Canning

For some reason I had it in my head that it would be a lot cheaper to buy stuff in the store, and can it yourself...

This is not true. They are doing things on such a large scale, that prices are crazy cheap....and they have learned all the tricks and shortcuts for their particular foods, so it usually is even more appealing.

If you are just building up a stockpile of foods, (especially the 3 days or 1 month supply), I would suggest you just go ahead and buy all your stuff from the store.... don't even bother buying a pressure canner at this point. Spend every extra penny on building up your stockpile.

Where canning really shines is the ability to preserve your own foods grown in your own garden, and the ability to can whole meals you can tailor make to suit your family, and without preservatives.

Canning your own food will become very important should the food supply become interrupted for any reason, or as food prices begin to rise.

At some point it will become necessary again to can as much as you can just to get by. As the supply chains get worse and worse you will see more and more things available in limited quantities, and limited times. Some days there will be chicken, and some others none. Canning your extras will allow you to have a variety of foods all the time.

It will also allow you get more value out of a single piece of food. Right now I buy a roasted chicken from the grocery store, pick most of the meat off during the week, and by the weekend, throw out the carcass because it smells bad. However I could be freezing the bones after picking them clean, and making chicken soup and chicken broth out of them, then even making some soap from the left over fat.

Starting now will put you well ahead to the crowd.