Planning for Food Storage

[lallhands]

I agree with the canned food. I also stock up on flats of bottled water, rotating them out monthly with new ones. You can live more than six weeks without food, but lack of good drinking water can take you down in one week. I also augment my long-term canned food storage with six cases of MREs.

You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to be prepared for the unexpected. It is not too crazy to think that with all of the money printing going on, hyper-inflation could cause our economic system to falter in a major way resulting in shortages at stores (See Zimbabwe).

[LippCJ7]

Pretty much all that has been said I agree with except the water issue but my situation is somewhat different and it goes along with preparedness. My sisters house is 15 miles from my house and she has a well so water is no problem and I have learned and tested how to power it without commercial power via generator. On another note I'm in CO so streams and rivers are common and I have a katadyne filter that provides plenty of drinking water as well as water to wash up with. Once again train train train goes right in line with eat what you store and be prepared and all that stuff.

[Beat Trash]

I don't have a direct link, but the Mormons (Church of Latter Day Saints) has a huge pamphlet on the internet that is a wealth of information on how to start a food storage program.

It is set up for a year's worth. Cut that down to what you're personal goal is. It is based around basic foods, so if you don't cook outside of a microwave, then never mind.

But this plan skips meat, and in my personal opinion, is kind of bland.

I'm not a Mormon, by the way.

Can goods are nice, but you have to watch the shelf life. Rotate your stock.

Rice and pasta are also good, as well as dried beans.

But most importantly, if you don't like it now, or don't eat it currently, don't stock it for an emergency. During a major incident, you'll have enough issues without finding your food stock is filled with things you hate...

[LippCJ7]

I don't have a direct link, but the Mormons (Church of Latter Day Saints) has a huge pamphlet on the internet that is a wealth of information on how to start a food storage program.

It is set up for a year's worth. Cut that down to what you're personal goal is. It is based around basic foods, so if you don't cook outside of a microwave, then never mind.

But this plan skips meat, and in my personal opinion, is kind of bland.

I'm not a Mormon, by the way.

Can goods are nice, but you have to watch the shelf life. Rotate your stock.

Rice and pasta are also good, as well as dried beans.

But most importantly, if you don't like it now, or don't eat it currently, don't stock it for an emergency. During a major incident, you'll have enough issues without finding your food stock is filled with things you hate...

Thats funny you mention that, I too have looked at the LDS sites and they do have quite a lot of info on food storage. I am also NOT mormon, while I know only a select few do it I cannot in my wildest dreams envision why anyone would want more then one wife at a time!

[k_cheerangie]

During the cold war era I think at lot of this was on peoples minds and I have been getting more and more interested in the topic of being self-reliant for myself and my family.

I stumbled upon this web site and it seems to have lots of useful information on it.

[Barbara]

Don't worry about tackling everything at once.

Decide, within reason, what you're planning for. You can't prepare for Armageddon. You can prepare for a natural disaster, an extended bout of unemployment due to the economy or health reasons, or even some sort of disaster scenario when food, in general, may become scarce.

So, start on that basis. What is most likely?

Say, natural disaster, If you live in a hurricane, tornado or earthquake prone location. this could be your biggest risk. Think about scenarios. If there's an earthquake, is natural gas going to be interrupted? Can you eat whats available in your house? How do you prepare it? Are you better off finding an alternative fuel source, or storing foods that require little preparation? Maybe some prepared canned foods, like pastas or soups, that can be easily heated and eaten, out of the can if necesary, if a lot of water isn't available to clean up. This is an expensive type of food, but also the most convenient.

How long is this scenario likely to last? A few weeks? That's probably a maximum for most situations. How much does your family eat? Even in a situation like a relatively large natural disaster, you'll probably be able to supplement your stored food with groceries you purchase. But plan accordingly and buy a few things each grocery trip until you get a realistic supply of prepared foods.

Or, maybe, depending on your location, you have to be prepared to leave quickly. If you live in a hurricane prone area and are forced to evacuate, have a plan for foods that you don't have to shop for at the last minute, that can be kept in a tote and put into the car, and eaten without much in the way of utensils or dishes, while you're on the road.

The next risk, maybe, is prolonged unemployment. If you're living on a greatly reduced income, how do you adjust your food budget? The items you're going to want to eat during a period of time when your money is tight are going to be a lot different than what you have in an emergency situation. You're going to want to get as much as you can for your money, and you can usually expect to be unemployed for longer than the couple weeks maximum a natural disaster is likely to last. Think staples that you'll use. Flour, sugar, pastas, peanut butter, canned vegetables. Longish, but limited shelf lives, and things you probably already use regularly. Again, watch for sales, stock up on items that store well as they become inexpensive, and use these items in every day cooking, rotating the stock. Get used to having "more" than less. I very rarely buy anything that's not on sale these days, besides fresh fruits and vegetables. I don't have to. I can wait for a sale. Personally, this kind of storage is where I'd put the bulk of my resources, and make the biggest adaptions in my lifestyle, but it depends on what is realistic for your life.

Then there's the holy shit, the immediate world has come crashing down, food has become scarce, and there's roving bands of zombies situation. Or, let's just say, some sort of very serious situation, pandemic illness, Yellowstone blows and screws up farmland,nuclear disruprtion, whatever. A lot more far-fetched but a probability greater than zero.

So, if that happens, what then? You eat what you can eat and you get a lot less choosy about what that is and probably about how its prepared. This is probably the area you'll want to put the least resources, but also where you can get a lot more bang for your buck. Whole grains are cheap. Rice, beans? Dirt cheap purchased in bulk, and packaged well, they'll keep for years. For $10.00, you can get hundreds of servings of food. So, is it prudent to spend a small amount of money for a potentially large payoff? In my opinion, sure. Use these foods in day to day cooking, too..they're good for you and inexpensive.

[lallhands]

Here is a link to a good calculator. It is based on the Mormon preparation guide which should feed your family for 1 year. It gives a great idea of the types of food to store for the family size you specify.

http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm