With politicians continuing to do what they do best, which is spend other people’s money like there’s no tomorrow and print more when they run out, there is a very good chance that we in the US will experience much higher inflation before too long and possibly hyperinflation.

When that happens, food prices will skyrocket, and there will be a run on grocery stores. Given that it doesn’t take much to send people into a food-buying frenzy as it is (threat of natural disasters, H1N1 rumors, etc) along with the fact that most grocery stores only keep about 3 days worth of supplies on hand, and there’s a good chance that a lot of people will be left unprepared should such a situation ever occur.

For these reasons and several others, it’s good to at least have a 72-hour food and water supply on hand for you and your family. The problem is, when most people think of stockpiling food, they picture the stereotypical survivalist in a backwoods cabin storing grain in 50 gallon barrels. Since very few people have the time or desire to fill up barrels with grain and drag them to a remote patch of wilderness, most people simply forgo stockpiling all together and just hope for the best.

Since here at GrabTheApple we’re all about taking action, I’m going to give you 7 items that you can use to easily stockpile at least 72 hours worth of food, and for much longer if you’d like. Best of all, you won’t even have to set foot in a wheat field in order to get started, since all of the items can be easily found in most grocery and Walmart-type stores. Of course if you go to Walmart, you might have to use your 72-hour food supply just to survive the line

Just to clarify, by 72-hours worth of food, I mean that if you and your family had no other source of food, your stockpile should be enough to last for 72 hours. My criteria for a “survival food” is simply a food of high nutritional value, it has an expiration date a year or more away from the day you buy it, and it is a food that you’re already used to eating and know you like. If it’s lightweight and portable, even better.

Keep in mind that the idea here is not to pile up a bunch of food and let it sit for three years. The purpose of your stockpile of food is to have extra food on hand in case your source of food is ever cut off. To keep your supply fresh, you should always be eating the foods from your stockpile and replacing what you eat with fresh supplies. Only when you no longer have a source of food to replace what you eat should the expiration dates of your supplies come into play.

7 ‘Survival Foods’ Found In Most Grocery Stores

1. Tuna Fish and Salmon Pouches


You can buy the cans, but the pouches are significantly lighter and, in my opinion, taste better. I bought several tuna pouches the other day at Walmart. They were on special for $0.99 each and have an expiration date of January 22, 2012. The salmon pouches are a little harder to find and cost more but are still nice to have around. I like to mix the tuna with some hot black beans and either salsa or Tabasco.

2. Peanut Butter

Everyone has their brand of choice, but peanut butter(in my case, creamy JIF) is a cheap, quick source of protein, fats, carbs, and calories when you need them. Most peanut butter will have an expiration date that’s 1.5 – 2 years beyond the date you purchase it. I once hiked all over Missoula, Montana with nothing but a jar of peanut butter, a spoon, and a water bottle equipped with a filter.

3. Dried Pasta

Dried pasta is another cheap, easily accessible ‘survival food’. When stored properly, this stuff can last for years. Boil some water, throw in your pasta, drain, add some tomato sauce, and you’ve got yourself a great-tasting, very filling meal.

4. Canned Goods
Canned food is a great way to store meats, fruits, and vegetables for whenever the fresh options aren’t available. Be sure that the cans you buy are in good condition (no dents), and you’ll have a source of food that will last well beyond a year.

5. Instant/Dehydrated Potatoes

If stored in a cool, dry place, instant potatoes can last for years. When you’re ready to eat, just add water, and you have a great-tasting addition to any meal.

6. Oatmeal
I admit, this one made the list primarily because I created the list. There are probably more essential foods that could have occupied this position, such as rice, but truth be told, I don’t eat a lot of rice, but I eat tons of oatmeal. Like most things on this list, oatmeal is cheap, easy to find, and very easy to prepare. The expiration date will give you about a year to eat it.

