Building a 3-Month Food Storage

Thinking of having food on hand for three months can seems like a big task, but it can be EASY!

Plan ahead to build your 3 month supply. 
Try this basic outline:

• Set aside some grocery money each month
• Determine what foods your family uses a lot, or what recipes are your family's favorites that you repeat often
• peanut butter, olive oil, brown rie, diced tomatoes, oats, canned fruit or veggies, etc.
• One option is to make a two-week menu for your family and then double all the ingredients for the recipes listed.
• ONLY BUY THINGS YOU EAT! If you don't like canned peas, don't buy them and especially don't buy them in bulk!
• Look at grocery ads each week for sales on items you use often 
• Don't just buy one, buy 10 of that thing so you can make multiple recipes. Maybe aim to do this for 3-4 things each month.
• Keep track of what you use up so you can buy more and cross things off your list that you don't use as often as you thought. 

**When you double a batch of food, decide whether it can freeze well. We double a lot of our dinners, such as stroganoff, sweet & sour chicken, chili and soups, etc. and then freeze the leftovers. You can freeze leftovers in zip-loc bags. Freeze the amount your family would eat in one meal, then you only have to pull the bag of and defrost it! Also, if you freeze the bags flat on a cookie sheet, once frozen you can stack them closely and it doesn't take up much room. For things like stroganoff or a homemade spaghetti sauce, just freeze the sauce and make the potatoes or pasta fresh. 

Foods that Freeze well:

• Butter
• Meat (cooked or raw)
• Grains
• Nuts & Seeds
• Bread (Freeze extra loves right when you get them. To defrost them, just let the sit on the counter untouched. They keep amazingly well. If microwaved they can change texture, as well as if you wait and freeze the bread when it is almost bad. Make sure the loaves are sliced before freezing! This helps it defrost well and allows you to defrost portions of the loaf separately.)
• Grated hard cheeses
• Peeled bananas (use for cooking)
• Peaches (sliced/diced), magoes, berries
• Red Plum tomatoes (less water, the better)
• Corn kernels
• Carrots (helpful to dice or slice before freezing)
• Green beans
• Roasted summer squash (cook before freezing)
• Peppers
• Peas and beans
• Onions (double bag or store in glass jar so your freezer doesn't smell of onions!)
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Fresh herbs (if you buy herbs such as cilantro but only use half of the bunch, chop the remaining bit and place into ice cube trays. Cover with water or oil and freeze. Use for cooking)

Tips & Tricks:

• Cheaper to store basic ingredients (such as flour or sugar) than ready made mixes, and you can use them for multiple purposes.
• Unrefined grains and healthy fats make your meals go farther and keep your family more full (and healthy!)
• Only use resealable freezer bags once. They don't seal as well the second time and food will more likely get frost.
• Save or reuse salsa jars, pasta sauce bottles, etc. to freeze things in. Glass fares well in the freezer. If freezing liquids, don't fill completely to the top, let it freeze without the lid on, then put on lid after it's frozen
• Keep an eye out for "10 for 10" sales at grocery stores
• Ask grocery stores or people at farmer's markets if they do a 10% discount or similar discount on cases of fresh produce. You can freeze, can, or store the extra.
• Try a new recipe each month using one or more of your staple ingredients (such as trying an asian peanut sauce using peanut butter or a different soup with beans, etc.)

Surviving 72 Hours

There are many ways to prepare for a disaster-just make sure you’re prepared! One of the main ways to prepare for an emergency is your “Go-Bag” (72-hour supply kits), consisting of things you could grab and go to survive.

You can make “Go-Bags” and keep them in your house, or, I prefer to keep one in the house and one in the car in case you may not be home when an emergency happens. Keep a few other supplies in your car, too, such as a flashlight, flares, a warm blanket, and first-aid kit (you can keep these under the driver’s seat and out of the way). Other supplies you can keep at home, like a camp stove, water storage, other “Go-bags”, etc.

Food

(A three-day supply of food, per person, when no refrigeration or cooking is available)
*Having protein (nuts, meats, peanut butter, etc.) will keep people full for longer
*If you are keeping a “Go-bag” in your car, be conscious of outside temperatures as you plan your food, as cars can get very warm and spoil your emergency food!

