August 22, 2025 • 11 mins
I'm evaluating my pantry and food storage approach, reflecting on what's worked and what hasn't in my prepping journey over the years.
• Mason jars look great but have practical limitations including fragility and storage concerns
• Important to avoid stacking jars to prevent seal failures
• Loosening ring bands slightly helps identify compromised seals more easily
• Emergency food buckets offer unmatched convenience though at higher cost
• 72-hour emergency meal kits provide complete, quick-prep meals requiring only boiling water
• Emergency foods contain preservatives but serve their purpose in crisis situations
• Consider supplementing any emergency food with vitamins and minerals
• Finding balance between mason jars and buckets may be the ideal approach
• Prepping is a journey that involves continuous learning and adaptation
Please leave a like, leave a review, let your friends know what I'm doing, and be careful out there, take care of one another.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
The National Weather Servicehas issued a severe thunderstorm
warning.
Welcome to the Common SensePractical Prepper Podcast, where
(00:21):
prepping doesn't have to becomplicated or expensive.
Coming to you from awell-defended, off-grid compound
high in the mountains, comingto you from his florida room in
richmond, virginia neitheroff-grid nor well-defended,
unless you count as chickens andcats, here is your host, keith
hey y'all, this is keith, andwelcome back to the Common Sense
(00:43):
Practical Prepper podcast,august 22nd 2025, where we talk
about all things preparedness,self-sufficiency and building a
resilient lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So what we're going to talk about today is my pantry
.
I've decided to kind of deepdive into my pantry and see what
potential mistakes that I'vemade over the last several years
and some of the things thatI've done right.
And that's the whole reason forthis podcast to tell you what
I've done right, what I've donewrong, offer up an opinion and
(01:20):
see if it's something that youwant to pursue.
So when I first started severalyears ago, I was all about the
mason jar.
I grew up with my grandmotherand great-grandmother with a
root cellar going down andgetting mason jars the larger
ones, the small ones out of thebasement and then out of the
root cellar and then bringing itup for them to cook the meals.
(01:40):
So I'm thinking all right,mason jars, I'll take the bulk
pasta, the bulk rice, the bulkbeans and I'll break them down
into individual mason jars.
Now they look all great sittingon a pantry shelf and they
certainly have their place,don't get me wrong.
But they're bulky, they'refragile because they're glass
(02:03):
and anything that I do put intoa mason jar.
It's a sterile, a very cleanmason jar that I then throw in
an oxygen absorber and thenvacuum seal it, just to be on
the safe side.
Be very careful about stackingone mason jar on top of the
other.
I read that potentially theweight of the one mason jar
could cause the mason jar on topof the other.
(02:24):
I read that potentially theweight of the one mason jar
could cause the mason jar on thebottom to pop its seal.
So I just went ahead out of theabundance of caution and went
ahead and stacked them single,didn't stack them double,
because the last thing I want todo is come into my pantry and
find that seven or eight jars ofbeans or pasta have popped and
(02:46):
they're basically useless atthat point.
I also read that you tightendown the ring to make sure
you've got a seal, but don'tkeep it very tight, loosen it up
.
And I didn't understandinitially why.
But it made sense, because ifthe seal pops, basically telling
you it's lost its seal and youprobably need to toss the
(03:07):
contents sometimes, that keepsthe seal much tighter.
And I'm thinking well, it'skind of counterintuitive, don't?
I want the seal nice and tight.
But if it's a situation wherethe seal is compromised and it's
slowly leaking, go ahead andloosen the seal a little bit so
when it does pop it's very easyto see, very visible and you can
(03:32):
take care of, you can disposeof it or do whatever you want to
do with those particular itemsin the mason jar.
Now, as far as the ring six,one half dozen again, I went
ahead and did that just to be onthe safe side.
I don't quite understand thescience behind it, but I read it
on several different websitesso I will defer to the
professional mason jar keeperpeople and I went ahead and
(03:55):
stuck with that.
So they certainly have theirplace.
Now.
I've also spoken about thebucket meals, the shameless
commercial plug I'll get out ofthe way.
