Winter has officially just arrived but there have already been countrywide weather related issues that have changed plans, caused need to rush to the store as well as panic. At the same time, the unemployment rate is high, budgets are tight, and there is constant talk about the need to eat healthier.
Recently I have seen ads for special companies and services to buy
long-term emergency food insurance or
shelf stable emergency food kits to help your family be prepared for whatever may come. Building a stockpile takes time but the right approach can get you started in a cost effective and health conscious manner. Here are some basic tips to help as you start a stockpile in the New Year.
- Establishing a stockpile will be easier if you have what you need on hand, which will also simplify the task and allow you to build a well-stocked and nutrient rich supply of food and non-perishable supplies for your family. A chest freezer is very important but the size necessary will depend on the size of your family as well as how much food you want to store. If you garden or have fruit trees available to you, canning supplies can be helpful as well. Now is the time you can find bargains on these types of items so you will want to be on the lookout. Before fresh produce was available year-round in supermarkets, a
root cellar was an important part of many homes. My grandparent's home had one as well as a "canning kitchen" in the basement where my grandmother would prepare their winter supply from the summer labors in her garden. If building a root cellar or learning the canning process is not for you, perhaps food dehydration is. A
food dehydrator can allow you to preserve many types of fresh produce as well as some types of meat. Shelf storage space will be important for stockpiling as well. Be sure you have space in a clean, dry, cool place to ensure proper food safety.
Know What You Need - Every individual and family is different when it comes to likes, dislikes and food preferences. You can find a terrific price on black-eyed peas but if no one in your family likes them and they will go unused, it would be nothing more than a waste of money and shelf storage space. Likewise, you can want to stockpile a lot of food and supplies but if you don't have the appropriate space to do it, food can go to waste as well as the money and time used to attempt to stockpile it. Some of the best types of food to stockpile include those that all in your family enjoy and can eat such as non-perishable ready-to-eat foods, dried foods, and protein bars. One question many people have relates to how much is right to stockpile if you have the space for as much as you need. Some of it depends on you, what you are most comfortable with and able to maintain efficiently. Typically, it can be anywhere from a three month supply to a three week supply. The Department of Homeland Security recommends all families store at least a three-week supply of non-perishable foods and supplies. There are also online food storage calculators that can help you determine how much is necessary for your family.
Know How Much You Can Spend - Remember you are building a stockpile for the unknown future but it is important to do it in as cost effective manner as possible. Building your stockpile should not be at the detriment of your monthly budget or nutrition plan. Know how much you are able to spend each week or month, as you are intentional about adding to your stockpile. Shop sales in the stores you visit so you are buying what you need below regular price. Use coupons on sale items whenever possible for additional savings. Take advantage of BOGO (buy one, get one) opportunities especially for the foods you use most often. Use the first for your weekly or monthly needs while putting the free item in your stockpile storage. Take advantage of warehouse shopping when it provides you with the lower cost option for regular needs and stockpile supplying.
Keep Your Stockpile Supplies Rotated - Just as you need a process for rotating foods stored in the pantry, you also need one for food stored in your stockpile. There would be nothing worse than going to your stockpile in the case of an emergency and finding that some of what you thought you had was not usable or guaranteed safe. When I was growing up, my mother had a "blizzard box" ready and waiting each winter. When spring arrived, we would eat the contents of the winter supply and each fall my mother would re-stock her supply for the coming winter. In order to be sure you can stay on top of your stockpile rotation, it is best not to have more than a one-year stockpile supply for anything with an expiration date. Stock your food in a manner that will allow you to easily know expiration dates so the first in can easily be the first out as you rotate. When canning and freezing items, be sure to mark items appropriately. Home canned foods should be used within one year. Be sure to follow suggested frozen food guidelines which typically indicate fruits and vegetables are safe for 6 to 8 months, meats for 3 to 4 months, fish for 3 to 6 months, poultry for 6 to 9 months and processed meats for 1 to 2 months.
Remember Other Long-Term Storage Items - Food items are not the only thing you will want to remember to stockpile. You will also want to have other necessity items for the storage time you are preparing such as paper products, cleaning supplies, detergents, personal hygiene supplies, and water. You will also want to have a plan and appropriate storage for lighting whether that is from candles and matches or lighters or lanterns and batteries. Heating, cooling, and waste plans may also require storage space in your stockpile as well so think through your typical day-to-day life and be sure you are planning for all needs for yourself and your family.
You can use this printer friendly grocery stockpile list to help begin your planning. With careful planning and intentional efforts, it is easy and cost effective to build a stockpile of nutrient rich food and supplies so you will have what you need, whatever the reason you need it.
Have you thought about stockpiling before? Is it something you may consider for 2010?
