Stockpiling Your Food Storage for 2010

Several years ago, my friend Melissa over at Melissa's Bargain Blog sent me a weekly calendar that I could use as a guide for buying my long-term food storage and 72-hour kit supplies. The list details items you can purchase each week, and at the end of the year, you'll have enough long-term food to feed an adult for an entire year, and the 72-hour kit will sustain an adult for 3 days.

The list was extremely helpful for me. I have used this list ever since Melissa gave it to me. I print it up, cut out the section for each month, and tape it to my calendar. During the month, I look for deals specifically on my long-term food storage and 72-hour kit weekly purchase calendar, and I cross them off as I receive them. And little by little, I have built up our stockpile. I've also used our stockpile here and there, but I continue to add to it as I follow the weekly schedule.

My church teaches provident living, or being in a position so that we can sustain ourselves in the event of an emergency, financial hardship, job loss, etc.. That's not to say that we can't ask for help if we need it, but we shouldn't procrastinate or be in denial that an emergency, financial hardship or job loss could never happen to us.

My family learned this first-hand when my husband's business began failing a year ago. He has been on unemployment for just over a year now, and dissolved the business this past summer. Our finances were hit hard--and I mean hard. The first few months were a nightmare, and we were facing foreclosure on our home.

I was so happy that we had one thing we could rely on--our food storage. We weren't anywhere close to a year's supply; it was more like a couple month's for our family of four. But it was a starting point, and it meant that we could just shop for some of the basic necessities, which meant we could use our now-reduced income towards getting our finances straightened out.

And now, one year later, we are in a much, much better position financially. My husband is still out of work (the economy is extremely bad in our area) but we have learned to live well on less. I continue to stockpile and work on our long-term food and 72-hour kit supplies. Our long-term supply is up to about 6 month's worth now.

One of the goals that I have set for 2010 is to focus more on our long-term and 72-hour supplies. Not just in purchasing the supplies, but in organizing everything, rotating through my stock, and keeping an accurate inventory.

I'll be posting periodically how things are going, plus online tools and helps that you may find helpful and inspiring in your own quest for provident living. Oh, and that weekly calendar list that I mentioned above? I'll post that as well, so be on the lookout. :)

This post is linked to The Happy Housewife's 2010 Goals Link-Up.