Starting from Scratch Turbo-Style---How to build a Solid Food Storage Quickly for the Least Amount...

Good morning everyone!

Many MANY of you have sent me personal emails asking me how to get started right now, and how to get the most food in your house for your personal storage in a quick manner.

I completely understand that. This world, and especially our country, have been going through uncertain times. We have seen enormous job loss, financial instability, our govt. waffling over paying their bills, and on top of all of those things, we are seeing natural disasters that have put people without help or food for extended periods of time. I had the blessing of speaking to one woman last night via email whose family weathered through the devastation from Hurricane Sandy hitting the East Coast. She has relocated now, with her family, but she told of over  a week of sleepless nights because of the cold, splitting a can of pork and beans five ways for three days, once a day, and feeling helpless as a mom to do anything different.

It broke my heart, and I prayed for her. I know she is past all that now, her family is safe and well and healthy, but the truth is, there are people right now, among us, living in that kind of food, and situational insecurity. They are going into winter, and can not afford heat. They are looking are bare shelves and wondering what to feed their kids tonight. And they are good, solid, hardworking people who have fallen on hard times. We have been there as a family, and our heart breaks to know it is happening.

Anyhow, I am going to do two different posts on what exactly to do and buy to start your food storage, with how we would go about it. Today, for those of you who are raring to go out and get something in the house, today's post is for you. I am going to give you five simple weeks of purchasing items that can be used in many basic recipes, and it will be based off of a one month supply for a family of four.

Many of us have cut back in our grocery budgets to afford paying other bills the last few months, so if you can not swing all of this, then do what you can. If you can not afford the large size of items, if you do not have a Costco or Sam's Club membership or your local grocery store does not carry them, start somewhere.  If you are on the other side of it and have access to a little more money right now, double this and get two months into storage in five weeks, or triple it for three months. Add other things you would normally purchase.  Or come back on Monday to see a little more relaxed approach to building your food storage.

For those of you have are willing to sacrifice some of that grocery budget to add some food storage NOW to your pantry, then here is my supercharged plan for the next five weeks for you. If you can do it all in one swoop, then great for you, but know it is going to be a good dose of grocery money, as in a couple hundred dollars. And you have to be willing to learn how to use it, which is something I am going to be helping you do this coming week as we finish out the series, and again when I finish cranking out this new E-book.

But for now, just grab it, stack it away, and in five weeks you will have a full month supply for a family of four put into your food storage. If you don't use something, or wont use something, drop it off the list or find a substitute. And for those of you who are going to complain about one or another aspect of this plan fitting your dietary needs.....guess what. This is about feeding your family, not staying on a diet. To the precious moms who read this that have kids that have food allergies...you already know how to substitute, and can do it with this list. If you are not sure how to change it up, ask in the comments. If you have questions, send me an email and I will see how I can help you or find answers for you. I want to make it easy for everyone to feed your family from food storage, and recognize that sometimes I need others to step in and share their ideas and advice for something I do not know much about, such a gluten intolerance or peanut allergies.

Here is your breakdown, per week, of what you need to add and store away:

Week One: One 5 lb bag all purpose Flour, One container of Old Fashioned Oats, one package of spaghetti, 1 container of vegetable oil,  1 jar of Peanut butter or alternative, 1 container yeast, 1 box baking soda, 5 lbs sugar, 2 jars jelly or jam, 1 box dry milk or Nido whole instant milk (if you have kids), 1 bag split peas, 1 bag beans dry soup mix, 16 cans various veggies, 16 cans various fruits your family eats, 3 jars spaghetti sauce, 4 boxes jello, 2-3 boxes potato meal starters, 2 seasonings/spices your choice (think garlic salt and onion powder)

Week Two: one 5 lb bag of all-purpose flour, 5 lbs of long-grain white rice, 1 package each of macaroni and spaghetti, 1 bottle of mayonnaise, 1 container of shortening or olive oil, 2 packages or one container of hot chocolate mix, 1 box tea your choice, 1 can baking powder, 1 container salt, 1 bag lentils, 1 container dry milk or NIDO whole instant milk, 16 can various veggies, 16 cans various fruits, 4 large canned soups, 4 boxes pudding, 2-3 boxes meal starters (such as hamburger helper), 2 seasonings/spices your choice (think curry powder and chili seasoning), 