Breakfast ideas: 

· Protein/Granola Bars
· Shelf bacon
· Instant oatmeal, hot chocolate, granola/cereal, shelf milk
· Canned or shelf juice
· Canned fruit, or small individual serving fruit/applesauce cups
· Pop Tarts

Lunch and Dinner ideas: 

· Canned tuna or chicken, small mayo jar, small relish jar, crackers,
· Other canned meats (Vienna sausages, beef, chicken, etc.)
· Canned beans
· Canned refried beans, canned corn, crackers, small salsa jar
· Small jar peanut butter, small jar jelly, crackers or melba toast
· Shelf soups
· Canned ham, instant potatoes, canned vegetables
· Canned fruit, Capri-Suns/juice boxes,

Snacks & Dessert: 

· Trail Mix/Dried Fruit, nuts, raisins
· Crackers/Cereals (for munching)
· Candy/Gum (warning: Jolly Ranchers can melt and using mint gum might make everything taste like mint)
· Fruit Roll-ups, Rice Crispie bars
· Pop Tarts
· Fruit Snacks

Equipment for food: 

· Manual can opener (per family, if you use pop-top cans, make sure to rotate every 6 months or they WILL go bad!)

· Dishes: a small plate, bowl, cup (plastic-ware works great. You want these in your emergency stuff ready to go, not in the kitchen needing to be gathered.)

· Utensils: spoon, fork, pocket knife, larger cooking spoon

· Sturdy water bottle (per person)

· One pot per family (see “Equipment”)

Beyond 72 Hours:
Use refrigerated and frozen foods first, but make sure to have extra canned goods, dried milk, flour, sugar, salt, oats, cereal, etc. on hand.

Water

(1 Gallon/4 Liters Per Person)

· Store-bought water gallons or bottles will last longer than the expiration date because they undergo a purification process

· For home-stored and purified water, make sure to use after a year and store new water

· Purification and filtration combined are needed to make water completely safe:

· PURIFICATION: (killing bacteria and disease-causing microorganisms)
      -Boiling water: three minutes boiling to kill all dangers (uses fuel, evaporates, must cool down)
      -Add a disinfectant (such as iodine tablets Iodine Tablets or Clorox: 8 drops per gallon (be careful! Can be deadly if you use too much!)
      -UV light sticks (found in outdoor sports supply stores)

· FILTRATION: (strain impurities out of water)
o some water bottles have built-in purification, you can buy a water purifier (usually at outdoor sports stores or online)

Additional information: http://beprepared.com/insight/960/water-filtration-and-purification/

Beyond 72 Hours:
*The Red Cross recommends having 14 days worth of water per person stored for an emergency. Store about half a gallon per person per day. You can also buy tub liners to store water in a bathtub if you know an emergency could happen (weather, etc.) 

Bedding and Clothing 

· Change of Clothing (short and long sleeved shirts, pants, jacket, socks, extra shoes (flip flops are thin and light, but not very warm), beanie, gloves, etc.)

· Undergarments (Wear a clean pair during the night and change back into dirty ones in the morning. This will keep you warmer at night)

· Rain Coat/Poncho

· Blankets and Emergency Heat Blanks (that keep in warmth)

· Cloth Sheet (ex. an old bed sheet)

· Plastic Sheet

Fuel and Light 

· Battery Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps, etc.) Don't forget batteries!

· Extra Batteries

· Flares (can start fires easily)

· Candles

· Lighter

· Water-Proof Matches (store strike-anywhere matches in a cleaned baby food jar)

Beyond 72 Hours:
Fire will provide both heat and light, so have an idea where to go for fuel (a nearby forest, etc.) or have some on hand. In winter, close all drapes and tape plastic sheeting over windows to preserve heat. In summer, close all windows and drapes, hang blankets too if necessary, to keep heat out. Open windows at night and minimize movement.

Equipment

· Shovel (per family)

· Large trash bags (3 per person)

· Medium-large pot (per family, for boiling or collecting water or cooking)

· Radio (with batteries!)

· Pen and paper, permanent marker

· Axe (per family)

· Pocket Knife

· Rope

· Duct Tape

· Whistle

· Optional: backpacking-type stove and fuel bottle, work gloves, bungee cords, dust masks, local maps, etc.

