Have you looked at the shelf stable almond milk not in the refrigerated section of the grocery store? At my local publix, and I think at Walmart, they have the small (8 oz I think) cartons of both regular and almond milk. Usually for about a $1.00. I really like the chocolate almond milk in that size carton as I don't drink much chocolate milk. I buy the half gallon size almond milk from the refrigerated section and it keeps a really long time. Use it almost exclusively for cereal. I have found that Horizon Organic milk in the "cardboard" type container keeps much longer than milk in the plastic cartons. The expiration date on it is much longer too. And it usually is good beyond the expiration date.

We've used whey-based and fat-free powdered milk products of one kind or another as our primary source for milk and other dairy products since 1981, using both instant and non-instant varieties. I purchase it in #10 cans (for long-term storage) or bulk amounts in buckets to save on the price of milk. I always purchase enough for a year at a time. These are the substitutions I've used over the decades of powdered milk use. --Evaporated milk: double strength powdered milk (twice as much milk powder) --Sweetened condensed milk: 3/4 c. non-instant (OR 1-1/3 c. instant) powdered milk 3/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. hot tap water 2 T. butter Melt margarine in hot water, placing hot water in blender. With blender going add sugar and powdered milk, blend until smooth. (Makes about 14-oz.) Can be stored up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. --Buttermilk: Method #1- which is actually sour milk 1 c. water 1/4 c. powdered milk 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice Method #2- Mix 4 T. buttermilk powder to 1 cup liquid (reconstituted) powdered milk Method #3- (source: Natural Meals in Minutes - by Rita Bingham) This is a recipe that is like commercial buttermilk - rich, thick and tangy, and is an actual cultured product. 1 quart lukewarm water 1 c. dry milk powder 1/2 c. commercial buttermilk OR reconstituted buttermilk powder (Note: you can also use 1 quart of commercial milk - any fat level you normally use - whole milk, 2%, etc.) Stir well and cover. Let stand in a warm place (at least 80-degrees F - I use my oven with the light on, and place the quart jar as far from the light as possible) until clabbered, about 12-18 hours. Stir until smooth. Refrigerate. NOTE: You can now use 1/2 c. of your homemade buttermilk to culture the next batch using powdered or regular milk. Use the homemade buttermilk for the next batch within 2-weeks. Method #4- I make homemade kefir using reconstituted powdered milk and real kefir grains and use kefir in recipes calling for buttermilk. I also drain the curd (a curd similar to yogurt) to use for plain yogurt, cream cheese and sour cream. --Half and half: For 1-cup - 7/8 c. double-strength reconstituted powdered milk (or regular milk) plus 1/2 T. butter or ghee --Cream: For 1-cup - 3/4 c. double- or triple-strength reconstituted powdered milk (or commercial milk) plus 1/3 c. butter or ghee (used for cooking or baking only, not for whipping) --Whipped "Cream" Topping: Method #1 Whip powdered milk. Mix 1 c. instant powdered milk with 1 c. ice water in a cold stainless steel bowl. Beat with chilled beaters until stiff. You can add sweetener of choice. Method #2 Chill a 13-oz. can of evaporated milk for 12 hours. Add 1 t. lemon juice. Whip until stiff. --Almond milk: Soak 1 c. almonds in water 8-10 hours (overnight), drain, rinse, drain. Blend with water in a high-speed blender. Drain the almond pulp through a nut milk bag (jelly bag or fine-screen strainer). You can dry the pulp to use in recipes calling for almond flour. I make concentrated almond milk by blending 1 c. of almonds in 2 c. of water, but you may like 3 to 3-1/2 c. of water. I can always thin it with more water if I need to. You can also sweeten your almond milk (dates, sweeteners), but I always use it straight. --Coconut milk: I buy powdered coconut milk (Wilderness Family Naturals) in 5-pound bags and use it for making coconut milk. You can also take unsweetened shredded coconut and water and make coconut milk in a blender. (http://wellnessmama.com/2447/homemade-coconut-milk/) --Whole milk: Method #1 - 1 c. reconstituted non-fat dry milk PLUS 2 t. butter or ghee Method #2 - 1/2 c. evaporated milk and 1/2 c. water --Instant and NON-instant powdered milk measures differently. Instant has a larger particle than NON-instant. If you have instant powdered milk and need NON-instant, blend the dry instant powdered milk in a blender or food processor to make fine particles. Now you can use instant dry milk powder measure-for-measure for NON-instant powdered milk. -Grainlady

I like the Diamond (Almond Breeze) brand a lot better than Silk, which has gone all out into the almond milk business. My local Walmart, where I buy most of my groceries, has cut way down on their soymilk inventory and is pushing almond milk. I wonder how this relatively new popularity is going to affect the water shortage in California. Almond trees are notorious water hogs. I still prefer soymilk, but use both. To answer the original question, I never noticed that warning on the container, and mine always lasts longer than 7 days. I think we're both fine. :-)

About the power outage... Make sure that your freezer is full. One easy way to do this is fill milk jugs with water and freeze. (Leave some head space because liquids expand as they freeze). You can wrap your freezer with blankets, bed blankets, afghans, polar fleece, moving blankets, whatever you have around, even winter coats/ parkas, down comforters.... Or, as DCarch has suggested on past threads, take a trip to a home improvement store and buy sheets of foam insulation---the pink or blue stuff has a higher R value than the cheap beaded styrofoam. You can cut the insulation down to use as a freezer cover box. Assemble together with some duct or packing tape. (You could even make some divots in the insulation and glue or tape rare earth magnets to the insulation to hold the insulation in place on the freezer or refrigerator.)