Since most of the things you are storing will eventually go bad in some way– you need to use your supplies in your daily life and then periodically replenish them with fresh stock. You should have very few things in your supplies that you don’t already use in your daily life. Choose to stock things that you use and you will be way ahead of the game.
If you don’t eat rice, then don’t plan to survive on rice in an emergency and stock something else that you will eat (pasta, beans, flour, instant potatoes, wheat, etc.) Some survival supplies are freeze-dried and then canned and these will last for twenty or more years. These are also very expensive compared to “normal” food. There is a purpose for long shelf-life these items but stocking your 30 day survival pantry is NOT the proper use.
So, your 30 day supply should consist of things you use already, And you should use the items from your stock making sure to use the oldest items first and replenish with new items periodically, If course you might use some of these items much less frequently than you would in a survival situation and it might take you a year in your regular life to use up your whole thirty day supply. THis is fine– the key is that when disaster strikes you need to have 30 days worth of supplies that haven’t gone bad and become useless to you.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
This is great advice for everyone to remember to do.
Knowing me, I’d get so wrapped up in stocking items that I’d
probably forget to rotate my survival food pantry supplies.
Thanks!
Michael
The Success Secrets
We do alot of our shoping at Costco or Sams when I put these usually large quanities on the shelf I will use a Sharpie and date the boxes so we can rotate according to the day we bought them.
Hey Rob, thanks for another informative article. This is just a good reminder period about rotating food so that it doesn’t expire.
Scott Sylvan Bell
http://www.scottbellconsutlant.com
Now go implement!
Hi Rob,
I admire @dALE’S comment to sharpie write on the food you have. I suspect so much of it is to can store things, yes?
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Cyber Dating Expert and Online Dating Coach
I use to be the Risk Manager for a chain of Convenience stores, and the proper way to stock shelves was to put the newest items in the back. I do the same with my groceries. That way you automatically use the oldest items first. And nothing gets lost in the back of your cabinets.
Sonya Lenzo
http://www.yourchanceforromance.com
The comments from your readers are just as valuable as your blog. I’m constantly getting new tips that are useful in every day life as well as for survival planning.
Tim Van Milligan, helping you Make Money Online, God’s Way!
I recently went through our cupboards and found canned and boxed food with use by dates as much as 7 years ago! This is a great reminder, as it is easy to forget, and then in an emergency, your food is inedible.
Michelle
Fun and Free Activities
Rob…this is something at my house we don’t think about till its too late…we will make sure we keep the food rotated..and check the dates!
I agree with April and Dale… creating a simple system to easily identify outdated food and supplies can really make this process worthwhile and headache free! So, would you recommend putting items that expire faster in one location different than items with longer shelf lives to make it easier to check on?
Mark
Direct Selling Advice, Leveraging Relationships for Long-term Profit
As much as it pains me to say it. I’m still a fan of MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat). They’re convenient, there’s a variety, they are packaged for survival and enough to get you through with minimal rotation required, (and quite tasty if prepared properly).
http://dewaynechriswell.com
I don’t love spam or deviled ham but I do love peanut butter. This advice is akin to the First Rule of Dieting: Eat food you like.
Is there a spreadsheet or software somewhere that can help keep track of food storage and what needs to be replenished?
Sabrina Peterson, NASM CPT, CES
Fat Burning Home Workouts
Great advice on food rotation! But can I ask you, Rob, where is a good place to store your 30-day rations? My normal cupboard isn’t big enough for that amount of food…. any suggestions of ideal conditions for food storage?
Eileen
Can you teach ESL/EFL using social media?
Eileen, I will discuss possible storage locations in a future post. Thanks for the question, Rob
Excellent point to keep in mind.
David
Bay Area Roofing Contractors
Part of maintaining an effective food reserve is establishing a rotating stock of the things you eat on a normal basis. The difficulty arises when you largely eat fresh and perishable foods. If this is the case you need to stock less perishable items for use in an emergency.
I normally don’t eat a diet composed largely of rice and beans, although I do enjoy them. But I can tell you eating rice and beans is preferable to starving.
Steve Chambers
Body Language Expert
If you were in a disaster situation and you had to evacuate immediately but not sure where you would end up, do you suppose it would be better to take one vehicle and all the extra gas and what ever else you could fit or take 2 vehicles so you could fit more supplies but then only be able to get half as far because you’d have to divide the gas between two cars?
Lisa McLellan
Babysitting Services, Nanny Services, and Nanny agencies
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