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Recession Proof Foods
Being ready for a recession is just a smart move. Whether you’ve prepared for years or you’re seeing the warnings signs, there are some foods that are considered recession proof foods. The prices on these products may rise, they will not rise as much as many other products. Plus, they can still be used to create healthy, delicious meals! Some of these foods are pantry staples, while others have to be purchased frequently and seasonally. Even better, most people will be able to grow these foods themselves even if they’re living in a small space, like an apartment!
1. Canola Oil
Canola Oil is one of the cheapest oil options out there and a great recession proof food. Some people have concerns over the manufacturing process, but it is considered to be very safe and is heart healthy! When you’re working to lower your grocery costs and prepare for a recession, Canola Oil is a pretty solid choice. It is one of the most commonly produced oils in the USA and consistently cheaper by the ounce. In addition, there are cold-pressed canola oils that have had no chemicals used in their proccessing. The cold-press process eliminates concerns of harmful chemicals entirely.
You can easily purchase Canola Oil from Amazon here! Right now, if you sign up for Subscribe and Save you can get up to 15% off regular delivery. Subscribe and Save can definitely help you build up a solid food storage stock!
2. Whole Chicken
Of all the meats that have suffered from inflation, chicken has risen the least.
For comparison:
- Whole chicken has gone up 40% since 2000
- Bacon has gone up 168% since 2000
- Ground Beef has gone up 207% since 2000
There’s a catch, however. If you want the most recession proof poultry, you’re going to have to go for the whole bird. Thankfully, there are lots of uses for whole chickens. They aren’t just good eating, for example, you can make stock with the bones! Multipurpose food choices are the backbone of recession proof foods.
If you’re brave enough to try it out, and have enough room, you can even grow your own chickens. This way you can take advantage of the eggs too before butchering. But, if you’re unable to raise chickens in your home, picking up a whole bird from the grocery store is still a pretty wallet-friendly choice. Organic birds will, naturally, be more expensive than a run-of-the-mill bird. However, in terms of inflation, even organic birds won’t have seen a major price increase.
3. Eggs
Eggs are a great option, especially if you’re able to raise your own chickens. A single egg is nutritious and filling, and there are many ways to preserve eggs for use later. You can freeze, pickle, dry… while they are not the most stable price-wise, overall the price of eggs stays fairly even. This makes them a moderately good choice for a recession proof food.
The best way to maximize grocery savings with eggs is to get them in large quanities when their price is super low and then dry and powder them! Store them in an air-tight container and reconstitute as needed for cookies or for eating! Plus, eggs are a really simple crop to pick up almost anywhere, not just the grocery store. Find a local egg farmer, or someone who just has a small backyard chicken flock and has too many eggs to handle. You can even try out alternative egg options like duck or turkey.
4. Beans, Beans, and Beans
Beans have long been considered a great recession proof food option because they’re relatively cheap, full of protein, and can be used in a variety of meals. Plus, if you make a pot of beans, you can make multiple meals with them. While the price of beans has definitely risen in the last few years, they are still a pretty solid recession proof purchase. The most popular beans for home cooking are navy, kidney, and pinto. You can also get chickpeas for more exotic or filling dishes.
I personally buy a mix of pinto and navy beans in order to make Husbando’s much loved Pork and Beans from scratch. Inflation has made purchasing the cans just impossible, so now we buy the beans and hotdogs separately and make it ourselves. It tastes better, has fewer additives, and he likes it more!
Amazon has an excellent deal on the most popular and common variety’s of beans in 4 pound bags! This bundle is a great way to stock up and keep this great recession-proof staple on hand. You can pick up your bundle here! The bundle is for kidney, pinto, red and black beans.
5. Root Vegetables
Root vegetables are another great option for storing in your pantry and you can buy them in large quantities from wholesale retailers and keep them for months! Carrots and potatoes are two of the most popular and will keep for months at a time if you’re careful about how you store them. The price of these foods has stayed relatively low and stable.
Our favorite way to buy root vegetables like potatoes, onions, and carrots has always been to go to warehouse stores and buy them during their primary harvest times. This way you’re doubling up on seasonal pricing, which is always much lower, as well as the naturally low price of these items.
Potatoes, in particular, are a great multipurpose tool for healthy meals in the kitchen. You’d be amazed how many different varieties of stuffed, baked potatoes there are out there and all of them are healthy, filling and CHEAP meal options that families love! When we were at our poorest, the baked potato bar was a lifesaver and a dinner we had sometimes twice a week.
6. Leafy Greens and Seasonal Fruits and Veggies
Buying seasonal fruits and vegetables is always a smart idea. The reason you’ll get better deals is because during the season that these items grow they often can outpace their market. Stores don’t want to buy the food and have it spoil on the shelves, so they lower the prices so that the products move. Have you ever grown or had a friend grow zucchini? There’s a joke that makes its way around social media every summer about people leaving stealth boxes of zucchini in the cars of all their friends and neighbors because they just have too much from their garden. This is the same issue a large farmer will face but on a much larger scale if the stores can’t get their products to sell! Lower prices mean more people buy fruits and vegetables they normally wouldn’t bother with.
Plus, with a little research and careful planning, a savvy homesteader can go even further with these recession proof foods. You can buy large quantities of these foods and preserve them for use all through the year when the prices go up. Lots of apples in the fall? A smart homestead will stock up and make everything from apple pie filling to apple cider, then compost the rest. Even if you’re living in a small space, like an apartment, you can do the same thing!
