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Thursday, April 30, 2009

It's a GIVEAWAY!


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!

260 comments:

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Mel said...

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.

Unknown said...

Number #1 problem with food storage:

FLOODING

I live on the coast, in an older neighborhood, that was recently built around by newer homes, as well as a nearby landfill making a huge mountain of dirt, which caused flooding to be worse.

I've had water in this home just once (another time in an apartment down the freeway), but recently had flooding stop a few inches shy of the doors (and neighbors across the street did get water in their homes).

So hiding food under beds, couches, and chairs is not an option. Sites advise people not to store water in plastic where flooding is likely, because of leaching (IIRC). I put one of my plastic bins up on 4 canned greens hubby didn't like for Ike (no water in house with Ike, a few inches more though...)

I'm ordering #10 cans to store on the closet shelves. I experimentally bought a $10 shelf system from Walmart to see if cans fit it (yes, but top shelf only fit tuna, but other 2 shelves fit all regular sized cans nicely). However, this system will make rotating difficult.

Unknown said...

Just keeping on top of it all. We say we are going to do it, and then life gets in the way.

Angela said...

My biggest challenge is having room for it all and keeping track of what amounts of what foods I have stored since we use it in our everyday cooking as well as having it for storage. Thanks!

Leslie & Matt said...

My biggest challenge is actually getting a good start & staying consistent. The main problem for me in getting started is having to deal with food allergies with one of my children. I recently bought a case of wheat, but then realized that it would do my "allergic" child no good. Her allergies are a recent discovery, so having to find out all the alternatives makes food storage even more of a challenge.

Kathy said...

Meat!!! I want to store canned meat because then I can use it in a power outage but canned chicken is so expensive for the amount I want to store. I am hoping to pressure can some this summer if I can find someone to share their canner with me! Thanks for the giveaway!

Megan said...

Our biggest challenge right now is money, but space is also definitely an issue. I'm trying to be better about storing water, since it's {sort of} free, but where do you put 20+ 2-liter bottles in a 780 sq. ft. house? Especially since mildew is such a problem in Seattle! I wish I could line them up along the back of the house, but I know out in the elements isn't a good option.

Kristi said...

Our house is 100% finished and we rent out the basement . . . which means NO storage space. We're actually building a second pantry in our garage with a vent into the house to help maintain an acceptable temperature.

Susanne said...

Definitely our biggest challenge is finding the storage space. But the second biggest challenge is finding recipes that use ingredients that could be stored long-term. Especially since we usually do recipes that use fresh vegetables that don't come in cans. We're working on it though! Your blog has been a huge inspiration!

6L's said...

definitely the biggest challenge is the space and being able to roatate the food more easily, this is a great way to do it! awesome!

Beth said...

Organization is my greatest challenge. Not knowing what to store, but keeping track of what I have already stored. I feel terrible when I find food that has expired, because it got "lost" amongst all the stored food. Shelf Reliance products would be very welcome at our house. :)

Brenda said...

My biggest challenge is being consistant and not using more than I aquire!!

Anonymous said...

I'm having a difficult time organizing - I haven't run out of space yet but that may also become an issue one day

Anonymous said...

My biggest challenge is getting my husband to get my shelving installed in our pantry room. We have been our our new home for one year now and he has been trying to complete the garage. All my food is stacked on the floor and it gets to be a challenge figuring out what needs to be purchased each week.

Lee said...

Our biggest issue is a tie between having money and having room to store it. I try to do just a little at a time and that helps with the money part. But you can't create extra storage space in your house. We try to be creative.

The Sardinha Can said...

Rotation, rotation, rotation. Also, staying on top of baby/small child needs. Especially in my 72 hour kit. Having two kids under two, clothing sizes, diaper sizes, food needs etc. change almost weekly. Storing diapers in a three month supply is almost impossible, I'm sure when we're done having kids we will have boxes of un-used diapers in every size.

LAURA said...

definitely I don't know where to start. (I just found your blog today!) And money is always a problem too.

Jessica said...

my biggest problem is acquiring the long term storage items (wheat, etc.) because the nearest bishop storehouse is 2 hours away from me, and then i don't know what i need to do to make sure its stored properly to last the 20+-30+ years. also, just organize our food storage pantry is a nightmare of figuring out where to put everything so its easy to take stock of what we have.

Grammy Suzzy said...

My biggest problem with food storage is just keeping track of what we use and what needs to be replaced. We have a spread sheet my husband made on the computer, but when I am prepping a meal, I use items, and, by the time I clean up, I am off to something else and I don't mark off what is used. Then, I buy too much of one thing, and not enough of another.

Melissa said...

I have been eyeing this and would love to win one! Food storage space is definitely an issue for me. Our pantry is not very large and living in Texas, we don't have a basement and we can't really store in the garage due to the extreme heat.

roxanne said...

I guess the biggest challenge for me is staying motivated, and replacing what we eat. I don't necessarily want it all in a separate place because it does need to be rotated, but then it looks like we have a lot of food, so I don't go to the store as often, and before I know it we have a couple cans of beans and fruit, and I have to start all over. Money is definitely an issue too.

Valerie said...

money is my greatest obstacle. I can find a place for it all, it's just affording it that is the greatest challenge.

Jake and Alisa said...

I'm starting to run out of space in my pantry and have started using my closets in the spare bedrooms. This cansolidator would be great!! I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Anonymous said...

Money - we are living on a school-teacher salary with 4 children under the age of 6. Definitely money would be the number one - with storage space a close second.

Redneck said...

Definitely space. Oh, there's room for the food and supplies - if I want to make my whole apartment into a warehouse. The wife wouldn't have it.

And then there's the fact that I move about every two years. It's already a pain, and then to add a year's worth of SHTF supplies too?

We do have about a month's worth of food, which is better than most people.

Deon said...

My biggest problem is remembering to use it and rotate it all!! But we are slowly getting better at it
deonemily@gmail.com

Renman said...

Money is the biggest problem. To help with this, we've started couponing (savvy shopper), which has made a significant difference. When something goes on sale we will use coupons and are able to purchase items at a huge savings.

Emily said...

My problem is getting started. It seems like such a monumental task. I've been married 2 years now and I feel like I need to have at least that much stored by now, but I don't. Plus my husband is not as excited about creating #10 can furniture in order to store it as I am!

Rolene and David said...

My biggest challenge is SPACE! I live in a 2 bedroom apartment, with my husband and baby boy. No storage units or closets and all of our clothes closets are packed full with luggage, decorations, baby stuff, laundry and everything else you can think of that you would put in a garage! Right now our food storage is acting like a changing table as well as an endtable, and soon we will have a matching "food storage" dining room table! Oh yea, and don't get me started on water storage, I have to be more creative for that! Do you have any ideas???

Anonymous said...

The most challenging thing for me is deffinatly organizing my food storage. It is hard to keep track of what I have, I just keep buying more.

Maria....jllmm@live.com

heidi said...

My biggest problem is deciding what to store. I have multiple food allergies: wheat, corn, potatoes, milk. I could store rice and beans, but my son won't eat that. He likes what I'm allergic to. I'm kind of stuck!

Beckie said...

I really like shelf reliance! They have some great stuff AND it get's you excited about food storage. This little one would be perfect for our apartment. : )

Kim said...

Planning what I need and buying the food.

Bobbi said...

Biggest obstacles are planning meals, knowing what I need, keeping it all organized and deciding the most economical way to stock up: Do I search the ads for great deals? Attempt planting a garden that probably won't grow? Invest in a canner and/or deep freeze? Or search the ads for great deals and just buy canned goods at the store? It can all be a bit overwhelming at times.

Candace said...

Our biggest challenge right now is money. I feel like I am floundering at present because at the end of the summer/beginning of fall I feel like yeah - we did it! With canning from the garden and fruits/meats. This time of year I get discouraged because my jars are mostly empty now and the words food storage makes me think I didn't do anything. When I really did.

SydneyMin said...

I think our biggest challenge is organizing it all to make it useful every day. More money and more space would help that problem immensely.

Candy said...

I struggle with organization and rotation, and because of that, I think I have plenty, but it may be that I have plenty of some stuff, and not nearly enough of other stuff, because there is no rhyme or reason to my storage. I have stuff under my kids bed and the guest bed and in the garage and in the laundry room, so I need to inventory and organize, so I can see if I really have enough of everything.

