Weevil Trouble?

I receive several emails each year regarding weevil, so I thought I would share a couple of tips I have found over the years to help protect your food from weevil. Now, before I share a few of my tips, I do have to say I am NOT an expert on weevil. Although I ate my fair share of it growing up (ugh!), I have NEVER seen a weevil in my storage the past 11 years (thank my lucky stars!). However, I talk to people all of the time who are dealing with weevil trouble, so I thought I would share their tips and tricks with you :) If you have had trouble with weevil and found better solutions, or have tips to share, feel free to leave a comment for others to benefit.

Here are a few tips:

*To kill weevil, freeze your flour, sugar, wheat, cornmeal, etc. for 72 hours or longer. You can then sift the weevil out or just pick out the few dead weevils you see remaining. They are perfectly fine to eat (sounds gross, but you really wouldn’t taste them), and once you kill them through freezing, they should be pretty much dissolved or gone. If you do not have freezer space you can just try to sift them out with a fine cloth or colander. They are so small, this can be tricky, but may be worth a try.

*To prevent weevil from appearing in your food later as you store it, you can freeze all of your items BEFORE you put it in your long term storage for the same 72 hours. This should prevent weevil from hatching or spreading as you store the items long term.

*Put dried bay leaves (a few leaves) in the bottom and top of the container you are storing your grains in. This seems to be the most popular method. Many people put bay leaves in their pantry, food storage room, and closets. Costco sells Bay Leaves in a large container for fairly inexpensive.

*Dry Ice Method: Put a pound of dry ice (per 50lbs. of wheat) in the bottom of a plastic bucket. Leave the lid on loosly until the dry ice vaperizes. Then seal the bucket. Be careful not to seal the bucket lid too soon or it could crack or explode :)

*Microwave your wheat (dried) for 5 minutes to kill the weevil and their eggs.

*Place your wheat in a glass of water. Those wheat berries that float to the top are most likely infested with weevil eggs or bugs. You can remove them and use the other berries as normal.

*What do you do if you have seen weevil in your storage room? Take all foodstuffs out of your cabinets or off of your shelves. Wash the cabinets down thoroughly in case there are eggs remaining on the surface. Then wash/wipe down all items you are putting back into the cabinet with a warm/hot rag. You will be after any visible living organism; but, you are really after eggs which may be on the outside of these food bags as a result of infestations in stores and warehouses. Once you have sufficiently cleaned the surface and the food bags (if necessary) you can return the food to your shelves.

*Find the infected food source to try and locate the problem. Many times weevil or insects are coming from one main food source and spreading. This is common in a long term food storage room. If one item is infected, most likely others will be as well. When you find and get rid of the main problem/source, it should help your weevil troubles subside.

*Empty out your food items into clean buckets or keep them in plastic containers to help keep bugs out of your food. Sealed buckets are best, but any container will help protect agains these critters.

*TIP: Buy your wheat, rice, and sugar from Costco because if you ever find weevil in their food, they will return the product for a refund or exchange. It is like a food insurance policy :)

*This may seem crazy to many of you, but I actually pray for my food storage. Not on a daily, or even monthly basis, but I thank God for the blessing of having food to eat and ask Him to watch over our food and protect it. The scripture that says 'to God ALL things are spiritual', I figure my food storage can be as well :) This isn't to say I will never see weevil, but so far (11 years later), my prayers have been answered :)

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Freezer Frenzie!

Most of you won't think it is hard to believe that I have three freezers. You know, the crazy food storage lady and all..why wouldn't I have three freezers :) Yes, two of them are fridge/freezers and one is a chest freezer. Before you think I am crazy and that my food will just go bad if the power goes out..I do have a generator and gasoline :)

Freezers however, are a secret to saving you $100's on your monthly grocery bill! To be able to stock up your freezer when prices are low on meat, cheese, dairy products, bread/tortillas, vegetables, fruit, etc., it can save you a lot of money on your food bill. I don't know what I would do without my freezers, especially the deep freeze. Here are a few pictures of my messy freezers (unorganized and all)..but, boy do they make me happy!!



