We used to consider storing Just-add-Water meals to be “cheating”. However, over the years we have come to realize that there is a time and place for this type of food storage. If you go through a short term disaster or need to grab some food and go, having a bucket or two of this kind of food will be invaluable to you. We learned this in our 7 Day Challenges over the years. Also, for people who will not rotate traditional food storage (for whatever reason), or do not know how (or want) to cook with traditional foods, this can be a great option.

If you choose to store “Just Add Water” meals there are several things to consider as you determine what you need to store.

• First, decide how many servings your family will need to store. The servings are typically 200-300 calories so I would recommend planning for 2 servings per meal per adult and one per child.
• Second, decide if you want to supplement with other foods. Throwing in some meat or having some fruits and vegetables to add can make your food storage a lot more well-rounded (view yesterdays post for more on those items).
• Third, plan for the appropriate fuel and water. If your whole storage plan revolves around adding water to your food, you better have a good water storage plan in place! You also will need to be able to boil the water or heat the meals so you need to plan a cooking source that will work for that. (More on those two topics later this week!)

Where to Buy “Just Add Water” Meals

Here are a few of the companies that we have had experience with and offer good selections at good prices. (View the “Did you know” section below to see why the prices may vary)

Meals in Pouches

WISE FOOD STORAGE
Two 10-ounce servings per pouch. Just add hot water and wait 12 minutes. 6 different flavors to choose from. These meals do not contain meat.

MOUNTAIN HOUSE
Packages sizes vary from 1-person to 4-person. Wide variety of meal options. Add boiling water and let stand 5-10 minutes. Most meals contain real meat.

Meals in Mylar Bags Inside Buckets

LINDON FARMS
19 different meals in each bucket. Packages based on 2000 calorie per day diets. Most meals must be cooked for several minutes.

WISE FOOD STORAGE
14 different meals in each bucket. Packages based on 2-3 servings per day rather than calories. Most meals only need to add boiling water and let stand.

Meals in #10 Cans

FOOD INSURANCE
Click on long term meal plans. 16 different meals. Gluten-free options. #10 cans with long shelf life. Free shipping on orders over $1000. Comes in large packages.

MOUNTAIN HOUSE
Lots and lots of varieties to choose from. Purchase in individual #10 cans to see what you like, then buy more later. Shipping capped at $12 per order.

SHELF RELIANCE THRIVE ENTREES
11 varieties to choose from. Available in individual #10 cans and cases of 6 at a discount. Available in a large 1-year entree package.

When you are price-comparing these foods, there are several reasons why the prices may vary.

• Whether or not the meals contain real freeze-dried meat can make a huge difference. Some companies include TVP rather than meat, but most often they just use meat flavorings rather than any meat or meat substitute.
• A “1-year supply” can mean different things between different companies. If they are going by servings versus calories it can appear to be a lot cheaper when really you are getting less servings for that year.
• Products that don’t need to be cooked tend to be more expensive than ones that need to be cooked. This is because of the processing required to cook them and then dehydrate them for storage versus storing dried uncooked foods. Meals may be cheaper but you’ll have to store more fuel to cook them. It’s a balance you’ll need to consider.

Stay tuned as we continue Tax Refund Week

When referring to traditional food storage, the food items typically include grains, legumes, sugars, oils, etc. These foods provide a life-sustaining diet and at the very least these should be the ones you store. These items also have a long shelf life thus they are ideal for long term food storage. We recommend including additional foods such as fruits, veggies, meats and powdered dairy products in your traditional food storage to add a variety to your diet, and to allow you more flexibility to make your regular recipes using foods you have stored.

A lot of people like to shoot for a goal of storing a one year supply of long term food storage, so buying a big chunk of that at one time when you come across some “extra” money is a great way to make a dent in it.

Long term food storage can feel daunting so we dedicated a whole babystep just to PLANNING what you are going to buy. Look at our Babystep 4 page for an excel calculator (or pdf worksheets) that can help you how much of the basics you need for your family. Then add to your worksheet whatever “extra” items you want to store. One way to figure it out is to decide how many servings of fruits, veggies, meats, etc. you would want for your family per day and then multiply that by the length of time you are planning to store for.

