How Do I Get Started??

We have accumulated and lived off of our food storage several times in different circumstances. I thought I’d just share some of the ways we’ve gone about getting an emergency food supply in hopes that one of these ideas will inspire you to find a good way of starting or building your family’s storage. Remember that you should store what you eat, and eat what you store. “Emergencies” aren’t the best time for major changes in your diet, nor is that when you want to start eating things that have been sitting in the basement for how many years? Your food storage needs a rotation plan, too.

1. “Bargain of the Week” method: Decide on an amount of money to spend each week (or month) on an item (or two) that is on a very good sale, and stock up. Check and compare store ads to decide what to buy. This is a great money saver, but it takes a while to have a balanced storage. (This year’s supply plus our garden sustained us through 15 months of unemployment!)
2. “Can-Can” method: From your regular shopping list, choose as many of the non-perishable items that you can afford to buy two of, and put the duplicate can, box, or bag in your pantry or freezer. This way you know you are storing things you really use. This is an easy rotation method also, because the next time you have X on your shopping list, you eat the can on your shelf, and put the two you just bought in its place. (This method helped us survive truckers’ strikes and blockades in France!)
3. “Favorite Things” method: Choose 12 family-favorite dinners and write down everything you need to make that meal and multiply by 12. Each month buy the items you need to make that dinner, and you’re set to eat it once a month for the next year. By the end of the year, you have the makings of 144 dinners stored.
4. “The Commitment” method: Use bonus money, tax returns, cash gifts, or any other non-budget funds to buy items for your food storage. Prioritize and organize your list of needs, and work straight down it whenever you have saved or received money that can go towards it. Check with the Church Home Storage Center in Sandy for availability of bulk items that store well. (This is how we got through a year of job-hunting after graduate school!)

It doesn't really matter how you get that first food storage item on the shelf, as long as it gets there and gets lots of company. Hopefully this gave you an idea to brain-storm from that will work for you family's goals and situation.