I base food storage around a simple, no frills strategy. I believe that you have to have a strategy that makes sense for emergencies and disasters. However, I also think your plan must work for you every day as well. Could you go out and spend a couple thousand dollars and have a basement full of long-term food storage for emergencies or the Zombie Apocalypse? Sure you could! But what about food for next week? My plan deals with that and more.

In my last post in this series (FOOD: Part 2 – Food Storage Layering) I shared with you how important it is to have multiple ways to keep you and your family from being hungry.  And have that apply to a wide range of situations not just TEOTWAWKI.

So being the simple man that I am I want to have 90-dyas worth of food in the house at all times. Your normal, everyday, run of the mill food that you and your family eat on a regular basis.

Yes, 90 days, you heard that correctly.  What’s the problem with that?  You are going to buy the stuff anyway, just get it done and put it in the pantry.  Think of all the gas you would save only going to the store every other week rather than every other day?  Think of all the money you would save buying quantities of food items that are ON SALE!

So, OMG you need 90-days worth of food in the house right now!!  No, you don’t.  Calm down, relax, it will be OK.  Read on…

Don’t make this more complicated than it is.  If you like spaghetti sauce and you eat it every couple of weeks and use 2 cans each time, then go buy 12 cans the next time it comes on sale.  Same thing for all other can goods that you use.

If your budget is tight – no problem there either.  If you watch sales closely from all the food stores then only buy items in quantities when they are on sale.  And if you can’t afford 12 cans buy 6 or whatever you can afford.  But buy something more towards pantry food storage each time you go to the store!  Have a plan!

A couple thoughts:

• Buy what you use, if you don’t eat canned spinach, don’t buy it.
• Rotate your canned food every time you bring it home, pull the old stuff to the front, and put the new stuff in the back.
• If the dates on the can are about to expire don’t worry about it. Those dates are “best if used by” NOT “eat it and die date.”
• If your spouse just can’t bring themselves to eat out of date canned food then ask your neighbors or friends if they would like it.  If you don’t have friends like that – get some.  If you can’t give it away – take it to the local food pantry, soup kitchen or homeless shelter.