Where to Buy Your Traditional Food Storage

All-In-One Packages:

Some people like to just buy a “1 year supply” package and call it good. If you choose to go this route, you need to think about what you ACTUALLY want to store and then do your homework on all the packages out there. For example, a one year supply can mean anything from a One Year Supply of Basics up to a Supreme One Year Supply including fruits, veggies, meats, meals, etc.

Grains/Legumes:

If you live in North America near an LDS Home Storage Center (or cannery), this is generally the least expensive place to purchase your bulk grains and legumes. Click here to look for a Home Storage Center in your area. You purchase the foods in bulk and either can them there or package them yourself in buckets at home. Please make sure to call your local cannery to find out their policies before you just show up. Each one seems to have different rules regarding needing an appointment, member policies, etc. A few limited items are available online from the cannery. Wheat, rice, pinto beans, and oats can be purchased in #10 cans at good prices with free shipping. Click here for more information. If the cannery is not an option for you, there are multiple places online you can purchase these basic items: EMERGENCY ESSENTIALS: Buckets and #10 cans. Grains and Beans HONEYVILLE GRAINS:Bulk bags and #10 cans. Grains and Beans and Peas SHELF RELIANCE: Buckets, #10 cans, smaller pantry cans, sample mylar pouches. Grains and Beans.

Freeze Dried Fruits and Vegetables:

These are a great addition to meals and desserts, to use as a side dish, or just to snack on. You can store dehydrated or freeze-dried, or a combination of both. It’s a good idea to try smaller packages of different kinds to see what varieties and brands your family likes best. You can get these in a wide variety of package options. Here are a few options online to check out: LINDON FARMS: Mylar pouches inside a plastic bucket. (all freeze-dried)Fruitsand Vegetables WISE FOOD STORAGE: Mylar pouches inside a plastic bucket, includes dips as well (all freeze-dried). Fruits and Vegetables EMERGENCY ESSENTIALS: #10 cans or smaller MyChoice cans (freeze-dried or dehydrated). Search Fruits and search Vegetables HONEYVILLE GRAINS:Small and large cans (freeze-dried or dehydrated). Fruits and Vegetables SHELF RELIANCE: #10 cans, smaller pantry cans, sample mylar pouches (freeze-dried or dehydrated). Fruits and Vegetables. For current fruit and vegetable package sales click here

Freeze Dried Meats:

Freeze-dried meats are great for adding bulk, calories, and flavor to your meals. They allow you to easily turn any recipe into a “shelf stable” meal. You can get these in a few different packaging options. Here are a few options online to check out: WISE FOOD STORAGE: 4 serving mylar pouches inside a plastic bucket. 6 chicken and beef options seasoned in a variety of flavors. Learn more. EMERGENCY ESSENTIALS: #10 cans, cases, and packages. Search “meat” to learn more. HONEYVILLE GRAINS: #10 cans and cases. Learn more. SHELF RELIANCE: #10 cans, smaller pantry cans, sample mylar pouches. Learn more.

“Other”:
A lot of these stores offer a variety of other products you may choose to purchase to add to your traditional food storage. Make sure to check out some of the powdered dairy, cheeses, desserts, drinks etc. Tomorrow we will be focusing on “Just Add Water” meals, which is a different topic all together.

A lot of these extras we are talking about (fruits, vegetables, meats) can be items you dehydrate or can yourself. Although they wont have as long of a shelf life as freeze dried products, they can be much cheaper if you have the time to do it and a good source for cheap produce/meat. We have some informative articles about these topics in the Self Reliance section on our blog.

Stay tuned as we continue Tax Refund Week

Shelf Reliance Packages ON SALE

SALE DETAILS
Packages not available online (only through “special show order form”)
Orders must be RECEIVED before March 7th for guaranteed pricing.
DOWNLOAD ORDER FORM (Other great packages also available)

Honeyville Grain Coupon Code

We’re pretty excited about the interest and attention that Food Storage is getting in the mainstream media. Honeyville Grain has been extensively featured on National Geographic’s hit TV show “Doomsday Preppers“. This week they are offering 10% off your entire online order.

SALE DETAILS
Use coupon code PREPPER for 10% off your entire online order
Offer ends on Monday, February 27th at 7:00 pm MST
SHOP NOW

Sun Oven – FREE Dehydrating Kit

A simple, effective way to use a GLOBAL SUN OVEN® to dry and dehydrate with the power of the sun. Easily stackable wire racks allows up to 3 layers of drying and includes one roll of parchment paper. Use the sun to naturally dry vegetables, fruits, meats, herbs or fish. The 3 wire racks can be stacked on the levelator tray inside a GLOBAL SUN OVEN. Click here to learn more

SALE DETAILS
With every purchase of a Global Sun Oven you get a FREE dehydrating kit.
$255 for Sun Oven (includes free shipping and free dehydrating kit)
Offer ends February 29th at 2:00 pm MST
SHOP NOW

Well this week I wanted to share a silly reason why I am so grateful to have my food storage. On Saturday I had to bring “funeral potatoes” to a funeral for someone in my church. For those who don’t know, this is just a creamy potato casserole with a crumbly topping, my family likes to call them Ritzy Potatoes. My “pregnant brain” completely spaced this fact until about 45 minutes before the potatoes were supposed to be at the church. This was not enough time to boil potatoes and cook the dish. I started to panic when I realized, duh, I have some freeze-dried potato dices in my food storage. Might as well try them out now!

It took about 1/2 of a #10 can to make one batch of funeral potatoes, so they definitely aren’t a cost-effective way to eat potatoes on a regular basis, especially compared to my “free” garden potatoes I’ve been eating the last few months. But they sure saved me in an “emergency”!

Shelf Stable Ritzy Potatoes

So here is the funny part of this story. My husband was so sad when they brought back the empty casserole dish because he had been salivating over the smell of them all afternoon. So the next day I planned to make another batch for our family but realized I had used the last of our sour cream the day before. So I did what any good food storage blogger would do and decided to do an experiment and try the recipe with ALL SHELF STABLE INGREDIENTS. It actually turned out fantastic! And as we were eating it my husband kept giggling to himself thinking how funny it was that in an emergency we could have something so delicious and NORMAL to eat. So here is the shelf stable version of the recipe for you. Try it out, it will not disappoint.

Ingredients
4 cups freeze-dried potato dices
1/3 cup dehydrated onion flakes
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or 20 ounces bean flour cream of chicken)
1 cup sour cream powder, hydrated
3/4 c. freeze-dried cheddar cheese
1/2 c. powdered butter, hydrated
2 tubes ritz crackers crushed

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Soak your potato dices and dehydrated onions in warm water. In a separate bowl, soak your freeze-dried cheddar cheese. While they are soaking, mix up your sour cream powder with water. My can said 1/2 cup of water per 1 cup of powder, it made a thin sour cream which is good for this recipe. Stir in your cream of chicken soup. (I don’t store much cream of chicken any more as I prefer to make my own. So I made a double-batch of bean flour cream of chicken and then measured 20 ounces of it into the bowl with the sour cream). Drain your potatoes and pour them into a 9×13 casserole dish. Drain the rehydrated cheese and add it to the cream mixture. Pour the cream mixture over top of the potatoes and stir together well. In a small bowl mix up your powdered butter. My can said to do 1/2 cup butter powder and 1/2 cup water. This made a REALLY watery butter. Add the crushed ritz and mix well. It will be quite goopy but it still works (I would probably just use regular butter for this since I store a ton of it in the freezer but I was going for all shelf stable here). Using your hand, crumble the ritz mixture over the top of the potatoes. Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until hot all the way through. You can remove the foil for the least 5 minutes to get the topping a little more brown and crumbly.

Summary

Now a lot of these ingredients are NOT cheaper than buying fresh. We do not encourage you to make it a habit of replacing all of your foods with powdered or freeze-dried versions. But we DO encourage you to buy some, try it, learn how to use it, figure out the recipes it works in, and then store it! You will appreciate being able to make a lot of your “normal” family recipes in troublesome times.

If you are looking for places to buy some of these more uncommon storage items, check out the different companies on our Useful Links page.

We had something else planned to blog about today, but we just heard about some AMAZING Shelf Reliance sales and wanted to let you all know about them so you can take advantage of them over the holiday weekend. The sale ends July 5th or until supplies last. Not only are their products on sale, but their consultant starter kits are as well. We’re also adding our own special JULY BONUS for anyone who wants to become a Shelf Reliance Consultant on our team as well.

Shelf Reliance is putting tons of their products on sale for 30% off until July 5th.

To see a list of all the products on sale, click here. Once you click on the actual product, you’ll see an even greater discount since you’ll be shopping through our store.

We’ve really enjoyed being Shelf Reliance consultants because of the high quality products they offer, and the great business opportunity too. Who doesn’t love earning FREE food storage and a little extra income too!? If becoming a consultant is something that has interested you, we thought you’d like to know about the sale they are having on their consultant kits this weekend. We’ve never seen them discounted before! Each kit contains sample foods, recipes, and everything you’ll need to get started right away (Some of them even contain shelves at amazing discounts).

We want to make joining Shelf Reliance as a consultant an easy decision for you. If you sign up any time in the month of July, we will GIVE you $159 of free product after you host your first party to help you get your business started. (You don’t have to actually host the party in July to qualify). Since the basic consultant kit is $159 until July 5th, that’s like getting started for FREE! (After July 5th we will still be offering the bonus, however, the kits will go back to the regular $199 price)

Email us at fsmethrive@gmail.com if you have additional questions or need help signing up!

Why do you have two food storage calculators?

In BabyStep 3 we have a 3 month supply spreadsheet which allows you to enter in specific meals/snack items to get an exact amount of food to store for exactly 3 months worth of meals that your family normally eats. This is a great way to get started if you are worried about starting to build a food storage full of weird things like wheat, dried beans, and powdered milk that your family never eats.

In BabyStep 4 we have a long term food storage calculator which allows you to just put in the number of people in your family and it automatically fills in the spreadsheet with the recommended amounts to store for whatever period of time you selected (i.e. a one year supply). These are the more traditional food storage items which are considered “life-sustaining” but you don’t necessarily plan specific meals around.

How did you come up with the numbers for the long term food storage calculator?

There are basically two schools of thought on long term food storage. One recommends a 2300 calorie diet with 300 lbs of grains and 75 lbs of powdered milk (this was the original recommendation given to members of the LDS church back in 1978). A more recent recommendation has been to increase the calories to 2400, raise the grains to 400 lbs, and lower powdered milk to just 16 lbs (this is based off of a research study done in 1979).

Either way you go will provide enough nutrition for you to sustain life. However, for families with nursing mothers or small children it is important to use the higher recommendation for milk in order to provide adequate nutrition. If you only store 16 lbs that is only enough for one cup of milk per day. Another reason we use the higher milk recommendation by default is because if you were unable to find ways to cook your food, you can actually sustain life by ONLY drinking powdered milk for quite some time. So all you would need is to add water and you could survive. (For more details on this topic click here.)

How do I add additional items to the calculator?

If you are wanting to track non-food items, make sure to look at our 3 month supply calculator as there is a tab at the bottom that has a place for you to input those items. If you want to track things like fruits/vegetables and canned meats in detail, you can either add them in as items in your 3 month supply worksheet, or go with a more comprehensive solution (see below).

Do you have any recommendations for healthier food options?

YES! Check out our Healthy Food Storage page for a great calculator suggestion that you can add in to your own spreadsheet.

Can’t you make it EASIER???

While we have put together instructional videos to help make it easy, we understand that there are some limitations with using excel calculators. Shelf Reliance has an AWESOME free food storage calculator tool that is web-based (easy to use, very comprehensive and you don’t need excel). You can actually set up an entire plan and then purchase it all at whatever monthly budget you choose (they call this the “Q”). Or you also can just purchase everything all at once if you are feeling anxious about getting your supply and you can afford it. If you don’t want to purchase their Thrive Foods you can simply calculate what you need, and email yourself a report to print off.

The reason we think this calculator is so cool is because there are SOOO many ways to customize it. You put in your family with their ages, you input the number of calories per day you want, and you can select exactly what types of foods you want to include. There are some general recommendations that it will give you with a wide variety of Thrive foods listed, but then you can tweak it and subtract or add whatever you want to give you the report you are looking for.

