In all my recent organizing, and with my homeschooler on a special trip and Mr. Man working in a land far far away, I've had some time to really focus on some unfinished projects. (Also, potty training, but that's a whole other post!) And so I've decided to venture into a project that screams all of my weaknesses. It scares me beyond belief. And it's something my Mom is GREAT at, and so I keep hoping the gene that passes that along to me will suddenly show up once I make more than half an effort. So far it hasn't shown up, and I'm more overwhelmed than EVER.
The project: Emergency Preparedness & Food Storage.
I suck so bad at this. It's not even funny how big my file folders (on the computer and in my filing cabinet) are with lists, instructions and advice in this area. I am always gathering tools, just not sure how to start using them. But I want to. I know I need to. So I'm "trying".
We had an okay pantry/food storage before we moved. We used it frequently, rotated through it wonderfully, but I have no idea how many "months" supply we had or if we could have really "survived" on it. We used it all up so we wouldn't have to move with any food. But knowing what I do now about the lack of ALDIS and the expense of food out here, I would have stocked up instead. I did the same thing with things like toilet paper, toothpaste, and other non-food items - used them up instead of moving with them.
It seems that since moving I've just bought what we needed and then rebought as we ran out. Rarely stockpiling, though having a Costco has helped a bit with that. And while my mother will probably have a heart attack over this, I have to admit that I have no clue what is inside my 72 hour kits. I know I took the nasty old food out years ago, and I'm sure we don't have enough of anything for our whole family in them... but they hang nicely in the garage! (Sorry Mom.)
This type of project is just so beyond me. It's not something that I feel can ever truly be finished or accomplished and so it's hard for me to even begin. Trust me. I've been playing with "starting" my organized food and "stuff" storage for 10 years now. I can use any advice you have.
At any rate, my goal is to have a 3 month supply of pretty much everything. But I want it to be organized. So far I've made a list of every non-food item I can think of that we use: the brand/store, size and cost, how often we use how much, how much we have and how much we need for a year (though, again, I'm just going to try to start with 3 months and then slowly work my way up to 6 and so forth). I feel like I have a handle on that. (I hope.) Now for the food. Any suggestions?
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7 comments:
One of my fav food storage websites:
Food Storage Made Easy
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/
Get their 3 month supply spreadsheet.
Here is their disaster supply kit list:
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/getting-started/disasters-kit/
And their 72 hour kit in a milk jug instructions and shopping list:
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2008/06/13/how-to-make-a-72-hour-kit/
Don't forget to sign up for their checklists! They are very helpful and put the whole thing into doable batches of effort.
You are not alone in this. Updating our 72 hour kits has been on my to do list for two years. No joke. It sounds like you are off to a good start. Good luck. Wish I had some advice for you, but I will be back stealing others advice.
March 2009 Ensign "Family Home Storage: A New Message" says to start small and do the best you can. I found this article so guilt free, yet motivating enough to make me start picking up some extra items each time I go to the store. We LOVE http://shop.bluechipgroup.net/MOOS-MILK_c2.htm powdered milk and drink it ALL THE TIME! I buy the 50 lb bags.
Hi Renee,
This is also a difficult one for me, especially since I never realize that I am an "adult" and therefore responsible for things like food storage!
One thing I have done that is making it easier is to have two different sets of storage. One is the major long term storage: wheat, powdered milk, etc. This is stuff that, when canned, will last a long time, like 30 years for the wheat. Also, it is stuff that I will not be using unless there is a dire emergency. :) So, once I have that set up, I don't really have to worry about replenishing it until after some disaster occurs.
The second group is food that you use to feed your family on a daily basis:sugar, flour, oil, salt, baking soda, honey, jam, yeast, peanut butter, nuts, beans, pasta, rice, etc. These are things you will go through often, but they also have a shelf life of a year, at least. I would figure out how much you need of the 10 or so major things you couldn't live comfortably without and make one big push to stock up on a 3 month, or whatever, supply of those things. Keep a list (I know how much you despise lists-haha) of how much you need and every time you take something out of the food storage pantry, make a note of it. Then, every 3 months, or whatever time period you are comfortable with, look at what items you have used and replenish them. Also, remember that you do not need to have ingredients for every possible recipe.
I started in on this last year and we have a basement room where the food storage goes. Well, I also put treats down there that I don't want anyone beside me to get into.:) So, Bobby was helping me unload groceries one day and I handed him a bag and said "put this in food storage". He happened to open the "food storage" bag to find that it contained 2 bags of Ghiradelli chocolate and 5 boxes of gobstoppers. :) Hey, you "need" what you need. :)
Sorry for this food storage manifesto! Also, make sure you have a portable water filter (Greg probably already has one, or they are easy to find at camping stores) and a container that can tote water around. Bobby found a place in town that sells water containers that come with their own wheels and handles, like a little suitcase. That way, if you were having to go to a creek, it would be easier to transport.
I love reading your blog! I hope things are going well.
I can so relate to what you blogged about. I have all the tools too I just don't know where to start :)
72 hour kits hanging in the garage...great idea...why didn't I think of that? :)
Our food storage is made up of all of the stuff we eat (sounds like yours was, too). I generally don't store stuff that I don't typically use (unless it was free :)).
I am a couponer (mostly internet printables--I don't get a paper) and deal hunter. I watch for items to go on sale and match my coupons to the sales. (There are some sites online that help me with this, too.) I stock up big time when prices are really low. Then I don't worry about that particular item for awhile (unless there's a killer sale).
Perhaps if you get a list like you did with your non-food items, then you'd know what to look for and how much of it to stock up on when those sales hit. And print yourself some coupons, too--especially if any of your stores double them!
You'd probably be really good at keeping an inventory list, too (I'm not), which would help you to know when you need to start looking for sales on particular items again. Of course, some are really at their best seasonally (canned veggies at Thanksgiving time, for example).
I ran across an article the other day that kind of says similar things:
http://www.thethriftymama.com/2010/01/save-money.html
Oh--and things like wheat (which I grind and use as flour), white flour, sugar, etc.--I order when people in my area are doing a storehouse order or something like that.
As for 72-hour kits, maybe just choose a day when you're going to go through them, and stick to it. Choose a few basics you'd like them to include. Make a list of what you'd like to add, and then maybe add one thing a month or something? My philosophy here is, something is better than nothing--so having some kind of kit is better than having none at all! :)
I think that this is frustrating to you because you're SO ORGANIZED and there are so many ways to go about it--choosing one "best" way may be impossible and thus, quite frustrating! You never cease to amaze me with all that you do! GOOD LUCK!
Seriously, THANK YOU all!
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