We're giving away another Cansolidator Pantry from Shelf Reliance! These are a great way to keep your cans organized and ready to use. Both Abbie and I have one, and I can't really speak for her, but I love mine and I'm hoping to get some more in the future.
All you have to do to enter this giveaway is comment on this post, answering the following question:
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to food storage? Is it motivation? Storage space? Money? Lack of organization? Let us know! Hopefully if something really stands out for many people, we can address it here on the blog and we can help out.
One comment per person, please. The giveaway ends Friday night at midnight EST, and a winner will be chosen randomly using Random.org. The winner will be announced on Saturday.
Shelf Reliance specializes in emergency preparedness and food storage. Thanks to Shelf Reliance for sponsoring this giveaway!
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![](https://resources.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif "Ms Do"mess"ticated")
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«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 259 Newer› Newest»Our biggest challenge is keeping up with the changing amounts of foods needed as our children go through growth spurts etc. First you need diapers and baby food, and before you know it you need 3 times the amount an adult should eat for that teenage boy in your home. Or both ends of the spectrum at the same time. Whew! How often do you reassess your family's needs when it changes so often?
I found your blog a few months ago, and am loving all the information and inspiration. I have really been trying to get our food storage together, and the biggest challenge I have had is finding enough storage space while also making it easily accessible to allow for rotation.
For me, my biggest hurdle is storing foods we eat. I have been working on a 3 month plan for a while. So many meals we eat have fresh and perishable ingredients. So do I modify what we eat or find meals that are more food storage friendly? To rotate through your food storage, do you eat it on a daily basis or do you jazz it up because you have the means to?
I'm running out of space to put everything. And I also don't feel like my storage has enough variety.
(Love your site and information!)
Now that I have things in place, it is just making sure that I keep up with it. For example, when I use something, should I run out and buy a replacement right away or wait for a sale and risk needing the 3 month storage and it being incomplete?
Our biggest challenge is money. We just can't seem to find enough extra to stock up.
Our biggest problem is organization. We are currently building our food storage, but can't quite keep everything organized as we continue to store more. Everything is just getting pushed around to make room for more. It's getting messy very quick.
Where to put it all and what to store for variety. We like fresh fruits and veggies the very most, and nothing stored is quite the same.
Rotating through it all - I don't like to cook.
Mine is also trying to store foods we actually eat. I couldn't come up with even five meals that don't involve fresh foods. I store a lot of basics, but don't have many complete meals. I've been coveting the shelf reliance stuff, thanks for the giveaway and the great site!
My biggest challenge is getting my husband completely on board and finding the time and money to just do it! And not to mention he doesn't like anything wheat.....he better get used to it!
My biggest challenge with food storage is space and time commitment. My husband and I have always lived in small apartments and have moved every year we've been married. It's been hard to have even a small amount of food storage in a tiny apartment, then the thought of moving it all or giving it away when we move is so sad, so we haven't had much in the way of food storage. We're planning on being in this apartment for 2 more years, and I couldn't justify waiting much longer so we've started our collection even with our dismal space allotment. I would love a cansolidator to solve at least some of our space issues.
Our biggest problem is where to put it! Our home isn't very big so we have to get creative to find places to put it all.
Storage space!! I would love a basement, but don't have one.
There are so many challenges that food storage can present- money, time, organization, and space. For me, the greatest challenge is knowing what to get and how to store it. I can figure out what my family eats and store those things, but long term storage items that I don't use on a regular basis are hard. My husband and I both have very demanding jobs and don't have time to make everything using our food storage all the time. SO, how do I take the things I already prepare and use my food storage to make them. That is my greatest challenge!
My biggest challenge is finding a way to make it to the cannery to get my food storage! With 3 little kids it seems like I can never make it when our ward goes!
I would say that mine is for sure money. I wish I could just go out and buy it all at once...but is so darn expensive!
My biggest challenge is knowing what I need. We have food storage but I have no idea if it's enough.
I guess my biggest challenge(s) is a cross between procrastination and a lack of organization. I always put things off, because it isn't really "needed" NOW (and when it is needed, you're kicking yourself for having put it off!), and I am so disorganized I don't know what I have and what I need. I'm still moving into my new place, and haven't yet figured out the best setup for my pantry and cabinet storage. It's such a big job, it's easier to just put it off.
But I've had this consolidator on my Wish List since you guys had it last time. I don't have a very big pantry, and this would be great to make the best use of space!
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
My biggest challenge WAS how to get started, but this site has really helped me take little steps towards it.
We have been doing really well on food storage this year and my new problem is storage. We don't have a basement and finding a cool dry place is difficult. We would love to try out the consolidator to see if it helps with our storage issues!
Rotating it! I guess that's an organization issue!
My biggest challenge is buying the stuff in bulk and then using it without replacing what I used.
Our biggest challenge is keeping track of it all and therefore going through it in a timely fashion.
We have a pretty good store of food. My problem is space and keeping it organized and user friendly. Rotating is hard when I purchase new items. I have to empty the shelf, put it in the backa nd them restock the shelf. This would really come in handy.
I really face two challenges with food storage. 1st - I'm just getting started and it's a bit overwhelming. It's not a lack of motivation, but maybe too much motivation that has me kind of challenged...and 2nd - space. i have a very tiny room to keep it in and we are finding that due to some issues with our sump pump, it's not going to be a good place, so we have to do some reorganizing and find some more space (different space). I'm up for it though!
My biggest challenge is figuring out what to store for our 3-month supply. I cook from scratch a lot and we don't eat many 'pre-prepared' foods. The only things I can think of to store is chili and soup. The other challenge I am having is trying to decide if I should prepare as if the power will be out or not. I know that everyone does it a little differently.
Honestly it is the money. Once we had a nice food storage built up then we needed to use it- what a huge blessing it was! Now I'm having a ard time keeping my extra pasta hanging around.
My biggest challenge is staying on top of it. When your rotating you have to keep restocking...that is my challenge, keeping everything restocked. Perhaps that would be an organizational skill?
My biggest challenge is prioritizing what to buy on a tight budget. I have a large family and not a lot left over to spend on food storage.
Space is the most difficult thing for me. My husband and I are motivated and manage to squeeze it into the grocery budget, but our small apartment has limited storage space. We are using just about every inch we can think of!
My biggest challenge is staying motivated. I get gung ho and can find all sorts of places to store things in my tiny house, all sorts of hidden resources in our budget and I go hard for a couple of months. Then something invariably happens to the financial resources or we start tripping over food storage and I tell myself it's ok to take a month off with my zeal...and then it's gone. I'm trying to get back on the upswing again this month...
The entire concept of food storage is a challenge to me: where to start, what to buy, how am I going to pay for it, when to rotate, etc. But I appreciate resources such as you blog that looks at the process in a my simplistic way. :)
Space is definitely the biggest problem. We live in a small apartment, and everyone says "just use under your bed!" or "fill the shelves!" It's all already used to store all our stuff.
My problem(s) with gathering food storage are A. money, but then also the fact that I do not have a plan of menus and an inventory of what I already have. It's no excuse I just need to it and I do feel it is super important and that we will need it in the near future!
My biggest challenge is knowing how to cook meals that my family would actually want to eat in an emergency. I have tons of cans of beans but the truth is that we won't eat them if we don't have to. I'm struggling to know how to make recipes similar to those I already make but with using storage items.
My biggest challenge is organization. I think some people are born with it and I'm not one of them. But, I'm working on it!
My biggest challenge is storage space. We have no storage space in our kitchen at all. Very little anywhere else in the house. There is a shelf that is in the corner above our bed that we have canned foods on. My husband jokes that he likes pepper sauce but not sure is he wants to sleep with it.
My biggest problems are space and the fact that my husband thinks I'm a nut case :) I do have a closet cleaned out and shelving bought and it is full of #10 cans from the cannery, however I could still use a lot more food!
Great give-away! :-) I think a little bit of all those can be challenging at some time. For us, it's usually a money issue but most often it's a lack of space and while I know there are many creative options .. I'm just not ready to have a little food store underneath all our beds, etc. LOL :-)
My biggest challenge when it comes to food storage is how to use what I have. I buy canned meat for food storage but I don't use it except for tuna. I don't know how many cans of chicken to use to replace 4 fresh chicken breast. There are seven in our family and to make a mistake about how many cans I should have on hand for a 3 month supply could be a serious matter if I am off by one can for a recipe.
Money, money, MONEY!! Trying to keep food on the table for 8 kids is hard, having enough extra to store seems impossible, but O so important. 1 Nephi 3:7 comes to mind...
My biggest challenge is just keeping it organized. I don't have a ton of space to put everything, and it all just seems to get stacked and stacked and stacked... I need to get it better organized and I would love to have this! Thank you for the contest. I really hope I win!
I am actually completely overwhelmed at this point. We don't have a lot of money or storage and I do have a 72-hour kit and probably 1 month supply, but I just feel completely overwhelmed about how to start the whole process!
our biggest challenge is money, as we are students, and space as we live in a tiny nyc apt. but this consolidator would be a good start to remedy that problem! :)
Our challenge is space and organization. I know what we have, but the husband has no clue.
