Fun fact: When my husband and I were really poor, and we were shopping at food closets to get food, we had a box of hamburger helper, and a can of spam left, and nothing else. The can of spam was twelve years expired. But we were hungry, so I made spam burger helper. Turns out...canned spam still tastes good after twelve years...super salty, but edible. So, if you need to stock up on meat, just know that spam lasts for a LONG time. It's not fancy, but it will fill you up

I know you said you don’t feel you need to stock up on water because you get it from your fridge, but when we experienced a 3 day power outage over the last winter, we had no water (we live in the suburbs-city water). It isn’t a bad idea to keep at least a few days of bottled water on hand. Just sayin’.

My Husband is a truck driver and we see the decline across the country with the supply chain. NOT because there aren't truckers. They are there and ready to roll. The g0v€rnm€nt is the issue. This is a great video. Get ready folks!

Stock up on pantry items, not freezer. Also when a crisis hits (like now) buy what you can afford. We are an organic family, but my stock pile is not. With the prices increasing most people can’t afford regular food, let alone organic. Another thing is people’s eating will definitely change to things you are not used to eating. Good for thought.

You’re so right, it’s not always practical to stock up for years at a time. I felt led to prepare, but not become a “prepper”, if you know what I mean. I’ve been stocking up more and more and whenever I start falling prey to the panic-buying, God reels me in and I feel the Holy Spirit saying, “trust me”. I could ignore that and stock up my house with 5 years of food, but then what happens if my house burns down, God forbid? It’s so important to listen to God’s nudges and convictions, which are going to be different for all of us. I guess you could say I’m currently somewhere between God telling Joseph to store up for years and God providing manna in the desert on a need-only basis, lol.

My husband is a truck driver, with a big company, and they are struggling to get runs. That is definitely a problem. Those boats in the ports, I honestly believe are sitting there because of the government, it’s not because of people not working. We moved from the city to the country to homestead.

For those who are on limited budgets and are coming to the same realization that they should get better prepared, Costco may not be the best shopping source if you have a Sam's Club or a restaurant supply store like Chef's Store (formerly Cash & Carry) within driving distance. Costco seems to be moving heavily into organic products which are often two or three times as expensive as conventionally grown, while being only marginally better in terms of nutrients and safety (and for many products, not measurably better at all). That's fine if you have the money to spare, but not if it keeps you from building a good supply on hand for your family. Too many people fail to prepare because they are overwhelmed by the cost. Having an all-organic pantry is nowhere near as important as having a well-stocked pantry in the first place, even if it is conventionally grown. As that old expression goes: Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

I did the same as you - I only bought food when I needed to. Our freezer used to be so empty sometimes, I had to freeze water in jugs to keep it energy efficient. Then last year came along, and I learned that yes, God provides, but He also expects us to take care of ourselves. He tells us to prepare and store up. Now I finally have what I consider an emergency supply. We would never survive for two years, or even one, but we do have enough. The rest is in God's hands. Thanks for your channel!

We've stocked up a little, but not much (we don't have much storage for that). One of my biggest tips is to see where you can switch to reusable products - start simple with cloth napkins, cloth "paper" towels, etc. We switched over other things like feminine care, razors, etc., and I purchased bulk ingredients for elderberry syrup and beeswax and butters to make lip balm, skin balms, chest rubs, etc. I grew up canning with my mom, so we do that as well. Honestly, though, the reusable items give me a lot of peace of mind that we won't run out of those staples.

Honestly my biggest recommendation is to start a simple garden. It’s way easier than you think and can be productive year round. It also only takes a small area to grow quite a lot. Stocking up on some things you always eat that are non-perishable is never a bad thing as well. I’m buying one or two of each thing each trip as well and have a decent stock now.

My parents taught us to stock up and how to make things last longer. They grew up in a communist country and it was very hard to get essential items. This year alone has made us re-evaluate how we stock up and doubled our garden. It's nothing huge, but enough to sustain our household. Great video!