Week Three: one 5 lbs bag of bread flour, one container Old Fashioned Oats, one 5 lb bag of long grain rice, 5 lbs brown sugar, 10 packets of Kool-Aid, or two containers of instant drink mix, 3 cans evaporated milk, 2 bottles of salad dressing, one container of shortening or vegetable oil, one jar of peanut butter or alternative, one container of salt, one gallon of plain vinegar, 2 bags of dried beans, 1 bag dried bean soup mix, one container hot chocolate mix, 16 can your choice veggies, 16 cans your choice fruits, 2 jars spaghetti sauce, 4 boxes jello, 2-3 boxes potato meal starters, 2 seasonings/spices your choice (think cinnamon and apple pie spice)

Week four: one 5 lb bag of bread flour, one bag corn meal, 3 packages of spaghetti or pasta of choice, 1 large jar honey, 1 jar golden molasses, 2 jars jelly or jam, 10 packets of Kool-Aid or two containers of instant drink mix, one box instant milk or NIDO whole instant milk, 1 gallon vegetable oil, one package of beans of your choice, two boxes of tea your choice, 16 cans veggies your choice, 16 cans fruits your choice,  four boxes of pudding, 4 large canned soups, 2-3 boxes meal starters (such as Hamburger Helper), 4 cans tuna in water, or, your choice of canned meat, 2 seasonings/spices your choice (think Mrs. Dash and Black Pepper)

Week Five: one 5 lb bag of all-purpose flour, two boxes hot cereal, one container quick cook oats, four packages chocolate chips, one container shortening, Five Meals in a can (think Spaghettios, or beef stew), one box Carnation Instant Breakfast Drinks or something similar, one container of salt, one bag of popcorn, 5 cans family size pork and beans, 16 cans various vegetables, 16 cans various fruits, 3 jars spaghetti sauce or alfredo sauce, two blocks Velveeta, 4 boxes jello or pudding (your choice), 2-3 boxes of potato meal starters, 4 cans of tuna in water or your choice of canned meat, 2 seasonings/spices your choice (you get the idea *wink*)

Now, is this the very healthiest list it could be? Absolutely not. Will it keep shelf stable for a year? Absolutely. Will it feed you if something happens and provide enough variety for you to keep kids and family from going crazy? Yes, it absolutely will. Looking at the list above, you can see why we purchase in bulk, put up all our own fruits and veggies, and have learned to buy things on sale and can our own meat. But since I know so many of you are just starting out, I wanted to give you a head start on a food storage that will give you a full month supply for your family. This list is assuming someone does not have a freezer or the income to add meat to the list. If you do, then still purchase the protein in the beans and set it aside for later.

On Monday we are going to be addressing a more gradual approach to building up food storage through links and suggestions. I would really encourage you though, my friends, to get something going in your house right now. Don't wait another minute. If you go grocery shopping today, buy enough to put aside three or four extra meals of whatever you are buying that is shelf stable. Pasta meals are simple ones to set aside and can easily be doctored up with things on hand. And a bland diet can lead to boredom with your food, which is why I included the spices at the end of each list. Learn to use them, or have them on hand, as it can make a bland meal much more appetizing. Rice and Beans is not very appealing, but add some zip with chili powder or a taco seasoning packet, and bam, you have a much more appealing meal.

Now one more thing. Remember that this list will contain foods that I will be giving you a ton of idea on how to use this coming week. I plan on reposting this list, and then linking the recipes for each week's purchases. So don't be afraid you will never use those dry beans or 8 jars of spaghetti sauce. yes you will, and they will be in wonderful, surprising ways.

See you right back here on Monday,

Blessings to you and yours, 

~Heather

PS everyone, I know that there is not water listed on here, and that is because I plan on addressing it in another post later this week. It IS critical to have water on hand, otherwise, you are going to be drinking the juice of the veggies and fruits to stay alive :). So no worries, not an oversight, just make sure you have water on hand and we will talk about it next week as part of the whole series. :)

Day one: Starting a Personal Food Storage 101, with links, ideas and food calculator

Day Two: The Three Most Common Food Storage Mistakes to Avoid...

Preview Article: The Nine Excuses People to use to NEVER GET STARTED:

Another great article to check out:

http://www.survivalbased.com/survival-blog/2020/10-food-items-to-always-have-in-storage