Food Storage made simple, or at least simpler - food storage analyzer review

Food storage for emergencies can be overwhelming to the beginner.  I know because I was once a beginner myself.  But I didn't start emergency food storage overnight or because of some fearful prediction like the Mayan 2012 thing.  It all started for me after 9/11.  My husbands job hit a brick wall and we were bringing in little money.  I took a night job and had to go to the local food bank because we were so strapped.  After that fun experience I vowed to never again have to beg for food. 

The nature of my husbands job is unfortunately rather unpredictable so I fell into stocking up on foods when there were great sales and always keeping at least a months worth at home.  After we moved to Wyoming this food storage idea  became even more important in the winter when blizzards cut me off from the grocery store that was a 15 mile trip into town.  I learned to bake my own bread out of necessity and kept probably 2 months of foods in our root cellar.

As the economic outlook looks worse and worse and the drums of war are beating louder and louder many people are looking at ways to safeguard their families through hard times.  Hey our grandparents did it so why shouldn't we? Food and water is our most basic necessity so having a good stock of foods you eat is not only common sense but wise too.  Last years inflation of food was 30% and this years is estimated to go up by at least that much.  So by stocking non perishable foods you know you will use you are saving money in the long run.  We have saved quite a bit this way.

I wont make this a long post because food storage doesn't have to be complicated or hard.  Just follow these few rules and you'll do fine.

1.  Most important!  Store what you eat and eat what you store.  Do not buy foods you have never eaten or don't like just because some prepper "expert" recommends it.  It's OK to broaden our horizons food wise but not in an emergency.  You want stuff you know how to prepare and know you will eat without gagging.  Also you want to stock food you will actually eat because you will need to cycle the food in and out occasionally.

2.  Buy on sale a little at a time.  If you have the money to spend on a deluxe dehydrated food package go ahead but for those of us on a budget buying a little at a time is the most realistic.  When something goes on a great sale I stock up not only for my normal use but for my emergency store as well.

3.  Buy in bulk.  Bulk is so much cheaper for things like flour, rice, beans, sugar that it make sense to buy the 50 lb bag rather than the 5 lb one.

4.  Start with a plan.  Not everyone wants a full years supply of food but what about a month?  Or three months?  You would be surprised at how easy it is to store that much food.

Now that you've got the basics down maybe you want to plan how much you need for a real SHTF emergency.  This doesn't mean the world ending kind of thing, but what about job loss or illness?  So here is a nifty food storage calculator I found.  It's the best I've found because it lets you put in grocery store items as well as the freeze dried canned stuff.  It's a good guide on what your going to need.


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