Go to Ebay, search "MRE" lots and lots of MRE's to be had, some sellers also include water pouches.
Things to watch for: If the auction doesn't list the date stamp on the box (example 12/2005) then skip that auction. There would be no way of knowing when they were manufactured.
Shoot for getting full unopened cases (12 meals in a case), again, to know when they were made.
The best ones? Look for ship FROM's where there is a Military base nearby... My supplier is a drill sgt. and I won't reveal his location
Of course, look for auctions that are ending soon, and not many people have bid on, I just saw a case for sale with a "buyout" of $55, but the starting bid is only $15 and no one has bid on it.
MRE's when stored in your house (pref. the basement where it is Cool and dark, but NOT damp) should last for YEARS! Yes YEARS, and trust me, they don't taste THAT bad, even if your a food critic, being able to eat is far better than doing without...
Tword the end of the power outage, even though I had a generator and was running my freezers, we ran out of the "basics" like butter, milk, etc. "fridge fodder". We ended up eating MRE's for two days, simply because they were EASY, and included all the basics (crackers or bread, cheese or PB, candy or chocolate bar, Main course, and flameless heater).
The flameless heaters really shine, just dump in about 1-2 oz of water, and it will heat the main course...
Before this "disaster", I would buy these MRE's for hunting and camping trips, they are WAY easy to stuff one into your backpack and stay out in the woods all day long.
Other lessons learned from this power outage:
Keep a jug or 2 of drinking water in your fridge (old milk jugs work great), just make sure that you roate it out every week or so. We drink mostly water and ice tea in my house, so rotation isn't really an issue, we try and make sure to use the water every week. That way you have some extra water in a pinch. Durring this storm we ended up under a boil order, well if you think back to the last time you were making pasta, it seemed like it took forever for that water to boil, much less wait for it to boil, then wait 3 minutes, then wait for it to cool enough that you can drink it!!!! Just try it when your mouth is very dry (cotton mouth)!!!
Even if you don't like it, buy some stuff like Hamburger Helper (look on the back for the kinds that only need water and not milk) ad stuff it into the back of your pantry. That way when that bulk package of hamburger starts to thaw, you'll have something to make besides hamburgers.
Mac'N'cheese is also good pantry fodder, just look for the Velveta stuff where the cheese is already made up in a pouch, so you don't have to add any milk.
Just about anything dried, beef jerky, pasta, mushrooms, dehydrated fruits and veggies, etc.
I mean tword the end there, even the grocery stores were all out, and most of them in my neck of the woods were closed by then... add to that we were driving out to St. Charles to buy gas and ice at one point and your fuel bill adds up quckily with a generator, so the more $$$ you can save ANYWHERE the better.
KEEP SOME EMERGANCY CASH AT HAND.... I learned this lesson pretty hard. We have for years now been using our "check cards" in lue of cash cause it's soo darn easy, just swipe you card and bang-o, it shows up on the bank website and downloads into your favorte money management software... Well when the power is out, and the phone company is having problems, etc. Most of the cashiers out there don't know how to use, or don't even have the old "imprint" machines for CC's. So your gonna need CASH. Not soo much that your afraid to leave the house, or would be totally hosed if your cousin/wife/girlfriend finds it and rips you off, but enough to cover you getting some gas and batterys or other essential items. The less you have to drive the more money your not out.
I'm sure I will think of some other things but it's at least a list.
As far as your saltwater tanks go, here are some things I've learned...
Ice in Zip Locks will help to cool the tank water, just make sure you can get to enough ice! If you figure the power might be out for a while, investing in both a generator and a chiller might be worth it! My FOWLR tank went thru about 60 pounds of ice over a 5 day strech, if I would not have had the generator running my fridge (and thus the ice maker) that would have been a lot of ice to go haul in every day.
Make sure you stir the water somehow for around 15 to 30 min every 2 hours max. Back before I had the generator there was a period where our power was out all night one night. I stayed up all night running extention cords between my tanks an my truck (power inverter) to keep them running. After falling asleep and and looking at my fish, I found that 2 hour time limit, none died, but I wouldn't want to push it any further. At the very least you can use a bucket or pitcher to dump water over and over...
Hot water in a hot water bottle or ziplock can help warm the tank... Obviously this is a winter tip, but it works
Power options...
Generator - Probly the best option but most expensive, your going to lay out probly around $500 or more for a good sized one, then you have to feed it's hunger for gas. Mine ran 10 hours on 4 gal (I ran premium thru it cause I had some old gas in there for a while, then switched back to regular). Don't forget to use fuel stabilzier if your going to store it, and if your going to store it a long time, drain the gas as much as you can, then run it till it runs out of gas. Change the oil... often, more often than you think you'll need too.
Power Inverters... Cheaper, versitile, silent Depending on the model you'll need to run it off your car or truck, or off a 12v car battery. Nice if you think your neighbors will get upset at you running a noisy generator all night long. However, battery's don't last forever, and if the power is out for days (like it was for all of us) you'll be searching for a way to charge the battery's quickly, and get them back to your tank(s).
Computer UPS's... Being a computer guy, I can't really recommend them. I have an APC unit designed for a smallish desktop unit, and it's supposed to allow 5 min worth of power to a computer to allow you to save and shutdown. Problem is even with only 1 power head plugged in, it only lasts 5 min total. Most of the APC units, if you turn them off, they will not turn back on unless plugged into a live outlet, otherwise they "fail" the internal test and shutoff (APC may have changed this but I doubt it). There are other brands that don't turn back off, but they don't last very long either. Plus the designers never had Saltwater in mind when they put these things together. So if you do use them, keep them well away from your tank to prevent disaster.
Of course there are more expensive options like whole house generators and such, but I'm not getting into that.
I hope this helps!