We live in the downtown area of my city but I still have at least six months of food. I shop discount stores. They have really helped me. My husband lost his job because of a fall he has a brain injury now, never can he drive again that was his job. If I didn't prep like I do we couldn't have eaten. I am the mother of 11 so I've been prepping before it was popular with all those kiddos I had to keep extra with 9 being greedy boys lol. Just do what you can to take care of yourselves God's got you guys!

Yes! We have 6 kids. When everything was crazy last year, I would just be trying to buy our normal food every 2 weeks and people thought we were hoarding 🙄. So ever since, I buy a little extra every time. I could never stock a ton of food in one trip or I'd be labeled a hoarder 🤣. I think 1-2 months of food is a GOOD THING to have.

I’m so glad you made this video. It’s encouraging to hear that you don’t have a farm. This past year I think everyone wishes they did but God has us where He wants us for now and we need to prepare and rest in Him.

Let us prepare for what’s ahead and prepare our families, but more than anything, prepare our hearts for our Lord Jesus return is near.

You really should stock up on water! Your fridge is great but if power goes out you'll need water to flush toilet, cooking and staying hydrated. 3 gal minimum per person per day for bugging in/staying home

I’m finding it so interesting to see how people’s priorities have shifted since everything started happening. I for one think it’s God. Not all are called to the same thing but I truly believe that He is leading a lot of people to get back to growing our own food and learning how to work with our neighbors to have what we need for our families. Those who are not called to that will be taken care of in other ways (perhaps by the increase of local mini farms/homesteads!). It’s SO interesting to see. I currently live a very normal suburban lifestyle but feeling the need to get a good grip on how I stock my pantry. That’s never a bad idea but I’ve procrastinated for a while haha. Gotta get my act together!

Also... With 5kids, a live in grandma and a nanny eating with us every week day, people already think I'm panic buying every week. 😂😂😂

It might still be good to stock up on jugs of water in case something were to happen to the water supply. We had to use some water we'd stored once when a pipe was damaged and we were without for a few hours. Not a super long time, but we were still able to boil water to make dinner and to be able to wash our hands. It was nice to have when we weren't sure how long we'd be without. This haul was really great. Some of your items reminded me of things to stock up on that I hadn't considered. Thank you!

Thank you for sharing what you’re doing to stock up. Your wisdom and direction are not only helpful but encouraging. I love your views on how to balance reliance on God for protection and food while also being proactive

I have been prepping too. We just don't know what will happen with our current situation. It is smart to be prepared. Ashlee, I really enjoyed the video where you all went out to do a nature study, etc. I would love to see how you filled up your Arteza storage cabinet!

My husband and I are working on out list to start stocking up. I love seeing these videos to help give idea I would never think of.

As someone who’s currently 32 weeks pregnant and having two toddlers. I’m right there with you! We’ve been shopping pantry items for 2-3 weeks at a time slowly adding more so there’s roll over for a stockpile. My husband buys fresh produce/milk every week but it’s giving me a peace of mind to have some extra. I used to do weekly and use up everything!

Very similar views Ashlee. Yes. Thank you! Simply, preparing and being stewards of our families.

When the panic was looming and people were panic buying, I buried my head so deep in the sand that I was eating through our freezer and pantry to save money before we left to go on our CRUISE. So when I came to terms with what was happening, we had no food in the house and none in the stores. I have since started a storage pantry.

This is how I've been doing it too. It's always good to be prepared, and every little bit helps

One way I'm able to save money, and help others, is I started a neighborhood "swap meet". So far we have 17 in our group, and what we do is once a week we post our shopping lists and coupons, discounts, etc, and if we have something someone else needs we swap! I had a high dollar coupon for a shampoo that my family doesn't use so I swapped it for a big can of yams that my neighbor wasn't needing. It's fun, and it helps us all!

I live 45 minutes from the closest grocery store. I have always kept about 2 to 4 things on hand. Since COVID I have started keeping 4 to 8 of things on hand. That has been my "stocking up"

I have a difficult time finding balance. I tend to get overwhelmed when I stay too “in the loop”. But then when I unplug for peace I feel totally unprepared.

