I have written in the last year about saving money on fuel and having a baby. Jeanne has written about saving money in the summer time. The current inflation is making it more difficult for the farmers in the county grow food to send to market. This will certainly impact the prices at the super markets as we continue throughout the year. I wanted to look at options for beginning to become more food independent.
Stocking Up
One way to prepare for food shortages or inflation is making sure you’re stocked up on non-perishable items such as dried beans, rice, grains, or dried meats and fruits. Keeping these in supply will be rather cheap and help sustain your food supply if money gets really tight. You can buy five gallons containers to keep these items fresher in your home. Check out places such as Azure Standard for these kinds of bulk products.
Community Gardens
Many locations are starting to have community garden opportunities. My community has one that is a great resource for people wanting to grow fruits and vegetables but do not have the space OR they don’t know how to grow a garden very well. Each month a master gardener presents about a specific topic to help locals become a prosperous gardener. Look for what your community has for this unique and fruitful opportunity to growing your own food. Also check to see what your local university has for gardener support. Here in Arizona the University of Arizona has an coop extension that has offices around the state and a great website that will help locals grow plants in the region. You can email the office photos of your plants for assistance on issues. Depending on availability, workers at the extension will come out to survey your plants and offer suggestions.
Home Gardening
Lastly, consider start growing your own food. Consider, even if it is not cheaper, growing your own food will help in a shortage. The best time to prepare for a food shortage is before the shortage begins. If you do not have a “green thumb” consider a gardening tower. They are able to grow indoors or outdoors and are relatively low maintenance. There are various companies who provide this kind of gardening. Here are the two brands of towers I have considered purchasing: Lettuce Grow and The Tower Garden.
In this kind of gardening, you can grow through the year various kinds of plants with a number of plants for each fruit or vegetable. This will take much of the fear out of starting to grow your own food.
Conclusion
With the inflation rates reaching to percentages we haven’t seen in 40 years, it is important to plan for prices to rise and the potential for food shortages. Some of the ways we can prepare for these events is through stocking up on non-perishable items and beginning to grow fruits and vegetables at home or in a community garden. The best time to begin these things are before the prices or shortages begin.
How are you planning for rising prices and shortage potentials?
I know all too well all the problems with food shortages. I’m in the catering biz over here in California and let me tell you it has been a rough couple years on many fronts. I have been trying to create my own garden to source my own organic vegetables, but doing it at scale has not been easy. I hope you have an easier time than me with your home gardening!
i read your all blog and found it useful thanks for sharing.
You are completly right about preparing for the worst concerning food shortages. I have seen the signs of the time and I have been storing food a couple of years. Never have I seen so many food factories burning, and mass killing of livestock. I have also started a backyard garden to help feel my family. I didn’t have much success with my collard greens, but I am trying them again this fall.