Organization, for sure! I need more shelves!
My biggest challenge is organization and rotation. As I accumulate more food, it's hard to keep it organized and accessible at the same time. grrrr.
Right now, living on a student budget is my challenge to growing and maintaining out food storage. But thank goodness we have it to help us survive in the tight months!
i am most challenged by lack of space. i have a regular small pantry and barely enough cabinet space for all of my dishes. i could put some shelving in the garage, but being in Texas it certianly wouldn't stay at optimal temperatures for food storage.
Our biggest challenge is storing what I buy and protecting it from the elements. We're renting an apt. and our storage room gets really cold in the winter and really hot in the summer so it makes it tricky. Plus we've had the occasional mouse/squirrel in the storage room so making sure they don't get into the food is tricky...
I have always struggled with water storage. There is so much conflicting advice about storage containers and knowing the water is safe to use.
I just don't know how to use it all and have a problem with rotation. This year one of my goals was to use my food storage once a week. I did pretty good the first 2 months of the year but March and April have not been so great. I have tried not going to the store this week other than for milk and eggs just to start using up stuff!
Love your site! Just made the oatmeal wheat bread from your test kitchen site and we loved it! I used 7-grain cereal instead of the oatmeal.
My biggest problem with my food storage is that I keep running out of room, and it's hard to keep it neat and organized, as we don't have the space for "single rows" and everything is either next to, behind, or on top of something else.
Thank you for having the giveaway!
Our biggest challenge is getting organized and actually making things with our food storage. In particular, using our wheat- it just seems overwhelming to me.
We have been in school since the beginning of our marriage, almost eight years now, so combine with budget and space issues, food storage becomes a problem. We usually end up living off anything we buy for food storage.
I have a hard time with money! I put aside a little each paycheck, but it seems so little with all I want to do!!
One word: ROTATION- so Pick me, Pick me!!
Our challenge has been inventory. Because we're getting creative with where we store our food it's hard for me to remember exactly where everything is and rotate accordingly. :)
Thanks! I'm hthaden at gmail dot com.
My biggest challenge is starting- I have been looking at my little food storage wondering where to start
My biggest challenge is keeping an inventory of all the food storage I have tucked in nooks and crannies. How much wheat have I ground into flour, and how much is left? maybe I need an Excel program?
MONEY! I find it hard to keep my shelves stocked since we use it often:) I heard one of you were a medical student. My husband is just into his residency and it has been a long haul. I hope you are doing okay with the whole process, there is a light at the end, it is dim for us, but I can see it!
Storage space is my biggest problem! 4 kitchen cupboards isn't enough space! The cansolidator would be a great help, thanks for the chance to win!
I am so excited about your giveaway! I just purchased some food storage from shelf reliance and would love to win the storage shelves! My biggest challenge is now that my family is almost all grown and it will soon be just my husband and I, its hard to use what I store because I don't cook like I used to. I am getting more motivated though to try to rotate and use what I have. Thanks for your great blog!
My biggest challenge is organizing, I try to buy as much of an item I find on sale at one time but seem to have piles everywhere that just need to be all put together in one place like a CANSOLIDATOR!!! Oh and money is always a challenge.....but for most this is the way it is.
My biggest problem is organization. My hubby promised to build me shelves, but they have not materialized...my food storage is just anywhere it gets set down in our food storage room. Not the best for rotation!
I love working with my food storage, in fact I cook from it at every meal. It is rewarding to know that I can prepare meals that are not only nutritious but delicious as well.
The challenge I face with food storage is making the most of the limited space that I have.
Until about a year ago, we were in the army and were discouraged from having a hefty food storage because of our less than permanent residency. That isn't a problem anymore and have acquired a comfortable amount and am really excited about it.
The thing I want to continue learning and will probably never feel like I know enough is the variety of meals I can cook with it. Bring on the recipes! :)
My biggest challenge is space. I have been admiring this shelf-reliance at my Costco, but getting from a giveaway would be great!
I feel like my biggest challenge is that I feel like it is never ending. I feel like I get started on my storage and then I don't go to the store for a few weeks and I am back where I started.
Definitley money. I would love to buy hoards of food storage all at once and just be finished, but I'm learning it is something that will come little by litte. At least we're building it, right?
