Krysta's post reminded me of a few things regarding emergency prep. In fact, it reminded me that I had an empty 6 gallon water container I purchased 2 years ago and never filled....so I went and filled it! Now I'm 6 gallons more prepared. Here are my thoughts...and I've thought about this lots.
1. Before thinking about FOOD STORAGE, think WATER STORAGE. All the food in our pantries will do us no good if we are dehydrated or have no water to use for cooking. Here's the link to the church's Providentliving.org page about water storage. http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7534-1-4065-1,00.html
Consider using Juicy Juice or pop bottles, or if you have the space, there are big drums that hold tons of water available.
2. For those overwhelmed with rotating through a year's supply of wheat...I've heard of people buying a supply of wheat (and other things with a really long shelf life), and keeping it as their long term storage without rotating it. If it's sealed, it will last a long time.
3. I had a good friend tackle a one year's storage in an interesting way. She chose 9 meals that her family enjoys that could be made completely from pantry items (ex. spaghetti, green beans). She purchased a months worth of each meal (ex. 30 boxes of noodles, 30 jars spaghetti sauce, 30 cans beans), which equaled 9 months of food. For the other 3 months, she stored the basics like wheat, beans, and dry milk. Think about purchasing even a weeks worth of your favorite pantry meals.
4. Break it up into manageable steps. Buy a few things every trip to the store, like Krysta suggested. Focus on a weeks supply, then a month, then 3 months and so on.
5. Start NOW with SOMETHING, even if it's just a package of bottled water. Good luck!
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6 comments:
Thanks Rin. I am totally motivated with all of this food storage and 72 hour kits stuff. I have got it all mapped out now. I did it this morning. I like the meal idea though. What a great idea, then you would use the stuff that you purchase.
I've heard that if the wheat is stored in #10 cans, it can last up to 30 years. Pretty cool! Except that one person in my family is allergic to wheat (not gluten intolerant - allergic as in hives, etc) and that has thrown me for a loop. I guess rice and corn would be a good substitute, but I'm not sure on how long they last...
I really like the meal idea! I am loving this blog...so many helpful and fun things to share!
hey there Lorinda and Andrea. It's your cousin Joann. I had a friend recommend this blog. I was excited when I seen your pictures. I love the blog. you have some great ideas.
When I was in the RS presidency, I learned about the church's new format for encouraging food storage. The church now is encouraging a one year supply of staples that last LONG term (i.e. 30 years), such as wheat, rice, salt, etc. These are things that aren't really intended to be rotated. They are then encouraging getting a 3-month supply of items that are rotated through your regular meal planning. This makes gathering food storage much more manageable! Check out providentliving.org for more info!!
One thing that originally kept me from buying long-term food storage was my lack of confidence in keeping track of my food storage. How much wheat do I need for my family of 4 and how do I know when I have enough? In a Relief Society lesson, I was introduced to the website www.trackmyfoodstorage.com. I signed up for it (the free version)...and I love it (and simultaneously dislike it...for the reason that it shows how far away I am from a whole year's supply).
It takes the size of your family...and the ages...and tells you exactly how many pounds you need of wheat, legumes, milk, rice, and other staples. How many gallons of water you need for a 2 week supply...etc. You can also customize it to meet your family's needs, like if there are allergies or intolerances. Then you input how much you have and it tells you how much more you need to go.
This reminds me...I need to update it. Thanks for the reminder!
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