Canned goods can be a life saver if buying those items that hold long shelf lives. I stock a pantry full of them. Yes I use some of the items for preparation with other items but do have stuff that kind of acts like an emergency stock. Things happen and needed expenses sometimes come out from no where. It helps to have a food that can sit around a long time. Not only save money but have something to eat when you have no money. I guess I really never looked at them as kind of an investment but I can see that.

I'll say one more thing that my parents did was canning their own goods. I remember shelves of supplies in my child hood home in the cellar. Meats, fish, jams, pickles, potatoes, fruits, vegetables and many others. They did this mostly prior to the winter here. A lot came from the garden. That is even a cheeper way of saving money by not having to buy canned goods from the store.