How Much Food Should You Store?

How much food should you store?

Okay, so this is the question that freaks most people out. If you consider a full year’s worth of food storage—we’re talking about the staples that will keep your family healthy for a long period of time should disaster strike, layoffs take away your income, or health problems leave you unable to work—a family of four needs several hundred pounds of food! OY!

So, instead of freaking out, break down a year’s worth of food storage into 3 months. That’s it. Now the numbers don’t look so bad. Here’s how to figure out the numbers:

Visit http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm and fill out the form (only two questions—I promise, it’s easy!) Then hit “calculate.” Voila, the food form below magically presents the amount of food that you would ideally store for one year for your family. But remember, DON’T FREAK OUT! Now, divide all those numbers by 4 and you will have the amount of food suggested for 3 months of food supply. Those numbers aren’t as scary, huh?

Now, figure out reasonably how much you can budget for food storage. If you can only spend $10 a month, that’s okay, just do it. Got a bigger budget? Great, just do it. The key here is to JUST DO IT!

Keep in mind, you want VARIETY. Don’t just focus on oatmeal and pasta! Add in a few cans of your favorite soups, boxes of cereal, and family favorite treats. If an emergency really, truly happens, you’re family will need to have a few comforts of home, including favorite foods. But remember, these foods are meant for storage (meaning they stay on the shelf for at least several months before being opened) not for immediate satisfaction! Post “food storage only” signs on the food, set booby traps, disguise the good stuff as something your family hates—whatever it takes to keep your food storage safe for at least a while….