How to Build Up Your Food Storage, Month-by-Month

When I see people who have huge amounts of food storage, I always wonder how much time and money it took to build that supply up and how in the world they maintain it. While I can appreciate those who are able to do all of their own canning and store it for years, I began experimenting with a somewhat simpler system that would allow me to have enough on hand of shorter-term storage. Long-term storage is a good idea for things like powdered milk, wheat, beans, and rice. But what about more everyday items? The things that I use to cook with a few times a month? So I began designating each month with a food item that I would stock up on. I have found that this system works the best for me.

Think about what your family eats regularly. Then look in your pantry and freezer. How much do you have of those products? Wouldn't it be nice to have enough ingredients on hand to be able to make those meals at just about anytime? With a little planning before going to the store, you will be able to.

At the beginning of each month, look in your pantry or freezer to see what you are low on. Then look at the grocery store ads online (most stores put their weekly ads online now) and designate an item to buy to add to your food storage. So, for March, let's say that you are low on tomato products or decide that you need to get some if you are just beginning to store food. Start by looking at the sales fliers for a few of the grocery stores near your house to see who has that product on sale (and who has the best price on the product) and try going there to buy them. Or, you can just pick up a few more tomato products on your regular trip to your regular grocery store. The bonus that you get from shopping with the ads is that you can plan your weekly meals around what's on sale that week at that store and save even a little more.

Each time you go to the store during a month, pick up just a couple of your designated monthly item. The upfront cost is much less this way and allows you to find places to store just a few extra cans each time, rather than having a ton of canned or frozen goods to find places for all at once. Choose a different item for each month. One month could be corn, the next month your closest grocery store could have a sale on ground beef and you freeze it, etc. This system is ongoing and allows you to tailor the foods that you are storing to your family's likes and your budget.

The only other obstacle is upkeep. After storing up your cans or frozen goods, they need to be rotated so that you have enough of the item and a fresh supply. There is no point in storing food if you are just going to let it sit and go bad. Each time you use one of your items that you have stored, add it to your grocery list for the week. So if you used a can of corn as a part of Wednesday's dinner, put "1 can of corn" on your grocery list so that you don't deplete your store of food. When you buy the one can of corn, add it to your supply. Try to first use the items that will be expiring the soonest. That way you will always have the assurance of knowing that you have enough and it is fresh.

There are ways to take this system further. You can have two designated items a month, or if you do your own canning, you can set a goal of how many vegetables you would like to can. You can have a different item each week, depending on what's on sale at the store and what you have coupons for, and stock up. Any amount of food storage that you can have and use is a good thing. It's like having your own little grocery store operating out of your pantry and refrigerator once you have enough items. Not only does it making cooking more convenient, but it helps to weather a financial storm or a literal storm if you can't get to the store for a few days.