Why Store Food?
Mega Storage
I’ve seen pictures of massive food storage systems. I never even considered trying to do that. I don’t have room for a year’s worth of dehydrated and canned foods. There’s a company that makes canned cheese. I can’t imagine what that would taste like.
Even if I had the room and the money to go out and buy all of that stuff I wouldn’t eat it until I had too and in an emergency who wants to try to figure out what to do with dried meat and canned butter? Even if you don’t have a mega-food storage plan there are still plenty of good reasons to keep some extra food even if there’s no emergency:
Save Time and Money
If you’re like me any time I go to the grocery store for just a couple of things I come out with a cart full of stuff I picked up along the way. Invariably I spend more time and money than I planned.
Easier Menu Planning
You could plan out what you and your family will eat ahead of time because you know what ingredients you have on hand. Sometimes figuring out what to cook on a daily basis takes longer than the actual cooking.
Get Organized
Food storage is a twofer if you’re going to store a few weeks to a month of extra food you are going to have to have a place to keep all that food where you can see everything you have and get to everything easily.
You Can Stay Off The Road When Everyone’s Stressed
There’s a weather report that predicts a storm and everyone does the same thing they rush out to the grocery store to pick up food or other supplies. If you already have the foods your family likes to eat you don’t have to be on the road. Between the wet or icy road conditions and anxious drivers it makes for hazardous driving conditions. It would be better just to stay in and watch a movie.
Take Advantage of Sales
When your brand of pasta or anything else is on sale buy the max. When it goes back up to the normal price you won’t have to buy any. Eventually as you build your inventory you’ll be able to buy only what’s on sale when you go shopping. Kaching!
You Don’t Need to Focus on “Survival” Food
MRE’s, dried and canned stuff that you don’t ordinarily eat, beef jerky all that stuff that we see on survival websites. A simple rule of food storage is “store what you eat and eat what you store.” I didn’t invent it I just think it is a good rule of thumb.
I’ve never even seen wheat berries I’m not going to store a hundred pounds of them. Besides who needs to be sick in an emergency from eating unfamiliar food? If your family likes rice, white rice stores for a really long time, keep extra white rice. The same if your family likes pasta or potatoes.
At the very least keep the ingredients for your go-to recipes on hand. What ever you make quickly, easily and everybody in the household likes to eat.
When Emergencies Happen You Can Stay Out of Harm’s Way
If your neighborhood is not directly affected by the emergency it makes a lot of sense just to stay home. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your family is safe and together.
You Can Help Others
If you have a relative or friend who was affected by a disaster you can open your door to them or pack them a box of food to tide them over in a difficult time.
