How to Stockpile Food

• by Kathleen Roberts

Introduction

• There can be many reasons to stockpile food. Whether you are preparing for a natural disaster or just trying to save money, creating a stockpile can make you feel more secure. With recent news coverage, including a Wall Street Journal article on rising food prices all over the world, you may find that stockpiling is prudent now more than ever.¹ Keep in mind that building a stockpile takes time. Follow these tips to get started.

Step 1: Have the Right Equipment

(Creative Commons photo by Jason Riedy)

• You will find it easier to stockpile food if you have a few supplies on hand. Not all are essential and what you choose will depend on the type of stockpiling you want to do. However, all of these supplies will greatly simplify the task of building a well-stocked supply of food.

1. A Chest Freezer: This can be large or small depending on the size of your family and how much food you want to store.
2. Canning Supplies: If you garden or have access to fresh produce, you will find that canning fruits and vegetables yourself will not only give you a sense of accomplishment, but a nice supply of canned goods as well.²
3. A Dehydrator: A dehydrator is another great way to preserve fresh produce and meats.³
4. Shelving: You can only stockpile as much as you can store. Having organized storage is essential.
5. A Coupon Organizer: If you want to save money, you'll need to use coupons. You'll also need a good system to organize them. Some options include a binder or file box.⁴
6. A Price Book: Another essential tool, if you are stockpiling on a budget, is a pricebook.⁵ A pricebook is simply a notebook or spreadsheet in which you keep track of the cost of an item at various stores over a period of time. By keeping a pricebook, you'll know when you're truly getting the best price on an item.⁵

Step 2: Determine Your Needs

(Creative Commons photo by Belinda Hankins Miller)

• Determine your needs before you begin to build your stockpile, and you'll find the task much easier.⁶ Things you need to know before you start shopping include:

1. What foods you want to stock up on
2. How much space you have
3. How large of a supply you want to build

What Type of Food?

• You should consider what your family likes to eat, what you have the space and equipment to store and what will keep over a long period of time when compiling your stockpiling shopping list. Here are some food items to consider:

1. Foods Your Family Enjoys: Make a note of which brands your family prefers. Keep in mind that if you have a strict budget to follow, you may not be able to stockpile only specific brands.
2. Non-Perishable Foods: Buy ready-to-eat fruit, vegetables and meats. In a disaster situation, you may not have a freezer or refrigerator.⁷ Canned foods may be the only way you can have these items available to your family.
3. Dried Foods: These provide nutrition without taking up large amounts of space in your stockpile area. Dried foods you can stockpile include fruits, nuts, meats and beans.
4. Protein Bars: While not known for being especially tasty, it is important to get adequate protein in your diet.⁸ Keep some in your stockpile to supplement any other protein-based foods you have stored.

Storage Space

• You will be surprised at all the space you have to store your stockpile of foods. Don't just think of traditional storage like cabinets. Think of other unused space as well.

1. You can store cans or boxes of food in many unusual places. Under the bed, under the couch or even in your closet; all are great places to store your groceries. Other places include a garage, basement or even a spare room.
2. Once you have determined where you want to store your foods, it is a good idea to set up a way to keep those foods organized so you can see at a glance what you have and what you are low on. Consider using shelves or transparent boxes that you can label.
3. Designate an area for certain types of foods. For example, you can have one section for baking supplies, one section for vegetables and one for condiments. Keeping like items together makes them easier to see and use.

How Much Do You Need?

• Once you have your list of foods and have determined where you will keep your stockpile, you will need to determine how long a period you wish to have supplies for. Some people are secure with a three-month supply of foods. Others feel better with a one-year supply.

• According to ABC News, the Department of Homeland Security recommends all families store at least three day's worth of non-perishable foods and supplies.^{9 10} How much you ultimately decide to store is up to you.

1. Do the Math: ake your list of regularly purchased items and determine how much of each item you use in an average month. Then multiply that number by the number of months you believe you'll need your stockpile.
   • If you use one box of spaghetti each week that is four boxes each month. If you want a three-month supply, you multiply four by three to find that you need 12 boxes of spaghetti for a three-month supply. Do this with each item on your list to get an idea of how much you will need for an adequate stockpile.
2. Use Online Calculators: There are also online calculators that can help you figure out how much food you will need for your size family. Try the Food Storage Calculator at About.com.¹¹
3. Build Gradually: Don't think that you need to immediately go out and buy 12 boxes of spaghetti at one time. Remember, you will be building your stockpile gradually. Once it is built, you will find it easy to keep it stocked.