Personal Supplies and Medication

· First Aid Kit and Supplies
     -Container with a fitted cover/lid
     -Note any allergies/critical family history on container
Band-Aids, Vaseline, gauze, medical tape, 2 ace bandages, first aid scissors, triangular bandages or bandanas, hydrogen peroxide, pain and fever medication (Ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc. These can be placed in an older pain killer bottle or empty Airborne tube but make sure to keep them labeled and date them!), diarrhea pills, needle, safety pins, tweezers, Benadryl, aloe, eye drops, gloves, hand sanitizer, hydrocortisone cream, nail clippers, etc.

· Toiletries (1 roll of toilet paper per person- remove the center tube to easily flatten into a zip-lock bag, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc.)

· Extra prescription eyeglasses

· Wet wipes (can be used for cleaning, washing hands, showering, cleansing wounds, etc.)

· Cleaning Supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, shampoo, dish soap, etc. Warning: Scented soap might "flavor" food items. Store personal items in different container than food)

· Mini sunscreen per person or one tube per family

· Make sure your immunizations are up-to date (see “Personal Documents and Money”)

· Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children's medication etc.)

· Prescription Medication (for 3 days, make sure it is not in a place children may accidentally find it)

Personal Documents and Money

(Place these items in a water-proof container, such as a Tupperware)

*Keep a copy of these in each individual “Go-bag” except the one in the car. Also make a simplified version with emergency contact info, doctor contact info, allergies, and a family photo in your wallet/purse and in the “Go-bag” in the car, just so personal information is not jeopardized if a car or purse is stolen.)

· Legal Documents (Birth/Marriage Certificates, Wills, Passports, Contracts, etc.)

· An updated family photo or picture of each family member (for locating people if necessary)

· A sheet of information with emergency contacts, church leaders contact info, doctor/pediatrician info, out of state family members, poison control numbers, etc.

· Vaccination Papers/Immunization records, list of allergies, including food allergies

· Insurance Policies (including phone numbers to call, if needed)

· Cash ($20 per person, in $5 bills and $1 bills)

· Credit card

· Pre-Paid Phone Cards or $5 in quarters

· Small scriptures

· Genealogy Records (you, your kids/parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.)

· Patriarchal Blessing

Bag(s) to put 72 Hour Kit items in:

*Make sure you can lift/carry it!

· OPTION 1: (bags will be heavier, family items not in one place)

· Pack all items (food, clothes, dishes, flashlights) in a duffel bag, back pack, etc. for each individual. Distribute family items such as duct tape, radio, shovel, etc. into bags

· OPTION 2: (lighter bags, but an extra bucket. Can be more helpful if you have small children that can’t carry their own bags)

· Pack food items and utensils in a bag for each person, but also pack a bucket (can be small-3 gallons) with family items, such as can openers, a backpacking stove, dishes, ponchos, emergency blankets, shovel, radio, duct tape, etc.

Additional Needs for Infants and Children

· Include any applicable infant/toddler needs, such as three days worth of diapers (keep the size updated), trial size diaper cream or Vaseline, extra pacifiers, extra clothing and thicker clothing, etc.

· Food needs for young children are different: make sure to have a container or formula or to-go packets as necessary. Also store at least one empty bottle in your 72-hour kit. This can be a drop-in/disposable liner kind, since they are easier to clean and may be more sterile in an emergency when you may not be able to wash a bottle as thoroughly.

· Small games or toys: children will feel anxious but games and toys will help them not to be scared and will keep parents sane while you try to figure things out

Notes:

1. Update your 72 Hour Kit every six months: make sure that all food, water, and medication is fresh and has not expired; clothing/diapers fit; personal documents and credit cards are up to date; and batteries are charged. One way to do this is every General Conference (Fall/Spring) get out your kits and check them, eating the food (you should only fill your 72 kit with food you would actually eat anyways!) and replacing it with new food.

2. Older children can be responsible for their own pack of items/clothes as well as help pack and check the kits.

3. You can include any other items in your 72 Hour Kit that you feel are necessary for your family's survival (may include work gloves, disposable camera, rain boots, how-to books (first-aid, survival guide, etc.), sleeping bags on hand, hand and foot warmers, etc.)

4. Some items and/or flavors might leak, melt, "flavor" other items, or break open. Dividing groups of items into individual Ziploc bags might help prevent this.