For me, the biggest challange is definately space. As a college student in a town where I have no family, it's difficult to find any real, consistant space to store supplies. And so, I've had to been a bit creative in my storage. Goods on top of goods, in crannies, etc. What I've had the best luck in is buying a lot f staple good when they're on sale, and storing them where I can. It save me some money, in the long run, and allows me to have a bit of buffer, just in case.
Our biggest challenge is twofold: one is storage space. The other is what to store. We are trying hard to store what we'll eat.
My biggest problem is ROTATING! I'm so bad at using all of the food I have nicely stored up. Some of these Cansolidators would really help out! ;)
I think my biggest problem is both organization and rotating which definitely go together. I'm working on getting more organized so rotating my food is much easier!
my biggest challenge is space
I suppose my biggest problem would fall under the category of organization. Organizing shelf stable recipes so I know what to purchase ( my favorite thing about your blog is the recipes!), and organizing my storage space so I have a place to put everything!
Right now our biggest challenge is space. It's not that we don't have any, it's that we know we'll be moving in 6 months. It makes it hard to really want to do any serious renovation.
My biggest challenge is affording it. We have a huge family and it costs more to have the amounts it takes to cover us. I feel like I'm doing great in certain areas but not in others.
SPACE is my biggest problem! BTW, I love your site!
My biggest challenge is money. I feel like we have a hard enough time covering life's other expenses that I can't even touch food storage! I know I'm probably wrong, but I haven't broke that barrier yet!
My biggest challenge is making sure I am buying items I can use to put together a meal and not just whatever is on sale. At one point I realized I didn't have any vegetables stored. Second, would be money.
Geeze...really....do you want to see my 'storage room'? I live in a rather small house (aka trailer) while we have decent sized cupboards, it's definitely not enough room to start a real 'food storage'. We bought a couple of storage units (like shelves, only with doors) and shoved them into our side room (along with 3 bookshelves and a monstrous desk) Plus we have things shoved in the closet, on the floors, in any nook and cranny we can find in that room. It's somewhat embarassing. (good things it's towards the back of the house...) Still wish I could close the door to the room..but no, too much stuff just everywhere! But wait...that's not all...We have an old fridge that doesn't work out in our storage shed, where we also keep things. However...because it's outside, we tend to forget about that stuff...So basically, when my hubby and I get rich and build a monstrous mansion...we're going to have a HUGE room dedicated soley to food storage...For now...that organizer would be perfect for helping in my manic unorganization! :)
Thanks for the offer!
My biggest challenge is storing enough fruits and vegetables. Dried grains are easy, but we don't really liked canned fruits and veggies, so if I store enough we can't rotate through them fast enough.
There are times when I am good at stocking up, but then I forget and my stock pile dwindles. I am not organized to keep up with what I need to buy and when.
I think my biggest challenge has been storage space. That, and I'm intimidated with getting the long term storage items like wheat, etc.
-Jenny (jmojmo24 at gmail dot com)
Oh, I so NEED this. Have been wanting one for some time now. Thanks for the nice give away
Space is the biggest challenge for our family. I have tried several methods of organization and every way seems to falls short.
My biggest issue is space and organization. I'll use up things from my stockpile and not buy more until I run completely out. I'm also having a problem making sure I am keeping everyday meds and season meds ahead a few months to be sure we would have enough.
My greatest food storage challenge is storage. There just isn't enough space for me to really stock up on stuff. I can fit about 3 months worth, but definitely don't have the space for long-term storage items.
I think my biggest problem is knowing how to rotate my storage. I feel like my 3 month supply rotates pretty well on it's own because it's in the pantry, but the longer storage items, mostly just get stored and never used.
I think our biggest problem is organization!!! We are short on space right now, and I have our food storage items all over the place. I think that I have something, and then I try to find it and I really don't have it, or I used it all up! I need a tracking system, or something like that!!
We have 2 big challenges. First, is that we move frequently. It's hard to move all the stuff and remember what we have and need. The second is storage space. We rarely have had much room to store the food.
I have to remind myself to keep up with rotation. I work at checking dates and using before expiration.
I agree with many of the other problems posted here: money, organization, space, getting in a rut, not having enough fresh foods. We are students and have been on a very tight budget, so it seems I do well for the three month supply, and get some for out longer term, and then money gets tight and we got through almost everything. Then it takes us a long time to get a supply going again, and then tuition is due or something like that and the stocks are depleated.
Since I am somewhat new to food storage, other than just picking up some extra something whenever it's on sale, I need help with most of it. The biggest challenge, though, is probably the organization. Being a graduate student and wife and mother, I haven't had the time to sit down and plan out what we need. Summer is coming soon, though, so I will try it then! Thanks for all your great ideas.
i think our biggest problem is not having the space to store the food storage. But also motivation and money to get it going. Something like this would really help get that motivation started..