Definitely stock up on some water girl! After we thawed our from the TX Snowmagedddon last winter, my pipes worked fine after three days but then we were on a boil order for 72 hours so having a couple cases of bottled water on hand was really helpful!

I've been watching your videos for years. We our homeschool our four boys as well. This was one of my favorite videos you've done. You have a very balanced take on being prepared. Keep doing what you're doing. Love and prayers for you and your family. ❤

I felt impressed to beef up my self-sufficiency and emergency preparedness back in 2015. I increased my gardening capability and practiced growing, harvesting, and preserving food. I got chickens for a supply of eggs. I slowly increased my dry goods (lentils, beans, rice, etc.) and learned how to cook using those ingredients. I would just grab 1 or 2 extra packets with each shopping trip. I learned how to pressure can meats for when I ran into good deals on meat. I was more interested in learning the canning skills. I was soooo thankful when 2019 came around, because with the mass hysteria and bare shelves we were not worried. In fact, when everyone rushed to stores to get items, I stayed as far away as I could. It’s so comforting to have a safety net for your family by keeping a little buffer. I was more worried about the economy and wanted to be prepared for times when we might be in between jobs or something like that… turns out it was timely for this COVID madness. I became really interested in how people managed the household during the Great Depression… I loved the back to basics of being frugal and cooking with low cost ingredients (that are actually healthier than many of our current meals.) I still use that time period to inspire myself to be more frugal and minimal.

I love the scripture you posted at the end of this video, it was the perfect ending🙏🏾 Great haul and God bless you and your family.

Love this, thanks for sharing! For the last six(ish) months my husband and I have been buying extras of our usually items and storing them away. I’m happy with our ‘stock pile’ but we’re now in the market for a new deep freezer especially if this hunting season is a success! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

Yes to this! Just be wise in stock piling. A friend of mine and myself have even had dreams and received Word to warn about being attentive of the times and prepare... nothing crazy, just for hick-ups in supply.

Your job is to take care of your family, so there's no need to justify yourself to anybody. I've been stalking up little by little too. It's our responsibility. I was raised in northern WV, where we could get snowed in every winter for a few weeks. I was raised having a well stocked pantry. This is normal to me. It's a good thing you're doing. The more people in a community who are self-sufficient the better, because they can rely on each other and no one has to become desperate. Desperate people do desperate acts.

Holy 🔥! This video! Having lived in Hurricane central my whole life I feel I have great fit hits the shan 😜 skills for a neighborhood girl. So we think differently. A different approach. We anticipate worst case and work the other way.... Like #1- power outage. Grid fail. So that eliminates most things fridge/ freezer- unless you have a whole house generator (Next house😍). We think about water going bad next so we have Water Bob's for tubs and purification pills plus filter straws that last forever and a rain tank- stored in garage. We always have several camp stoves, medications saved up, solar power chargers and the main ticket is a minimal 25 day supply of enough meals for our family from WISE Foods (hmm- sponsorship Ash lol) that lasts 25 years. Dog food too. It's in storage bins that can be moved with you... Totally great if you cant be outside at your garden bc of weather or safety. Then there is the everything else you have read from the real preps that you bought that still are hurricane handy. That's my hubs dept. I had We just restocked the toilet paper and I do get massive rice bags n beans randomly. Now final goal is 5-10 acres in North Alabama to make the list complete... Working on that now.

Solar yard lights can be brought indoors. Your oven is a dehydrator on the lowest setting. When you use up milk , fill the jug with water. A few cinder blocks will make a stove. Learn skills. Seeds seeds seeds.

I really enjoyed listening to you while I cleaned. When I finally looked at you, I just want to say I ENVY YOUR COFFEE MUG RACK! SO CUTE!!!

Love this! A fellow homestead mom like myself I watch on youtube said "I'm not scaring you - I'm preparing you!" Everyone should just use their heads and do what they need to protect their families ❤️ self sufficiency is crucial and a powerful tool to have when the government gets crazy. Our "leaders" are not leading and are completely incapable of running this great country.