We wanted to give our readers a little incentive to try out the Thrive Calculator and monthly Q program so we put together a fun little bonus in June, but we will extend it into July since we are posting about it so late in the month. Click here to find out the details and learn more about Shelf Reliance’s monthly Q program. (Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to find out about the free gift!) Don’t forget if you order through our Shelf Reliance links you get discounts off of retail prices.

Today is the fun day where we show you all our tricks on where to find your long term food storage items for the cheapest prices. While these things occasionally do go on sale (and we try to warn you when they do), we have found where things are generally the cheapest so that you can feel good about buying your bulk foods at any time.

Option 1: Home Storage Centers

If you live in North America near an LDS Home Storage Center (or cannery), this is generally the least expensive place to purchase your bulk grains and powdered milk. Some common grocery store items can be found here at reasonable prices but by using coupon and sale shopping you can get things like sugar and spaghetti at really great prices at your local grocery store.
Click here to look for a Home Storage Center in your area.

While a few items may be available already packaged in #10 cans, for the most part you buy your foods in bulk bags at the cannery. Many times you are allowed to can them into #10 cans yourself, but the rules vary at different canneries. You will need to calculate in the cost of buckets or cans when you are comparing prices. Here are the current price lists for you to look at.
U.S. Price List | Canada Price List

A few limited items are available online from the cannery. Wheat, rice, pinto beans, and oats can be purchased in #10 cans at good prices with free shipping.
Click here for more information.

Please make sure to call your local cannery to find out their policies before you just show up. Each one seems to have different rules regarding needing an appointment, allowing non-members to purchase products, etc.

Option 2: Grocery Stores / Wholesale Clubs

In general, the grocery store is better for your shorter term, three month supply type of foods as well as your non-food items. However, occasionally there will be some great deals on bulk items. If your only choice is to go to a local grocery store you do the best you can. Often times baking ingredients can be purchased in bulk at your local wholesale clubs such as Costco or Sams Club at great prices. Here are some other ideas of stores to check for food storage items:

• WinCo (excellent bulk grain and legume sections)
• Organic or Health Food Stores (carry the more uncommon grains and flours and can often help you order in bulk)
• Ethnic Grocery Stores (they will often carry things not found in regular stores)
• Farmers Markets (great for stocking up on fruits and vegetables that you take home and preserve yourself for long term storage)

If you live in the western United States we HIGHLY recommend subscribing to the Deals to Meals service as it tells you exactly what is on sale in your local grocery stores each week and specifically mentions when it is a great food storage item to stock up on.

Option 3: Online Stores

You can get anything and everything for your food storage online. Since shipping can be a big price factor, it is usually best to order in large quantities to take advantage of shipping price breaks. We’ve included the general shipping policies for each website so you can easily do price comparisons at a glance.

US Shoppers:
- Shelf Reliance – $15.99 shipping on orders over $190 (Price discounts if you sign up for Thrive Q)
– Emergency Essentials – $12.00 shipping on orders over $120
– Honeyville Grain – $4.49 flat rate shipping
– Walton Feed – shipping varies based on weight
– Augason Farms – $11.99 shipping on orders over $100

Canadian Shoppers:
– Briden Solutions
– In Case Of

UK Shoppers:
– http://emergencyfoodstorage.co.uk/

Please note that we are not well experienced with where to purchase foods outside of the U.S. and Canada. If you have any tips you would like to share with other readers, please leave them in the comments!

Today we’re going to talk about Assessing your Long Term Food Storage- and how to make a GAME PLAN from there. There are really only 2 things you need to know when you’re assessing and making a game plan. Remember, you may wish to consider your 3-month supply foods as part of your “year supply” so you would only need 9 months of traditional long term food storage.

Method 1: Food Storage Calculator

The Long Term Food Storage we’re talking about – is the basic survival foods. Grains, Legumes, Baking Supplies, Fats, and Dairy. There are a lot of calculators that generally give the same basic recommendations of what to store- and how much to store. Our excel calculator will tell you what you need to store based on how many people, and how many months you tell it you want to store for.

Know What You Need

Use our calculator to determine how much food you need to store depending on your families needs and goals for long term food storage.