I don't know exactly where to begin. I seem to do a fairly good job of acumulating food, I have a hard time rembering where it has gone, what I have left, and using what we have.
Matching my standards of nutrition with storable goods is my most difficult challenge right now. I'm doing a lot of experimenting and reading right now and gradually coming to find out what works for me and my family, but it's a lot of work.
My biggest challenge is figuring out how much we really need for a year, and a close second is motivating myself to rotate what I have (it takes a lot of time to grind wheat, bake bread, cook dry beans, etc.)
my biggest challenge is money it just seems to be spent even before we get it????
My biggest problem is not having enough cash to spend on food storage. We're barely getting by these days. A friend suggested using tax return money and I think it's a great idea!
Our biggest challenge with food storage is knowing what meals to cook with it. It's hard to store the foods we eat most of -produce so we've decided to supplement our food storage with a garden- here's to hoping something grows!
Our biggest challenge is replenishing what we use. I haven't come up with a good enough system. I think I have all my food storage for 3 months and then after a few months I've realized I've used so much and it feels like I have to start over.
My biggest challenge is really knowing what to do with the food storage. Sure, I can buy all the wheat and beans in the world...but my family isn't going to want to eat it and truthfully, I don't like taking a lot of time to prepare food. I wish there was fast and convienient food storage.
The biggest challenge for us is definitely finding the extra money each month to help us stock up our food storage. It's already hard enough to just eat on the day to day budget. I'm new to your blog and think that you guys are great and have such useful and valuable information. I'm really enjoying your posts.
For me there are several challenges. Money, space, and "What to do with it now?"
I've gotten to where if I use something, I'll put two on my grocery list. So far that works for the money part. Space in a rented house is a huge issue, and with three children still at home, we have a significant need for enough food. The "What Now?" is being helped along by blogs like yours, giving me ideas and challenging my thinking about how to use this or that.
Thanks :)
I have to say, I love your blog. I have put all your recipes in my recipe book!! Anyway, my biggesst challenge for food storage is probably money and what to get with the budget I have. When I'm at Winco I sometimes go nuts when I see something at a great price and then don't get the things that I intended to. Also, we live far away from a cannary so the staples are hard for us to load up on.
Megan
mlrambo13@yahoo.com
Money...where does it all go? Seconded by storage.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to win this great prize.:)
I would say that our biggest challenge would be financial. I know exactly what I would like to add to our food storage and equipment I would like to buy...I just need to get the funds together. It seems like all available dollars are going to unexpected expenses right now. I'm not giving up though! Every little bit we save works toward our goals.
Joyce
Out of all the challenges, I would say money is the one that keeps us from a full supply. Our family only recently started storing but we have saved a lot and off to a good start. Thanks for this inspiring blog!
Our biggest issue is money. I try to buy a few extras every month... but the budget can hardly fit our initial needs... let alone surplus.
My biggest issue is storage. All my storage areas, even inside, are not heated and being in the south reach 80 plus degrees in an airconditioned house.Also, Using my food adn not having it go bad. I find it easy to plan to do it but just not really cook like I plan.
like many of your other readers, our challenge is finding where to start and actually doing it. while we have little bits of things here and there, we have a long way to go. thanks for your great blog and all your awesome tips!
My biggest problem is keeping my food storage. It seems that whenever I feel I am getting a good supply of food, something happens (most recently job loss) and we have to use it. So my food storage is doing it's job, but I feel like I take 2 steps forward and 3 steps back.
I'm just starting out, so sifting through all the information is a big challenge right now.
Lisa J.
Indiana
I have a little bit of an issue with all of them. We're coming along though. We've made huge strides in the last two year and maybe, just maybe we'll be complete in just a few more!
shaylenejohnson at hotmail dot com
My biggest challenge is keeping track of what I have and rotating it!
STORAGE SPACE!
My biggest challenge is being patient. I want to have my food storage all done at once, but since that's not practical, I add a little each month. Thankfully, I am getting a little closer to my goal each month and one day I'll be where I want to be.
My biggest challenge is replenishing my supplies. I will buy my flour by the fifty pound bag. Once it gets low, I drag my feet about buying more. I'm out of pasta and nearly out of whole wheat flour. I have to set a date to go to the Amish bulk store and just do it! Now, to get DH to help with the loading.
Our biggest problem is staying motivated to keep it up!
Jessica
My biggest challenge is storage! We don't have basements up in the northwest so it's hard to find spaces to fit all the food. It's also hard to know what to buy but I've stared and I absolutely love it!