Many people ask me what I think about Walmart meat. Well, I don't love it, that is for sure! I have had a few bad steaks and hamburger, so I have kind of sworn off Walmart meat (unless it is Tyson Chicken). I am sure all of their meat is not bad, but I have found a new favorite place to buy meat. First, Harmon's meat is always excellent quality, however it RARELY goes on sale for a great price. When it does though, I stock up my freezer--I LOVE their hand trimmed chicken breasts.

My other favorite place is Sunflower Market over by Fashion Place Mall in Murray, Utah. They have Sunflower Market's all over Arizona, Nevada, Texas, etc. Visit their website for store locations www.sfmarkets.com

Not only do they have high quality meat, it is also all natural, hormone free, no preservatives, as well. I feel better about that, whether it really matters or not. I just went to Sunflower yesterday and bought about 15 pork roasts ($1.77/lb.) and 10 packages of chicken breasts ($1.67/lb.). I spent under $90 and saved $166! My freezer is PACKED with pork and chicken!



They also have amazing sales on their produce and it is all really good quality. If you shop there on Wednesday's they honor their LAST weeks ad as well as THIS WEEKS ad prices--so, double the savings. Beware though, the store is packed on Wednesdays! I had to wait in line for the butcher to bring out more meat..it was crazy, but fun!!

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Shelving facts...

Here are some quick facts about the food storage shelves my fabulous hubby built in our basement. Our storage room is not very big, but thanks to his great shelves, it actually fits a lot! Having a 'food storage room' really helps makes rotating and using your food storage MUCH easier. Try to organize your food storage room like a grocery store. Keeping it organized will help you be able to store more food, but also make it easier to use and rotate through.

For those of you who have asked for more details on our shelves, here it is:

Todd's Shelving Facts: The dimensions of our cold storage room is about 15ft. x 5ft. I used 16” deep shelves that are around 12” apart. This holds almost every case of food that you can buy. Since the shelving sheets I purchased were 4’x8’ that also meant that I could cut exactly three 16”x8’ shelves out of each sheet without any waste. I also made my first shelf 24” off the ground for any of the larger cases, buckets, or tubs that we use. We have a “cold-storage” room that is all cement built directly below our front porch, so it is a great climate control for our stored food. As far as the material goes you can use the ½” thick shelving sheets and then brace them underneath with a 2x2 or 2x4, or you can use a ¾” sheet and support the shelf every 3-4 feet with a vertical brace.

I hope that helps :)

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Commonly Asked Question

Commonly asked question:
QUESTION:
You say that you use tupperware tubs to store your long term stuff (beans, rice, wheat, pasta etc) I love this idea. Do you dump the contents straight into the tub or do you store the bags in the tubs? It seems that it would save a lot of space in the tub to just dump out the beans (for example) into the tubs, but is that okay? What about sugar and oats? I see that you have them in the bags in your drums, but what about 5 gallon bukets or tupperware tubs with good lids?
~Kristin

ANSWER:
That is a great question! sorry if it was not clear on the blog postings. If you have a food safe 5 gallon tub (which the ones sold at Maceys, Harmons this week, and Walmart are), then you can dump the items straight into the bucket and not have to store it in it's original container. However, if you are storing your food in a Rubbermaid tote (like the ones on my blog) then you will need to keep the items in their ORIGINAL wrapping or buy a food safe grade plastic liner that you can put in the bottom of the tub. IF you have the food safe liner (you can buy them online) inside the tote then you can dump the items straight into the tub. In my storage I just keep the items in their original packaging because it is easier to rotate through and know which items are older and which ones are newer (I put the date on the box of any long-term storage items: rice, oats, pasta, etc.). The plastic garbage cans work really well for those items that you will have a large amount of (wheat, flour, sugar, oats, etc.). For a family of 4 you will need 400lbs. of wheat, 80lbs. of oats, etc. You would need a lot of storage tubs to store these amounts of food. It is easier (and more cost effective) to put these items in a large garbage can (in their original container).

