I don’t know about you but I get very overwhelmed when it comes to food storage and year supply. There are so many great websites to help start your food storage. I just wanted someone to tell me what I needed to get and how to get everything on a budget.
I was emailed a list of how to build your food storage on a $5 a week budget and I was beyond excited! I wanted to share this list with you guys. I did make a few minor changes… and if your family does not like tuna then buy canned chicken instead.
Here’s a printable list so you can print it off and keep it somewhere handy!
and print it!After this list is complete you will have:
100 lbs of Flour
180 lbs of sugar
40 lbs of powdered milk
12 lbs of salt
10 lbs of honey
5 lbs of peanut butter
45 cans of tomato soup
15 cans of cream of mushroom soup
15 cans of cream of chicken soup
24 cans of tuna
21 boxes of macaroni and cheese
500 tabs of aspirin
1000 multi-vitamins
6 lbs of yeast
6 lbs of shortening
12 lbs of macaroni
Isn’t that awesome!?
Isn’t that awesome!?
A few other things that I added to my shopping list for year supply are:
- Cases of Water
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Toilet Paper
- Soap
- Shampoo and Conditioner
- Laundry Soap
- Feminine Products (if necessary)
- Stash $5 here and there in your year supply, so you have a little cash.
- Also, if you have baby or toddler, you may want to include items for them such as diapers, wipes, formula and/or baby food.
I know that there are many other things that can be added to this list, this is just what I came up with.
I would love to hear what you guys have come up with…I am ALWAYS looking for more ideas! Leave any suggestions in the comments as I’m sure we could all use each other’s expertise!
I love how you can build this up gradually, without too much money being laid out at one time. It’s not really an option for me. I can barely store enough for a few weeks in my Brooklyn apartment. This list is only for people with lots of storage room.
You don’t need lots of storage. It’s all about being creative with space. Use the bulky items as tables (cover with a decorative cloth to hide what it really is), etc….
This is SO helpful, thank you!
Oh I needed this! Getting my food storage together has been such a daunting task for me. Now I just have to figure out where to put it!
This is such a great idea! I like that it’s not too crazy (like “buy 100 boxes of cereal all at once3″). Great tips!
Ohhh this is great!!
I like this plan. It seems that I’m always running out of those staples when I need them. Thanks!
This is a fab idea but why so much sugar?
I’ve been wanting to do this!! Unfortunately it’s tough when you’re trying not to eat canned food because of the BPA, and trying to get whole wheat or non-wheat pasta/bread/grains, butter instead of shortening, organic milk, whole wheat mac n cheese, and peanut butter that’s just the peanuts and salt. It’s been a challenge!!
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I’m with you. This is like a guide for how to stock up on all the things nutrition experts have been trying to get people to LIMIT in their diet. Flour and sugar are big no-nos. Canned tuna is LOADED with mercury.
Well, considering this isn’t a guide for what to eat on a daily basis, but rather a way to stockpile food for an emergency, your comment is unnecessary and quite frankly, said from up on top a pretty high horse. I don’t think Savannah is trying lead us down the road to horrible eating habits. The simple fact is that the things on this list are food items that last longer in storage.
This is a guide for a cheaper way to stock up on necessities. Obviously, if you prefer whole wheat pasta, whole wheat flour, etc (like I do), you need to stock up on those items and know you might spend a bit more. So, take her list, change as you need to and trust that we aren’t all lemmings who will only buy what this list us to without our own research or thoughts on it.
And, for what it’s worth, Tuna isn’t “LOADED with mercury”. It’s not that simple. Tuna does carry mercury, as do most fish, but there is a way to avoid the higher concentrations of it. If you buy chunk light over albacore, you’re going to get less mercury. The American Pregnancy Association wouldn’t have in their guidelines that tuna is safe for pregnant women to eat up to 3 cans a week if it weren’t safe. So, having 24 cans spread over a year for a full family seems to be well within the safe guidelines.
I’m sure you are well-educated on these things as well, but you would come across much more intelligent and less judgmental if you commented with fewer flawed generalizations and more actual factual statements.
Wow! Thank you Jess so much for so eloquently pointing out simple damn truths to all those haughty people who need to rethink their priorities.
Eh, I’ll give them benefit of the doubt. I can’t eat a lot of this do to food allergies in our home, but I did learn from raising arrows or raisin olives blog that the flour can be stored with some diatamaceous earth to keep it critter free. You can also get food grade pails from a donut shop and buy different lids for easier access. Staples like beans, rice, etc can go in them.
Savannah, You’re my hero. I started a while back trying to build up my supply of food, however, I am short on space and I didn’t have a real plan so it was kinda haphazard. This is so helpful. I’m going to work with this plan beginning with tomorrow’s grocery shopping, and I’ll be happy to have a guide. The one thing I would suggest is that those just starting out store the food in an organized way with the oldest in the front or on a particular side so you can begin using it and adding in new stuff to the back or the other side so nothing gets close to or goes past it’s use-by date. Thanks so much!