Excel Spreadsheet

Tutorial Video

The Food Storage Calculator is also available in printable pdf format

Know What You Have

Once you have inputed how many members in your family, and how many months, use the spreadsheet to input what you already have in your storage – then watch as the numbers automatically are calculated and you’re given your own customized shopping list of what to buy.

Method 2: Food Storage Software

We were recently invited to test out a new Food Storage Planning software and we think it may be a good solution for those who like to track their storage in great detail or who may have unique circumstances where a standard calculator doesn’t meet their needs. Food Storage Planner is fully customizable for specific needs, gender, and age, such as diapers, allergies, toiletries, and so forth. You can read more about all of the features on their website.

Know What You Need

You can plan for any time period from 1 week to 1000 years. This software automatically gives recommendations for many many items but has the flexibility to choose the items you want to track and make substitutions as necessary. Go through and input your customizations to get your personalized plan for your family. Since we are talking about Long Term Food Storage this week I would stick with just those food items for now.

Know What You Have

The software will let you input what you already have and also helps to track expiration dates. You can then sort your shopping list by whatever way makes sense for you to stay organized. Print out your list and reports so you can have them right in front of you and THEN it’s shopping time!

DISCOUNT

The owners of Food Storage Planner were kind enough to offer a discount to Food Storage Made Easy readers. If you order their software either on disc or in download form simply enter FSMADEEASY as a coupon code and you will get $13.00 off. You enter the coupon code at the END of the checkout process.

Now that you have your plan, and know what you need, tomorrow we will cover Part 2: Buying Long Term Food Storage.

In the story, the people were forced to eat all sorts of food like squirrels, rabbits etc. They made soups with grass and dandelions. They used up, and wasted a lot of the freezer foods in the first few days. Two big concerns were how to have enough to last through the winter, and how to save enough for spring planting, etc.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

• How would you cook your food?
• How would you make your food stores last longer if the situation lasted for a very long time?
• How would you create, or replenish your food stores with new food?
• Do you have gardening seeds, do you know how to garden, can, preserve, dehydrate etc?
• How would you catch and prepare small animals?
• Do you have necessary ingredients to actually make something with your long term storage items
• Do you have a healthy balance of proteins, fats, and carbs in your storage/
• WOULD YOU SHARE YOUR FOOD?

DISCUSS

We encourage everyone who participates to do so in a very respectful manner. As we read the novel, we soon became very aware that the discussions around this book could become very political, and personal. Such topics have a tendency to bring out strong opinions. Please share your opinions in a kind, and mature way. We reserve the right to, and will delete any comments that may be considered offensive or encourage illegal or unethical activities.

Click the links below to “subscribe by email” or “subscribe by rss” to help you easily follow the conversation and discussion after you make your posts.

Your family and friends are starting to figure out that you have a great food storage. Your mother-in-law (or friend, or grandma, or fill-in-the-blank) just called you this morning and asked if she could come by later today and check out your preps. She is interested to learn how much you have, and how you rotate it all. She even hints that she might want to purchase some food for you for a gift.

Once you organize, tidy, and inventory your food storage you are DONE the challenge and can celebrate however you choose, whether it be with a dunford donut (Julie) or a big gulp (Jodi). You may just want to go out and get cracking on your “To-Buy” list now that you have determined what preps and food you still need.

Today’s Tasks:

• Organize your kitchen pantry and any food storage areas in your home
• Evaluate where your appliances are in your home to make cooking with food storage easier
• Move some of your long term food storage up to your kitchen area to encourage you to use it more
• Check your water supplies, refill any empty containers
• Inventory your long term food storage items (you may use our calculator)
• Inventory your three month supply items (you may use our worksheet)
• Look at your Disaster Kits, do you need to swap clothes out? Rotate food? Do what you can now and make a list of anything you may need to buy

Today’s Limitations:

• For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants … UNTIL YOU ARE FINISHED!

Advanced Tasks:

• Make cute labels for your buckets, shelves, etc. (label tutorial | bucket labels)
• Make a complete list of what you still need to buy (long term AND three month supply) so that your guest can purchase some of it for you for a gift.
• Review all of your week’s report cards and compile them into one list of future things to do/buy

Make sure your fill out today’s Report Card to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy. Use the data to make a game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be.