I do have some things in Mylar with O2 absorbers. I went to the local LDS warehouse and they have 1 gal bags for cheaper than any place on the web. If you can get to one of their warehouses, even if it is a drive, do so, they are sweet and very helpful. You do not need to be a member to shop. Call a head as some places are now requiring a member to go with you. Not that way in Denver or Albuquerque but I don't know first hand about any place else. Their LTS (long term storage) is some of the cheapest you can find.

Mylar is expensive (especially if you don't have an LDS warehouse nearby)and getting all the 5 gallon buckets is hard and if you can't find the freebies at the grocery store as someone else always beats you to it (yup, I am talking to you, hee hee) so what's a girl suppose to do? 2 liter soda bottles, a bit of dry ice and you are set. Personally, I don't even mess with the dry ice. The stuff I put in the bottles I only need to last about 5-8 years as I rotate through these. I also now use a vacuum sealer for bags and canning jars. Using a FoodSaver attachment to a canning jar lets you seal the dried foods in the jar to last a very long time. If anyone is interested in this info, let me know and I will post more info.

For a while now I have been saving all the 2 liter soda bottles, Gatorade and other bottles like this, and water bottles no matter how small. I don't save milk jugs, as you can't get the bacteria out, even soaking in bleach, so I don't bother even for gray water (to use for washing or watering plants). First I rinse the bottles, then put a few drops of dish soap and a bit of bleach and then half water, shake well, tipping slightly to make sure the mouth and threads are cleaned also, I do this by turning the bottle upside down in my cupped hand so that the
threads are covered in soapy bleach.

Then using a funnel, I pour this into the next bottle and repeat till all are done (I do this after I have several bottles saved up), then let them sit for 15-30 minutes while I clean or read. Don't forget the lids, I put these in a pot or bowl and pour the last of the soapy bleach water in. Next is rinse well. If I am planning to fill with water, I fill the bottle half way, put in 2 drops of regular household bleach (no scented or splashless kinds) for 2 liter bottles and 1 drop for smaller bottles. Shake it a little, then fill, put the rinsed lid on and tighten. Give the bottle another shake and store in a dark cool place. Rotate this water every two years, some say less, but in a cool dark area, it helps the water last longer. After all, water is water. This water will taste stale and will need to be shook to incorporate air back into it. If you can, do try to rotate it yearly but with 50 to 100 bottles filled we all know that isn't going be easy to do.

If you are going to use the bottles for storing dry foods, let them dry thoroughly for about 3-4 days depending how humid it is in your area. Once they are completely dry, fill with things like, sugar, cornmeal, flour, salt, oatmeal, rice, beans, baking soda, corn starch and some cereals. Most of the things listed above have indefinite shelf life, meaning they pretty much last forever. Cereal and flour are the exceptions, 3 - 5 years, though in my opinion, flour will be fine for 10 years.

Baking powder is not listed as it starts to go bad by year or two and I notice a difference after even a year. Have you ever made something with baking powder that was very bitter and wondered why? Yup, the baking powder! Took me forever to wonder why my cornbread, biscuits and Thanksgiving stuffing were bitter - what was I doing wrong. I started using less and less baking powder never making the connection until I read it on a survival blog!
No worries, you can make your own with two ingredients that last forever. Baking soda and cream of tartar.

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon corn starch (optional)
Corn starch is used to absorb the moisture in the air for storage, which keeps the baking powder from reacting making it useless. Store in an air tight container (I just keep my old baking powder containers). You won't need it if you only make what you need at the time.

Most commercially produced baking powder contains aluminum--sodium aluminum sulfate to be exact. Make your own baking powder, and keep your baked goods aluminum-free.

So far I haven't found a local source of cream of tartar that isn't in the little tins at the grocery store. So I just buy 1 or 2 when I can at the store.