Liz
Also, I was wondering if you would mind if I share this list on a blog post elsewhere? I will point the readers to your site as the source. I just think it’s really good information and I’d like to share it. Thanks.
Liz
Another thing that will help with the organizing, is to write the date of when you purchased it. Also, to make it easier to read the best by dates, write them in permanent marker on the front or top of the canned item. Some more items to add to the list are baking soda, baking powder, canned fruits and veggies, canned and dried beans, dried fruits, bottled juices, different types of noodles, oatmeal (quick cook or old fashioned), baking chocolate, and on and on. There are also several things that you can get for your freezer, that will be good for 3-6 months. Butter can be stored in the freezer for a few months. To make the $5 stretch is to look at the local grocery stores and see what is on sale and buy then.
P.S. I found this list posted on Pinterest.com
Where can I buy 10 lbs of flour for $5????!!!!!
Sam’s Club has 10 Pound bags of Flour for $4.76
This is awesome and very doable! I am totally gonna be following this list. I would love to know what your meal ideas are for these items as well. Also I think I would add whole grain rice, beans and oats for more protein and good complex carbs sources
fitcraftystylishandhappy.blogspot.com
I ditto Cassidy–whole grain rice (and pasta), beans, and oats would be ideal to add. And I’m also curious what meal items you have in mind when you buy this list. My problem with food storage is I know what food I should store, I just have no idea how to utilize it so it usually just ends up going to waste
Same here.
That’s what I really need to learn.
Weaselby, I completely understand your problem. I had the same problem myself when we first started our food storage many years ago. My advice would be for you to start a month before purchasing and pay attention to what your family eats. My family does not eat tomatoe soup, ever, so there is no reason for me to have that in my food storage. Substitute things out that your family won’t eat for things they will eat. There is a cook book called “I Can’t believe its food storage” filled with many recipes that use items found on this list for food storage! (It can be found at Deseret Book). It is a great source for beginning your food storage also!
This is a wonderful idea, but what sort of meals can you make with what is listed? The list seems a little random.
Supplies for first aid kit: (band-aids, antibiotic cream, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, eye wash, tweezers, clippers, scissors, gauze, cotton balls, q-tips, etc.
That’s a great list. Thanks so much for sharing.
What size family is this for? We’re just a family of three, but still growing. It might be something I could do a couple of years in a row, as the family grows.
I am just curious and maybe I missed it but is there a menu to go with this? Thank you SO much for laying it out like this! So doable and I have already started.
Good UN-pershible items to store are:
Can openers
Cutlery, plates, napkins, etc.
Wet wipes or baby wipes
Anti-bacterial
Blankets
Cold and hot weather wear
Sunscreen
Bug spray
I just want to add that you need to think about your family before you start stocking up. For example, we have serious allergy problems in our family that require specific allergy medication, eye drops, and lotions. I agree with Nicole; start taking an inventory of all the products used in your household. If they are expensive, like our lotion, buy them when they go on sale or put an extra 2 dollars a week into savings for those items that are needed.
Also, my husband is a Marine. We fortunately have access to MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) for way cheap. These are not only in food storage, but in our get up and go stashes (72 hour kits and our cars). To make this doable, you do have to have water to reconstitute the MREs. We also store other foods like beef jerky, peanut butter, and packaged tuna. These items do not need a can opener and are light to pack. They are readily available asap.
I hope my list does not sound to “Zombie Apocalypse”, ha ha… we are just really prepared people. It is a military/boyscout thing I guess.
Being prepared is what its all about. Personally I’ve been through the hurricane what was supposed to be a Cat 2 but was really a high Cat 4 that left us without everything for over 2 weeks, and also the “light dusting of snow” that was really 3 feet and a new record. You can never be prepared.
never be *too* prepared
We also have a bunch of MRE’s in our stash. A friend gave them to us. We just started stocking up this year and have done quite a bit. I am also the canning queen and have a 50×50 garden so we have lots of homemade soups, sauces, stocks, etc.
What do you suggest storing the food it, cause I live in the south with heat, bugs, and rodents. Unfortunately, we don’t get much of a hiatus in the winter. I’m concerned about something getting into my food.
I’m wondering is this per person or for a family of what size ?
I got this list so long ago but if I remember right it’s for a family of four… You may need to adjust for your families needs.
Thanks for checking out the blog,
Savannah
Something is always better than nothing especially when its food storage. I think it’s a great list, thank you.
Something is always better than nothing especially when its food storage. I think it’s a great list, thank you.
Something is always better than nothing especially when its food storage. I think it’s a great list, thank you.
The original list has no flour, but what you’d end up with is 500 lbs of wheat, instead. It’s the only difference I see. BTW, it’s 2 people for 312 days.
Do you have menus that you base this food storage list on? I would love to see them. Please share!!! Thank you.
