Food Rotation

So you have bought your first bit of long term storage food and you found an out of the way place to store it. Now what? Well take a deep breathe grab and Sharpie marker because the fun has just begun. Now you have to rotate this food.

WHAT?!?! But you said it was long term storage food!

I said take a deep breath. Yes it will be your food storage but you still need to rotate it so that when you do need it you won't be eating stale food.

Here is how this works. You buy food you normally eat store it and then when you buy more food you put it behind the food that you already have and pull the oldest out and put in you daily rations. See not so hard.

Here is what I do when I bring food into the house. I go to my storage area pull out the oldest food of what I just bought put it in my cabinets for us to eat during the week. Write the date I purchased the new food on top of the can (at least the month and the year) and put it in the back of my storage. It would make life so much easier if I had one of these

but I don't so I had to come up with a plan. Since I usually buy at Aldi or Sav-A-Lot I get their flats and use them between my cans it makes stacking a lot easier. Not only that but it is easy to lift two flats and put another one underneath; keeps things nice and neat. Just be sure and spray any cardboard with roach killer before putting it in your storage pantry. Don't want bugs. Also to make things pretty and to give the flats some extra added support try covering them in contact paper. That way they will hold together better.

Now each week as you buy an extra can or two you will see your long term storage grow and before long you will have you "every day pantry" and your "emergency supply" pantry.

When will I know to use the emergency supply...well when remember when the car broke down and you had to choose between buying groceries and getting the car fixed...well it would have been nice to have an emergency supply then. Or what about now that one of your incomes is no more. Yeah now would be a good time to have an emergency supply.

A good time to rotate your stock is during the holidays when everyone is doing food drives for the local food pantries. Or your children need can goods for the food drive at school. In our area they have certain days that you take so many can goods and get in the State Fair free.

The bottom line is food is a good investment. I don't know if you have been paying attention but food is going up daily along with gasoline. Before long we are going to be facing buying gas or buying food. Seems we have been here before doesn't it. The last time gas was $4 a gallon I would have loved to have a well stocked pantry. It would have given me much needed peace of mind.

But isn't this hording?

No hording is keeping stuff and never using it. This is simply buying and storing and using and buying more. Our social welfare system is seriously stretched to the max. The government pays out more in aid to people in the US than total income earned. It is about to break people and when it does it is not going to be pretty. So for your family's safety and your peace of mind I hope you plan and prepare and store at least three (3) months worth of food, more would be better but three months you will be able to stay put and avoid the ugliness.