price sale. Got a raincheck for frozen veg, they had been cleaned out.

Still waiting on a good fish sale.

**NikoSan999** · 02-23-2020, 09:01 PM

Stockpile not nearly what it was back in the day. My main stock items I have right now are regular and decaf coffee, tomatoes and tomato sauce, corn and green beans. I still want more of those veggies though. I'm working on coffee creamer when it's on sale for $5 at $General and get on Sat with the $5 off 25. We go thu a lot of creamer... and coffee. We probably have 10 of each reg and decaf. It won't go bad. Drink to much of it.

I'm doing more taxables now. Tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap.

My two fridge freezers are full.

I guess mainly I'm going for taxables as they don't go bad. Then I'll refill food items but nothing like I did before.