My biggest challenge is money! If I could go our and get everything for my large family all at once, and then stock up as I use up items it would be much easier for me. It's the waiting until we have extra $$ that kills me. :) I know that slow and steady wins that race, but sometimes that's not how I want to play.
My biggest challenge is organization. Not in the storage, but in the figuring out what I need to buy and how much, etc. I have a lot of things, but I don't know if its enough for 3 months or even enough to make complete meals. By the way, I love your site and check it daily for motivation and reminders. Thanks!
My challenge is just like Jana's: organizing how much I need and when to rotate, etc. It is overwhelming! I have a hard enough time figuring out what is for dinner tonight! lol
Our biggest challenge is making sure we are eating healthy and using more than just the goodies recipes
Some have trouble with their growing families, mine is diminishing. It's hard to know how much to plan for as children move out, marry and then some move back.
My biggest challenge right now is money. We're on a tight budget, and I'm so anxious to get at least my 3 month done, I have to remind myself to take it easy at the grocery store.
My biggest challenge is finding storage space and finding a good system to rotate my can. So it would be great if I won this! Thanks for keeping this awesome blog!
I've found an easy way to keep an eye on expiration dates for stored food. I take a brightly colored round stickie, cut it in half. Write the year the product expires (i.e. '09, or '10) on the left half or right half of the stickie. Use the left half if the product expires between Jan-June, right half if it expires July-Dec. Place on product label. Sure beats pulling cans out to check the dates! Love your site!
I think my biggest challenge is not feeling overwhelmed at how much we should have - I started not long ago, so I have a long way to go in organizing and stocking up. I'd love it all to be done at once, but it's not that easy!
My greatest challenge is not having enough money to stockpile the way I would like to. Thanks for all the info on your blog!
We live in a small two bedroom condominium. Our biggest challenge when it comes to food storage is finding room for everything - especially the water. We can't store a big 55 gallon water barrel outside because the Home Owner's Association doesn't allow for storage on people's patios. We only have a one car garage, and it faces the sun most of the day, so we don't store much in there either. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Our biggest challenge is knowing how long to store everything. We are a little nut over expired foods due to past food poisoning episodes.
My challenge is trying to balance healthy eating with rotating food storage--fresh fruits andvegetables vs. canned, brown rice can't be stored, sprouting is not a good choice if water is going to be scarce.
Our biggest challenge is making it a regular part of our diet so we will be comfortable with everything we have if we ever need to rely only on food storage.
The biggest? there's a lot of challenges for us, lol. . . .Money's a huge factor. I do purchase slowly (a few cans at a time) when I can, but it feels like we're going to get to the point of needing it sooner than we'll have the money to get everything.
My biggest challenge (aside from money, or a lack thereof) is storage space. I live in a teeny apartment and so I have to get creative with where I can store things.
Thanks for an awesome giveaway!
My biggest challenge is how to organize what I need and what I have so that I can really use food storage wisely. I struggle with it being realisticly accessable.
With me the biggest challenge is using the oldest food first (FIFO). The Cansolidator is terrific for this!
Organization. And with it, figuring out what we have and what we still need.
Ooo, I love the look of Shelf Reliance's stuff. I would love to outfit an entire pantry/storage room with their products. That said, my biggest challenge has shifted and changed. I go from space/lack of money to motivation/entirely overwhelmed by the whole idea and now I'm back to space. I have gotten some really good ideas from your blog already. I just haven't actually started collecting yet.
The biggest challenge for us has been money and storage space. We have learned to be creative with our space, but one can only get to a point of creativity when lack of money is involved!
I would say storage space. I have dejunked about as much as I can and I still feel like I need more storage space!
Our challenge has changed over time. First it was and where to put it, then it was how to use it now we are working on it a little at a time. We do not have all the money that I would like to devote to it but we try to spend a little every month on what we do eat and tax returns on the basics. We are also adjusting to a growing family and so the amount we need changes every few years.
I'm opposite of most people, I really enjoy building and using the basics. I'm having trouble getting my 3 month supply going. I've found meals, made menus and I'm moving (too slowly) on to the recipes and ingredient lists. I just need to make more time for it. Space is an issue but I've decided I don't care, I'm just going to do it anyway!
My biggest challenge is actually planning meals that utilize our food storage. I tend to accumulate then forget to integrate...
