Options for prepping and storing food?.(Part 2 of 3)

MRE's or Meals ready to eat are packages of food that can be opened and eaten hot or cold, with no additional fussing around.  you have military grade and civilian grade.  Military grade comes with a flame less heater and are not sold by the Gov.
 You can find them second hand on auction sites, army surplus shops or a friend/relative that is active in the military.   When buying these, try to find out how and where they were stored and for how long. High temperatures (above 80) can cause them to go bad faster. Check the expiration date on both the individual meal packages AND the box/case they come in.  Since purchasing these second hand, you want to make sure no one switched or changed whats in the box.

Now civilian MRE's are not much different besides being made for the general public and not all contain the heater. most places sell them separately.

There is a wide market out there with some pretty incredible choices from freeze dried ice cream to stews and sandwiches. so shopping around in a must.
Here are a few of my favorite places to purchase from (and compare)
 Nitro-Pak   they offer free and flat rate shipping options based on what you buy.  That alone saves money.
The food taste good,they offer tons of choices and customer service is no hassle.

Now.. This next place is my food prepping haven! its Cheap, fast, and easy food from eFoodsDirect.com!
No trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, no added msg, NOT genetically modified, gluten and lactose free, natural made in the USA and the list goes on. You could stock a bunker or your car and still walk away knowing you got one of the best deals out there.  For the price of the postage, you can get 6 free meals so you can try them out.
 That's how i got hooked.  I was expecting some flour tasting weird textured food but
it was damn good. I really like to avoid gluten so that was a bonus.
 
Sit down with your family and figure a few things out.
Do you plan on having 3 or more meals a day?
Are you going to buy desserts and extras?
How much variety do you really need?
Will you need food to give away or trade?
Will you need food for more then one location?
How long do you expect to feed your family?  3 months? longer then a year?
Are you basing your food stock on prepped foods alone or will you be gardening as well?
What if garden fails?