Managing Your Food Storage - Waste Not, Want Not

Shortly after I was married, my husband and I thought that it would be a good idea to have some emergency food storage.  So, we purchased 100lbs. of non-instant powdered milk.  Of Course, I had no idea of how to use it, but somehow it gave me a secure feeling just knowing it was there in case of emergency.  Well, as newly weds often do, we moved 6 times in the first 6 years that we were married and the powdered milk, along with other storage items were carted from house to house from Utah to California and back never being used once.  About that time I opened the first plastic bucket of powdered milk and over the next few years used less than a cup full about 10 times.  Three houses and 20 years later, we finally decided that the milk probably had lost all of its nutrients and we threw it out.  We felt guilty and wasteful for throwing it out.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only thing that we wasted.  It had provided us with a sense of security over those years, but we could have gotten so much more benefit out of it if we had just managed it better.   I decided that I must follow a few simple rules to better manage my food storage and the money I would put into it:

Rule #1:  Store only what you eat and eat what you store.

This left me with a few challenges: 

• Finding a way to use the items I already had in my storage in a way that I could use them regularly in meals that my family would enjoy.
• Purchasing bulk storage items that I would actually use.
• Adding freeze-dried fruits, vegetables and meats to my storage to give variety

Rule #2:  Purchase wisely and don’t put your food storage dollars into one basket.

Buy a variety of food types:

• Buy case lots of canned goods when they are on sale
• Take advantage of sales on staple foods and buy in quantity
• Buy freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses to supplement your canned goods.  Especially ones that don’t usually come in cans.  They have a long shelf life and are convenient, fast and easy to use

Rule #3:  Manage what you have.

• Don’t buy more than you can use in one year
• Organize your food storage pantry as if it were a home store
• Label each item with the date it was purchased
• Organize them so that the oldest items are near the front of the shelves
• Keep a food storage inventory sheet on the door of your pantry or food storage room
• Keep track of what you have used, how much you have on hand and what you need to buy, what you need to use
• Plan ahead, watch for sales on the items you need
• Replenish your supply before it runs out

Rule #4:  Learn all you can about cooking

• Take the time to cook items from scratch several times a week
• Learn to substitute freeze-dried foods, whole egg powder, and instant milk powder into recipes that your family likes.
• Introduce your family to new recipes
• Try to cook only with food storage items
• Use the internet to learn more about foods
• Make sure that your are eating a balanced diet

Don’t get discouraged.  It is not an easy thing to manage a years worth of food.  Just keep trying.  If you hate to cook or you work long hours, it is OK to store lots of mixes and partially prepared foods.  Don’t feel like you have to be Susie Homemaker.  However, if you enjoy cooking, have fun and get into it.  Your family will be happy with the delicious meals that you make and you can be proud of how you are managing your food budget.

If you don’t have any food storage, there is no better time that the present to start.

• Set a monthly food storage budget
• Get a few extra items every week
• Save money by watch the grocery ads
• Plan ahead for spring and fall case lot sales
• Be consistent

Once you have your food storage up and running, you can enjoy the extra time you will save by not having to go to the store so often.  You will enjoy the extra money you will save from not eating out so much.  Best of all you will enjoy better health.

Please visit my Shelf Reliance website where you can see a large variety of food storage items, emergency items and shelving.  Our products are of the finest quality and can be purchased directly from my website.  Go to my Shelf Reliance website by clicking the link below.

  

 susansakurai.shelfreliance.com