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'Ideal' and NOT so ideal food storage tips

I know many of you do not live in Utah, and do not enjoy the benefits of having a cold storage/basement to store your food storage in. I am sorry about that! There are ways though, to help encourage a more 'ideal' storage condition with out having to have a basement. Here are a few tips and guidelines when storing your food:

Ideal storage conditions do not exist in every home, so just do the best you can. It is better to have some food stored in poor conditions than no food stored at all. An ideal storage area consists of:
1. Cool Temperatures—Usually a range between 50-70 degrees is acceptable (basements are ideal for storing food if possible). If you do not have a basement, try to store the majority of your food in a room with air conditioning or somewhere that stays cooler than the rest of the house (garage that has a/c, cellars, under beds, in storage room with air conditioning, etc.) If you MUST store food in a garage, store canned goods rather than your whole grains (flour, rice, wheat, mixes, etc.). The canned goods will store better in heat than food that is less protected from the elements.
2. Dry—Humidity between 50-70%. Anything higher makes for mold, moisture, and mildew to grow. If you live in a humid area, be careful to store your food properly. Canning your food (especially your long term foods and grains) in number 10 cans (like the ones from the LDS Cannery) is the most ideal. These cans with the oxygen absorbers will keep your food fresher longer and decrease your chance of mold growing in your food.
3. Dark—A room with little to no sunlight is ideal for storing food. A basement is perfect for this again, but if you do not have this option, store your food under beds or somewhere where the direct light will not see. Putting your food in storage buckets or dark tupperware containers will help keep the light away from your food.
4. Well ventilated—Keep food away from heating vents and ducts, pipes, etc. A room with air conditioning is ideal for storage (if you live in an area of extreme heat and do not have a cool basement). The more dry and cool your conditions, the longer and better your food will be preserved.
5. Secure shelves in case of an earthquake. Tie or anchor shelves to wall studs, floors, or other shelf units to prevent tipping. A PVC pipe stretched across a shelf will help keep food on your shelves (especially those shelves holding glass jars/bottles.) Keep the heavier items in your storage on the bottom of your shelving. Toilet paper, cereal, paper towels, etc. do great on the top of your storage shelves because they will not be damaged in the case of an earth quake.

6. Stay organized. A well organized home (especiallly in small spaces)
will make for more storage space for your food storage. If you live in a home with out a basement, shelves may be the solution to your problem. Build inexpensive wood shelves in your garage, in closets, crawl spaces, under stair passages, etc. to help maximize your storage space. Put non-parishable items (like camping, recreational items, summer/winter gear, holiday decorations, etc.) in your garage to leave more space inside your home for your food storage. It is better for these items to be outside in a garage and the elements than it would be for your food to be stored at high temperatures. One of my secrets of staying organized is to have an ON-GOING D.I. (or Salvation Army) pile in my garage. Anytime I find something in my home that we do not use, or that is taking up needed space, I add it to my 'give away' pile. Keeping your home clutter free will help you have more room for the FUN stuff to store, like FOOD!!

7. Be Creative! Desperate times call for desperate measures! Food storage makes for great furniture pieces :)

I have been impressed with so many of your success stories! Many of you are in difficult climates, live in small apartments/spaces, or have situations that are not 'ideal' for storing a years supply of food. However, I have been amazed at how well so many of you have tackled your home's/family's challenges and continued to work on building your storage--no matter the circumstances. Bravo to you for your efforts!! As I go around and teach classes on food storage I always like to share the story of a lady who emailed me from Arizona and told me how she and her husband felt strongly that they needed to get their food storage..despite their small home's challenges. They moved their THREE small children into ONE room so they could have one complete room (that was air conditioned) to store their food storage. What a sacrifice! I figure if she can sacrifice a third of her home for her food storage, many of us can't complain about the situations we are working with.

Thanks again for your success stories! You are an inspiration to so many of us. Keep up the good work!!