I'm on the affiliate programwith Augustin Farms.
The affiliate link will be inthe show description.
You use that affiliate link.
There is a chance I will get asmall commission from that
purchase.
Use podcast prep, all one wordat checkout and you get an
(04:18):
additional 10% off your order.
All right, there's my shamelesscommercial plug.
So look at, into these buckets.
The big draw, the big plus forme is convenience.
The biggest drawback is theprice.
But, like anything else, goahead and shop around, go to
(04:38):
different websites differenttime of the year.
You've got Augustine Farms,readywise, hourwise, patriot,
supply, 4patriots there'sprobably half a dozen at least
out there and odds are there's aparent company that probably
fills all the orders for all thecompanies and they slap a
(04:59):
different sticker on it.
But regardless, augustin Farmsis the company that I prefer
because I've tasted most of thefood from most of the companies.
Augustin Farms was just the onethat I landed on who I
contacted about being a part ofthe affiliate program.
So convenience is huge.
They're stackable, so you don'thave to worry about double
(05:20):
stacking.
Triple stacking, you're notgoing to have any issue with
that.
They're sealed into buckets.
The buckets are resealable.
A lot of the individual mealsare resealable as well.
You've got the big upfront costand again that's the biggest
drawback.
So I went into the pantry and Igrabbed my 72-hour emergency
(05:41):
meal bag from August in Farmsthat I got several weeks ago.
So it comes in a pretty sturdyfoil container.
It's got a little handle Again.
You just grab it and go, set itby the door of your pantry,
drop it in your go bag yourget-home bag, whatever bag it's
going in.
It's very convenient.
Now, this is a 72-hour kit forone person.
(06:04):
If this is all you have and youhave two people, well, you're
splitting it.
You have three, well, you'resplitting it again.
So as you go down, it's lessand less food per person.
But for one person, you can'tbeat this bag.
Now it has the maple brownsugar oatmeal, which is very
good, creamy potato soup, whichis fantastic, and the creamy
(06:28):
chicken flavored rice, whichyou'll find in a lot of the
different buckets, regardless ofthe company.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll giveit an 8.
What you're doing is you'retaking this food with you
boiling water, and it's meant tosustain you until the next day
or until things calm down.
This is not meant to be afive-course meal at the Chez
(06:52):
Paul, where you're getting allthe best food that's cooked by a
chef, a world-renowned chef.
If you flip over and you lookat the ingredients, there's
going to be plenty ofpreservatives, polyphosphate and
a bunch of other stuff that Ican't even pronounce.
(07:12):
But again, we're not eatingthis on a daily basis.
This is something that we'reeating in case of an emergency.
It's going to get us thecalories we need.
It's going to be a warm meal.
It's going to increase morale.
We're not eating this as far asto be fit and trim.
I don't think there's anythingorganic in any of these buckets.
(07:33):
But again, when the poop hitsthe fan, are you really?
Well, I'm sorry, keith, thatsuper duper, ultra processed
sugar, something or otheroatmeal that's not organic I'm
going to have to pass.
Well then, that's more thatsugar, super duper processed
oatmeal for me.
Again, this is getting usthrough a couple couple days of
some really tough times.
(07:54):
We're not eating it necessarilyfor the nutritional value.
Certainly going to need tosupplement this, especially in a
long SHTF situation with thevitamins, your A, b, c, ds, your
Ks, your potassium andmagnesium.
That should be part of yourregular daily routine, shtf
situation or not.
(08:15):
So you're going to need tosupplement your bucket meals.
Now let me grab this AugustinFarm bucket and I'll try not to
give myself a hernia.
So this one is a 30 day supplyfor one person, and again it's a
15 to 15 day supply for twoperson, and so on and so on.
So this one has, it has thesoup, the oatmeal, pancakes,
(08:39):
fettuccine, alfredo.
We got the cheesy broccoli rice, spanish rice.
We got the soup, we got bananachips, we got all sorts of
puddings and desserts.
So again, it can be a bitpricey.
