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This article seems to be less immediate and less desperate than many of his previous articles.

I think I'm seeing similar from other writers too.

They seem to be toning down the severity and suddeness of a collapse and have begun talking about 'years' into the future. (But, not all)

I'm beginning to wonder if I've prepped to soon and too much. I have some boxes of supplies with an early 2009 date on them.

Am I being swayed by election year propaganda? (Happy days are here again)

Albeit, I still think we're headed for a collapse of some sort...I just don't know when.

"I'm beginning to wonder if I've prepped to soon and too much. I have some boxes of supplies with an early 2009 date on them."

For the most part the "Use By Dates" are meaningless in the context of storing food for a SHTF emergency. Especially in the case of plain old canned foods. We always keep in mind the fact that in a SHTF scenario hungry people will have different standards of acceptability than in times of abundance.

We have kept other foods (dry foods, peanut butter, mixes, crackers, etc.) beyond their factory dates for the specific purpose of testing them to see how long they are palatable. Some foods change color or consistancy but remain edible and nourishing. Generally, anything with oils and fats will start to go rancid after a while.

Before you dispose of foods you have on hand you might want to sample them and decide for yourself if they are worth keeping or not. It will also give you better insight into the best products to purchase next time around.

Below is a link to some interesting information on the shelf life of canned foods. You might be surprised on the length of time some foods remain edible.

Shelf Life Studies: Canned Food and Dry Food

One of my tips is to save all the free phone books left by your door. The pages can be used as fire starters, but the main reason is a page will do for emergency toilet paper. They stack, store, and carry better than TP rolls.

I have my own stock of toilet paper, but if I want to barter or share I will start with the yellow pages.

A saying I heard and like: "It's better to be a year or two early, than a day late."

There are currently too many triggers in the world set on hair pull that can fire things off instantly once set in motion. EU bankrupt nations, our own bankruptcy, market crash, US or Israel bombs Iran or Syria, Obama wins the November election, etc...... The only thing holding it all back, IMHO, is God's hand of mercy. The second He's had enough of our belligerent and defiant behaviour, and lifts His hand of protection away from this nation, all bets are off, and it's every man for himself to get out of harms way. Could happen tomorrow, or His mercy may hold it off a while longer. Like Noah, he's giving us time to prepare and get things in order.