Comments
My mother did "can" a lot of food, as we went to the Apple Orchard and got bushels of apples, etc. I remember making pickle relishes and jams, etc. Now food is so cheat that it really doesn't pay to do that. I buy "Knox Berry Farm" jams when they are on sale in the fall for about $1.50 and there is no way I'd be able to buy fresh strawberries, etc. and "can" a jar at that price. Getting FROZEN fruit from the freezer section of the store is the same way. - 2/23/2010 1:51:50 PM
And I can still remember almost 50 years later seeing my mother's cupboards and all that was there was a bag of macaroni.... so I do hoard food, and now that I live 2 hrs. from a city that I can drive to, I have still managed to fill a 5 ft. freezer since October... I hadn't really thought of it from the perspective you gave in your blog, but more out of financial - 1/11/2010 12:55:10 AM
The only major weather event we have to worry about in western New York is SNOW SNOW SNOW, but our area gets back on its feet pretty darn quickly, even when we get something like 40 inches in a 15-hour period (been there, done that! LOL). - 1/10/2010 10:01:40 AM
I have always had a refrigerator/freezer and another freezer packed with several months worth of meat and frozen foods, but I am buying a generator soon. I live 6200 feet up a mountain in a forest, and last year we had a huge snowstorm which knocked out our power for almost five days. We lost everything in the refrigerator/freezer, and most of what was in the seperate freezer. - 1/6/2010 12:10:52 PM
- 1/5/2010 8:46:38 PM
In addition to those items, I usually put away some canned food during the peak season and make jelly and preserves. Some things I freeze, but I don't have a chest freezer, so I try to keep that to a minimum. None the less, if we had to grab and go, I would be able to pull that stuff out of the freezer and throw it into a small soft-side cooler we have in about a heartbeat along with whatever meat is in there. That would probably extend our provisions for at least 2 or 3 additional days in the event of an evacuation.
We've never had to leave our home before, but there's always a first time for everything. We have, however, had to weather power outages, ice storms, tornados, and a few other not-so-fun times.
I work in a law enforcement environment, so I know how important it is to be prepared for the unexpected. In rough times, I have to be ready to do whatever is necessary to take care of my family first and my community second. - 1/5/2010 12:45:06 PM
I'm definitely going to check out the links provided in the article and start making a personal plan for stockpiling some food in case of an emergency. Thank you so much for providing such an informative and timely blog! - 1/5/2010 12:26:19 PM
Right now, I don't have an extra freezer and haven't been able to keep a lot of perishables, but I'm fixing that tomorrow! 8-)
Linda C - 1/5/2010 9:04:02 AM
Either way, I definitely have a stockpile! - 1/5/2010 8:58:18 AM
She hated to pay full price for anything so bought ahead on sale and with coupons and I still do the same. especially since I worked in a grocery store for 39 years and always had first choice of marked down products plus found all the sales. we have enough food for at least a month or more.
In fact, since my mom still stockpiles even now that she lives alone, she decided that she didn't even want to go to the grocery store this week since it has snowed for a week straight and wants to use up some of her stockpile..
It keeps us from having to run to the grocery store in the middle of a snowstorm.
- 1/5/2010 8:53:53 AM
If I ever purchase a chest freezer, I will purchase another battery backup power source for it at the same time.
My parents were children during the time of the Great Depression and believed in being prepared. I am not Mormon but do agree with their system of each household having a year's worth of nonperishables, example peanut butter, tuna, oatmeal, dried beans, rice, pasta, canned goods, cleaning supplies, shampoo, soap, detergent, health & beauty aids, water, camping stove, hand crank radio. I also store water in 2 liter pop bottles with the requisite chlorine drops added. In case of ANY emergency - not just Katrina or severe weather but also, hello, job loss - each household is supposed to have enough be able to get by for a year. Yes fresh produce is better; but if you don't have grocery money, OR if you no longer have the grocery store, THEN what are you going to do? Too many of us have forgotten what it's like to be self reliant. Take personal responsibility; be prepared; it's wrong to EXPECT a handout.
I am also going to learn to can so I can make my own healthy homemade soups and fruits, year round, aside from stockpiling. I'm not too thrilled about dehydrated tho I suppose I should give it a fair try before turning up my nose. I do not have a garden but I can buy at farmers' markets, as well as seasonally like the sweet potatoes were on sale for 25 cents/lb at Thanksgiving. Join the "Putting Food By" SparkTeam.
I use and recommend "Can Solidator" systems; they are plastic and modular; they come in pantry style and shelf style. There are also free-standing metal racks; I just bought the plastic ones that snap together and made my own "rack" on the floor. Just google cansolidator. Things you buy on sale canned, anyway, even if you aren't a stockpiler, can be stored in a space-saving system that automatically rotates itself. For flour, rice, beans, etc., I use Tupperware and write the use by date, or, the expiry date on the outside on tape. You can buy specialty labels for dating but I just use plain tape. - 1/5/2010 1:46:29 AM
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