In my case, I like to add a little butter, a dash of cinnamon, and a lot of honey. When available, I also like to mix in a handful of fresh blueberries. In addition to breakfast, this is usually my pre-game meal when I play in basketball leagues. When other players’ energy starts to fade in the second half, my oatmeal, honey, and blueberries keep me well-fueled to the finish. Oatmeal can do the same for you, whether you’re surviving or simply starting your day. (Quaker Oats, if you’re reading, how was that for a commercial?)

7. Emergen-C

Emergen-C packets are an easy and portable way for you to load up on several important vitamins and minerals. The packets are dated to last about a year. The instructions recommend that you mix the powder in 4-6 oz of water, but I just fill the glass with about an inch of water, add in the powder, swirl it around, and down it. It tastes great and provides you with a nice energy boost. You can even get some free samples by going to Emergen-C.com and clicking on the “Free Samples” bubble.

Honorable mentions: Rice, Tomato sauce, Honey, Lentils, Pizza Mix, Chocolate, Olive Oil

Do NOT forget water when you’re planning your food supply!

When people are preparing their food stockpile, they often forget water. Water is essential for survival as well as the cleaning and preparation of most foods. At the very least, you should have 1 gallon per person per day on hand.

Luke Walker

Where do we start with this entire “Grab the apple” Philosophy?

Lets start with the hardware department, and within that category let go small.

In terms of gadgetry, it doesn’t get much smaller than keychain tools.

Why start here?

We’ll, it’s something everyone can relate to, and they sure are useful.

Once you start carrying these, you’ll wonder how you ever got around without it.

An important part of GTA philosophy is to be able to cope with inconveniences and problems both minor or more serious, and for that you’ll need to have a minimum amount of tools with you at all times.

I use one or two keychain tools at least twice a day in average. It’s THAT handy.

Some people have big keychains with logos or other trinket that do nothing besides occupy space, and here’s one of the things that will be mentioned often in this website: Everything must be as useful and as efficient as it can be, hopefully serving different purposes and becoming useful in various situations.

Knife:

It can be intimidating for the neophyte to see how much options he has. There’s a world of knives and mini multitools out there and it’s easy to get lost.

The Victorinox Swiss Army Knives are known world wide for their quality and usefulness, so they are always a good choice.

One particular model I’ve been carrying around for a few months now is the Midnite Minichamp.

I used to have a similar model but without the LED light and pen many years ago. I managed to lose it or my brother borrowed it permanently.

This keychain tool is similar in length to the all time favorite Victornix Classic, carried in keychains by millions. The Classic is the typical small SAK with blade, file, scissors, small screwdriver, toothpick and tweezers. The minichamp is a bit thicker but includes much more tools in an overall small package.

The tools that are included are the following:

1. Small blade. Most useful tool. You’ll be using this one a lot to cut string, open packages or cut out those itchy washing labels on T shirts.
2. Scissors. Sharp and sturdier than you’d think.
3. Retractable stylus (pen refill also included) A useful emergency pen for quick notes such as phone numbers or addresses.
4. Nail file with nail cleaner. The nail cleaner can be used to clean nails but also as a larger Phillips screwdriver.
5. Emergency blade. This is a touch of genius in this nifty little tool. Since a blade is so important but these smaller ones can be fragile, Victorinox added a second emergency blade. Well done!
6. Cut & picker blade with scraper. I’ve used this (with care) to scrap and makes holes into wood. Could be used as a hook I guess.
7. Cap lifter with magnetic Phillips screwdriver tip & wire stripper. Very well designed tool.
8. Mini light. Barely enough to see in the dark, but light years ahead of not seeing at all.
9. Ruler with screwdriver. The screwdriver comes in handy many times of course, and I’ve used the ruler a couple times as well.
10. Cuticle pusher. Never used it as a cuticle pusher but I did use it as a “coin” or large flat screwdriver, for scrapping and used it also (again with care) to pry open remote controls or small boxes.

