Having food storage can provide you relief during emergency situations or even periods of financial hardship. It can take time and a lot of planning to build up your food storage. Before you get started you need to know how to prepare.
Create a Menu
When building food storage, one of the biggest mistakes people make is filling their storage with food they don’t eat normally. People turn to foods that are long-lasting but maybe not what they actually enjoy. Even if you’re in a difficult situation, you still want to have food you and your family will actually eat. Start by creating a menu that extends a week or longer. This menu should offer you some variety in the foods you’re eating as well as provide you with a balanced diet. Once you have created a menu, simply multiply it to fit your timeline. For example, if you want food storage that will last six months, multiply the food you need for your menu until you have enough to last that long.
Build Short-Term Storage First
If you’re just beginning your food storage, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself or be too ambitious. Start off by creating your short-term food storage before you tackle long-term food storage. Your ultimate goal might be to have enough food storage for six months to a year. However, you can start off by just building up enough to last you 1 month or two months. Starting out small is less expensive and more manageable. Take your time as you build it up. You don’t need to purchase everything at once. You can slowly build your storage by purchasing a few extra items each time you go grocery shopping.
Track and Rotate Your Inventory
One of the most important things you should do is keep track of everything. You need to create an inventory of what you have and what you need. If you don’t track your food, then you might end up in a situation where you have too much flour and not enough milk. Additionally, you should rotate out your inventory. Food still expires and it needs to be used. If food in your inventory is about to expire, use it now and replace it with updated items. For example, if you eat spaghetti regularly, take an older box from your food storage rather than using a brand-new box.
It’s good to be prepared for anything and food storage can ease your burden during hard times. Make sure you know what you’re getting into and take advantage of all your tools. Vacuum sealing your food is a great way to extend shelf life and improve storage.
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