Jul172010
Prepping on Pennies: #3, Super-cheap storage containers
Most food purchased from grocery stores isn’t meant for long-term storage. Food manufacturers want you to eat your purchased food quickly so you’ll return to the store and buy more. Therefore, any foods that aren’t in cans won’t be packaged properly for a long shelf life. Plastic bags and cardboard boxes won’t keep out pests, oxygen, light, heat, or humidity. It’s up to you to repackage everything, but this can get expensive.
Enter the plastic food-grade bucket. You can purchase these new online or at food-storage stores, but if you live near a bakery, chances are they have stacks of these they will either give away for free or at a very nominal charge. I was skeptical of this until I asked the bakery manager at my local grocery store. His response was, “How many do you want and do you want lids to go with them?” A short time later, I had ten like-new buckets with perfectly good lids. I washed them out with hot soapy water, dried them, and then began filling them with wheat.
image by karpacious
I use those white buckets to organize non-edibles, such as dental supplies, soap, shampoos, and camping gear. Just slap a label on the outside, seal with a lid, and you’re on your way to being better organized. I know some SurvivalMoms who store a week’s worth of food in two or three buckets, thinking they’ll be ready to grab at a moment’s notice in case they ever have to evacuate.
Another very inexpensive option are cleaned out soda and juice bottles. These may be marked with an expiration date, but that date applies to the beverage inside, not the bottle itself. I use these bottles to store rice, oats, cornmeal and other dry goods. You’ll need a good funnel, but other than that, these are free with the purchase of the juice or soda inside!
My grandma used to keep and re-use every food container that entered her kitchen: empty jelly jars, margarine tubs, and Kool-Whip containers. Glass jars can be re-purposed to hold large amounts of yeast (be sure to refrigerate), dried herbs, and dehydrated veggies. Plastic margarine and Kool-Whip containers are better used for organizing non-food items, such as first-aid and sewing supplies. Before throwing out perfectly good containers, consider how it can be reused. A free container is always best!
Speaking of free, my favorite price!, check with school cafeterias and restaurants for white plastic buckets, PETE containers in various sizes, and even large glass jars. I was told by one manager, “We’re supposed to send those out to be recycled, but you can have all you want!” Ask around, and don’t be shy!
Be aware that not all plastic containers are food-friendly. According to The Virtual Weber Bullet, here are plastics to avoid.
- HDPE white plastic containers of unknown food grade status
- Garbage cans or pails
- Mop buckets
- Laundry detergent or kitty litter buckets
- Dry pet food buckets
- 5-gallon utility buckets from home center stores
- Household storage containers
- Garbage bags
- Any container — even if made of food grade plastic — that has been used to store non-food items like chemicals, paint, or detergent
When it comes to storing food, safety comes first, thriftiness second. There’s no point in investing hard-earned money in food and then ending up with something tainted when you really need it.
One final budget-friendly suggestion is the mylar bag. You know how much I love these for long-term storage, but did you know they can be cut into smaller sizes and resealed? Using nothing but a hot clothes iron and a flat surface, you can prepare small bags for seeds, herbs, dehydrated mixes, smaller amounts of beans and rice and much more.
There’s no doubt that prepping costs money, but it’s still possible, with a little creativity and good information, to become better prepared on pennies, or less!
© 2010 – 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.
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Tina, Editor
Good article.
I have one thing I would disagree with though. 5 gal buckets from home centers are fine if you put the food in mylar bags first. The reason I point this out is that they're cheap and also easy to get. I personally don't have the time to go find free buckets nor the money for the expensive ones sold. Just a thought.
Thanks again for the article.
TheSurvivalMom
That's a good point, Tina. Food stored in mylar bags within buckets will be better protected than food stored in buckets alone, and a Home Depot bucket is fine as long as it's combined with mylar.
LizLong
I'm with Tina on using the home center buckets, since I haven't found a free source yet (and have asked several places). I use mine for food I've vacuum sealed and for non-food items. A five gallon bucket is the perfect size to hold a sleeping bag. Why put it in there? Mice. I don't want them to make a nest in my nice new sleeping bags. And, of course, sometimes for things I just don't want the rest of the family to find (like a stash of Zone Bars).
