Cost per day - $16
Cost for six months - $2,880, plus shipping (though discounts may be available for large orders)
Longevity - Five-plus years

1 MRE: Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) are a quick solution to build your food reserves, but they're expensive, bulky, and only last about five years. This approach is easy and no cooking is involved to prepare the food — it's truly “ready to eat” as the name declares. Each MRE contains approximately 1,400 calories, so two per day provides an average of 2,800 calories. You'll need 360 MREs (30 cases) for a six-month supply. For your daily ration, open up two MREs, pick through the contents to decide which items you want for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then eat them when you'd like. Better MREs include a water-activated chemical heater, which would give you two hot meals a day. This is a great morale booster and perfect for those who are cooking-impaired.