Economically though, the fridge is your number one way of preserving food on the mid-term, and the freezer is pretty decent for long term.

The deal is convenience while the whole socio-economic system is still running. I just polished off a big pot of stew I made a few days ago, kept in the fridge during the interim. It would have simply gone bad at some point around the second day without the fridge. Then there is the batch of salted salmon I have going in the fridge now, a variation of Lox, you need a fridge in order to make it come out right.

My point on "survival living" is to be as comfortable and modern as possible, while not being dependent on the grid, not live caveman or pioneer style because it seems like a cool symbolic gesture.