MelanieJ said...

A few things: what to store (that we'll really eat) and where to store it that will be food-friendly and not make us feel like we are storing food full-time and living in the space on the side.

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

My biggest challenge is keeping track of everything.

I had a friend who had used Excel to keep track but that's a little too much for me.

Right now I don't have a lot stored, anyway, but should I be able to stock up even more I need to keep track of what I have and what I need.

Joanna said...

Mine is remembering what we have and being sure to use it before it goes out of date.

Troop 1309 said...

I guess I cannot narrow it down to one thing right now. I am running out of 'convenient' space. But I also get easily side tracked. If I could solve those issues, it would be great.

Anonymous said...

We're in an apartment right now so the biggest challenge is definitely storage space!

michaela hoenigman said...

Where to begin! To keep it simple I would absolutely say I am most overwhelmed when it comes to money. It is sometimes difficult buying what we need on a daily basis and then to have to think about extras is really hard! But I am so inspired by this blog and all the info I get from here has helped exponentially! Keep up the good work!! Thanks, Michaela Hoenigman ahmh61398@gmail.com

tmiller1116 said...

Biggest challenge? Space. We have 4 adults, 3 kids, 2 cats and a frog living in 1600 square feet. For now the kids are small enough they don't care if half their closet is off limits and reserved for Grandpa. :)

When they get older though, it will become an issue.

Terri said...

My biggest challenge is organizing it all. There are so many aspects. That is why I came here to get help with the planning so it doesn't seem as overwheming.

Deb said...

Rotation is my biggest problem. I just know if I win it would really help. Thanks for the chance.

Jodi Warenski said...

My biggest struggle is deciding what is most important. I can't go and buy everything, so I have to get a little here and there. So do I buy the flour or the sugar? Oil or beans?

dicity said...

My biggest challenge is organization. I have my storage in different locations in my house and I try to have everything the same together. but sometimes, I know I have x, but where is x?

dicity

Sarah said...

Our problems with food storage are the last three, money, storage space, and organization (and mice darn it!!) If we had money to buy it where would we put it? How would we organize it and how in the world would we keep the mice, that we have been trying to get rid of for months, out of it. Arrggghhh

natalie said...

My hardest part is making lots of bean dishes and rice dishes and making them all taste different. I am very new at all of it, but I have a lot of those things!!

Becca said...

Wow, so many comments what are the chances...anyway, I can always hope:) My biggest problem is organization and storage...that is why this little guy would be GREAT for me:)

John said...

My biggest challenge is to mentally organize it all.

Anonymous said...

Our biggest problem is with out a doubt storage space and organization. We are in an apartment and it has been the biggest struggle figuring out where to store everything for our family. I'm so excited at the chance to win this because I think it would be great for that! Thanks for the great giveaway!

websterjunk@gmail.com

Ryan & Jessica said...

I just love your website. It is so informational. I have been using your recipes and tips for the past couple of months. I have also been telling your food storage information to everyone.

Our biggest challenge is space. We live in a tiny one bedroom apartment. We have had to resort to storing some of our food behind our couch, we have 4 boxes stacked with a blanket over it for a 'coffee table',we have raised our bed up on risers and stocked it full of food storage as well, and our kitchen island prep area is stocked full to the brim. There is so much more that I want to stock up on but have run out of space. Please help!!!

katharine said...

storage space and rotating!

Anonymous said...

I find it most challenging to accumulate food storage while rotating it as well. Sometimes it seems I buy a year's worth of ketchup, but then the next thing I know, we're on our last bottle! I suppose I'll hit my stride one of these days. Your blog is so great for me. Thank you!!

Julie said...

Time, time, time. I have so many idea, so many thoughts, it just setting aside the time to work on it, organize it, keep up on it.

Diann @ The Thrifty Groove said...

My biggest challenge right now, it remembering what I have in the pantry. I get it all organized and then I will be in a hurry one night and just pull stuff out with out remembering I did that and so, I forget to stock back up on that item.

Christina said...

Organization is probably my biggest challenge. I need to keep better track of what have and what I need so I stop buying things I already have plenty of and get what I am almost out of.

Robyn said...

Our biggest problem is being students with a student budget. We're trying to go bit by bit. I'd love this!

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