Just a thought, if electricity is down, water treatment plants use it to keep contaminants out of water. Also Sewage treatment plants use electricity to keep sewage from backing up in our pipes. Living in an apartment, I have prepared for "dry camping" It really makes you realize what will be needed in an emergency.

I just bought everything I need for canning as well as a sewing machine, prepping to what’s to come? Maybe, but right now it’s a new hobby I would love to start. I need to start adding extra things to my groceries

My absolute FAVORITE verse Thanks for sharing Love how you explained the reasoning and gave tips

I just been getting 2 of everything every two weeks to have my own stock pile. Just never know and I'm not trying to be shopping around getting frustrated. Great video and I feel like just get through the winter for sure.

Something we have thought about and prepared for heading into winter is an energy crisis. Less workers means longer wait time for getting power restored, less truckers means a possible shortage on fuel (gas & propane). We bought a generator (I know out of budget for most people, but we saved up) and our new house has a fireplace so stocking up on wood as well. Not going extreme just prepared to keep us warm and food preserved for a few days.

Love this video and your method/thoughts of stocking up a bit. Also a super fan of the verse at the end!!!! He takes care of those who love and trust Him.

When the ransom hacks started happening, we bought a small generator. There are also great videos on how to make a rocket stove out of four cinder blocks. Hoping we never need to use them, but well worth the peace of mind right now. My mama hearts tends towards anxiety for my family during these times. Thank you for being a voice of faith filled reason.

Your video is great and very helpful. Thank you for sharing. We have been doing exactly what you are. Right now we are focusing on bug out bags as our next step in becoming prepared for whatever comes at us next. God bless America! May we never loose this beautiful land of the free!!

I never saw the need of preparing and last year started stocking but after we moved to another state this year I kind of let it go. I’ve been thinking with everything that’s happening to start again but this video is motivating me to. Thanks!!!!

Love the verse at the end❤ I am also a mom and with everything going on in the world there is nothing wrong with being prepared so that your babies our fed in a time of sparsity. Definitely, in the middle just like you. No need to panic just make small changes in preparation for the worse case scenario.

Great Haul! Long-term dog & cat food recommendation is canned -- the dry dog foods have a lot of oil and tend to go bad/rancid over about 6 months.

We LOVE Mary Ruth!! Great brand! It totally helped us through Covid having it on hand too! Love this video and totally agree with what you said and shared. We are on the same page. Thanks for the encouragement and ministry here!! ❤️ blessings to you and your family!

Hello first time viewer! New subscriber. We had just moved and we had eaten our long term pantry before the move when 2020 hit. I spent early 2020 praying before each grocery run, and God blessed us with everything we needed to get us through the week. When it started settling down, I started rebuilding my long term pantry. As a homeschool family of 7 I worry too. I love how you said it all in your video. You're right it's concerning. I shop my long term pantry, making sure when I grocery shop the pantry things get rotated, and stocked back up. I hope that makes sense.

I'm in the middle spectrum too. We need to prepare without going CRAZY. We have families who need to be taken care of but also as Christians we can't panic. I'm right there with ya.

This is a great video. There are many types of prepping. This realistically is the basic way to do it. You need enough food for 3 months to basically get you through the winter. After all prepping is the same thing our family used to do a 100 years ago.

This is the most rational video on prepping that I've seen. Thank you

One KZfaqr I follow stocks up on certain things each month. So say meat and canned or fruit this month next month rice and beans etc. Which seemed like a very calm/doable system. So we did our just did our "general costco stock up" and then from here out I will pick a few items each month to try to stock up on.

You have a great pantry;). Awesome items you got on your haul! I’ve been stocking up for the last couple years but we use it and go thru things quick & am constantly adding a few things here & there. As a family of 8 it goes quick but God provides 🙏🏻🙌🏼.

We have been doing the same things. Stocking up on shelf stable items, making sure my kids have winter coats, shoes and clothing. My husband has been getting tons of wood for firewood even. Better to be prepared. Even trying to get extra toiletries. Stinks that we have to do this.