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An easy way to store water

This is one of the easiest ways to store water in your home. When you are through with your plastic 2 liter pop bottles or juice containers that are CLEAR, rinse them out with water and then fill them up for your emergency water supply. If you have bottles that have colored plastic, use that water for washing and NOT drinking. The die in the bottle can supposedly seep into the water and can be bad for you. I have these stored in my basement, at the bottom of my pantry, under my children's beds, and even in my car. If you live in a place that has treated water (check with your local city), you no longer need to put bleach in your water when you are storing it. If your water is not treated, you can use the measurements below to help ensure your water is safe to drink.

*Boil water vigurously for 3-5 minutes.
*Put 8 drops of Chlorine Bleach (unscented) for every gallon of CLEAR water & wait for 30 minutes before drinking
*Put 24 drops of Chlorine Bleach (unscented) for every gallon of CLOUDY water and wait for 60 minutes before drinking

If when you open the water and it tastes stale, you can flavor the water with Kool Aid, Hot Cocoa Powder, Fruit Drink Mix (you can get from the LDS Cannery for cheap!), etc. These items are good to store to help your children drink the water in an emergency if it didn't taste as fresh as normal. If you are worried about the flavor or purity of the water you can always get a water filter to guarantee the cleanliness of your water (my favorite is the Katadyne Filter). Having a water filter can ease your mind about safe water--many of them can turn muddy water into clean/safe drinking water.

You can't have enough water! Even if you didn't use this water for drinking, it would make good cleaning, washing, and cooking water! Another great tips someone told me that I have now incorporated into our storage is to fill up your empty plastic laundry detergent bottles with water. Don't rinse them out, the left over soap in the container will be great for cleaning or clothes washing in an emergency.

Each of our storage spaces are different, so just store as much water as your home is capable of and you will feel peace knowing you have water in an emergency!

The following are some websites with information on purifying and storing water if you would like more information:

www.providentliving.org
www.redcross.org
www.fema.gov

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How I store my long term grains

MY FOOD STORAGE BASICS: FLOUR, WHEAT, RICE, SUGAR, OATS, BEANS

I have still had several questions from people wondering how I store my grains (in my pantry). Well..if you read this post before Wednesday and you live in Utah, Maceys is having a great sale on their 5 gallon food storage buckets. I went and bought six of them (with lids) and have put my long term food storage items in them that I use the most (wheat, rice, flour, sugar, beans, oats). I then keep them in the bottom of my pantry so that I can easily access them when I need to use them in my cooking or fill my canisters on my counter. I have really enjoyed this method! If you have the money to invest in Gamma Lids, they will screw on tightly to your bucket and make for easy access to your food. They are expensive ($5.99 ea. lid) but only need to bought once and will keep your food fresh and sealed for years!

The key to making sure you rotate through your food storage is to make your food storage items accessible. If it requires too much work, you most likely will not use your food storage. You need to get it out of your storage room and into your kitchen. That is where you will use it and rotate through it.

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Commonly asked question on storing your food storage

Hi, I have a quick question for you. Your food storage lists says that oats and milk, flour and things will last 20-30 yrs if stored correctly. What exactly does that mean? Do I have to store oats in 10# cans? Can I buy oats and flour from the cannery and then put them in a 5gallon bucket and have them last that long? I am just not sure the best methods. I would appreciate some advice. Also, do you know if the cannery oats are even good? This process can be overwhelming!

Yes! Everything I have tried from the Cannery is excellent quality :) Buy the items at the Cannery in BULK 25lb. bags and you will save! They have awesome prices!!

As far as storing..here are my thoughts:

Don’t be overwhelmed!! Getting started is the hardest part, I promise!! You will find it really is fun and you will get great satisfaction as you see your storage room take shape and shelves stocked.

This is the deal with how long food lasts…I don’t worry about it!!! If you are only stocking up for a one year supply, even if you don’t rotate through the food in over five years, it will still be FINE! People get so worried about having their food ‘go bad’ that they frustrate themselves. The study that was done from the Cannery showed that food stored in #10 cans were PERFECTLY fine after 30 years. They came to the conclusion that many of these long term storage items can last even longer than 30 years, and MUCH longer than they ever thought they would.

