Prepping has never been more expensive, especially when it comes to stockpiling food. Ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are pushing up the price of energy, droughts and heat waves are killing crops, and data centers are making water more and more scarce. All of this means that food is going to keep getting more expensive.
Fortunately, you can still get a lot of emergency food for a reasonable price if you’re willing to search and to buy things in bulk. You’ll also need to be willing to eat some of the basics: rice, beans, pasta, and so forth, but they can still be quite delicious if you use the right seasonings.
In this article, we’ll break down the top 10 cheapest emergency foods. For each food, I included the number of calories you can get for a single U.S. dollar. We’ll count down from least calories per dollar to most calories per dollar.
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Cheapest Emergency Foods
10. Canned Tuna
Every stockpile needs more than one type of meat, and tuna is a great option. Be sure to look for canned tuna in oil, as it has far more calories. May as well get as many as you can.
Amazon sells a 48-pack of Chunk Light Tuna in Oil for less than $50 (as of this writing), so you can get it for less than a dollar a can. How does that break down for your servings?
Each serving has 160 calories and an impressive 20g of protein. So, you pay $0.52 per 100 calories. However, considering what a high source of protein this is, it is worth the price.
Calories per dollar: 192
9. Powdered Milk
In times of an emergency, you might not have a source of fresh milk, but you do need calcium in your body for optimal health. That’s why all fully stocked pantries need to have powdered milk. Not only can you use powdered milk in recipes (I use it in my bread machine recipe), but it can be reconstituted into drinking milk.
You can buy whole milk powder from Amazon. They have many choices, including Peak Dry Whole Milk Powder. For less than $60 (as of this writing), you can get an 88 oz tub. You can mix ¼ cup of the powdered milk into a cup of water to make drinkable milk.
Each tub has around 104 servings, and each serving is 120 calories with 7g of fat, 8g of carbohydrates, and 6g of protein. That equals $0.57 per serving.
Calories per dollar: 208
8. Instant Potatoes
Every prepper needs to have some comfort food in their stockpile, and mashed potatoes are just that. While they don’t add protein or fats, they’re a great source of carbohydrates, which is needed during an emergency.
You can find pouches for $1 in most stores, but there is another choice. Amazon sells Chef’s Quality: Mashed Potatoes Complete Instant. This is a 5.43 lb container of instant potatoes for less than $30 (as of this writing). In this container, you get 145 servings! Each serving has 60 calories; it’s only ½ cup of prepared mashed potatoes.
So, what does that equal? You pay $0.19 per serving; that’s a lot cheaper than the pouches in the store. Even if the store pouches are double the serving size, that’s only $0.40 rather than the $1 you typically pay.
Calories per dollar: 322
7. Dried Beans
Pretty much all beans are high in calories, usually over 100 calories per 1/2 cup. Plus, they are very high in protein, which you’re going to need if you’re living on survival food (which is mostly carbohydrates).
Of all the beans, black beans aren’t quite the highest in calories, but they’re my favorite, and I found a better deal on them than anything else. Amazon sells a four-pound bag of Iberia black beans for a very low price.
You can get over 6000 calories for less than $10 in most places.
Calories per dollar: 774
6. Peanut Butter
Having peanut butter on hand is always a good idea. It’s a source of fats and protein. A single serving of peanut butter contains 190 calories, 16g of fat and 7g of protein, and it tastes so good. It’s filling, so a little can go a long way.
The cheapest peanut butter I could find is at Walmart. You can buy a 40 oz container of Jif Creamy Peanut Butter. Each jar contains 34 servings, and it only costs $6.97. That equals $0.20 per serving size of 190 calories.
Calories per dollar: 923
5. Lard
The first place I checked for lard was Amazon, but I was surprised to find that Walmart had hands-down the best price for lard I could find. You can purchase a 4lb bucket of lard by Armour Lard for $9.47.
That equals $3.33 per pound. There are around 140 servings inside the bucket, and each serving has 120 calories. You pay $0.10 per 120 calories.
Calories per dollar: 1259
4. Oats
Oats are another great grain and a form of fiber that everyone should have in their diet. Old fashioned oats are a versatile choice, and you can find many different brands, including generic ones.
The best value that I found was at Costco. They sell Quaker Oats Old-Fashioned Oatmeal in 10-pound containers for $8.79 (as of this writing). In each container, you get 113 servings, and each serving has 150 calories. That means you less than 8 cents per 150 calories.
Calories per dollar: 1928
3. Pasta
Pasta goes into every stockpile. It’s filling and stretches to fill multiple bellies. If you have kids, as I do, pasta is the best way to make a cheap meal that everyone likes and keeps them full all night.
In general, pasta is easy to stockpile. I’ve found that, in most cases, it’s not cheapest to buy pasta in bulk. What’s cheapest is to buy the single, store-brand boxes from Walmart. Each box of Great Value pasta is 16 ounces for $1.24. The only way that I can find it cheaper is if I have a coupon.
Calories per dollar: 1984
2. Vegetable Oil
There are many different forms of fat that you could add to your stockpile. Vegetable oil is one of the cheapest and easiest to find. Almost every store that you visit will have vegetable oil available, which makes it incredibly easy to stockpile.
One of the cheapest places to get your vegetable oil is Walmart, which sells Product of Wesson Vegetable Oil in a 1-gallon bottle. That’s a total of 128 fluid ounces for $11.18. Each serving has 120 calories, and a 1-gallon bottle has 252 servings. That means you are paying less than 5 cents per serving size.
Calories per dollar: 2705
1. Rice
Everyone wants to have rice in their stockpile, and it’s typically one of the first foods that disappear off the shelves whenever an emergency takes place. Finding the best price for rice is tricky since there are many different types of rice on the market.
Hands down, the best price available for rice in bulk is from Costco. You can purchase a 50-pound bag of Member’s Mark long grain rice for $21.98. In this bag, you receive 504 servings, and each serving has 160 calories. Altogether, that means it costs $0.04 per 160 calories or serving size.
Calories per dollar: 3668
Final Thoughts
Stockpiling the right emergency foods doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. Remember to look at the calories per dollar to be sure it’s worth adding to your stockpile. That also lets you find the best value for your money.
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