Good idea, once I had my stockpile in place, when I use something, I buy two at least and I only buy what we eat, the only difference is I’m leaning heavy on canned meats, meat sauces, grains. I cook pretty much from scratch. I encourage everyone to know how to cook dry beans, homemade bread or biscuits. Also I have stored a lot of peanut butter and coffee. Schools have also been struggling to feed children and our local food bank is always needing already prepared foods

Thank you for sharing. Would love to know how you store the food, especially the stuff you said you eat regularly (do y'all eat all the produce before it goes bad)?

I just finished a video of yours for a bit of me time and now you post another 🥴 Looking forward to watching it! Your videos are great!

Amazing haul! Also what if the power goes out you won’t be able to use your fridge water filter?? Maybe have one pack of water per person and life straws. Thanks for the video

Practice first in and first out to rotate your stock, otherwise things get stale. If the power goes out, how will you keep your food cold and frozen? Things like medical supplies are already getting in short supply (bandaids, vet rap or flexible bandages, etc.). The supply chain issue is not contained to the US, China closed several ports due to Covid so things are not shipping from China. I audit Supply Chains worldwide..this issue is not going away any time soon, perhaps not until late 2022. In the meantime, there will be rolling shortages of various items including food, parts for vehicles including filters, oil filters, belts, toys, some clothing items, toilet paper and other paper products. Combined with the awful conditions in CA. (drought), almonds and grape related products will be in short supply.

We LOVE those cranberry jalapeño meatballs. I cook them in seedless raspberry preserves. Delicious!

So glad I came across this video today. We are planning to head to Costco this weekend for the first time in 2 years because we decided it's time to stock up and have a plan. It's nice to hear I'm not totally crazy for thinking this way lol.

Thank you for making this video and sharing it with us. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that we can only do what we can do and the rest we just trust in God. So many prepper videos on KZfaq and you can get overwhelmed and depressed. I definitely can't stock up like them because they've been doing it for years. But what I have gotten I trust God will bless and provide where I lack. Im still prepping and Looking Up because our redemption is so close. Maranatha ❤

I'm quite upset that America has larger portions right now... look at that avocado oil!! Here in Canada the one we buy at Costco is so much smaller 😳 and same brand too! great video Ashley! Will help many! We started an emergency supply too ... we havent seen any shortages yet but mandates here are pretty strict and change over night... and we are neighbors... so better safe than sorry!

I love all the organic and healthier choices.

If 2020 and 2021 have taught me anything it’s never to say “that won’t happen” or “that could never happen here”. We went over a year with people not working. Businesses being made to stay closed down. I hate to sound negative because I’ve never been a glass half empty kind of lady. I naturally look for silver linings. With that being said it would take one major incident for people to panic and clear out a store. One subdivision where I live could clean out all of my local stores in an hour flat. So I’ve changed my entire outlook on preparedness. I used to find humor in those who prepped. I realize now how foolish I truly was. Our personal livelihood in my home depends on the state of our economy and the interest rates because we are in the home building business. With inflation on top of everything else, that Industry is slowing down because it’s becoming more expensive to build. I would never tell anyone what to do but think really hard about the what if’s and how they would effect your family in the worst case scenario.

Totally agree with you. I might just talk about this on my channel as well. Parents do need to stock up as well with kids. Thanks for sharing

I really appreciate your approach to this subject. I’m a single mama to three and I’m prepared a bit like you. Not forever, but just in case. 😉. God bless you. Ps. You gave me some ideas of things to stock up on as well.

Our Costco already has limits on toilet paper and paper towels and NONE of the Kirkland brand in stock. Ugh. Craziness! I definitely need to stock up on some things! Great tips!

Thank you for making this video. I am trying to keep my head down and work on my stuff but every now and then I need to hear about possible troubles and get ahead of those issues. I was already planning on buying Chris gifts early

Wow! This was helpful. Thanks for the encouragement and tips.

Thanks for posting this been feeling like I need to get ready for something. So this is just another reminder. God bless you and your family 🙏🏽🙏🏽

We have some stuff stocked up, but we have multiple life threatening food allergies so a lot of the bulk items or non perishable items are processed on the same lines with our allergens. The panic buying last year was a pain for food allergy families as people started buying up a lot of our specialty items.