I don’t can my food in #10 cans because it almost doubles the price. The only item I have in #10 cans is powdered milk from the Cannery. I don't rotate through this as quickly and I want to make sure it lasts and is fresh. All other items I put in the 5 gallon buckets or plastic containers, and I figure they will last as long as I need them to (5-10 years). If you are not rotating through your items in less than 10 years, you are most likely buying too much, or don’t need to restock as often. I have oats in my pantry that I bought right after I was married (nearly 10 years ago) and they are perfectly fine! I also have powdered milk that is almost that old and is still good.

The only exception is if you live in an area where you have to worry about moisture, mold, flooding, or rodents. If you do have these issues, then it may be wise to can as much of your food as you can in the #10 cans. If not, just rotate your long term food storage items once a year, check to make sure there is no weevil, and you will be set!

Hopefully that helps!

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Pantry Basics

Having a well stocked pantry helps make meal planning and cooking MUCH easier! One of the most frustrating parts of cooking is not having all of the ingredients you need at your fingertips. Having a well stocked pantry and food storage makes all of this EASY and fun!

I get several questions a week from people wondering how I organize my pantry. Lets just say it is not as organized as my food storage, but it works :)


Here are a few commonly asked questions:

#1--Where do I store the 25lb. bags of wheat, flour, sugar, etc. that I bring up to my pantry from my food storage room?

*I bring the bulk bags upstairs and keep them in the bottom of my pantry in a 5 gallon bucket, or on the bottom shelf. I fill the canisters I have on my counter of sugar, flour, oats, and salt for easy access, and then keep the rest of these items in the bucket in my pantry. Unless your home has a problem with rodents/bugs, this should be fine.

#2--What items do you keep stocked in your pantry?

*Basically I have one or two of everything I keep in my food storage room. The list would be quite lengthy if I were to list everything in my pantry, but here are a few of the basics that I can not do with out:
*Basic grains; wheat, flour, oats, pasta, rice, flax seed (I like to put it in a lot of breads & pancakes), cereal.
*Oils; olive oil, vegetable/canola oil, shortening, and peanut butter.
*Legumes; dried beans, canned beans (kidney, black, great northern, refried beans, etc.)
*Vegetables & Fruit; corn, green beans, mandarin oranges, pineapple, pears, peaches, etc.
*Cooking Basics; white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar ( I use vinegars in TONS of recipes and buy them in the large gallon size), soy sauce (couldn't live without that!), sesame seed oil (I LOVE Thai food!), balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, jam, coconut milk, taco shells, etc.
*Baking goods; coconut, chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, chocolate & almond bark,
*Misc.; croutons, tortilla chips (great to have on hand for soups, dips, salads, hot cocoa, etc. **TIP: If you have leftover USED #10 cans from the Cannery, use them to help organize your pantry. You can also buy them at the cannery for around .15 each**
*Keep a well stocked spice rack/cabinet so you have all of your favorite spices on hand for a variety of meals. Some basic spices to have on hand are: chili powder, taco seasoning, cumin, Montreal Steak Seasoning (my personal favorite!!), garlic powder/salt, parsley, oregano, basil, Italian Seasoning, cajun seasoning, dry mustard, sage, ginger powder, dill weed, rosemary, poppyseeds, vanilla, baking powder & soda, cocoa, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, etc. I try to keep a year supply of these spices on hand at all times. Many of them you can buy at Costco in bulk for great prices. **TIP: If you have extra mason jars lying around, use them to store spices, dried goods, or baking goods. They are easy to see what's inside, and help your pantry stay clean**
*My wheat grinder for EASY access..making it so I can pull it out, grind wheat into flour, and have homemade bread in about an hour!

Think of your food storage as an extension of your pantry. When you keep a well stocked food storage, you will have nearly everything you need for meal planning at your finger tips. Cooking is FUN when you have all of the ingredients on hand. Keeping pantry basics on hand will make your life more simple and cooking a breeze!

