Get your FOOD STORAGE on

Lately I've been feeling a bit of urgency in this matter, and a special awareness of it's importance. I know it's hard financially to get everything into place, but you can definately build up your supply slowly but surely. If you can, try to pick up an extra can of beans here, an extra bag of rice there.. etc.

Last week when I was driving home from getting some soup for food storage, I was feeling good as I always do when I have hit a good deal. I felt more at ease with our food supply, and was comforted. Then all the sudden I had a huge revelation pop into my mind:

Make a 72 hour kit for your baby. It hit me like a ton of bricks. At first I wanted to slap myself for not having thought of that yet (we already had them for me and my husband), but it came so sure so specifically that as soon as I got inside, I was focused on getting it done. Thankfully we had an old backpack and some random free samples of formula and whatnots, but I also thought about all the other things he'd need: diapers, wipes, CLOTHES, blanket, binky (comfort item), etc. I'm a fan of the Target clearance racks, so I ventured out and found some sweatpants for $1.79 and a sweatshirt for $2. I can't explain the peace I felt when it was all packed and ready to go. After all, caring for my child would be the most important thing to me in an emergency situation. So, I thought I'd get the discussion up and running for the rest of you.. let's get some ideas out there to help eachother, whether it be good deals or storage advice. Who knows? Maybe there's a bunch of us out there who have never thought of an idea that you think is common sense. Comment away! We can all help eachother here.

Some advice from me and my family (my mom is the food storage guru!):

• Have water (bottles or a couple gallons) and a bag or backpack of emergency food in the car for when you're on the go. Also a blanket or two for the trunk.
• Have a warm and a cool outfit for each child packed away in their 72 hour kits.
• If you have no room for storage, get creative. When my sister was in a small apartment, she made coffee/sidetables with stacks of boxes and storage cylinders. Drape some fabric over it, top it with a piece of round glass, and WALLA! I NEVER knew about this til she lifted up the fabric and showed me. It looked SO nice and was completely functional for a small living space. Genius. Also, take advantage of the room under your beds. Water bottles, cans, bags of oats, wheat, rice.. whatever you can muster to squeeze in without hurting the dust bunnies.
• Only stock what you will eat. I've thrown away so many canned goods because they've expired. I never would've eaten them UNLESS there was an absolute emergency - they were gaggy - so make sure you have things that you can cycle through in your cooking. That way nothing goes to waste, and you won't make a bad situation worse by having to choke down those lima beans.
• Protein. Peanut butter, tuna, chili, etc. Don't underestimate it's importance.
• Don't get it all at once. Watch for good sales. You can end up getting twice the amount of storage for the same amount of money if you're smart about it.

And lastly, a couple good resources for all things storage:

http://myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com/ -->amounts to store, how to, what to, deals, etc.

http://weeklyshoppingguide.blogspot.com/ --> save the time of searching all the ads and check out what she's found! Updated almost daily.

http://grocerysmarts.com/utah/lists/splashg84csg.php -->COUPONS!



Remember: "The Lord has said, 'If ye are prepared ye shall not fear' (D&C 38:30)."

Please leave additional tips for the rest of us!