Also, I've already invested in a regular vacuum sealer and the bags are so expensive! I want to try the "poly tubing" (they have a HUGE range of sizes) for my vacuum sealing. I think it will work out to be less expensive and more flexible. They do state the bags meet all FDA and USDA specifications. They also have higher mil bags, which will make sealing pokey foods easier.
http://www.uline.com/Grp_43/Poly-Tubing
Jan
I have found great food safe buckets at pizza places. They have pickle buckets, hard boiled egg buckets, etc. I soak them with bleach for 2 days and the smell is gone. Our grocery store gives away buckets with lids if you ask at the bakery section. They have 4 gallon buckets and 3 gallon buckets. Sam's Club bakery has 5 gallon buckets with lids. I usually pick up a few buckets everytime I go grocery shopping.
thelonehippie
I have about 200 food grade buckets that used to hold doughnut glaze. I have no idea what to do with them all. I got them to share with a local co-op but never found a way to distribute them. I need to find some survival minded neighbors to hand them out to!
TheSurvivalMom
You could probably get in touch with local preppers via the website and forum at http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.com. Each state is represented, and there are always people looking for free prepping supplies.
1rightwingmom
Barbara,
Can you recommend an hand-crank grain mill?
TheSurvivalMom
Honeyville currently carries one called "Back to Basics" and will soon be carrying a second brand. The "Back to Basics" brand gets a very high rating on Amazon.
1rightwingmom
Thx Lisa!
marylou442
Is it okay to use washed out plastic gallon milk cartons to store rice and other grains?
Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate what you are doing!
TheSurvivalMom
No! Throw out those milk containers. It doesn't take long for them to dry out and become brittle, and it's hard to get all the milk protein cleaned out of the container. Milk protein provides a friendly environment for bacterial growth. 2-liter soda bottles are far better. Just be sure to wash them out with warm water and a tiny bit of dish soap. When you've rinsed all the soap out, do a quick sanitizing rinse by filling the bottle halfway with water, adding a teaspoon of bleach, and then swishing around. Pour out the bleach/water and allow to air dry thoroughly before refilling with dry goods or water.
rightwingmom
This article inspired me! I've been packing salt, sugar, beans, etc. in 2 liter bottles (w/ O2 absorbers), but I have several OTC packages of soup, side dishes, and quick fix beans and rice mixes I bought on sale. I've been concerned about their short shelf life. I cut 1 gal. Mylar bags in half, wrote the contents, instructions, and packing date on the front with a Sharpie. Next, I threw in the contents (w/ a O2 absorber) and sealed them up. Now I have 17 meals going under my oldest son's bed for long-term storage!
Bring on MORE sales ~ This RWM's ready to back away more!!!
LizLong
I really want to get to the LDS site to buy more O2 absorbers, a clip for O2 absorbers, mylar bags, etc. So much cheaper there! And I'll even finally buy some oats and wheat while I'm at it.
LizLong
I just found a storage container that I'm happy with – Gatorade bottles! They're MUCH sturdier than water bottles. The individual size bottle of Gatorade holds two cups of rice (I have jasmine rice at the moment) very nicely with just enough room at the top for a small O2 absorber and a little space to not spill and make a mess. That's an easy carry-along size for emergencies, or camping trips. It's also a nice size if you want to have some ready to give refugees – big enough to help, not big enough to really hurt your own supplies, and easy to carry. It also doesn't break easily when dropped (or thrown down steps). Next time hopefully the kids won't be so tough on them when I ask them to help carry stuff to storage!
Les
I have a 55 gallon barrell loaded with neatly stacked MRE's, the barrell has a lid with a ring and a screw clamp and the lid has a neoprene seal . I drilled a hole in the lid and put an A/C fitting in it, i hooked my vacume pump to it and vacumed it down to -25 inches of vacume, this was done 5 years ago and i checked it a few months ago, still at -25…..just an idea, MRE's have a 7-10 year shelf life as is, but in the barrell, there is ZERO outside air to effect it and safe from mice and bugs …..i attached a cresent wrench to the barrell with 550 cord ( for opening ) and put anti-sieze on the threads, it is always availible, and seems to have worked out well so far…..good luck to you all !