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Three Easy Steps to Getting Your Food Storage

**Clarification: 14 gallons of water for a TWO WEEK supply..NOT 14 gallons per day :) It is recommended to have 28 gallons for two weeks of drinking, washing, & cleaning water per person.

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GREAT water sale!!!

If you like to have water bottles in your food storage, NOW is the time to buy them! I keep them in my 72 hour kits, car kits, & for drinking water in my food storage. Maceys is having their Dannon Spring 24 pk. on sale for $1.99 (check with your local Maceys to make sure they are offering this deal, Tooelle & a few other stores are not offering this price)!! If your local Maceys is not offering that price, price match Walmart 24 pk. of water for the same price.

It is recommended to have 14 gallons of drinking water per person for a two week supply (this does NOT include washing, cooking or cleaning water). I try to have 2 weeks of drinking water in water bottles because it is convenient & then our washing, cleaning & cooking water is stored in the 55 gallon drums. I don't think you can store too much water. So, if you need water, this deal is good through Tuesday January 20th.

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The LEAST expensive way to store your grains...

Many of us have several #10 cans in our food storage. These are a great way to store your grains and food storage. However, for a less expensive approach, here is what I do. I have talked about this before, but I get several emails of people not quite sure what to do.



This is what I do, but you can adapt it to whatever works for your family and the size of your food storage room. For all of my grains and legumes (wheat, flour, germade (cream of wheat), rice, pasta, cornmeal, oats, and my dried beans), I put them in large plastic totes. I have them in all sizes, colors and shapes :) You can put them in 5 gallon buckets, Rubbermaid totes (small or large), washed out laundry detergent buckets, plastic garbage cans (mine are in industrial containers we got for free from a neighbor--they look scary but they do the job :). Most containers will do as long as they are thick plastic with a lid that you can close tightly. The idea is that it is keeping your grains away from moisture, rodents, and bugs. I have stored my grains like this and have never had a problem with weavel, rodents or moisture. Basements are the best place to store your food storage because it is generally cool and has low moisture. If you don't have a basement, you can store your food under beds (it is generally cool in bedrooms because of air conditioning), in the bottom of a pantry, etc. Garages are not the best place for food because of the temerature. Grain in #10 cans would be better to store outside in a garage rather than grains in totes.

If you don't have your year supply of grains, I would suggest going to the closest LDS cannery and buying it as soon as you can. With the crops destroyed in Missouri and Iowa, the prices are only going to go up more! The prices of nearly ALL the grains the cannery stores are BY FAR less expensive than anywhere you can get them. The only ones that are lower at Costco is the rice. It is only a few dollars difference though, so you might as well get it all in one place and save you time.

If you are unsure how much of each item you need. Go to our website (http://www.myfoodstoragedeals.com/) and under the FREE DOWNLOAD tab there is a PDF download called FOOD STORAGE INVENTORY SHEET that will tell you exactly how much you need of each grain per person.

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Catch the Vision!

Your Year Supply One Week at a Time

What's for dinner? Let's see what's in the basement "store"... Many people have asked to come and see my food storage room, so....here's the big unveiling :0) There are probably many more organized and well stocked food storage rooms out there, but here is mine.

My sister talked me into having a blog, so we are dedicating this blog to all of the food storage "nuts" out there like me. We are hoping this blog will inspire you to get your year supply, be a place where we can share helpful tips and a place to post our accomplishments and encourage each other to continue becoming prepared. Everyone will store and organize their food storage differently, but the important thing is that we are all working towards our goals.

So...here we go with some food storage tips that work for me--hopefully they will help you to. If you have any tips that work for you (or pictures) email me at Shandra@myfoodstoragedeals.com and I will post them for all to see--or just post a comment.

Where do you begin??

