Prepper Pantry - Supplies

I am trying to keep my prepping simple and thrifty.  I want to spend my money on the food more than what I'm storing it in, but I recognize that if I don't use quality items to do the storage I will have wasted my money on the food.  So finding good and economical sources for the supplies I need has really helped me keep my costs in check.

 

The first tool I began with was a vacuum sealer and a couple rolls of sealer bag material.  After shopping around online quite a bit I purchased both of these things from sellers on eBay at a significant savings and so far have not regretted that decision.  The vacuum sealer does its job and the bags are maintaining their seal.

 

I was able to use bags and paper bags I already had on hand to get myself started.  When I ran low I was able to pick up extras while they were on sale at our neighborhood grocery store.

 

I made my food and nutrition labels out of scrap copy paper, cutting them out and using packing tape to place them on the paper bags.  I also re used a lot of the original packaging whenever possible, sometimes copying it on my printer to make extra labels as needed.  A permanent marker and scissors also come in very handy.

 

The second thing I added was a dehydrator which I also purchased from eBay.  I watched a lot of Youtube videos on the subject beforehand to make sure this was something I wanted to do, which I quickly determined I did, and to see the various types of appliances people had.  I then shopped around online and ended up back at eBay and the dehydrator has been a great addition.

 

I use a lot of canning jars for food storage, especially my dehydrated foods.  I used mostly jars and lids I already had on hand and once I had a few extra dollars I invested in some oxygen absorbers.  I purchased a package of 100 of them from Amazon and add one to each pint and quart jar and two to a gallon jar.  So far my dehydrated foods seem to be doing very well.

 

Lastly I added an electric pressure canner.  Once again I watched a lot of Youtube videos on the subject and checked out what they were using before shopping around online and making my decision.  This was the most expensive addition and I found it on Amazon.  I've used it several times already and I'm sure it will see a lot of action in the coming months and years.

 

Extra canning jars were picked up whenever I found them at various thrift stores.  I still keep my eyes out for them trying to keep the cost at 50¢ a jar or less.  I've managed to acquire quite a few.  I have loads of rings and buy my flat lids at Wal-Mart as they seem to have the best price on the Mainstays brand.

 

I find that using banker boxes to store all of my sealed foods, canned goods and dehydrated foods works really well.  They are inexpensive, I bought mine on Amazon a few years ago, a dozen to a box, have handles and are a size that even when full they are still manageable.  Plus you can label and stack them.  Copy paper boxes would work well too if you can get them.

 

I've already explained why I use the things I use in previous posts so I won't go into all of that.  I'm still working on my prepper pantry and will still be looking for thrifty ways to add on and maintain it.  For now this is what I've done and what I have purchased or reused to make it all happen.  

I am definitely no expert on the subject so please do your own research to make sound and informed decisions for your food storage.  Happy Prepping!