Family Food Storage Checklist

If disaster or difficulty ever strikes your family/region, you'll wish you were better prepared.  And, you'll likely wish you didn't have to depend entirely on governments or charities to help you.  That's why being prepared makes good sense - even in the Bible contains a Proverb that says: "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil." 

 

There are two great reasons to have some backup food/supplies on hand:

1) economic difficulty (job loss, inflation)

2) regional catastrophe/disaster.  (hurricane, earthquake, long power outage, etc.)

 

Either scenario may present different variables (such as availability of power, water, and transportation).  I like to keep things simple, so I try to store food that could work either way – stuff I would normally eat, that requires little or no preparation, and has a long shelf life.  My list could provide balanced nutrition for my family, needs no added perishable ingredients, and could mostly be eaten without cooking.  I'd encourage you to come up with your own plan - but to help you get started, here's what I do:

 

I choose items with an expiration date at least 18 months from the time of purchase.  This way they can function as your food storage for a year, then be brought out with plenty of time to use.   I do my shopping for this every January, then cycle the previous years’ storage into our daily use food.   It is all the kind of stuff I eat regularly, so really each January I am just buying next January’s food (if all goes well).  My list reflects a pretty budget-conscious way of doing it – you could add more fun stuff if you like.

 

In a survival/catastrophe situation where there is no power, the foods I have listed below are mostly usable with little or no cooking or refrigeration.  However, in this case, water is still needed – much more than is listed.  Water is one topic you should discuss/research to know how much you would need in given circumstances, and how to store it or purify it.

 

Be sure your food storage area is dry and cool to minimize problems.

 

Many people save money for future emergencies – and rightly so!  But why not convert a little of that money into emergency food?  You’ll eat it anyway – so you’re not wasting anything – if you plan things right.   (When you factor in inflation, this might be a better investment than a savings account anyway J.)

By way of example, here's the checklist I made for my home this year.  For my particular situation - were I to encounter tough times, I would imagine the listed supplies, coupled with food from my pantry/freezer/etc., would probably keep my family going for a month.  I'd encourage you to think through your own needs, get input from family members, and keep it realistic.

>> This list is not intended to be any official health or survival advice.  Do your own research and thinking on the subject - and make your own plan.  I would argue that if you have no plan, however, mine is definitely better than yours!

Download this checklist in document format to use as a starter template for yourself.

 

Meat

 

q  Tuna   24 cans

q  Chicken Breast       5 big cans

q  Hunts Spaghetti Meat Sauce     8 cans

q  Ravioli Cans   6 cans

q  Chili    4 cans

q  Cream of Chicken 6 big cans

 

Vegetables

 

q  Green Beans  24 cans

q  Corn   24 cans

q  Baked Beans 12 cans

q  Cream of Mushroom   10 cans

q  Chili Beans     24 cans

q  Olives     6 cans

 

Fruit

 

q  Mandarin Oranges     12 cans

q  Applesauce     4 big jars

q  Grape Jelly     2 jars

q  Pineapple Chunks       6 cans

q  Raisins    2 containers

 

Drinks

 

q  Powdered Gatorade   3lb container

q  Powdered Lemonade     5lb container

q  Cocoa Mix large canister

q  Baby Formula     1 can

q  Bottled Water    36 sm. bottles

q  Water Jugs     A bunch

 

Other Foods & Flavors

 

q  Bullion Cubes        1 container

q  Oatmeal      50 instant packets

q  Vegetable Oil         2 containers

q  Olive Oil         1 jar

q  Ketchup      2 bottles

q  Vinegar       1 container

q  Brown Rice    2 bags

q  White Rice      2 bags

q  Honey Peanuts       2 large canisters

q  Baking Soda   3 boxes

q  Salt    1 canister

q  Wheat Pasta 4 boxes

q  Multivitamin   1 adult container / 1 child container

q  Popcorn      1 bag

q  Canned Soups   Any

q  Peanut Butter    4 canisters

 

Other Items to Store

 

q  Unused manual can opener

q  Matches

q  Spray Lysol

q  Box of Garbage Bags

q  Napkins

q  Paper Plates

q  Toilet Paper

q  Bleach

q  Laundry Soap

q  Box of Candles

q  Crank Flashlights/Radio

q  Batteries

 

q  A few big latching tubs to store the bagged/boxed/smaller items in.

 

 

Download this checklist in document format to use as a starter template for yourself.

 

Another option to consider would be FoodInsurance.com, which provides some survival foods prepackaged for disasters, etc.

 

 

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