Buying food for “hard times” is always a guessing game. It would probably be a huge waste of money to go out and buy $4,000 worth of specialty survival goods that only have a shelf life of about 5 years.
If you do feel the need to store up food for emergencies that may not relate to the end times, honey and rice would be your best choice. They are both cheap in price, and last for decades. People who store food in order to survive the Tribulation need to realize that a food stash is not going to protect them from many of the calamities that the Bible predicts.
If you live in an area that comes under direct nuclear attack, a basement full of canned goods is not going to save you. Your only and best self-defense is getting saved before the Tribulation so you will be safe in heaven when Jesus takes out all born-again believers in the Rapture prior to the Tribulation.
However, it is wise to have some extra water, food and, flashlights and emergency medical supplies available in case of power outages or bad weather or short unseen circumstances that would make getting out to get necessary supplies difficult.
Many of the folks who are fully prepared with massive survival gear give the strong impression that they are not spiritually prepared for the life to come and are thinking too much of a dooms day scenario’s without trusting the Lord and have not made the connection that only God can save them from the coming Tribulation when God pours out His wrath upon mankind.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)