Living a frugal life seems to be getting more and more difficult these days, but if you can stay ahead of the game, you’ll be able to save yourself in times of natural disasters or financial crises! Food storage is something that tends to be overlooked, while in reality it is so important to have non-perishable items at your disposal.
Your first step should be to create a list of dry and freezer foods. By creating a list, you can have some expectation of what to buy whenever you go to the grocery store. Here are some examples of both:
Dry Foods: beans, rice, peanut butter, chili, peaches, tuna, ketchup, flour, spices
Freezer Foods: chicken, cheese, jam, fruit, frozen meals.
Once your list has been finalized, determine how much you would need to survive for a month. After the amount has been figured out, you can multiply it by however much you would like, maybe 6 or 12, to find a rough estimate of how much food you would need to survive for 6 months or a year.
Remember that this is not a task that can or should be done overnight. You can start creating your food storage by using any excess money that is left over from your grocery budget, even if it is just five dollars. Those five dollars can be used to buy five cans of food or maybe some salt. Purchase whatever you feel you or your family will find the most useful and gradually build that collection.
Freezing leftovers and perishable food that is on the verge of going bad, like fruits, are another way to build your food storage collection. Instead of letting them go to waste, help your future self in the event that something unexpected occurs and freeze it. This will keep the food preserved for much longer, instead of allowing it to rot in your fridge.
This is an ongoing project, but the early you are able to start, the better off you will be later on!
