Be prepared

I started this article a while back, while there was some concern of possible future food shortages. At least at this point, that hasn’t happened again, but that isn’t to say it might. More broadly though, at some point in the future, there certainly will be a food shortage again. Whether it is more just a scare, or a legitimate issue will have to be determined at the time. Although, again, in some ways, it doesn’t matter what causes it; if the grocery stores are empty, they are empty, and it doesn’t really matter why.

I read an article recently about some potential food shortages. It is probably a good idea to keep some food supplies at your home. At least enough to last a few weeks, should the world get a little crazy again.  I know I always like to have some canned soup and spam in the house. I have to keep some stuff around that Mrs. Frug will cook (haha).  Beyond that though, it may be good to have storage to last you a whole year! But that might be a bit much for many people.

Buying food at the last minute at inflated prices is not Frug. So look for deals now. If anything on this list is something you regularly use, try to look for it on sale now. You might not find it right away, so it's best to be on the lookout now. As supply of goods decreases, the price will increase if demand increases or remains constant.  Some people think, when there are shortages of food or supplies, that grocery stores increasing their prices is price gouging. But really, I don’t think it is. It is just supply and demand at work. In fact, as grocery stores are unable to raise prices quick enough is another reason the shortages happen in the first place.

Regardless, it is always better to be prepared and not need something, than to need it and not have it. The first might result in you wasting some space or a little bit of money, the later might result in you starving. I will add a note of caution though, I do not recommend spending hand over fist to buy any of those crazy emergency food items you might see in a Youtube commercial. Some of the meals I was looking at are like 10 dollars each! That is insane! If you do want to build out your long term storage, I would recommend looking into some dried or canned beans, rice, etc. Things that will last a long time, come in bulk, and are affordable/cheap. Processed, packaged food is probably not the best choice for a number of reasons, but most importantly for our situation is for your budget!