Leatherman has some “keychain” multitools but of course they are bigger and heavier. For a true keychain tool, the Minichamp is hard, maybe even impossible to beat.

Light:

Unless you spent the last 10 years living inside a water heater, you know there’s this flashlight revolution called LED and it allows for durable, bright and long lasting small lights. Those of us old enough to remember the Maglite® Solitaire® know that it wasn’t just very dim, only 2.5 lumens, but also batteries lasted no time at all and the bulb burned down or broke often as well. LEDs are a small miracle for flashlight junkies, and they keep getting better and better.

Today you can have a single AAA battery Fenix E01 light that provides 10 Lumens for 21 hours! And the rugged LED emitter has a 50.000 hours lifespan. It means it will outlive you and your kids, or you’ll keep it on continuously for 5 years.
The LD01 Q5 model is even better, also using a single AAA and similar in exterior looks, this one has 3 output levels, 10 lumens, 27 lumens, and 80 Lumens for 1 hour.

After a knife,today the flashlight comes in close second place.
From looking for something that fell under the fridge, fixing a car or appliance, to moving around in a house or building during blackout, illuminating after an accident or signaling for help, such a powerful and long lasting flashlight is invaluable.
These two are, in my opinion, essential pieces of gear, and I mention these models because I’ve spend a lot of time and money researching and trying various gadgets, these ones being the best I found.
What I do is keep them attached to the key chain with a quick release clip, so as to work and manipulate them better.
It’s hard to drill a hole into a wood panel with the Minichamp attached to the keyring, and you want to quickly separate the flashlight so as to hold it in your mouth while you tighten a screw on your car’s door lock at night.

Lighter:

Every avid camper or wilderness enthusiast knows the value of fire. Making fire with primitive methods isn’t jut difficult, in some circumstances it’s simply impossible.

Here you have a wider variety of fire making tools you can attach.

The first and most simple solution is to attach a humble yet effective Mini Bic lighter to the key chain. Some have a hole big enough in the metal wind cover, making a bigger hole is simple as well. The best solution in my opinion is to have a small leather case or holster and attach it to the key chain, this also helps avoiding accidental pressing and loss of gas.

Others, mostly people into wilderness survival or camping, prefer the flint and steel alternative. Firms like Firesteel and several others make these and they are products of well known quality.

The advantage is that you can create nice big sparks to start countless fires and the technology is so simple, even if the firesteel snaps the pieces can still be used to start fires.

The disadvantage is that some models can be rather bulky and a greater disadvantage is that you have sparks, not flame, meaning you can’t pull it out and burn the end of a rope, hand it over to a friend that smokes, or start a water heater with it, first you’ll need dry lint to start an actual fire to get a flame. This of course isn’t very practical.

The humble mini Bic is probably one of the best solutions, but for those that want a liquid fuel keychain there’s the “peanut lighter”.
You can google the name and check on ebay, a few companies offer these small lighters. Some are better made than others. Countycomm makes one out of stainless steel with a flat bottom that allows it to be used as a candle.

The capsule is small enough, and the fuel wont last long, but since the rubber O-ring makes it airtight (and water proof) the fuel holds without evaporating for months, unlike the Zippo lighters.

So guys, that’s pretty much it. A small knife/multitool, a flashlight and lighter as a basic keyring set.

Try it out and let us know in a couple months if you could go back living without those handy.

Fernando Aguirre

1) Be your kid’s parent, not his friend.
They’ll have enough friends, or not. I only have a couple people I can call friends, and at least for me that’s enough. Others have/need more.

The point is, a child can grow up ok with few friends, but he can’t do without a father as a role model.
Even if you have a close relationship with your children, the place each one occupies should never be forgotten.
A father-son relationship isn’t a democracy, not until he’s old enough to have a mature judgment.