• NOTE: Much debate surrounds how much any one family needs to stockpile. Agricultural economics experts like Bill Knudson of Michigan State University believe that stockpiling can cause more harm than good.^{12 13} When masses of people purchase large quantities of food at once, supplies are depleted and prices rise.¹³ How much you choose to stockpile is up to you, but don't forget to consider the context in which you make your stockpiling decisions.

Step 3: Determine Your Budget

(Creative Commons photo by Belinda Hankins Miller)

• Most people don't have an unlimited budget to purchase groceries for a stockpile. Determine how much you are able to spend each week or each month. Then you can take steps to gradually build your stockpile without blowing your budget. There are several ways you can shop within your budget and still be able to purchase extra food.

1. Shop Sales: Watch the sales at all the stores in your area. If you've been keeping a pricebook, you'll know what's actually a value and what just looks like one.⁵
2. Use Coupons: When you include a coupon with a sale item, your savings will increase. Many stores offer double and triple coupon days to increase your savings even more. Coupons can be found in your Sunday paper, and many are available online via manufacturer and store websites.
3. Get BOGOs: BOGOs, or Buy One Get One Free items, can greatly increase your savings. Often you can use two coupons if you have them—one for each item—which can, in many cases, make an item free or close to it.
4. Warehouse Shopping: Warehouse shopping can help you to stay within your budget. Be careful though; sometimes the price for bulk purchases at a warehouse shopping club can actually be higher than the same item on sale at your favorite grocery store. Check your pricebook to be sure.⁵

• Visit Mahalo's Guide to Saving Money on Groceries for additional tips.

Step 4: Keep Your Stockpile Rotated

(Creative Commons photo by Michael Cote)

• Once you start stockpiling food, it is important to keep your stock rotated.¹⁴ It won't help you to have a supply of food that isn't good anymore. If this happens in an emergency  , you could have a serious problem. ¹⁵ It also isn't very economical to throw away food in your stockpile simply because it wasn't used in time. Here are some things to consider in order to keep your stockpile fresh and usable:

1. Don't buy more than a one-year supply of anything with an expiration date.
2. Check the expiration dates on your supplies regularly. Just like in a grocery store, items that will expire first should be in the front, where they are easy to access. Newer items should be placed toward the back of the shelf.
3. Write the date preserved on home canned and frozen items. Home canned foods should be used within one year. Use these guidelines for frozen foods:¹⁶
   1. Fruits and Vegetables: 6 to 8 months
   2. Meats: 3 to 4 months
   3. Fish: 3 to 6 months
   4. Poultry: 6 to 9 months
   5. Processed Meats: 1 to 2 months

• For more information of freezer food safety, read the Freezing and Food Safety Fact Sheet from the USDA.¹⁷

Long-Term Storage Items

• You are likely to want to store other items besides food if you are going to build a stockpile. Here are some items that can be stored long-term:

1. Paper Products
2. Cleaning Supplies
3. Detergents
4. Soaps and Shampoos
5. Razors

Conclusion

• It is easy to build a stockpile of food if you take your time and stay within your budget. Just follow these simple guidelines and you will be ready when you need to be, whatever your reason.

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References for How to Stockpile Food

1. ↑ Wall Street Journal: Load Up the Pantry (April 21, 2008)
2. ↑ National Center for Home Food Preservation: How to Can
3. ↑ National Center for Home Food Preservation: How to Dry
4. ↑ MomSaves: Build It Yourself Coupon Organizer
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Organized Home: Make a Price Book
6. ↑ TheDailyGreen.com: Is It Time to Stockpile Food?
7. ↑ Pandemic Flu.gov: Pandemic Flu Planning Checklist
8. ↑ CDC: Nutrition Basics: Protein
9. ↑ ABC News: Is It Time to Stockpile Food?(April 29, 2008)
10. ↑ Department of Homeland Security: 30 Tips for Emergency Preparedness
11. ↑ About.com: Food Storage Calculator
12. ↑ SavvySugar: Should You Start Stockpiling Food?
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} ABC News: Is It Time to Stockpile Food?(April 29, 2008)
14. ↑ Dollar Stretcher: Storing Food
15. ↑ Disaster Services: Stockpiling Food for Small Spaces and Small Budgets (PDF)  
16. ↑ National Center for Home Food Preservation: How Do I Store
17. ↑ USDA Fact Sheet: Focus On Freezing