But check the website, use theaffiliate link as I tear my
shoulder out of my socket anduse the coupon code podcastprep
(09:02):
and you get 10% off.
So again, just keep an eye onthese different sites.
You'll always see a buy one,get one, or buy this bucket and
get a 72 hour kit on top of it.
It's definitely worth lookinginto.
The convenience is fantastic.
The price can be a detractor,but when you weigh it all
(09:23):
together you know I think it's.
I think it might be a goodoption for a lot of people.
So what I'm going to do, I'mjust going to mix and match.
I'm going to take my bucketsand they're going to be in my
pantry alongside my mason jars.
I'm not going to start dumpingout things from my mason jar,
(09:44):
but what I'm going to startdoing is like, for dinner
tonight, I may grab one of theone of the bow tie pasta filled
mason jars and have that fordinner.
So I think I'm going to startpulling from the mason jars and
then obviously leaving thebuckets for those particular
situations.
So again, just something tothink about.
(10:04):
Again, I don't want to say itwas a big mistake that I made
back in the day when I firststarted, but it's a learning
process.
Prepping is a journey, justlike anything else, and as you
go along you make little tweaksoh, this was great, this is not
so bad, this was an absolutedisaster.
I'll never do that again.
(10:24):
So as we learn, it just makesus better preppers in the end.
So I'm not sure what everybodyelse has in their pantry, but
again I'm going to go mix andmatch with the buckets for
convenience and then the masonjars for things that I've
already had for several yearsand I'm just going to start
eating from them.
Because again, in a bug outsituation, if I've got to go, my
(10:47):
bug out bag is not full of sixmason jars full of pasta and
three mason jars full of 15 beansoup.
It's just not very practicalPrice-wise.
Much less expensive when youtake the bulk bag of pasta and
you break it up into your masonjars as opposed to what's in
your meal bucket.
So again, like anything elsenot just prepping, but anything
(11:10):
else in life there's always acompromise when you break it
down convenience for price andvice versa.
All right, folks, thanks somuch for stopping by.
I really appreciate it.
Looking at the metrics theother night, and the
listenership keeps increasing bya very large percentage.
So please leave a like, leave areview, let your friends know
(11:31):
what I'm doing and again, asalways, be careful out there,
take care of one another anduntil next time.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Thanks for listening to the Common Sense Practical
Prepper podcast.
Be sure to subscribe so youdon't miss an episode While
you're at it.
Help spread the word by leavinga rating and review.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
The National Weather Servicehas issued a severe thunderstorm
warning.
Welcome to the Common SensePractical Prepper Podcast, where
(00:21):
prepping doesn't have to becomplicated or expensive.
Coming to you from awell-defended, off-grid compound
high in the mountains, comingto you from his florida room in
richmond, virginia neitheroff-grid nor well-defended,
unless you count as chickens andcats, here is your host, keith
hey y'all, this is keith, andwelcome back to the Common Sense
(00:43):
Practical Prepper podcast,august 22nd 2025, where we talk
about all things preparedness,self-sufficiency and building a
resilient lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So what we're going to talk about today is my pantry
.
I've decided to kind of deepdive into my pantry and see what
potential mistakes that I'vemade over the last several years
and some of the things thatI've done right.
And that's the whole reason forthis podcast to tell you what
I've done right, what I've donewrong, offer up an opinion and
(01:20):
see if it's something that youwant to pursue.
So when I first started severalyears ago, I was all about the
mason jar.
I grew up with my grandmotherand great-grandmother with a
root cellar going down andgetting mason jars the larger
ones, the small ones out of thebasement and then out of the
root cellar and then bringing itup for them to cook the meals.
(01:40):
So I'm thinking all right,mason jars, I'll take the bulk
pasta, the bulk rice, the bulkbeans and I'll break them down
into individual mason jars.
Now they look all great sittingon a pantry shelf and they
certainly have their place,don't get me wrong.
But they're bulky, they'refragile because they're glass
(02:03):
and anything that I do put intoa mason jar.
