Two years ago, I converted thousands of dollars into a solar power system that is providing us with nearly free electricity. This week, I converted $100 of our quickly depreciating U.S. dollars into 200 meals in our long-term storage program. Here’s an update on the first and details on the second:
We used less grid power in January than we did in December, but it didn’t matter; we still owed the power company money for the first time in ten months. All the extra solar power we sent them through the bulk of 2025 has been used up in just a few months of low sunshine and cold weather, meaning we had to pay a bill.
It was only $30. Compared to our pre-solar-power electric bill and what our friends and neighbors pay, I shouldn’t complain. I’ll save that for February’s bill, which I expect will be even worse. Then—as the days get much longer in March—we’ll start making as much or more electricity than we use.
The good news is we used 20 percent less electricity in January 2026 than in January 2025. I don’t know if it’s the weather, or my wife is using the baseboard heater in her office far less.
The other day, we were speaking with a neighbor, comparing this winter to past winters. We decided this was the second-worst winter since we moved here six winters ago. But while it may have been cold, gloomy, and snowy, it hasn’t been that burdensome. Our approach of avoiding appointments and commitments in January paid off. I have only had to postpone two planned activities in the past six weeks because the road down the mountain was impassable.
Gaining Sunshine and Firewood
When the sun shines—and February has started off with plenty of snow, rain, ice, and what the forecasters call “wintry mix”—we are enjoying longer days, which translates into more solar power. Of course, that only helps if the panels are not covered by several inches of snow, which was a problem for a couple of days.
On Wednesday, we consumed about 25 kilowatt hours (kWh), about what we made. That’s good, but it was a very sunny day, and we won’t see as many of those this month as we will in June and July when we have long days and it usually rains only in the late afternoon or evening.
I have started to build next winter’s firewood supply, ordering a load of wood we expect to burn in October, eight months from now. This should give the wood plenty of time to season. The load appears to be mostly white oak, which is good firewood. I am splitting about one in five pieces with an axe. The rest of it will fit in our wood stove as delivered.
I have also identified a high school student who may come and help me saw, split, and stack those maple logs I showed in a previous post. Not only do I welcome the help from someone young and strong, but the work goes three or four times faster where there are two people working together.
Shopping for Food Storage
Earlier this week, I went on an errand-running binge, a giant round trip in which I made nine stops. As you can imagine, it took me from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and covered more than 80 miles. One stop was Walmart, where I picked up 40 pounds of Jasmine Rice, 20 pounds of pinto beans, and 12 pounds of pasta.
Another stop was at Tractor Supply, where I purchased eight 5-gallon pails and lids. The buckets were two for $8. Add $2.79 per lid and I am paying $6.79 for a complete bucket. Last month, I purchased fifteen Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, so I will line the bucket with a Mylar bag, load it with food and an O2 absorber, and seal the bag with an iron for long-term storage.
Because I purchased four pounds of penne and four pounds of macaroni elbows, both of which have voids in them, I will use our food sealer to vacuum-pack them into bags, which will then be placed inside the Mylar bag. This will also help prevent any sharp pasta ends from poking a hole in the Mylar bag. This will not only give me twice the protection, but if the inner bag does get damaged, there won’t be any oxygen in there to “contaminate” the sealed Mylar bag.
Except for three buckets of wheat, I have not done this kind of bulk food packaging since 2013, but from what I recall, it was pretty straightforward. When I pack all this up, I will post details and photos. I expect the rice, beans, and pasta should fill up at least three of the 5-gallon pails.
It may be Boring, but it Beats Going Hungry
Based on the nutritional data, this will work out to roughly 324 servings of 360 calories each. My guess is that we will eat more than a single serving, so I am counting on 200 servings of 580 calories. Call it dinner for two for three months. The cost of the food was less than $75 at Walmart. (The rice was the most expensive, while the beans at $14.94 for 20 pounds were the least expensive.) When adding in the cost of the buckets, Mylar bags, and oxygen absorbers, my total cost is $100 to produce 200 basic, unexciting survival meals.
These are survival staples, so we don’t expect them to be exciting, just to prevent starvation. They rank right up there with oatmeal and dehydrated potatoes in terms of being carb-heavy and lacking in fat and protein (the beans being a bit of protein). This is where items from my prepper pantry, like a can of bean-less chili, a can of chicken, some powdered cheese, a can of Spam, or a jar of spaghetti sauce, will add flavor and additional calories. So will sautéed squirrel, fried rabbit, or a hunk of venison, if we are lucky enough to shoot or trap one.
Download our PDF on how to start your prepper pantry.
I consider this the first step in meeting my 2026 objective of boosting our long-term food storage plan. Since I have the buckets, I will do this again after my next trip to Sam’s Club. I also hope to put up more wheat.
If you’ve been worried about the cost of long-term storage food, let me repeat the economics: I purchased and packaged 116,080 calories, or enough food for 200 meals, for just $100. Now, imagine if you spent $500.
What are you waiting for?