Alyson
Our biggest challenge right now is a combination of lack of storage space and money, which is why a giveaway would be perfect! I hope I win. :)
the biggest challenge i have with food storage is the money to by it. my husband's pay has been cut twice now so we're living pretty bare bones. i do buy extras at the store when things are on sale but we end up eating that. we're stocked up pretty good on wheat but i'd like to get other items to go toward our long-term storage but don't have much extra money to do that with. i love your blog by the way. i'm finding it so helpful! keep up the good work!
My biggest challenge is money and also having the knowledge of what to buy/when. I am a beginner!
Lack of money and knowing what to store.
Our biggest challenge is storage space. There never seems to be enough.
Storage is our biggest challenge as we are in a small apartment with 3 kids.
OH, it's something between money and space. Since I don't have a basement or attic or anything else, space is important. But we're finding some sneaky places. And money, always money. But you just gotta do it sometimes.
My biggest challenge is space and rotating.
Biggest problem? organization for sure!!
Oh my goodness!! I need help with organinzing my food storage so bad! This is one of my biggest problems....this would help tremendously!! Love the line of products from Shelf Reliance!
My biggest challenge is keeping up with it. I get a 3 month supply, but then I use the food (like I'm supposed to)and one day go to the pantry and figure out I am all out of something that I thought I have tons of. Like the other day, I was all out of chocolat chips! The world just about ended. And it was Sunday too, so I ended up having to ask around at church to see who I could borrow them from.
I am still relatively new to this whole food storage thing, so it all overwhelms me! From knowing exactly what I need (that we would actually eat) to how to best store everything (I have the space, I am just super disorganized)...and of course there is always money! I buy a little at a time, but I feel that it is never enough!
gptjunk@gmail.com
Hands down the biggest challenge is money. I read this blog all the time and feel so motivated to get going but money is always an issue. I have been faithfully building the emergency car kit and I can see that by small and simple things great things are brought to past. A little bit at a time is how I am going to have ot tackle food storage. You have such great ideas for accomplish that.
My family's biggest challenge is Replacement/Rotation. I am still working on a good system for our family (ie-me*ahem*). I am so spacey, I forget, or I lose interest, or I just get overwhelmed!
IT is hard to say what is harder for me, lack of space or lack of organization. Probably lack of organization is one of my worst qualities! :)
My biggest challenge is food storage is what to do with the long term stuff. Like many have said here- we love fresh stuff and its very expensive to store fresh fruits and veggies long term!
My problem is space. We live in a 700 square foot 1.5 bedroom house with 6 of us. Not much room, but we try.....
Our biggest problem is two-fold, we don't have a lot of space, so I need to be really organized, and I'm not a very good organizer! Consequently, I'm in a little bit of a rut. help! ;D
One of my biggest challenges is organization. I have tons of space, but I don't feel like I have the know-how to get everything organized! What's the best way? By food type (ex: cans, bottles, etc) or something else like, baking, dinner, sides, veggies, non-perishables. I wish I had a way to organized what I already have.
I keep eating what I store. Then, I need to go buy more. So, I guess forgetting to go buy more so that I always have a good supply on hand. Thanks!--Hope I win!
Lisa
I would say the biggest challenge of food storage is actually finding the money to do it.
I would say rotating the food. It's such a pain to remove the food, load up the new stuff in the back and reput the older stuff up front. Lorie
My biggest food storage challenge is making sure I have enough of a wide variety of foods.
I love these type of organizers.
I think my biggest problem is organization. And next is space. I love the shelf reliance products.
One of my biggest problems is recipes. I have a lot of food storage, but I'm always looking for NEW ways rotate it into our meals. My family gets bored with the same thing over and over!
One of my biggest problems is budgeting in the $$ for it. My hubby is a busy college student who is also juggling work so I can stay home with our two young daughters. Being young, we are also inexperienced with food storage. Love this blog though! Helps to motivate & inform! Thank you!
Storage space for sure. I feel like if I had more storage space, not only could I store more, but it would be easier to rotate because I could spread it out a little instead of burying it under itself, if that makes any sense. A cansolidator would be a great step towards digging myself out!
My biggest challenge is that I feel overwellmed. So much to do. You have your 72 hour kits, 3 month supply, year supply of food, and then I get thinking about how am I going to cook this food if there is no power so I have to get charcoal, propane. Then I need a good first aid kit in case of accidents. Then you need matches, flashlights, batteries and the list can go on and on. So I have focused on one main group. Right now I am one more trip to Sam's club away from having my 3 month supply of food. I always am on the look out for sales and clearances so the other groups don't get overlooked. Next my hubby wants to do major first aid kit so that will be our big focus on next but we are always adding to our year supply with sales. Do the three month supply has also made me more organized with our space. That is a lot of food for a family of 8.
