Food on the shelf is like money in the bank

One of the first steps in being prepared for the unexpected is having some extra food on the shelf.  This includes not just food but everything you need to get by that will store easily.  This is really only practical for staple items that you use regularly.  There are lots of reasons why it makes sense to do this but one is that it makes good sense financially.  It’s obvious that food prices are going nowhere but up.  Anything you can buy today will probably cost less than it will next week or next month.  When you first start this it will seem like your spending is going up (and it will) but buying basic necessities is actually more like saving than spending.  If you define saving as “putting something away for the future” then stocking up on essentials truly is a form of saving.  This is especially true considering the negligible interest rates banks are offering on savings accounts these days.  If you do it right and only buy things you need, spending today can actually save you money tomorrow.  Once you have a good supply of staple items, trips to the grocery store will be less frequent and less expensive.  Sometimes you’ll be able to skip most of the grocery aisles and just pick up fresh produce, meat, dairy, and bread. Also, eating at home is much less expensive than eating out.  If you have a good supply of groceries at home and plan your meals, it will be less tempting to eat out.  If you are a single person living on fast food, this may seem like it doesn’t apply to you, but even singles should have a good supply of food on the shelf.

 What things are good to stock up on?

Anything that will store indefinitely or that has a long shelf life is a good choice for stocking up.   This includes paper goods, soap, toiletries, sugar, flour, salt, spices, canned goods, rice, pasta, beans, cereal, condiments, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, tea, honey, pancake syrup, etc.   You can also include some additional items you don’t normally buy but that are good substitutes for things you prefer.  Even if you normally prefer to buy everything fresh, it doesn’t hurt to have a few things like canned vegetables, canned chicken, and powdered milk on the shelf.  These can be used when you run out of something or worked into your regular meal plans.

How to get started on food storage:

1. Make a list of things you regularly use.

Non-perishable items should not need to be purchased in small quantities every week. 

2. Check the expiration dates

Know how long an item can be stored for and how much you can use in that amount of time.  If it will last a year or more, buy at least enough for a few months.  If it will last indefinitely, buy as much as you can reasonably store!

 3. Stock up when you find a sale

BOGO’s (buy-one get-one’s) are a great way to stock up.  They are even better when you use coupons! 

 4. Buy in bulk

Stores like Sam’s Club, Costco, and BJ’s are great for buying bulk items.   Especially if you have kids, why buy a single package of mac and cheese when you can buy it by the 12 pack for less?   This also applies to canned goods such as tuna, canned chicken, vegetables, pasta, rice, beans, peanut butter, etc.  Buy as much as you think you can use depending on the shelf life. 

 5. Order online

Some items are not normally sold in bulk at your local store.  For these, search for the best price online, and order as much as you can use.   This will save lots of shopping around town.  Why load up a grocery cart, then load the bags into your car, and then unload it when you can have it delivered to your front door?

 6. Mark the expiration dates

Most expiration dates are in small print and hard to find so it might help to write it on the package with a sharpie pen where you can see it easily.

 7. Rotate your stock

Make sure to use your oldest items first.  When you put things away, put the newest at the back of the shelf or the bottom of the stack. 

 8. Donate what you can’t use

If you end up buying more than you can use, put the extra in a special box for local canned food drives.  If this happens, don’t consider it a waste of money.  Having extra food is good insurance.  Just like we buy insurance hoping we won’t need it, having extra food on-hand is also a type of insurance and is smart to do even if you don’t use all of it yourself.  The local food banks will appreciate the donation and this can be part of your charitable giving.  Most non-perishable foods are still safe to eat past their expiration dates, but the quality may not be as good. 

 This is just a quick introduction to food storage.  In future posts we’ll go into more detail on specific items and how to organize and make good use of the items you store.   Also, this is only the first step.  There are other items you may want to have on-hand that store longer and may not be available in your local grocery store.  More to come but let’s get started!