A while back I stocked my shelves with at least twenty boxes of cereal. They were on sale and I was going to add them to my storage. Unfortunately, I still have snack-fiends at home and my supply dwindled almost immediately. I think there is something to learning how to use wheat, oats, rice, beans, and oil in our diets. When these items are prepared for…say…breakfast food, they’ll last longer. It’s not easy to train a family to eat these items, but training we must.

I understand the basic principle of food storage. It really is a lifestyle. There are different kinds of food storages out there and we should be prepared to master each one for the different possible occasions. And yes, I know enough to laugh when someone says they’ve got their food storage sitting in their basement and they don’t have to worry about it anymore.

72-HOUR STORAGE: If you watch the news at all, you know it is just a matter of time when it will be your turn to leave your house at a moment’s notice, most likely in the middle of the night, or certainly when you least expect it. It’s going to be scary and you’re going to be afraid for your family and maybe some of your precious belongings. It’s going to be uncomfortable and you’re going to want to get a grip on your sanity quickly and efficiently. When you’re stressed and anxious, you may not be very hungry, but you will definitely need comfort. You’re going to want basic items you like and need, without having to beg off someone else. For your own peace of mind, prepare a supply of food and dry clothing, with a few comforting items, and check it every six months (Conference Time is a good reminder time). It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be enough to make you comfortable.

SHORT-TERM STORAGE: Most city dwellers shop for food every day. They also have little stores around every corner and can easily grab this or that without too much trouble. Those that live in the suburbs or the country don’t shop nearly as often. They need to think of needed items in advance, until their next trip. It’s nice to have a pantry off the kitchen so you can store your extra items and still have them close by. Typically, our pantries get full of items we changed our minds on, didn’t use, forgot about and we accumulate items that get old and just sit there. But aren’t you glad you have some sort of backup…just in case?

EMERGENCY LONG-TERM STORAGE: This is a category that doesn’t really exist. It’s where you buy in bulk the wheat, the freeze-dried stuff, the oil, etc. and let it sit indefinitely. No one cooks like this if they don’t have to, so for you to even think about using it, the world would definitely need to be in crisis and you would have to have no alternative but to dig in….and end up starving.

LONG-TERM STORAGE: Did you know that if you suddenly had to eat 100% whole wheat every day, your colon would have to work on overdrive and you would be screaming for relief? Just think what a whole bunch of beans would do to your system. Pasta gets old and tasteless, and oil goes rancid over a relatively short period of time. Incorporating these items gradually and naturally into your diet will be a lesson in good health, moderation, comfort food, and increased budget control.
If you are waiting for the Big One to begin using your food storage, you will very likely watch your food be destroyed, electricity will be shut off leaving you with no way to cook it, and you would probably starve to death anyway. What is MORE LIKELY to happen is you’ll lose your income, food prices will sky rocket, you’ll have a long term illness that will eat away all of your savings, the government will collapse, and you’ll need to have a special kind of savings plan: food savings. I believe we all need our own little grocery stores in our basements to sustain us through our personal emergencies.

With this idea in mind, there is no reason to panic and go into debt to buy a truckload of wheat, rice, and beans all at once. But it would be wise to put a savings plan together not in gold, silver, or bonds, but in the wheat, rice, and beans, gradually and methodically building a sure savings we can count on. At the same time, a rotation of storage products would ensure they are fresh, cohesive to our bodies, and will be there to bring us comfort in our time of need…because we understand that living on our food storage is the cheapest, most efficient, and healthiest way to live.

With grocery prices going down just a little bit, now is a good time to set a plan into motion and stock up wisely and purposefully, incorporating long-term storage items into our favorite everyday meals.

We all know sisters who have a knack of how best to stretch food dollars, incorporating long-term storage, and storing and organizing a functioning storage system. We can glean from one another what’s best for our own families. Learning from one another is a great benefit of our Relief Society.

Check my blogroll for some inspiring sites to help you get started, or continue, learning about food storage. And teach, and share with, one another how best to be comfortable in hard times.