Many people who want to begin storing food for emergencies wonder where and how to begin. If you keep it simple with the following suggestions, you’ll see just easy it is to start your own food storage pantry.
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As the saying goes, “I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.” In the past few years, we’ve had a lot of very impactful world events and natural disasters. Grocery stores have been closed or their shelves emptied, roads have been closed, and families quickly ran out of toilet paper and fresh food. In those moments, we see exactly how panicked people get when they need something and don’t have it!
If you have found yourself in a situation like that, then you know firsthand how worrisome it can be! Thankfully, it’s easy to stock survival food storage. Following these suggestions, you’ll quickly have exactly what you need for several weeks’ worth of meals that you will actually want to eat.
I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
Steps To Begin Storing Food for Emergencies
1. Start small
I started off with a small goal – having a week’s worth of food. I decided to plan for our most likely scenarios, loss of power or blizzard. The only rules I established was that it needed to be food my family would eat and that the meals wouldn’t require anything that needed to be refrigerated once it was open, like mayonnaise. I assumed that we would just about eat everything that was prepared for that one meal and if not, we have a dog that could eat the leftovers.
A week’s worth of food (or about twenty-one meals) that your family will eat and won’t require refrigeration is a great starting place for anyone wanting to get going with food storage. Power outages are one of the most common ways you can be directly affected in the event of a natural disaster, so thinking of ways you can prepare and store food without power should probably be a top priority. Solar ovens, small gas stoves or a gas range, or a small electric stove that you can power with a small generator, are all good options for cooking without electricity. And of course, if you can build a fire, you can use that as well!
Learn how to calculate how much food to store per person in your home here.
2. Do a meal plan
I used Excel to lay out my plan, but this could be done on paper as well. I created columns for each day and then rows for each meal. It’s important to include snacks and drinks as well. I tried to include a variety of items for lunch and dinner, but some families don’t mind the repetition of food. Learn how to meal plan using a system that makes sense to you.
I simply planned oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter, tuna, or chicken sandwiches or soup with bread for lunch, and then chose seven dinners that I knew my family liked. I ended up with chili, spaghetti, rice and beans, chicken fried rice, pasta with chicken and vegetables, tortellini soup, and taco soup. For snacks, I wrote down nuts, dried fruit, and some of the typical items we keep in our pantry, like cheese crackers.
For drinks, I listed one gallon of water per person* and then added in dry milk, drink powder, and coffee. (You can use instant coffee or regular coffee grounds, but instant coffee uses less water).
*While one gallon per person is a good place to start, it’s the bare minimum needed in a true emergency. I recommend increasing this to two gallons per person as you are able and if you have room.
3. Make a grocery list
After I decided what my meals would be, I went through each one and made a grocery list of what I would need for that week’s worth of food:
- One large tub of peanut butter
- Four cans of soup
- Two big cans of tuna
- Four big cans of chicken
- Oatmeal
- Raisins, etc.
I also made sure to write down seasonings for the meals and ingredients for bread. I added jalapenos to the list since my husband likes his food spicier than ours, and since we like to fry food every once in a while, like a quesadilla with jalapenos!, I’ve stored coconut and olive oil — which can be
Keep in mind your individual family members’ food and drink preferences while you plan your meals–if someone refuses to eat eggs or even dehydrated eggs, for example, then don’t assume they will be fine with eating it during a natural disaster. Stick to foods that are both familiar and tried-and-true. Feel free to test recipes before you commit to adding them to your food storage!
You can keep this grocery list in whatever way you prefer–on a piece of paper, the notes on your phone, or on an Excel spreadsheet. List the food item you need to stock up on and the minimum amount you have as a goal (e.g. “Flour, Goal: 10 pounds”). You can buy the amount of a food item you need all at once or across several smaller purchases, but just make sure you keep a consistent and organized inventory of everything.
4. Look for smart buys
Once I had a grocery list compiled based on meals my family would eat, I could then look for sales and get our supply started. It took me about a month or so to get a full week’s worth of food stashed away, but it felt like a big accomplishment. Keep an eye out for sales at your local grocery store, and any sales that happen around major holidays.
The good news is, you don’t need to buy all the food all at once…it isn’t a race! Twenty one meals’ worth of food storage is not a small amount, so stock up at a pace that is sustainable financially for you and your family.
…stock up at a pace that is sustainable financially for you and your family.
Pro Tip
Add some feel-good comfort foods to your emergency stash. Think beyond just sweets—throw in things like mac-n-cheese. It’s not just about nutrition; having familiar goodies can really lift your spirits during tough times.
