We are excited to be starting week 6 of our Food Storage Do-Over 2015! Last week we saw more great progress from all those participating in the water do-over and we are excited to keep going. If you didn’t catch last week’s post on revisiting your 3 month supply you can see it here. Also Jodi did a post on how she revisited her 3 month plan here.
Remember this is a 17 week process that we will be going through together. If you want to join in with the group on Facebook click here. If you’d like to receive email notifications of each week’s do-over assignment you can join our mailing list here. Or you can always post in the blog comments with your progress as well! It is so much more fun and motivating doing it as a group so find a way to connect!
In BabyStep 4: Long Term Supply Planning we discuss the process of coming up with a plan for your long term storage. Whether you plan to purchase just-add water meals, get traditional long term food storage, or a combination it’s important to have a plan.
If you are new and haven’t started on your long term food storage yet, there are several tasks you’ll need to do to get ready for this. Don’t get overwhelmed, remember this week we are focusing on making our PLANS, not actually buying anything.
Determine which type of long term storage you want to purchase
Read our What Can You Do With YOUR Food Storage article for ideas of the kinds of foods you can make with traditional food storage (wheat, beans, rice, etc.). Then determine what is more your style for your family’s food storage plan.
Method 1: Traditional food storage (calculator-based)
This type of food storage includes a bulk of grains and legumes and other life-sustaining foods but can also be supplemented with fruits and vegetables, meats, etc. You store a certain quantity of food and learn how to cook with those types of foods. You don’t stress about having exact meals planned, you just have the core ingredients to make a variety of foods. It will be important to collect recipes and practice different cooking techniques for this method.
HELPFUL PRODUCT: Our Food Storage Made Easy eBook Set can help immensely with the traditional food storage approach. It walks you through your purchases and education in a series of 26 checklists. You can purchase it at a discounted price (just $14) during the Do-Over and use whatever parts are relevant for what we are working on.
Method 2: Traditional food storage (recipe-based)
This type of food storage is similar to above, except you use a simple meal plan using simple foods with a long shelf life and calculate out exactly how much to store based on your recipes. Many people will come up with a 7 day rotation and multiply that by 52 weeks. This gives you the confidence to know you have all the additional ingredients required to make complete recipes/meals. For example you don’t to store 300 pounds of wheat but none of the ingredients needed to make bread.
HELPFUL PRODUCT: Our cousin put together an entire Can’t Fail Food Storage Plan which includes shopping lists, meal plans, and recipes for a SIMPLE full year supply of basics. It takes the guess work out of creating your own plan. It’s exactly what I have wanted to make for years. I love it!
Method 3: Regular foods
Some people choose to just store extra of their regular foods rather than learn how to cook with traditional food storage. Instead of the typical 3 month’s worth of regular foods that we recommend, they would multiple that by 4 and not bother with wheat, legumes, etc. Shelf life will be a major concern with this method so rotation is critical.
HELPFUL PRODUCT: Our Meals-in-a-Jar eCookbook can give you some ideas of great shelf stable, kid-friendly, regular meals that could be incorporated into your plans. Since they are made using freeze-dried foods with a longer shelf life they can be great for this method of planning.
Method 4: Just add water meals
This food storage does not require a lot of education. These meals typically come in mylar pouches inside plastic buckets or in #10 cans. They have a long shelf life so rotation is not much of a concern. These meals are more expensive but also much more convenient. Taste and quality can vary widely between companies. You will need to store more water if you plan to use this method.
HELPFUL POST: There are a few different considerations when storing just add water meals. We created a post on What to Know When Buying Just Add Water Meals that may help you as you research this topic.
Calculate how much of each food you need for your family size
If you are Use method 1 or 2, our food storage calculator will help you to determine how much of the basic foods 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
If you are using method 2 or 3, you may find our three month supply calculator helpful as it can help type in individual recipes and come up with a shopping list for all supplement ingredients, not just the basics.
To determine how much food you need for Method 4, we recommend you come up with a calorie goal per person per day and use that to determine how much to store. Many companies sell packages based on “servings” but servings are only 150-200 calories. So 3 servings a day could only be around 500 calories and would not be life sustaining.
Consider individual dietary needs
Allergies
If you have food allergies in your family, you will need to modify your food storage plan to reflect your own needs. Read our post about Food Storage and Allergies for ideas on how to adjust your long term food storage to meet your needs.
Health concerns
For those interested in a more healthy food storage you may want to make adjustments to a traditional food storage plan as well. We have a whole section of the blog on healthy food storage which you can explore including alternative recommendations and some healthy recipes to try.
Personal Preferences
Do you have picky eaters in your family? We sure do! Make sure to make recipes in advance or try out “just add water” meals BEFORE you have an emergency. It won’t do much good to have tons of food that no one will eat.