It's a sterile, a very cleanmason jar that I then throw in
an oxygen absorber and thenvacuum seal it, just to be on
the safe side.
Be very careful about stackingone mason jar on top of the
other.
I read that potentially theweight of the one mason jar
could cause the mason jar on topof the other.
(02:24):
I read that potentially theweight of the one mason jar
could cause the mason jar on thebottom to pop its seal.
So I just went ahead out of theabundance of caution and went
ahead and stacked them single,didn't stack them double,
because the last thing I want todo is come into my pantry and
find that seven or eight jars ofbeans or pasta have popped and
(02:46):
they're basically useless atthat point.
I also read that you tightendown the ring to make sure
you've got a seal, but don'tkeep it very tight, loosen it up
.
And I didn't understandinitially why.
But it made sense, because ifthe seal pops, basically telling
you it's lost its seal and youprobably need to toss the
(03:07):
contents sometimes, that keepsthe seal much tighter.
And I'm thinking well, it'skind of counterintuitive, don't?
I want the seal nice and tight.
But if it's a situation wherethe seal is compromised and it's
slowly leaking, go ahead andloosen the seal a little bit so
when it does pop it's very easyto see, very visible and you can
(03:32):
take care of, you can disposeof it or do whatever you want to
do with those particular itemsin the mason jar.
Now, as far as the ring six,one half dozen again, I went
ahead and did that just to be onthe safe side.
I don't quite understand thescience behind it, but I read it
on several different websitesso I will defer to the
professional mason jar keeperpeople and I went ahead and
(03:55):
stuck with that.
So they certainly have theirplace.
Now.
I've also spoken about thebucket meals, the shameless
commercial plug I'll get out ofthe way.
I'm on the affiliate programwith Augustin Farms.
The affiliate link will be inthe show description.
You use that affiliate link.
There is a chance I will get asmall commission from that
purchase.
Use podcast prep, all one wordat checkout and you get an
(04:18):
additional 10% off your order.
All right, there's my shamelesscommercial plug.
So look at, into these buckets.
The big draw, the big plus forme is convenience.
The biggest drawback is theprice.
But, like anything else, goahead and shop around, go to
(04:38):
different websites differenttime of the year.
You've got Augustine Farms,readywise, hourwise, patriot,
supply, 4patriots there'sprobably half a dozen at least
out there and odds are there's aparent company that probably
fills all the orders for all thecompanies and they slap a
(04:59):
different sticker on it.
But regardless, augustin Farmsis the company that I prefer
because I've tasted most of thefood from most of the companies.
Augustin Farms was just the onethat I landed on who I
contacted about being a part ofthe affiliate program.
So convenience is huge.
They're stackable, so you don'thave to worry about double
(05:20):
stacking.
Triple stacking, you're notgoing to have any issue with
that.
They're sealed into buckets.
The buckets are resealable.
A lot of the individual mealsare resealable as well.
You've got the big upfront costand again that's the biggest
drawback.
So I went into the pantry and Igrabbed my 72-hour emergency
(05:41):
meal bag from August in Farmsthat I got several weeks ago.
So it comes in a pretty sturdyfoil container.
It's got a little handle Again.
You just grab it and go, set itby the door of your pantry,
drop it in your go bag yourget-home bag, whatever bag it's
going in.
It's very convenient.
Now, this is a 72-hour kit forone person.
(06:04):
If this is all you have and youhave two people, well, you're
splitting it.
You have three, well, you'resplitting it again.
So as you go down, it's lessand less food per person.
But for one person, you can'tbeat this bag.
Now it has the maple brownsugar oatmeal, which is very
good, creamy potato soup, whichis fantastic, and the creamy
(06:28):
chicken flavored rice, whichyou'll find in a lot of the
different buckets, regardless ofthe company.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'll giveit an 8.
What you're doing is you'retaking this food with you
boiling water, and it's meant tosustain you until the next day
or until things calm down.
This is not meant to be afive-course meal at the Chez
(06:52):
Paul, where you're getting allthe best food that's cooked by a
chef, a world-renowned chef.
