Food & Water

How you make your preparations in the food and water category will greatly depend on your situation and plan. If you are going to stay at home and wait it out then you can stockpile food items with a long shelf life. But, if you are going to relocate and be on foot, then you are going to want to pack as many calories you can within the smallest space. Also, the time frame will be a consideration. If you know that you will only need resources for 72 hours then it shouldn't be to hard to plan what rations to have on hand. But, if your are preparing for a long term survival situation then having a stockpile or hidden caches might be a better option.

The term "cache" is used when referring to items that you store in a location that can’t be easily found by wondering eyes. They may be buried along your escape route, or within easy walking distance from where you plan to be in a survival situation. Caches aren't only for food, but other equipment and supplies as well. Here is a link to an article that goes a bit more in depth with the theory and making of caches for survival situations. "Survival Cache: Essential Items and Storage Tips"

 Dry Goods

There is a wide selection of dry foods that are ideal for long term food storage. Although a diet of ONLY these foods would be bland and not very nutritious, they are great staples for basic calories. It would be wise to include nutritional supplements in your plans. This will help insure that you're getting the nutrients you need during your time of crisis. Items like beans, rice, flour and powdered milk are great items to include in your food plan, but take time to note the shelf life, and rotate your stock accordingly. It is best to gather rations that you actually eat on a regular basis, if possible. That way, if the shelf life is nearing its end you can just incorporate it into your daily meals, and replace the stock with new items. 

Dehydrated Foods

Deydrated food has a fairly long shelf life, and this is something that you can prepare yourself at home. You can pick up a food dehydrator pretty cheap, and there are also methods of using the oven on a low setting with the door cracked open to allow air to escape. Another option might be to make your own dehydrator. Just do a Google search for "DIY dehydrator" and that should give you enough ideas to get started. Dehydrated foods can be very tasty, and it is a great option for adding good nutritional foods to your stockpile. 

Canned Goods

Canned goods are yet another option when it comes to long term food storage. As you may have noticed, there is a fairly large area devoted solely to canned goods in just about every supermarket. Make sure to stock up on items that you will actually eat instead of buying goods in bulk just to have them. Canned goods that would be ideal for your food preps would be canned fruits and vegetables, tuna, stews, spam and salmon. Your best bet will be to just go look and see what items would make good additions to your food supply.

Water

Depending on the crisis you're faced with,  drinkable water may or may not be readily available. It doesn't hurt to plan ahead in this area, because water should be very high on your priority list. Distilled water can be bought by the gallon, 5 gallon, etc. So, if you have the space then there is no reason not to have at least 2-3 gallons standing by for a time of need. If you know of a flowing water source near your location, then make concessions to be able to make this resource drinkable. Boiling istypically the safest route, but may not always be possible. In that case, a water filter of some sort should be used.  There are several water filters on the market, but the Sawyer mini filter and the Lifestraw are 2 names that have established themselves as reliable  purification methods. PLEASE NOTE: Water purification isn't something to be guessed at. If you are unsure of the water source or purification method DO NOT DRINK THE WATER. If the water has chemicals from pesticide run off or some other chemical, even boiling will not get rid of the chemicals. Please use due diligence on this matter.