My biggest problem is all of the above. It is just overwhelming. For awhile I was buying soup pouches, and canned/dried fruits. Stuff I might like to eat, but not things I could make actual meals out of. But I didn't use it, because I never got an adequate 'supply'. I didn't want to turn around and eat the little food storage I did have. Then I forgot about, and it all expired and I threw it away (wasted $$). Also I never bought staples like wheat, sugar, etc. because I don't know how to make homemade bread as it is, much less w/out electricity, and having to grind the wheat! AND did I mention I live in FL and don't have a basement to store stuff in?
My biggest challenge is coming up with a menu using all food storage items. For example: we have chickens. Do I need to buy powdered eggs in the case of a true catastrophe or depend on fresh eggs, even when it is likely they won't ALWAYS be producing (they slow down in winter).
And I garden. So what do I need to put up there?!
Right now I am focusing on pasta and wheat berries because I don't have a clue otherwise! :-)
My biggest challenge is deciding how to rotate the large #10 cans. The only places I have to store them are under the beds, and I'm trying to decide if I should keep the cans in the boxes or take them out and line them up on their sides so they can roll as I rotate. For now I'm just jamming all the boxes under the bed with no rhyme or reason!
Water storage - I have saved old juice and soda bottles, but still need to fill the second batch and I'm running out of space.
My biggest challenge with food storage is knowing what to buy. I've got some of the staples but then what? Also where am I going to store enough food to feed all of us...
My biggest challenge is knowing what to make with my food storage. I want to have a weekend where I only make meals using my food storage, but I am too scared! I am not a great cook to begin with and then to be more limited in what I could do makes me hesitant to try it. -chellebelle_
@ hotmaildotcom
Organization is our biggest challenge. We have the space if I take the time to keep things organized.
Keeping an up to date inventory is also a challenge. Sometimes I'm way over on some items where I maybe only have a few weeks supply for other items.
My biggest challenge is that I'm diabetic and cannot eat a lot of grains and starches that drive up my blood sugar. Because of that, we eat a lot of fresh food yet can't store it! We're trying to look into a home greenhouse to at least have fresh greens available!
Having the money to feel like we are making any progress with our food storage. And getting a variety.
My biggest storage problem seems to be rotating my supplies. I have not hit on the best method to store & keep things organized to make them easier to use. The shelf reliance looks good though.
My biggest challenge is finding the stuff. Our local grocery doesn't sell non instant dry milk. Powdered eggs? Non existent.
Susan B
Biggest problem... not letting food expire. I love Shelf Reliance!
My biggest issue with food storage has been space. We are moving soon to a place where there will be plenty of space, so I guess my next issue will be actually using/rotating my food storage :)
My biggest challenges are probably organization (both of what we may need AND when it's here at home), record keeping (sort of goes along with the previous, but I find it's almost an entity in and of itself), and time... I don't have a vehicle, so getting out to make the purchases for my 3-month supply (which we whipped through recently) is very difficult.
My biggest problem is space ~ consolidating what I have in a way that is still easy to rotate. It seems like I can have one way but not both!
Organization...what i have, what I need, what I could make.
My biggest challenge is WHERE TO PUT IT! We live in a 600 sq. foot apartment and are already bursting at the seams. My husband's night stand is all of our food storage boxes covered with a blanket!
I can't help myself,
I really want that shelf.
My problem is learning how to use the things in my food storage. I mean, the ideal situation (which I'm not bad about doing) is that the food storage we have should be food we use all of the time. But, there are things in my food storage like wheat, dry beans, etc, that I don't use very often. I use wheat for flour but not much else.
For us it's the upkeep. We'll buy a bunch of stuff, then the kids will just start eating it, and pretty soon it's all gone. I think we just need to lock it up.
Storage space and just getting started.
I've run out of space in my one "food storage" closet and have had to recognize other spaces in my home to start using...under the beds, upper shelves of hallway closets, etc.
sometimes it all seems so overwhelming. My biggest problem is finding time consistantly to stay up on it. I know I need to take little steps. Hope I win! I would love it.
I don't have enough space for all of my storage, so it is more difficult to keep everything organized and rotated. I have to stack things to make room and then they end up falling over. I also think money is a big factor. I always put money aside for storage but there is always one more thing.
My biggest challenge is "ongoing inventory". I have the organization and storage space down, but I haven't figured out a good system for "current inventory". I only purchase what we eat and I purchase and use food faster then I can update a spreadsheet and I can't figure out a good way go know what I have, and know what I still need.
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