Make a purchasing plan
Now that you know how much you will need to store, look at your family’s budget and determine how much you can set aside towards your long term storage goals each week/month. Make a goal to get a full 3 months worth, and then move up to 6, 9, and then a full 12. It’s better to have 3 months of everything than a full year supply of wheat and no salt, oil, or yeast to make bread with it.
Consider saving up and purchasing when there are big sales. Most food storage companies do large Black Friday sales and periodic smaller sales throughout the year. If you can stock up when items are at their cheapest it will be the most cost-effective way to buy all your food. Consider reading our post on Best Ways to Purchase Traditional Long Term Food Storage for more ideas.
Learn to use your long term food storage
There are lots of sources to go for great information and recipes on using your long term food storage. Make sure to review the “Helpful resources” section below for ideas.
Don’t forget to come over and share your progress in our Food Storage Do-Over Facebook Group!
If you already have a start on your long term storage but need to update it consider doing the following:
Download the excel spreadsheet and adjust if you have added any family members or adjust it if your kids grew up and turned into big eaters.
Update the inventory section of the spreadsheet with what you already have stored – you might find you’ve gone through some of your foods.
Make a plan to purchase the foods to complete your full year supply (Read Best Ways to Purchase Traditional Long Term Food Storage for ideas on how to do this)
Adjust the spreadsheet to match your diet if it has changed.
Don’t forget to come over and share your progress in our Food Storage Do-Over Facebook Group!
FOOD STORAGE MADE EASY EBOOK BUNDLE
Our three-part ebook program teaches you how to build a food storage with checklists, an encyclopedia, and a recipe appendix. We have reduced the price to just $14 for all three books for the duration of the Do-Over. This will be an invaluable tool as you go forward with planning, building, and using your food storage.
Click here to learn more or buy now.
CAN’T FAIL FOOD STORAGE PROGRAM
Just follow this simple four-step plan and you’ll have a full year’s supply of food with enough variety to keep your family happy. This program takes the guess work out of food storage. If you like to have detailed meal plans and recipes this could be the perfect solution for you.
Click here to learn more or buy now.
MEALS IN A JAR ECOOKBOOK
This little booklet gives 6 delicious recipes that can either be stored in the original cans or compiled in batches to make meals in a jar. They are great for every day convenience but can also be useful for long term food storage meal planning. Shelf life is about 3-5 years if sealed in the jars so rotation is important if you are using them for that purpose. For just $3 you get the recipes and instructions and cute printable labels to use on your jars.
Click here to learn more or buy now
Here are some resources both from us and all over the web that can help you if you want more depth on any areas or are looking for even more ideas of items to include in your plans. It’s always a good idea to look at multiple approaches and decide what will work best for you! And don’t forget to check out the discussions on our facebook group to catch anything we are missing or see what others are doing!
Planning Tools
Long Term Food Storage Calculator – Excel Spreadsheet
Long Term Food Storage Tutorial Video
Long Term Food Storage Calculator – printable pdf format
List of Spreadsheets and Inventory Lists – from Prepared Housewives
What Can You Do With YOUR Food Storage – from Food Storage Made Easy
Food Storage Shelf Life – from Food Storage Made Easy
How Much Can #10 Cans And 5 Gallon Buckets Hold? – from Food Storage Made Easy
Monthly Q Autoship Food Storage Program – from Thrive Life
PINTEREST: Long Term Food Storage Planning Board
Purchasing Help
Best Ways to Purchase Traditional Food Storage – from Food Storage Made Easy
What to Know When Buying Just Add Water Meals – from Food Storage Made Easy
Thrive Life
Emergency Essentials
Augason Farms
Lindon Farms
Honeyville Grain
Dietary Needs
Food Storage and Allergies – from Food Storage Made Easy
Healthy Food Storage – from Food Storage Made Easy
PINTEREST: Gluten-Free Cooking Board
Recipes/Using Food Storage
Food Storage Made Easy Recipe Index
Everyday Food Storage – Great blog full of food storage recipes and cooking techniques
Deals to Meals Blog – One of our favorite sites for recipes, lots are food storage friendly
7 Sneaky Ways To Feed Your Family Food Storage – from Food Storage Made Easy
“Our Best Tips” For Using Your Food Storage – from Food Storage Made Easy
How To Create A Recipe Binder – from Food Storage Made Easy
PINTEREST: Food Storage Recipes Board
Books
Book Review page – List of food storage books we’ve reviewed
FREE Shelf Stable Recipe Book – recipes using a lot of long term food storage ingredients
PINTEREST: Food Storage Books Board
Please pin and get your friends joining in too!
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