Food Storage:Heidi Style!

With all of these natural disasters happening around the world, the economy not being super great, gas prices going up, and for the sake of just wanting to save money in the long run... food storage is a great option to consider!

Food Storage is a good way to help you prepare for the unknowns that seem to come up at unexpected times. Or, food storage is great because it helps you stock up on your everyday foods, and you always have what you need on hand! I love food storage for these very reasons.

TIP: When things are on sale, get a couple extra to help stock up! Then one day when you need it, you are ahead of the game and can just replace your "extra". You will always have what you need!

I love when I am ready to cook something, and I can think of my family's staple meals, and I almost always have what I need on hand because I have a good food storage supply in my stairway. (I don't have a pantry, I store all my canned goods on the shelfs by my basement stairs.) So I will grab everything I need for spaghetti (we have a BIG spaghetti supply), and then I don't need to go to the store. Then next time when I go to the store, or when there is a big sale, I replace what I used.

We eat a TON of spaghetti!

Apple Sauce and pasta!

Frozen meat 

Frozen corn and breast milk for the baby!

My food storage stock is more of the short term everyday kind of items. Its been great for my family and comes in handy a lot, especially with saving money and having yummy meals. But long term food storage is very important too, which I'm not very good at yet. I am slowly working on my stock. I have canned (as in I canned/bottled them myself) peaches, apple sauce, pickles and peppers, but when "the world ends" or whatever happens, I don't have any of the essentials yet.

Peaches, Pickles, Peppers, TUNA, BEANS, and all the many other canned things.

Here are some good things to think about:

DRINKING WATER

Store drinking water for circumstances in which the water supply may be polluted or disrupted.

If water comes directly from a good, pretreated source, then no additional purification is needed; otherwise, pretreat water before use. Store water in sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Consider using plastic bottles commonly used for juices and soft drinks. Keep water containers away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

THREE MONTH SUPPLY

Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.

FINANCIAL RESERVE

Establish a financial reserve by saving a little money each week and gradually increasing it to a reasonable amount.

LONG TERM SUPPLY

For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans.
These items can last 30 years or more when properly packaged and stored in a cool, dry place. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply.

Food	New "Life Sustaining" Shelf-Life Estimates (In Years)
Wheat	30+
White rice	30+
Corn	30+
Sugar	30+
Pinto beans	30
Rolled oats	30
Pasta	30
Potato flakes	30
Apple slices	30
Non-fat powdered milk	20
Dehydrated carrots	20

Pretty cool huh? I better get started on my long term supply and water supply, because you never know what's going to happen!

Canning peaches. Its SO worth it, imagine all the yummy peach cobbler you can make!