Food Storage on my mind

Food storage has been on my mind for a while now. We have had to be very frugal in our spending for the last year because of unemployment. To say money has been tight is a gross understatement! I have always tried to keep a well stocked pantry but last summer I kicked into hyper drive. I bought TONS of food in big 25lb bags with the intention of storing it. I started buying extra of everything and because of this I have a very stocked pantry and storage room. I was having a conversation not long ago with a friend who wanted to get her pantry/storage system going but had no idea where to start. I thought I would pass on what I have learned if it will help someone else.

About a year ago a friend of mine called to say she stumbled onto a great site for couponing. She was getting into couponing at the time and thought I would be interested also. I checked out the site and while I liked the whole coupon idea I still haven't implemented it into my normal routine. However the site she shared was a real gem for something I do make part of my everyday life. Food Storage. I know for some of you this wins me the dork of the year award but really it is something that I wouldn't be without. This great website is actually ran by three friends who all specialize in one part of food storage. Here check the site out so you know what the heck I am talking about. Food Storage Network

Food Storage Made Easy

Since I am a planner at heart my favorite part of their site is Planning It. Shortly after finding out about the site I decided to purchase their planner because even though they send out free emails I couldnt wait to get started. Yes I know, anxious dork now. :) So anyway I bought their planner so that I could get a (cute) start on everything. I wanted everything broken down so I knew just what I needed to do and how much to buy. I had looked at other online calculators in the past and while they were helpful they were also daunting. I mean who really looks at the need of 600lbs of wheat and is comforted! That is a big tast to purchase and store that much food! Anyway Jodi and Julie have made some freaking awesome calculators for planning. They have a 3 month calculator that I adore. Seriously if I could I would marry it. Its that awesome. By using their calculator last month I was able to purchase an entire 3 month food storage for $250 bucks!!!! Yup $250. Check out the link for the 3 month calculator HERE. There are YouTube videos and other helps on that page.

Another site that can be helpful is Simply Living Smart. I found this site over a year ago and it has changed A LOT. They have quite a bit of information available to help get you motivated but you do have to create an account for free or purchase a membership.

One last site that has been helpful at times (including her awesome list for pantry items) is Crystal at The Family Homestead. Crystal is the mom of 8 kids and lives in beautiful western Washington. She has great articles on making bread, yogurt. using beans, buying in bulk etc. One of my favorite things on her site is her meal planning calendar. I go to her site once a month and print it out. Very simple. I printed out her Whole Foods Pantry list and keep it in my food storage binder.

Okay those have been the most helpful sites for me. I hope that those will help everyone out in their planning a little. Good Luck!!