Food Storage
- It's not a new idea; it's efficient, convenient, dynamic (needs change from year to year as our circumstances and family ages change). We "might not call it our "food storage" but instead refer to it as the fruit room or even the pantry.
- If you are set up for it (have a storage place ready) you can take advantage of sales. It's a financially sound practice.
- Bugs- but according to the manager at a local grocery store the only place they ever have a problem with bugs is the dog food, so if a grocery store can do it will all of that food, we should be able to - just don't feed them or make them comfortable and they will die!
- Spoilage - if you are storing what you eat and eating what you store this shouldn't be a problem. (I'd add to this if you are storing it properly that helps too).
- Cost - We worry about cost but everything costs we just don't think about it. He used the example that no one can afford to . . . get married, have kids, go on vacation, have food storage but we just do it. It's (having food storage) is a financially sound thing to do. "Food prices rise".
- Procrastination
- Lack of skills - If you are storing what you actually eat, you have the skills necessary. (If you aren't eating home canned food than you don't need to know how to can etc., ). I imagine it is also true that if you want to develop those skills you should be prepared to eat what you make.
- Shelving - There are a lot of options for storing your food - don't let that be what stops you.
- We will have an emergency - it may be personal, local or national. Food to a great degree is a morale issue, it reduces stress if we have it in times of emergency,we don't have to worry about how we'll feed yourselves or your family.
- How severe your emergency is will depend not on what you do NOW but on what you did THEN.
- Pantry, what you keep in your kitchen
- Prepared and dried food (stuff you keep in your basement, "fruit room", or "food storage")
- bottled food, canned food, dry mixes, unscented bleach, soaps, cleaners, toiletries, light bulbs, games, morale food, cook book, spices
- water - be careful where you store it, some of those containers are VERY heavy
- 1st aid kit - filled with things you can use, medication, glasses, etc
- misc. items - oil, belts for your car, tape, fuel
- a little cash
- seeds - buy the heirloom kind not hybrid, that way the seeds from the plants this year will produce the same plant next year.
- The first thing to remember in the case of a large scale emergency is fuel and food. Store a clean empty gas can in your trunk, in an emergency 1st fill up your vehicle and the gas can, next head to the store to purchase perishables, then home.
- Also keep in your kit a "don't forget list", of things not in the kit that you need to bring, like prescriptions a coat. I would add things like keys, special blankets or toy - things that can't be stored but would not be fun to do without.
- cash
- duct tape
- copies of important papers
- pictures of everyone
- addresses and contact information
- tarp
- small tent
- multi use coat (raincoat, fleece etc.)
- water filter
- whistle
- hat
- extra glasses
- freeze dried food
- small stove
Looks like this was the week to talk about being prepared. Prepared LDS Family, another blog about, you guessed it, being prepared also had a Sunday lesson about 72-hour kits