Love you momming through your tips lol. You got “the look” & “the tone” 😂

My husband and I many years ago had a bare bones pantry. We had some unexpected things to come up that cost us and we ended up eating beans for a week. We never had a bare bones pantry after that. It's been over twenty years ago and we have taught our children the same thing. NEVER have a bare bones pantry.

I thought that your video and reasoning was very reasonable and logical. My family feels very much the same way. Another great video!

What has been working for us we stalk up once a month buy almost 30 days supply of food and household stuff just buy fruits and fresh veggies weekly we spend less and buy what we need planning a whole month of food if their out of an item we do with out or have a second option but i don’t let paper towel or toilet paper meds run out cleaning supplies allways have extra

We have been doing the same for a few months now....we been making sure we have what we need. Very similar views. You never know, and right now, I just feel it has to be stocked in the basement just in case because the situation that is going on right now is no joke.

I was without power due to an ice storm once... You need to store emergency water trust me! and you could have doubled that haul for the $ you spent at an Aldi's store they have lots of GF and organic choices for less $

That’s a great food haul , next time you do Costco grab a 50 lb of rice , peanut butter , dry beans , and salt 🧂 which serves as a preserve just in case lights go out . Always have plenty of staples on hand . If you do flour, add a few bay leaves 🍃 to the sac to keep the pesty weebles at bay . Overall nice video .

Do you have a generator in case you lose power? We have lost power before after a big shop and lost everything

Your pantry organization looks wonderful.

That cranberry vanilla tea is soooo good! One of the best seasonal items!

I've always had a small stockpile but I became more intentional in 2020 when supplies were low. A major city dweller myself, it was difficult to see ordinary people on food lines. It was reminiscent of Depression era photos. My focus especially over the past 2 years has been to store enough shelf stable items and cleaning products for 2-3 months. Do I have everything possible? No indeed not, but I won't go hungry! I learned that shelf stable milk (I use almond) comes in really handy. I also have a couple of cans of evaporated milk because some things just call for real milk. I don't want to have to dig out my car and battle for parking over the winter to get basic supplies in the house. Last year I invested in a vacuum sealer and it has been a blessing. As a single person, I can buy larger packages of meat and divide them into smaller amounts, sealing and freezing them for later. Stores in my area are pretty well stocked now, but I remember 2020 when they weren't. God calls us to be wise.

Also, your wording is hilariously on point. Not saying the v mandate word but that's clearly what it is because our government is a complete disaster. From one clear conservative Christian to another - amen mama. Amen.

We’ve stocked up some as well because of all the things happening in the world! It’s sad that we have come to this point, just have to have faith and keep breathing and moving.

I love these videos. Preparedness without paranoia and fear. This is what our family does along with our regular stock ups. By the way, the code for the Mary Ruth vitamins is just bringing me to it’s site and not giving any code off (which I’m assuming you don’t get the credit either). I’ll hold off until I hear back from you!

We have stocked up a bit as well and we have a similar mentality as well. We immediately replenish anything we use.

Great job! Great info! I will say though you need to make a plan for water. It wouldn’t take much for something to “go wrong” with the water. It looks different for everyone but I encourage at least a plan. I’m in C TX and NEVER thought I’d deal with what we did earlier in the year. We did ok but it showed us where our holes were. We now have at least have a plan for everything.

I like your middle of the road attitude about stocking up. Your family will be prepared for most situations. Will your fridge water work if the power goes out?

We started stocking up when covid hit but then got lazy when life got normal again so last month or so we have hit it hard and every week we keep stocking up as we can .

Still stock up on water just in case the power go out. If you have a generator for your refrigerator then that is great and you don't have to worry about water.

Thank you for your honesty. I feel the same way you do.. just be prepared for a month or so.

Off subject but where do you get your coffee mug rack? It holds so many, mine only holds 9.

Great video! We are a low income family an you gave me great ideas. Thank you.

New Subscriber. I love your Channel, and appreciate this particular Video so much❤