We’ve Moved!

Due to some worries about trademark infringement we’ve changed our name from Food Storage For Dummies to Food Storage Made Easy. We have moved our blog to http://www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net and will be continuing to make our updates there. Please change your bookmarks accordingly. Thanks for viewing our blog!

-Julie and Jodi

I got the WATER JUGS!

Well there is not too much to say about it. I multiplied 3 members of my family X 1 gallon per day X 14 days. That’s 42 gallons. I got 8, 6 gallon water jugs. So I think I’m covered. The trip to Walmart was exciting though. My baby thought he needed to help throw each jug out of the cart.

BabySteps – Step 2: Water

Here is a summary of the research we’ve done on water so far. This information will be posted on the appropriate Babysteps page (located on the tabs at the top of the website) and will be kept updated with the most current recommendations we have.

Key Points:

• Most sources recommend 1 gallon of water per person, for 14 days.
• Store water in “FOOD GRADE” or PETE plastic containers (stay away from milk jugs- soda bottles are suitable).
• Store water away from too much light or heat.
• Clean, sanitize, and rinse all containers prior to use.
• Do not use containers previously used to store non-food products.
• Non-chlorinated water should be treated with bleach. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon (8 drops) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) for every gallon (4 liters) of water.
• Boiling is the safest way to clean water, however you can use household liquid bleach to kill microorganisms. Make sure you use regular bleach, not the scented ones. See below for a chart on how much bleach you should add to water.

Diagrams/Charts:

Our Game Plan:

We searched online everywhere for some good water containers. We were told if you get the really big jugs you never get around to filling them. So we decided on 6 gallon containers. You probably could do 15 gallon also. Any bigger than that and you risk never refilling them because the task would be too daunting. We found some 6 gallon containers at Walmart, calculated how many we would need (number of members per family * 1 gallon per day * 14 days), and we’re going to go ahead and buy them. We’re also going to print the diagram of water to bleach content and tape it on our bleach container.

Resources:

http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7534-1-4065-1,00.html

www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/water

www.redcross.org/services/prepare

Babysteps – Step 1: Shelves

Here is a summary of the research we’ve done on shelves so far. This information will be posted on the appropriate Babysteps page (located on the tabs at the top of the website) and will be kept updated with the most current recommendations we have.

Key Points:

• There are a wide variety of shelf options available. Determine the amount you feel comfortable spending and consider what will suit your needs best.
  • Build Your Own – Probably the cheapest option, offers the most flexibility
  • Inexpensive metal or plastic shelving (i.e. from Walmart) – A cheap and easy way to get started, although shelves may not last as long as other options
  • Deluxe Can Rotation System – These are the priciest way to go but are VERY convenient when you are really rotating and using your food storage items. Different versions are available to fit whatever size of cans you want to store.
• Start with one set of shelves and add more as your food storage grows.
• Plastic may be better than metal for storing heavier items (metal tends to bow in the middle).
• Adjustable shelf heights will be useful as you store different types and sizes of foods and cans.

Diagrams/Charts:

A great sample of how to build your own Can Rotation System shelf. Pick up a copy of the book to view the diagram and instructions in detail!

Our Game Plan:

Jodi already had a metal shelf in her basement so she opted to stick with that for the time being. When she gets it filled, she will purchase a plastic shelf to hold the heavier items if bowing becomes a problem. Ultimately she is hoping to have her husband build a custom shelf system into her basement storage room.

Julie decided she wanted to purchase the most inexpensive set of plastic shelves she could find. She found a great deal at Walmart and plans to expand with similar shelves in the future.

Resources:

Metal shelves from Walmart
Shelf Reliance Can Rotating System shelves
Great instructions for how to build your own simple shelf system

Julie’s Beginnings

I did it! I went to Walmart and bought a shelf. The shelf was $24.88, “heavy duty” plastic. My dad said metal shelves can sometimes cave in around the center and that he has been happy with his plastic shelves. I had the option to do all 5 shelves tall, or 3 and 2. I thought the 3, and 2 were cuter for now. Once I get more stuff, I’ll probably have to do 5 shelves high – and get another shelf, but this works for now. I even got my basement cleaned out in the process.

Food Storage Shelf Life

Shelf Reliance put out an incredible blog posting today that has a comprehensive list of recommended shelf life for a lot of the most common food storage items.  I’m definitely going to use this as a resource as I am putting together my lists.  Things with shorter shelf lives will be rotated and used in my daily cooking. While I won’t make as much of an effort to use up the things with LONG shelf lives.

Click here to check out the article now!

Jodi’s Food Storage Summary – Month 1

• Water – 6 two-liter bottles
• 72 Hour Kits – 3 complete kits (over 2 years old)
• Baking Goods – 10 lbs flour, 1 can salt, 2 lbs each brown and powdered sugar
• Baby Items – 1 can formula
• Grains, Cereals, Rice, Pasta, etc. – 1 lb white rice, 13 lbs dried beans, 3 boxes instant oatmeal, 2 boxes cream of wheat, 2 boxes of cold cereal, 2 boxes kraft dinner, multiple sprouting seeds, several spares of common spices
• Commercial Soups – 2 chunky campbell’s, 5 tomato, 4 chicken noodle, 1 cream of chicken
• Canned Fruits and Veggies – 6 qts. peaches, 1 can fruit cocktail, 1 can mandarin oranges, 5 qts. tomatoes
• Psychological Foods – 3 qts. pickles, 3 jars tomato sauce, 2 pts. salsa, 1 small jar mayonnaise
• Non-Food – contact solution, shampoo, toothbrushes, washclothes

Hopefully by next month I will have added a LOT more to these shelves. I’m definitely going to have to rearrange them and better utilize the space. I also need to compile some sort of spreadsheet to keep track of what I have and what I still need. All in good time.

Getting Started

BUY OR MAKE A 72 HOUR KIT:

Prepare Your Space:

• Find the coolest place in your home.
• Clean your space out well so you wont be overwhelmed by a crowded dirty area.
• See BabyStep 1 for shelving information.

Determine Your Budget:

• Determine how much per month you can spend.
• Eventually your grocery budget should just include food storage within it, however when you’re starting from scratch you may need to invest a little more upfront.
• It is not wise to go into debt for food storage, so be prepared to be thrifty and think smartly.

Make a Plan:

• Browse through the first few BabySteps to determine your initial start-up plan.
• Be careful not to think too far ahead or you’ll never get started.
• We recommend getting a partner do to this with. It gives yourself some accountability.
• GIVE YOURSELF DEADLINES! (and maybe even rewards like chocolate cake for accomplishing each step)

Welcome to Food Storage for Dummies!

Welcome to our food storage blog! We are two young moms trying to navigate through our crazy goal of getting a year’s supply of food storage put together. With the struggling economy we have really started to feel that the time is right to get this project underway. As we started the process we realized there was SO much to learn and we got overwhelmed. So we decided to start this blog to keep track of what we learn, and to throw ideas off of one another as to what we should do next. Join us on our journey as we discover the best ways of achieving our goals on a budget and in a timely fashion. It should be a grand adventure. Feel free to pipe in with any tips and comments. We are just learning and welcome everyone to share their knowledge, ask questions, and/or add their opinions.

Our June goal is getting WATER figured out, and setting up our storage space. More to come soon!