I’d like to know where you are getting 20lbs of sugar or 5lbs of honey for under $5 because I need to shop there. A 10lb bag of sugar is over $6. Either way this is pretty affordable I think.
180 lbs of sugar? Whoa! That is a heck of a lot of the “sweet stuff”!
Savannah, thanks so much for this helpful list!
For those who are anti-sugar – consider adding pure honey to your food storage as it has a very long shelf life. You can use it as a sweetener, in baking, for an energy boost, and it also has antibacterial properties so it doubles as an extra for your first aid kit if you run out of an antibiotic cream, or for sore, raw throats, some say it’s even good as a diaper rash cream (can’t say I’d want to test that particular theory out, buy hey – if it’s an absolute emergency & it’s all you have, it might be worth a shot). Locally grown raw honey is also great if you suffer from seasonal allergies – 1 tsp 2x a day has stopped my allergy attacks cold!
It’s more expensive than sugar, but it’s an excellent item to include in your food storage due to it’s diversity.
Honey never goes bad.
I really don’t know why people get so hung up on sugar and white flour. When planning for a situation where you are going to need a year’s worth of food, you are trying to stay alive. That’s all. Think about that for a minute. Trust me you would feed your kids high fructose corn syrup if that’s all you had to keep them ALIVE. White flour and sugar are inexpensive and have a very long shelf life if stored properly. I personally would add more protein to this list but it is a good starting point. Also, don’t forget to put together your cache of non-hybrid seeds and medical supplies. Think about where you are going to get water also. Water is one of the hardest items to stock pile but it is the most important. Access to clean water is what will be the downfall of most people if ever put in a survival situation, especially those in urban and suburban settings.
Shannon, you are DEAD on. For crying out loud, this is an emergency situation we’re talking about here. I hope it never happens where I would need this stockpile, but if it does, you can bet I’m not going to be woefully looking at my stock thinking, “My family is starving, but I really wish I had taken the time to grow my own wheat and grind my own flour. And why did I stock up on so much evil sugar that makes things taste better and therefore makes them more palatable to my very young, picky children? WHYYYY GOD WHY??!?!??!”
We live way out in the woods and have a hand dug shallow(25ft) well. Our well water for drinking and cooking goes into our Big Berkey water filter. It is the same as the red Cross uses and comes in different sizes.It filters out EVERYTHING.We could put water right out of a stagnant pond in there and it would be fit to drink.Stainless steel and uses 2 or 4 silver and charcoal filters.
Add me to those who would love to see ideas of what meals to make with all of these ingredients. Obviously I’m sure I could think of things at the time, but in order to stretch the food as long as possible and use it wisely, I’d love some ideas!
Great List! How do you store everything?
interesting list, except i’d trade out the cream of X cans for chicken stock, canned tomatoes and canned beans (garbanzo/black). rice & water for all that sugar. and salmon for the tuna.
Thank you so much for this list, it’s a great starting point. I have many deadly allergies so I’ll have to change some things but at least I have something to go on. As for people who swear they don’t have enough room, if your life depended on it I’m sure you’ll wish you’d owned less shoes, stored things creatively or just rented a small storage space. Anyways, my plan is to map out the cost to double the list (I’m going with the idea that it’s for 2 people for just under a yr..better safe than sorry)and plan what I buy with my budget. If I have some bonus money from work I’ll buy some of the pricier things,just a few dollars to spend then I pick up something that’s cheaper. Having something is better than nothing.
Also watch sales ads.first of this month Kroger had Campbells soup 49 a can,carnation evap milk 69 a can,swanson broth 49 a can,green giant veg 49 a can. I used coupons and got an even greater deal.Around holidays is a good time to stock up as many items go on sale. Thanksgiving and Christmas are great times to stock up on staples for baking. Also learning to can food and dehydrate are great skills.Grow and dry herbs is easy. And garden, even if you have to use 5 gal buckets and trash bags.
Thank you for the list idea! Something to think about concerning the “sugar/flour” debate is bartering…you may not like it but your neighbor with t.p. may! Also would add baking soda – you can clean everything from your hair to your house with b.s. & water:)
Great idea. Thanks.
Just an FYI: Boxed Macaroni and Cheese DOES expire. I know from personal experience. We have a stock pile of food & had to use some during a financial strain. The powdered cheese pouch is what expired. It tasted HORRIBLE!
Love this list! Its a great starting point and looks less daunting then some lists I’ve seen. I’m just trying to get our 72 hour kit going as well as are camping gear which can easily go hand in hand.
Here is a great how to store your stash for those considered. Also has many other prepardness how tos http://saltnprepper.com/optimal-way-to-store-food-in-buckets/
Also I found a downloadable, printable, and free shelf stable cookbook. It probably correlates more with their lists but you get a could idea of what to do with all your stuff
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2011/04/25/surprise-3-shelf-stable-cookbook/
Thanks for posting this!! Gave me the idea to get myself in gear and get a list for our Family together to start our food storage!