Fight Inflation and Be Survival Savvy
With Smart Food Prep

Photo of Susan Gast
Susan Gast, Author and Food Preservation Enthusiast
Susan has been dehydrating and preserving foods for over a decade, sharing practical, tested methods that help readers make healthy, long-lasting meals at home.

Rising prices stretch every grocery trip, but you can fight inflation and be survival savvy without panic. By prepping smarter—through food dehydration, baking, budgeting, and waste reduction—you’ll cut costs today while building resilience for tomorrow. Everyday skills make a big difference when inflation spikes.

✅ Quick Answer: How can you fight inflation and be survival savvy?
You can fight inflation by learning practical skills like dehydrating in-season food, baking your own bread, cutting waste, and sticking to a budget. These small, consistent actions lower grocery bills and build an emergency pantry for peace of mind.


man in a storm with an umbrella

'Disaster' a conscious thought, but we rarely go beyond anything more than just the thought. Yes, some of us get a kick out of watching the Survivor TV show, but that's an altogether different ball game.

The word 'disaster' gets demoted to the disastrous feeling of 'our home team lost the game'—that's a disaster?

What Really Counts as a Disaster—and Why It Matters

It's 'disaster survival' in other parts of the world, from famines or mudslides and earth-shattering earthquakes here and abroad to refugees seeking safe havens.

hazmat crew transporting a body

How about:

  • Coronavirus in China AND all around the world?
  • Contagious diseases?
  • Frightening fires or volcano eruptions in Hawaii and around the world?
  • Tornadoes in Oklahoma?
  • Monkey poxes?

Now those are disasters!

And we feel helpless—incapable of doing anything.

And there are the terrorist attacks in Israel. We watch from afar and really feel for all the families involved and how they're dealing with the loss of a loved one, their home, and a way of life as they once knew it.

Most of us are powerless to help them cope, right?

Let's pay attention, then, to what we can do—in our own backyards. Being able to take care of ourselves lessens the stress on government services—if and when that awful need arises.

My Survival Story: Lessons Learned After Hurricanes

My first experience of Survival Savvy after hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004 was easy, I'm sure, compared to poor souls who lost everything they own—including their lives—in mudslides, volcano eruptions, earthquakes, and wars.

Read my brief story and see photos of how we got through the hurricanes.

When violence happens in your own backyard, you need to be survival savvy too. I can only imagine what the poor person felt like after discovering the Boston Marathon Bomber terrorist survivor hidden in his boat in his backyard. Drop the tarp like a hot potato and call for the police! He did the right thing.

Rising Food Prices: Smart Ways to Fight Back

Food prices ARE still rising (no doubt they always will!), and we need to offset that expense by dehydrating foods while they're plentiful, i.e. "in season."

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Bake Bread at Home: A Simple Inflation-Buster

Take ACTION to save money by baking your own bread. YES, you CAN do it too. I'm proof of it! (Pun intended).

I'm no baker, but this bread recipe is amazingly simple and yields great results every time. Click the red bread link above to see yummy photos and the link to get the MOAB (mother of all breads!) recipe. ;-)

Stop Wasting Cash: Everyday Money-Saving Tricks

Is it possible to save money and stop throwing it down the toilet? You bet! Save money by cutting out things that aren't absolute necessities, such as

  • Smoking, booze, soda pop... but I'm not here to preach
  • Stop eating out at fancy restaurants so much!
  • Walk to the stores if they're not too far away to save gasoline!
  • Turn the A/C up 1 or 2 degrees in summer and crank up the ceiling fan—you'll get used to it and save money!
  • Save money by using electric blankets on your beds in the wintertime instead of wasting money heating the ENTIRE house during the night!
  • Update your water heater—new ones retain 85% of their heat!
  • Save a TON of cash by drying your clothes on a rack—not in the electric/gas clothes dryer!

Inflation-Proof Your Wallet: Why Budgets Still Matter

We still haven't had a balanced budget from any presidential administration since the '90s—and yet they expect all us taxpayers to stick to a budget!

Sadly, most people DON'T have a budget, they spend more than they earn, and charge everything on their credit cards—and wham! It hits 'em like a ton of bricks... hence all the bankruptcies across America.

People are not saving as much as they used to because prices are skyrocketing, so they've nuttin' leftover TO SAVE. It's called INFLATION. The more the government prints/spends, the less our real-life paper dollar is worth (because there's more of 'em in circulation).

The funny thing is, you may not notice it on a day-to-day basis. When you look back to only a year ago, you'll see a price percentage rise in the double-digits—of many goods!

You may also find companies are packaging their product differently—i.e. same container—but it has an ounce LESS of product in it, but sold at the same price.

They do all this in the name of stopping us from panicking and putting "two and two together." Yeah, right. How's that workin' out? The answer is still "four."

If you need help to create a balanced budget, Dave Ramsey heads the list of folks to check out.

Dehydrate Food Before It Spoils: Easy Steps That Save Money

Take a moment to learn how to dehydrate fresh food before it spoils!

Then, check out the eBook and/or paperback below on how to use your dried food in our special recipe book.

Learn how to cook with dehydrated food. Contains over 20 Taste-Tested Recipes:

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HEADS UP: I'm tryin' NOT to be doom and gloom, so thanks for taking the time to read my Fight Inflation and Be Survival Savvy page.

Top Survival-Savvy Questions About Fighting Inflation

What does “survival savvy” really mean today?

Being survival savvy means preparing for everyday challenges like inflation, rising food costs, or storms by learning skills that help you save money and reduce waste—without panic prepping.

How can I cut grocery costs without sacrificing nutrition?

Shop seasonal produce, dehydrate extras for later, bake your own bread, and swap pricey processed foods for homemade basics. These steps keep meals healthy and affordable.

Is dehydrating food cost-effective compared to freezing or canning?

Yes. Dehydrating is energy-efficient, requires no ongoing electricity (unlike freezers), and creates shelf-stable food with minimal storage space. Over time, it lowers both food waste and grocery bills.

What’s the first step to becoming survival savvy at home?

Start small—track your spending, try one DIY food project (like drying apples or baking bread), and build up gradually. Consistency matters more than doing everything at once.

Being survival savvy doesn’t mean living in fear—it means living with confidence and creativity. By dehydrating food, baking bread, and keeping a smart budget, you’ll stretch every dollar while filling your pantry with real savings.

And to get you started, grab my free 5 Dried Food Recipes You'll Actually Love PDF (below)—featuring carrot soup, minestrone soup, split pea soup, spicy beef jerky, and banana cinnamon rolls.

Get 5 Dried Food Recipes You'll Actually Love

5 Easy Dried Food Recipes free PDF

Here's where you can get your copy of our all new
5 Dried Food Recipes (That Actually Taste Great)
They're my all-time favorite easy dried food meals!

Get it here right now.

For Free!

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