2) Never lie to your son or daughter
This is important, and sometimes parents think that because a child is small they can lie to him.
You can tell kids Santa exists, you can allow them to live in a world where a little magic can exist, but that’s very different from lying and letting your child down whenever you feel like it. If you promise something, no matter how young, stick to your word. Your child will learn from you, imitate you in every aspect of life.
If you have no word, no honor, don’t expect you kids to have them just because.
They sure wont learn about true honor in school or on the streets with their friends. At least don’t count on that.

3) Kids require time
If you prefer to drink beer with your buddies all day or go to the mall with friends, maybe you shouldn’t be a parent in the first place.

My theory is that 90% of the problems society has today are due to poor family standards. There’s no standards, no right or wrong any more.

It’s as if grownups have more rights and have to be comprehended more than the kids themselves. I’m sick of hearing about the rights of this or that group of adults, while those same adults are just spoiled brats who couldn’t care for a glass of piss, let alone a child.

4) Kids require money
Again, some people apparently shouldn’t be parents. And I’m not only referring to the 3rd world variety where people have dozens of kids to make them work or beg, I’m also talking about parents in 1st world countries that pop out kids just to get welfare.
Kids require a lot of money and every responsible adult knows that.
Be generous with your kids too. You can teach them the value of money but few things are as pathetic as a parent that has a tight wallet when it comes to spending money on their kids.
There’s this family that today lives on the streets of Buenos Aires, homeless, that used to be educated middle class before the 2001 crisis.
The parents beg or sell the few crafts they make to survive, hippie style jewelry and that kind of think.
The mother said that even though they barely had enough food to live and no roof, she paid the little precious money she had to send her daughter to a private school. This may sound outrageous to a lot of people, but the situation in Argentina is unique, specially after 2001. Most public schools are simply a waste of time, even dangerous. Private schools aren’t for the rich, they are for the middle class and even for the poor. Schools that are private but subsidized by the government aren’t expensive at all and offer a better chance of getting an education and going to college, and most parents that care about their children make the extra effort.

5) Kids require discipline
In today’s feel good society discipline is something even adults don’t have, its no surprise to see they can’t apply it to their children as well.

Respect towards older people, behave as they should, these are things that were common knowledge a few years ago.
Just like a parent is supposed to be a mother or father but not a friend, there are limits your kid should know very well.
Kids need limits. If they don’t find them they feel lost, and I can assure you, a kid that doesn’t find limits, boundaries, will keep pushing until parents, society … or police, gives them to him.

I remember once when my son used a very ugly word to refer to my wife. My wife looked at him straight to the face and slapped him, once. He never used that word with her again. There are things a parent simply doesn’t allow, like insults and disrespect , and its supposed to work that way. Again, if you tolerate those (from anyone ) don’t be surprised when your child does so as well.

6) Teach your kids the skills they’ll need to survive
In toady’s politically correct world, its more important than ever to teach your kids several skills our parents or even ourselves considered common knowledge. If you leave a child only with what the school education and society provides, he’ll end up being a 18 year old gothic freak that can’t boil an egg.

Go camping with him, teach him how to fix things around the house, demand that he helps you when you do so. Teach him how to fight, shoot, how to take care of himself in our society with its crime, gangs and drugs.

7) Teach your kids to succeed
Someone mentioned to me the other day a problem this person was having with his kid in school. His kid had won a race, but was not distinguished during the sporting activity so that other kids didn’t feel bad, something similar had happened to him during swimming.

It’s unbelievable folks, but that’s the world we live in today: You are taught to not have a winner mentality, so as to not offend others that aren’t as capable as you, or simply didn’t train as hard or just didn’t have enough luck.
This mentality, this easy way of doing things, only encourages children to not push themselves harder, to be ok with being mediocre creatures, that doesn’t hope for nor does he desire to succeed.

Avoid this mentality by all means. Take you child to practice competitive sports, wrestling, martial arts, soccer, football or tennis, something where there’s a clear winner and looser. Even if he loses, he’ll build up character and that’s better than not competing in the first place.

Fernando Aguirre