Food storage room plan

[Erudite]

Ok, I SOOOO need to update my food storage room and get ready for case lot sales in a few weeks. I've tried several different ways to do this and none have been successul over the long haul because they require such consistent upkeep from me. I THINK there is 3 months of stuff done there, with a year of some stuff, but I don't know for sure. Who has a good plan that has worked for your family? How do you keep up with it? What's your rotate vs. consume policy? What do you keep in LONG term stuff and why?

My FIL is a big fan of food storage so he kindly shows up with boxes of stuff that we don't eat. I've tried to tell him that's pointless, but he insists that just having the stuff is the important factor and we should NOT eat what he brings. He doesn't seem to get the "we don't eat it thus we won't eat it" concept. I don't like storing stuff I don't eat, but I do out of family peace. Anyone else have a meddling family member sure that their plan is the only good plan? How do you handle it?

[5ft Diva]

No meddling when it comes to food storage. I'm sure there's a positive in that somewhere!

I don't have a very good system. It used to be effective, but isn't anymore because it's outdated. I would be very interested in finding out some helpful tips as well.

Another thought, E, is to try out the website [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] They are to food storage what the Flylady is to cleaning. I'm sure you'll be able to find some useful information on there without digging too deep.

[bookworm]

This is a good one for NG. My mouth hit the floor when she showed me her food storage about, oh... 8 years ago? Maybe not that many... anyway, it was AMAZING. I'm still washing off the green...

Mine is probably a lot like yours, E. Thanks for posting this, I hope we get some good responses...

---------- Post added at 05:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 PM ----------

Oh, and no, we don't have meddlers. I suggest you donate what you won't use to the local food bank. He'll still feel like he's "helping" and he will be-- just someone other than your family!

[natickgirl]

BW you are too funny! I didn't think my food storage was anything special. I just buy what I use & use what I buy. I love case-lot sales, and I like to buy grains in bulk at Honeyville Grain and store them in 5 gallon buckets. (Except cornmeal, which is moist and doesn't store well in large quantities. Trust me.) I also buy some things from the Church's dry pack, and help out at the cannery when I can--no pun intended--so I have the option of purchasing wet pack items from the Church as well.

I use the first in-first out rule, so I load new cans into the back of the shelf & move older ones into the front. I don't have any fancy shelves, just regular ones. If cans don't have easily read expiration dates, I write the date of purchase on the top w/a sharpie. I also try to keep things grouped together in a logical way so it's easier to find what I need (pastas, canned veggies, canned fruits, soups, cereal, canned meats, etc.). If I find we're not using something before it expires, I stop buying it or cut way back. I hate wasting food & money!

I second what BW said...my first thought was for you to donate the food you've been so lovingly bequeathed with to the local food pantry! You are NOT obligated to take up precious storage space with something you'll never use. May as well give it to someone who will use & appreciate it.

---------- Post added at 01:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 PM ----------

E -- I realize I didn't answer any of your questions. I don't really have a way of tracking what comes in & what goes out. Organization isn't my thing, unfortunatlery. I have no idea if I have anywhere close to a year's supply...I just stock up on what I can afford when things are on sale. I have a friend who went out & bought an entire year's worth of everything (thousands of dollars!) from an expensive food storage company because she wanted to be obedient. Soon after, her husband had some job difficulties, and they ended up losing their beautiful home. They had to move ALL of their food storage. Spending so much all at once was not a wise decision for them. I've noticed that now the Church is focusing on "get what you can, as you can" now rather than emphasizing a year's supply. Food Storage is not supposed to cause anxiety, it's supposed to provide comfort!

I don't like the idea of long-term storage, because that means it isn't getting rotated. I really do try to use whatever I store, including wheat, rice, sugar, and dried beans. It is good to have the basic "keep-you-alive" foods, and I do, but I try to have as many of the "things we actually eat & like" foods on hand as possible. Think about it...in a true emergency, will you really want to spend 45 minutes cooking dried beans, or would you rather spend 5 minutes heating up canned ravioli?

[Erudite]

Originally Posted by bookworm

Oh, and no, we don't have meddlers. I suggest you donate what you won't use to the local food bank. He'll still feel like he's "helping" and he will be-- just someone other than your family!

LOL That's just what I did last time he arrived with boxes. It went to the Scout food drive. I'm sure they were ecstatic to be picking up big boxes of stuff.

---------- Post added at 04:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:45 PM ----------

Thanks for your thoughts, NG. I do need to be better about the sharpie, but your system sounds like about what I do now. I think to have a better system, I'd have to have a computer in the food storage room with a bar code reader that we could just "swipe" as the can comes in or goes out. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Sigh.

I made myself a fantastic spreadsheet once, but I have to re-inventory the whole thing whenever I want to actually use it and it's a pain, you know? But I know I have way more canned peaches down there than I actually can use in a year and way less of canned soups. But to find the actual numbers means actual research. Guess I better bite the bullet.

Maybe the site recommended by 5D will work. I haven't had a chance to check it out, but I will! Thanks, guys!

[5ft Diva]

So...I've done a little research and here's a system I've never thought of and would like to try. (It uses index cards - (2 different websites explaining their own method.) It's a bit "archaic", however, very simple. I'm sure it could be modernized....AND I can't think of anyone better to modernize it! Let me know if you come up with anything.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Good luck!!!

[Erudite]

Thanks! I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes.

[Erudite]

Ok, I read through this and felt like it'd be more trouble than it's worth...due to the fact that it doesn't seem to consider usage or overall need (like having a year's supply of something). BUT I do think part of the idea is worth trying. I could tape a card on the shelf in front of the item which shows how much of the item that I think my family should have, then I can easily make a grocery list when the stocks get below a certain point.

Hmmm I can also add to the card what recipes I think the item is used in and how much is needed for that recipe...that way I'd know what the amounts represent. For example we have rice twice a month or so, cooked in veggie broth. So I need 24 cans of veggie broth for me to have a years supply of the item of that recipe. I think I'll give it a shot.

[Erudite]

I'm likin' the cards! I did label and put the number of boxes I thought I'd need in general. It's already feeling more organized and quick access for making a grocery list. I'll have to think about the recipe thing...so many things in the room are used in multiple recipes.