First...you need a way to organize your food--wood shelves, metal shelving, rolling storage units, etc. My husband built these shelves-aren't they cute?? I organize my food storage room into categories. I try to keep all like items together-Legumes together, fruits, vegetables, oils etc. It makes it easy to glance and see what I have and keep an accurate inventory. Remember, grains aren't just wheat, grains includes pasta, rice, cornmeal, cereal, oats, flour, cornstarch, etc.
How do you store your grains? It is more expensive to can all of your grains in #10 cans, so I put them in plastic Rubbermaid totes. I go through my food so quickly, I have never had to worry about weavil or food going bad. The plastic tubs also keep your food dry and away from rodents. It works for me and is an inexpensive way to store your food :) You may think 48 bottles of BBQ sauce is excessive? I don't--I know I will use it in the next couple of years, so why not stock up when it goes on sale for .60 (or .05 each with a coupon)--fabulous! Remember, if you don't get funny looks from fellow grocery shoppers, you are shopping the wrong way :) Buy as much of each item on sale--even if people think you're crazy for having 69 bottles of ketchup (okay, so maybe I am a little!), you will save SO much money in the long run!

Since we all know we live in earthquake territory, my brilliant husband came up with the idea to put PVC pipe into the sides of the shelves to keep bottles and food from shaking off the shelves.

Is anyone thristy? The church recommends AT LEAST 14 gallons of drinking water per person for a two week supply. I have our drinking water in the form of water bottles because they are convenient and easy to rotate through. The water in the drums are for washing, cleaning and cooking. I don't think it is possible to have enough water!

Visit our website under the Free Downloads tab and see the recommendations on storing water. One thing that is important is to not have your water bottles or drum directly on cement. We have a piece of plywood under and on the side of our water drums.

Okay..so you have heard me talk about storing your flour, oats, sugar and wheat in large Rubbermaid garbage cans. A friend who was moving gave us these wierd looking large drums that we keep our "bulk" food storage items in. I'm sure you can't find these wierd looking blue containers anywhere--I know you're jealous of them-haha!--so, large plastic garbage cans should do the trick.

FLOUR: APPROX. 75 LBS. PER PERSON

These large drums holds close to my families year supply of wheat, sugar, oats and flour. I only buy these items once a year (because I buy a year supply when it is on sale for "red/great" prices. I label the individual bags with the date I purchased them (ex. 4/08) to help me make sure I use the oldest bags first. I then take out the old bags, put the new bags in the bottom and then put the oldest bags back on top. If you are only buying them once or twice a year, it's pretty slick! These drums keep your food dry and rodent free--it's lovely (and VERY cost effective).

OATS: 20 LBS. PER PERSON

WHEAT: 100 LBS. PER PERSON

SUGAR: 65 LBS. PER PERSON

Besides the long term storage, it is important to have food in your freezer. Having a 1-3 month supply of meat, butter, cheeses, vegetables, bread, tortillas, seafood, etc. make meal planning MUCH easier. When meat goes on sale for "red/great" prices, stock your freezers and save HUNDREDS of dollars! Many of you are probably saying you don't have room in your garage/home for a freezer. Just do what my sister did and use it as an end table :)

You don't need to have a large deep freeze (although I LOVE mine), you can get a smaller 11 cubic feet freezer for around $250. You will save that much in just a couple months.

Wow! How's that for my first post? I promise they won't always be that long--however, by now you all know I can get a little winded when I'm talking about something I am passionate about :0)

So...what works for you?? Share your thoughts, ideas, tips, etc. and hopefully we can all get excited about being prepared. It is a great feeling! Don't get discouraged if you don't have your year supply. The important thing is that you are working towards a goal. Anything will be FAR BETTER than nothing in an emergency or if food prices continue to skyrocket and the economy takes a turn for the worst. I love the quote from President Hinckley, I think it is so encouraging, he said, "We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week's food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. . . . I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.
"Begin in a small way, . . . and gradually build toward a reasonable objective.
Inspired preparation rests on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, obedience, and a provident lifestyle. Members should not go to extremes, but they should begin."

Congratulations on "begining"!

Visit our website for more tips on food storage: http://www.myfoodstoragedeals.com/

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