Have a Basic Emergency Plan in Place:
- Before you begin your food storage, it is critical to have an emergency plan for your family that includes the following:
- Family Plan: Includes emergency contact info, meeting locations and education
- Disasters Kit: Includes supplies, 72-Hour Food Kit, and Emergency Binder
- Evacuation List: Know measures to take when evacuating your home, and have a car kit in place
- We have a comprehensive excel file that includes each item for all these components, download it today and get started (you can also use our basic checklist in pdf format).
Prepare Your Space:
- Find the coolest place in your home.
- Clean your space out well so you wont be overwhelmed by a crowded dirty area.
- See BabyStep 1 for shelving information.
Determine Your Budget:
- Determine how much per month you can spend.
- Eventually your grocery budget should just include food storage within it, however when you’re starting from scratch you may need to invest a little more upfront.
- It is not wise to go into debt for food storage, so be prepared to be thrifty and think smartly.
Make a Plan:
- Browse through the first few BabySteps to determine your initial start-up plan.
- Be careful not to think too far ahead or you’ll never get started.
- We recommend getting a partner do to this with. It gives yourself some accountability.
- GIVE YOURSELF DEADLINES! (and maybe even rewards like chocolate cake for accomplishing each step)
Julie
This site is awesome! Thanks for sending me the link. You’re so great. Thanks!
Emily
No problem. We are getting ready to add tons more research. We have found it is just so much easier to share and talk about it with people then to sit there and just be overwhelmed.
Thank you Julie I am now fearing that my very skinny body would only survive for 1hour and 19minutes after an emergency before it consumed itself.
Sleep has now been replaced with anxiety induced seizures and panic attacks…
Time to start my food storage.
And now I know how
Merci beaucoup, arigatou gozaimashita, thank you!
I am so happy i found this website. I’ve been looking for an easy to follow steps to get started with my Food storage..or at least a website that i can frequently check out to help me get started. I mean, i have started a few like 5 sacks of rice, some flour, sugar and salt but the canned goods i keep on using and have a hard time replacing…honestly i feel overwhelmed.
Cherry,
Don’t feel overwhelmed! Just set a monthly budget you want to allocate towards food storage and start working your way through the BabySteps. We were very overwhelmed when we started too, but breaking it into small steps has really helped it to feel achievable for us.
Wow, great site! I am totally overwhelmed when it comes to this subject…and live with guilt. I think currently we have about a month supply of peanut butter, some top ramen noodles and some water jugs in the basement. Pitiful, I know.
I am definitely going to read your site and try to implement your ideas. Thanks for putting all of this together.
Like the info. One problem I have with food storage is the size of the cans.I think that smaller size portions (feeds 2-4 people )is more practical as once the number 10 cans are open, they should be consumed soon as possible to avoid spoilage. Also, the foods should be ready to eat out of the can(such as chili, vegetables,meats(tuna,chicken,beef etc. ) as there could come a time where there will be no means to heat or cook the food. While the dehydrated and freeze-dried are great and have their place,one should prepare for both cases. Thanks.
I really think this site is great. It’s perfect for those who like a structured way of getting their storage. A lot of times, it’s a lot less overwhelming when it’s broken down for you. Thanks for your work.
In response to Cathy, I would like to say that if you plan well, you will still be able to cook or heat your stored foods. It isn’t difficult to store enough fuel, such as alcohol or charcoal, to cook foods. Also, there is a way to use something called a ” hay box”, which is sort of like a crock pot, only without electricity. Check out the simplylivingsmart.com website to find out about secondary sources of cooking. I don’t represent them, I just really like they site for that kind of information.
Thanks for the tips Michelle. We’ve used simplylivingsmart.com too, especially for finding detailed information about specific things. It can be a bit overwhelming over there but I agree it is an excellent resource. Also, we are researching alternative heating/cooking methods and will be posting about them once we have completed our BabySteps.
Great step by step info. You can find a ton of recipies to use with all the stored foods and how to rotate it into your everyday menu to avoid spoilage and decrease your current food budget at http://www.marlenesmagic.com.
I clicked on the link for the 72 hour kit video and it says “we’re sorry, this video is no longer available”
Heidi, youtube seems to be having some trouble with this video. I am working on uploading it to a new spot so that it will work all the time. Sorry!
Wow Julie,
“When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren” You are converted to this principle and are helping others to do so. I am so proud of you. Thanks for letting me know about it!
In working with the Emergency Preparedness Council of our Stake, I volunteered to design a flyer with simple ways to get started on food storage in order to help our members not feel so completely overwhelmed with the task. I am definately going to incorporate a ton of the information on this site. Thanks so much! It is very obvious how much effort you ladies put into this.
Do you ladies find that once your 1-year supply of storage food is in place, that your monthly “food maintenance” to keep up the storage food supply and replace what is used, costs less or more than your regular grocery bills before you started your food storage plan? I ask because food has gone up in price so much where I live, I’d like to get an idea of any savings I may realize when I make food an “investment.” Thank you for your website!
I am new to the site and love the tools. Thank you. I just wanted to make a comment in response to PJ’s question. I made the investment this year with our stimulus check and purchased the basics of a one year supply. Since then I have purchased pantry items etc. each month as they came on sale. I have to say, my food bill has decreased most weeks or stayed the same, but on the weeks it is the same, we are eating better than we did or accomodating a special occasion which used to be an “extra” expense. Not to mention, we actually ate out less because I had a meal plan (thanks to these ladies) and didn’t have to spend time wondering what to fix and figuring out if I had the ingredients. The peace of mind of having full “cupboards” is extraordinary. We even this past month have had some unemployment come our way. We were able to keep feeding our family and only had to purchase the perishables. I go back to work after the first of the year but will, after my experience, be happy continue to utilize and replenish my food supply on a weekly basis.