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Tuesday, June 3, 2008

It's Tuesday! (week #1)

Welcome to Tuesday! On Tuesdays, we will give suggestions as to what you should do THIS WEEK to add to your 3-month supply of food. In addition, we will have an ongoing emergency preparedness project, and each Tuesday we'll tell you some items to add to this. Slowly but surely, we'll get it done!

This week, your 3-month food storage goal is to find a place in your home where you are going to store your food. The ideal place to store food is in a cool, dark place, but do what you can. It could be in a closet, under a bed, on some shelves in the basement, wherever. I have even heard an idea of pulling your living room couches a foot from the wall and stacking food storage behind them! Be creative! Right now, my food storage is under my guest bed and in random cupboards in my kitchen. Abs has some of hers in a decorative chest that sits in her hallway (see pictures below). My goal for this week is to get mine in one place and organize it. This is also a great way to take inventory of what I have.

The first "emergency preparedness" project is an emergency car kit. On the left column of this website, I've listed all the items that we suggest you have for this kit; HOWEVER, don't go buy it all this week! All you need to do this week is find a box that you will keep the items in. Abs has a cute plastic bin from Ikea; I will probably start off using a brown cardboard box. In all likelihood there is something around your house that you can use, too. Make sure this box will fit in the trunk of your car, because that's where it will be kept long-term. Also, glance over this list and you will probably notice that you already have many of these items! Feel free to add them to the car kit now.

These car kits aren't necessarily only for dire emergencies like breaking down on the side of a freeway, or getting stuck in a blizzard (although they will certainly be handy for that!). The blanket/towels are perfect for impromptu picnics! Snacks really come in handy when errands take longer than planned. A small first aid kit is great to have just in case. Just be sure to replenish items as you use them up.

I hope you enjoy these pictures of where we keep food storage. Also, Abs has a completed car kit for you to see!

Food storage is everywhere! In closets, in the pantry, under beds, in boxes, on shelves.

And here is the car kit:



Abs and I love to hear from you, so let us know: where do you think you will you be keeping your food storage? Or, if you already have food storage, where is it?

7 comments:

Abs said...

If you can't keep your food storage all in one place (like me) take a piece of paper and write down what you have where you have it, and hang it up in your kitchen or somewhere you'll see it often and can update it as needed. Then you'll never wonder what you have.

The Oman Family said...

Another thing to add to the car kit is a heater. You just take a quart paint can with lid, put a roll of tp with out the cardboard core in the can and then pour 1 1/2 pints of rubbing alcohol. Then you can light it when stuck in a blizzard, or use it to cook with, just use a #10 can with a few holes in the top and put it over it. Once the alcohol is burned out the fire goes out and you can add more alcohol. A couple used that this past year when they were stuck in a blizzard and it helped keep them alive.

Unknown said...

Decorative box is such a good idea! We have no closet space in our home, but the living room could handle a nice trunk or something. Awesome.

Justin and Lindsay Wilkin said...

I love that you guys are doing a blog dedicated to food storage! :) Justin and I have already started ours. We keep it in our pantry, under the bed (2 large containers), laundry room (Water), and both cars are stocked with kits, but we probably need water in the vehicles. I will work on that this week.

Anonymous said...

Maybe I'll stuff some cash in my underwear drawer like an old timey person. Just kidding.

Mindy said...

I love your blog! Outstanding. I put my boys clothes in the girls closet and converted the boys closet into a food storage closet. We stuff things everywhere we can. My sister got the wire shelves for closets and hung them just below the ceiling with enough space to put a 10# can. Pretty clever! Just thought I would add my two cents. Keep up the great work. Food storage can be so much fun.

Anonymous said...

I have a 4 year old who is a very picky eater. He doesn't like granola bars or nutrigrain bars, what would you suggest I keep in a car kit that he would want to eat, but wouldn't melt during the summer?

Thanks,
Megan Blethen