Let’s look at the words ‘food storage’.  I hate it.  It isn’t really an accurate title for what you are trying to accomplish.  Better names might be ‘family needs planning’ or ‘lifestyle continuity assurance’, or simply ‘survival insurance’.  Well known prepper Howard Ruff prefers ‘commodity storage program’.  All of these would be great titles as they each describe certain aspects of a food storage program.  There is so much stigma associated with ‘food storage’.   I think ‘Necessity Planning and Provisioning’ (NPP)  is probably the most accurate, however I think I like ‘Home Preps’ for short.  That sounds a little friendlier, much more instructive, and a lot less ‘Ted Kaczynski’.  Basically, what we are talking about is a plan, pattern, or program of creating a stock of what your typically need in the event that someday you are not able to obtain it.  Yes, it is food storage, but much more.

There is an old saying – ‘Experience is the best teacher.’  Largely, that’s true and no different here.  You learn best by doing, not just by studying.  HOWEVER, there is much to learn from other peoples successes and mistakes.  I am a big fan of listening to wisdom, so I suggest that before you begin your Home Preps program you spend some time looking at what others have done and learned in the process, then jump in for yourself.

There are a ton of resources on the Internet regarding this topic, I will post some of the better ones on the blog.   There are enough good sources of information on Home Preps that it doesn’t make sense to go through this material here. What I am going to do is pass along what I have learned as a result of being raised by a family that practiced these things, and what I have learned in thinking and rethinking my strategies and putting them into practice.  Here is what I can pass along to get you started:

• Get moving!
  Having great plans only works if you back it up with great action.  One of the biggest reasons for failure here is lack of motivation to act.  Many start but do not follow through.  Don’t let that be you.

• Don’t plan for a single event, plan for changing conditions.
  I think a common mistake people make is trying to plan for a certain event.  If there is one thing that could be guaranteed about the future it is the fact that events never quite happen as planned.  Strictly speaking from a political and economic perspective, events could play out in dozens of ways.  Your best bet is to plan well for most events, and count on things being fluid as they develop.  That means you do your planning for a wide-variety of events, and plan to adapt and deal with it as it unfolds.  During the Hurricane Katrina disaster guns, while comforting and certainly helpful in a few situations, were not as necessary as food, water, and a good plan of action.  The best plan is a balanced plan that allows for adaptation when conditions change.
• Don’t make it an event, make it a way of life.
  One of the biggest mistakes I think people make is to plan for an ‘event’.  They imagine a particular scenario in their head then do a little planning for it.  But largely, their patterns and behaviors are unchanged.  Since you never know what is going to happen, it is best to adopt an ‘attitude’ around being prepared and make it a way of life.  That isn’t to say you go nuts, but it suggests that you make this deliberate, open, and something that every family member understands, and it should be spoken of frequently.  It is reported that the Apollo astronauts on the first trip to the moon had spent so many hours being shaken around by simulators that when the actual event happened the doctors monitoring their heart rates could not detect any measurable excitement.  I think the same will be said of this time period of people who prepared.  Making your Home Preps a way of life increases your chance of success and ensures that when events unfold you and your family keep going – steady on.
• Don’t buy institutional sized packaging unless you regularly purchase like that.
  Institutional packaging can be great bargains, but only if you use it.  Having a bunch of #10 cans (the big institutional cans) of fruit salad is great until it is time to do something with it.  Sure, it is a bargain, but not if it goes unused due to the packaging size or if it is partially used (wasted).  Better to spend a bit more and get the size you regularly need.  Some bulk items can be repackaged or broken up.  For instance, if you are a light coffee drinker but get a good deal on large packaging, you can break it up and it with food saver bags.  That way you are not exposing all of the coffee when you want to use some of it, so the large quantity stays fresher longer.
• Be organized – create a space for your stuff
  You will be far more likely to maintain your stocks if it is easy to get at, organized, with enough space to hold it all.  Before you do anything, take the time to make a good space and organize it with smart shelving, storage bins, containers, lighting, and other things that make this easy to deal with.  If you make it easy for yourself, you will do it.  That means it is worth it to invest in shelving, bins, containers, a labeler or whatever it takes to make maintaining it fast, easy and efficient.
• Use ‘Freeze Dried’ smartly and where appropriate
  When thinking about food storage, for some people the first thing that pops into their heads is ‘freeze dried’.  As an avid outdoorsman, freeze dried and dehydrated foods are great but they are expensive and rarely taste as good as the food you regularly prepare.  Freeze dried food has three  wonderful attributes  – reduced weight, reduced bulk, and a long shelf life where refrigeration is not possible.  While the latter condition is certainly possible in an national emergency, generally the first two are variable and most of the time not required, meaning the food you normally purchase will probably work out just as well for you, perhaps better because it is less expensive than freeze dried.  You should have some freeze-dried foods in your pantry, but not everything.  Here are good reasons, in my opinion, to buy a lot of freeze-dried:

  1.) You may need to relocate for a short amount of time or be mobile.  Freeze-dried foods are less bulky so you save room.  It is smart to have a few freeze-dried meals ready to go in case you have to evacuate for a few days.

  2.) You live in an urban dwelling.  For some, living in the city means storage and shelf space is at a premium.  Freeze-dried foods take up much less storage space.   I have pictures of living room chairs and Ottoman lounges used as food storage space for city dwellers – clever. 

  3.) Your diet restrictions make food choices difficult under emergency circumstances.

  4.) You may need certain items for cooking and baking and they may not be available.  Having freeze-dried eggs or milk on the shelf instead of relying on fresh equivalents for cooking or baking makes good sense.

  5.) You normally eat freeze-dried meals.  I have friends who live outdoors more than indoors.  For them, buying cases of freeze-dried meals is a way of life.

  Don’t forget – freeze-dried foods increase your water needs.  This may be an issue in an emergency situation, where water could be scarce.

  Freeze-dried is great, and indispensible for any Home Preps.  But you should utilize it wisely.

• Don’t blab – Keep quiet about specifics regarding your provisioning
  Those that know Pilgrim know he has been quite vocal about getting them to consider a family preps program, but only his closest friends know what he has prepared.  Generally, it is not a good to spread the word about what you have in your home.  Especially true if you keep precious metals, emergency cash or guns in the house.
• Do encourage friends and neighbors to get with it
  

  If/when something bad breaks, the last thing you will want is a pile of friends and relatives knocking at your door.  I recommend you discuss it with friends, then make your intentions clear to them.  Here’s a great way to discourage the idea of them showing up in an emergency -  ‘Uncle Bob, I know you would love to be with us but we have a lot of mouths to feed.  If things get tough and the food runs out most in my family would probably vote to eat you first, so I think you might be safer if you make your own plans.’  (Just kidding)  Even if you intend to include friends or family, you don’t want them to show up empty handed, do you?  Best to teach them now and have them show up with their share.  Or not show up at all because they are adequately prepared. The best way to make sure you don’t end up with a house full of people in the event of a national emergency is to educate and encourage your family and friends to start their own Home Preps program.  Be persistent but not overbearing or bombastic.  This stuff is never easy to talk about, and you’ll probably get a reputation because of it, but I have found that the more you gently bring it up the more people get it and are likely to take action.  I find the nightly news and current events helps out greatly to help start these discussions.