If you flip over and you lookat the ingredients, there's
going to be plenty ofpreservatives, polyphosphate and
a bunch of other stuff that Ican't even pronounce.
(07:12):
But again, we're not eatingthis on a daily basis.
This is something that we'reeating in case of an emergency.
It's going to get us thecalories we need.
It's going to be a warm meal.
It's going to increase morale.
We're not eating this as far asto be fit and trim.
I don't think there's anythingorganic in any of these buckets.
(07:33):
But again, when the poop hitsthe fan, are you really?
Well, I'm sorry, keith, thatsuper duper, ultra processed
sugar, something or otheroatmeal that's not organic I'm
going to have to pass.
Well then, that's more thatsugar, super duper processed
oatmeal for me.
Again, this is getting usthrough a couple couple days of
some really tough times.
(07:54):
We're not eating it necessarilyfor the nutritional value.
Certainly going to need tosupplement this, especially in a
long SHTF situation with thevitamins, your A, b, c, ds, your
Ks, your potassium andmagnesium.
That should be part of yourregular daily routine, shtf
situation or not.
(08:15):
So you're going to need tosupplement your bucket meals.
Now let me grab this AugustinFarm bucket and I'll try not to
give myself a hernia.
So this one is a 30 day supplyfor one person, and again it's a
15 to 15 day supply for twoperson, and so on and so on.
So this one has, it has thesoup, the oatmeal, pancakes,
(08:39):
fettuccine, alfredo.
We got the cheesy broccoli rice, spanish rice.
We got the soup, we got bananachips, we got all sorts of
puddings and desserts.
So again, it can be a bitpricey.
But check the website, use theaffiliate link as I tear my
shoulder out of my socket anduse the coupon code podcastprep
(09:02):
and you get 10% off.
So again, just keep an eye onthese different sites.
You'll always see a buy one,get one, or buy this bucket and
get a 72 hour kit on top of it.
It's definitely worth lookinginto.
The convenience is fantastic.
The price can be a detractor,but when you weigh it all
(09:23):
together you know I think it's.
I think it might be a goodoption for a lot of people.
So what I'm going to do, I'mjust going to mix and match.
I'm going to take my bucketsand they're going to be in my
pantry alongside my mason jars.
I'm not going to start dumpingout things from my mason jar,
(09:44):
but what I'm going to startdoing is like, for dinner
tonight, I may grab one of theone of the bow tie pasta filled
mason jars and have that fordinner.
So I think I'm going to startpulling from the mason jars and
then obviously leaving thebuckets for those particular
situations.
So again, just something tothink about.
(10:04):
Again, I don't want to say itwas a big mistake that I made
back in the day when I firststarted, but it's a learning
process.
Prepping is a journey, justlike anything else, and as you
go along you make little tweaksoh, this was great, this is not
so bad, this was an absolutedisaster.
I'll never do that again.
(10:24):
So as we learn, it just makesus better preppers in the end.
So I'm not sure what everybodyelse has in their pantry, but
again I'm going to go mix andmatch with the buckets for
convenience and then the masonjars for things that I've
already had for several yearsand I'm just going to start
eating from them.
Because again, in a bug outsituation, if I've got to go, my
(10:47):
bug out bag is not full of sixmason jars full of pasta and
three mason jars full of 15 beansoup.
It's just not very practicalPrice-wise.
Much less expensive when youtake the bulk bag of pasta and
you break it up into your masonjars as opposed to what's in
your meal bucket.
So again, like anything elsenot just prepping, but anything
(11:10):
else in life there's always acompromise when you break it
down convenience for price andvice versa.
All right, folks, thanks somuch for stopping by.
I really appreciate it.
Looking at the metrics theother night, and the
listenership keeps increasing bya very large percentage.
So please leave a like, leave areview, let your friends know
(11:31):
what I'm doing and again, asalways, be careful out there,
take care of one another anduntil next time.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Thanks for listening to the Common Sense Practical
Prepper podcast.
Be sure to subscribe so youdon't miss an episode While
you're at it.
Help spread the word by leavinga rating and review.
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