Considerations for Special Diets
Many people suffer from food allergies and sensitivities. If this is you or another one of your family members, the same rules apply–store what you know you can eat and that will not require refrigeration. Buy what you can in bulk–rice, lentils or beans, or other allergy-friendly staples in your diet. Always check labels for allergen info, or get in touch with the company directly to get any questions answered.
If you are purchasing food from a company that is new to you, buy a smaller amount of food first so you can introduce it to your diet and see if it works for you if your allergies are severe. You can always freeze-dry, dehydrate, or can your own allergy-friendly foods and meals if it is more economical than buying them pre-packaged.
Not all allergy-friendly foods come in packaging that is food-storage friendly. Any container or bag that is not vacuum-sealed will need to be repackaged for it to last months or years in food storage. Repackaging food so it’s food-storage friendly is quite easy, thankfully!
One more tip is to learn how to sprout seeds as a nutrient-dense, fast-growing ingredient to top off all kinds of meals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Starting with a week allows you to establish a manageable goal, making it easier to plan and execute. It also provides a foundation to gradually build upon.
These items, such as rice, beans, and canned goods, provide flexibility in meal planning and contribute to an extended shelf life, enhancing overall preparedness.
Comfort foods contribute to emotional well-being during emergencies, and they can certainly include savory options like mac-n-cheese, not just sweets.
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Final Thoughts
If you already do meal planning, using a method like this could make starting a food supply really easy. There are other steps to take once you establish food storage, but the first step is to plan. Then, follow your plan and get the food. Also, familiarize yourself with the things that shorten the shelf-life of your food storage.
After that you can figure out what inventory and rotation system works for you as you add to the supply. After I had a week’s worth of food, I challenged myself to get a second week’s supply, and on it goes. Learn more here about how to
How did you start your food supply? Did you use an established method or figure it out on your own? What would your advice be to someone just getting started?
Originally published 8/1/14.
Great article! I, personally, dread putting everything down on paper and at times, the task can seem daunting. What I was able to do in getting my first month’s worth of preps, was ( when financially able to do so) literally double or triple my weekly shopping trips ( instead of 2 jars of spaghetti sauce and four boxes of pasta, I would get 4-6 jars of spaghetti sauce and 8-12 boxes of pasta). I would save enough money monthly to be able to do this, and in no time built up my food storage with foods my family eats! In a little over a year, I had over six months’ worth of food storage.
Now, when I use any item from food storage, I put it on my shopping list and replace it with two ( or more) of that item when I go shopping.
I started way back in the dark ages when I was a single teenager living in an isolated area. I specifically bought foods that I didn’t usually eat but would if the chips were down — rice, instant potatoes, herbal teas, instant oatmeal, ramen. Because those weren’t foods that I regularly ate, I didn’t have to worry about using them and then forgetting to replace them. It just expanded from there. With a family, I now focus more on the foods that we normally eat, but a portion of our supplies is still a variety of items that we only dip into when it’s time to rotate stock. It goes against all the advice I’ve ever seen, but it’s worked well for us over the years.
I started food storage by putting away a couple of 5 gallon buckets of red winter wheat using dry ice to drive the oxygen out based on the advice from Mother Earth News. Looking back, I’m glad I never had a need to use it because it’s not easy to work with and I was very unprepared to use it.
Now, anyone can put aside a couple of 5 gallon buckets with some canned meats, dried beans, rice, pearled barley or even something as simple as some Ramen and top them off with Gamma Seals.
The buckets stack nicely and the Gamma Seals make it easy to get into them. There’s really not much that you can’t store in them and they’re relatively secure. Although squirrels can chew their way into them if you leave them full of bird food and sitting on the porch.
I live on west coast. Earthquake Preparedness is what got me started years ago when my kids were small. I can tell you that it doesn’t have to be expensive. I have always shopped sales anyway so when I started I just picked up 4 items each shopping trip to start with a case of water. Nothing fancy. Before I knew it, I had a weeks worth of everything we needed for 4 people. JUST START. Now in today’s chaotic mess, I believe everyone should be prepared for anything. It takes public services days to get you in cases of disaster. Wanna be without water and food for possibly a week or more? JUST START! Hope it helps.
I’m trying to get started on food storage, and this has been very helpful. I do have a question though. You said these meals could be prepared without power, but I don’t understand how you plan on cooking these meals without power. What method do you use?
Here’s a helpful link for you: https://thesurvivalmom.com/off-grid-cooking-methods/ It’s very important to have at least 2 of these methods. Be sure whatever backups you have require different types of fuels.
You made an interesting point when you explained that the first step to creating food storage is to plan. With that in mind, I would think that the first thing you would want to plan out is the type of foods that you are wanting to store. It seems like it could be a good idea to store dairy and food powders since they have a long shelf life.