• Purchase at discount warehouses whenever possible
  I am constantly amazed at the number of people who have never heard of Sam’s Club, Costco, or BJ’s Wholesale Club.  These retail stores provide tremendous value when stocking up, the money you save is worth the membership and the trip, even if it is 2 hours away.
• Use the Internet for greater bargains
  In putting my stores together, I was able to receive big savings by ordering bulk off the Internet.  Some places, like Honeyville Grains, offer a wide selection of bulk dry and freeze-dried foods, and have wonderful shipping deals.  Additionally, many offer superior quality products than what can be had locally.  Another benefit from ordering from the web – your neighbors don’t see a moving van full of food being packed into your house.
• Invest in a Food Saver or Seal-a-Meal appliance
  These things are beyond worth it.  They allow you to vacuum pack your goods, break up bulk purchases while retaining longevity and freshness.  They are awesome and indispensible.  You can find great bargains on the web, they sell these things at Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Lowe’s and Home Depot.  I have found better-than-the-manufacturer-quality bags online, and there are lots of models and accessories.  Once you own one of these you will wonder how you got along without it.  I will probably make a series of posts regarding Food Saver packaging, the use of oxygen absorbers, etc.
• Stock the things you normally use or consume
  As mentioned earlier, when thinking necessity preps many people treat it like an event.  Their NPP often reflects this, consisting of a bunch of dehydrated food or dry beans, none of which they regularly eat.  While that is certainly better than nothing, when events unfold they are stuck eating things they don’t normally eat.  A far, far better way is to create a program around the things your normally consume.  Yea, it takes a bit of planning and forethought, and it isn’t nearly as convenient as ordering a years worth of dehydrated food online. However, if you stock thing you normally consume, when events overtake you life goes on.  You’ll have one less misery to deal with, and have something that resembles ‘normal’ in your home.
• Do not overlook security in your plan.
  When things go bad people do things they normally wouldn’t.  When it turns into desperation, people go nuts.  Your Preps must include planning for security and emergency planning.  This is something that many people do not like to think of, but it is real folks.  I was recently reading a story posted by a well-known ‘prepper’ who went to a firearms store to buy a handgun.  Finding a like-minded person behind the counter, this prepper guy asked him ‘So…since you think things are going to be bad, what preparations have you made?  You know, like food storage and stuff?’, expecting the guy to recount all the preparations he had made.  The guy behind the counter stated his plan was to load up his weapons and take it from those who had planned.  He was serious….

  WOW!  Let that one sink in for a bit.  Take security seriously, the threats are real.  As a final thought on this topic, most preppers are also firearm buffs.  I suspect that the gun clerk’s strategy will fall short when he happens across the well-prepared. 

• Make sure everything is rodent, insect, and moisture proof
  Make sure everything is safe from all three.  Be fastidious in this area, and monitor it frequently.  There is nothing like discovering your investment of time and money rendered unusable by critters or mold, especially when you need it most.
• It is not just about food
  You should stock medications, vitamins, over-the-counter items, etc. that you normally need.  You should look at any commodity or necessity that you regularly use or need and consider adding that to your Preps program.  For instance, we all use gasoline.  I am not advocating that you should bury storage tanks in your yard, although for some with businesses that rely on gasoline that might actually make economic sense.  I am advocating you should probably have a tank-full of gas stored and rotate that every few months.  Think of the medications you regularly take and see if, with the help of your doctor, you can create a small stock of those.  Consider everything you use.  Stock what you can or what is practical.
• Don’t be fearful
  The whole purpose of Home Preps is to provide for your needs when you may not be able to.  That alone should give you quite the modicum of relief.  Those that have successfully created a food storage program strangely are less fearful, more hopeful.  They feel much more confident in the future no matter what it brings our way.  (That alone would probably be worth the price of your Home Preps).  God is sovereign and in control – don’t forget that.  He understands your needs.  Perhaps His way of providing for them is to nudge you to action before an event folds.  Perhaps that is what you are feeling right now.  If so, get with it!
• Be patient with those around you
  The world can be a frightening place and between all the apocalyptic movies people have watched and what is reported on the nightly news it doesn’t take much to put people over the edge – like hearing that someone talking about ‘stocking up’.  Be patient, be careful how you talk to them, and check your passion at the door.  I have found that the reaction you see from people very much resembles the ‘5 stages of grief or crisis management’.  They are:

  1. Denial
  2. Anger
  3. Bargaining
  4. Depression
  5. Acceptance

  I’ll probably post more on this in the future, but let it suffice here to take it easy with people.  I find it best to drop some data, hint at some things you should do, and wait till the next conversation comes up.  If you have the forum to move on this in a straightforward manner, like in a tight social setting or family gathering by all means do.  But be sensitive. 

I hope these help.  I will update this list from time to time.

Pilgrim