Week 1 Deep Pantry / Food Storage Challenge

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

I am going to try and post this on Fridays instead of Saturdays this year.

“A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. Proverbs 27:12

 

Remember having a deep pantry isn’t just about having extra food on hand. It is also about having the means to survive in an emergency situation, having all the extra food isn’t going to do you much good if you can’t cook it when the power is out. If you are having a hard time trying to afford filling a deep pantry read my post on “having a Deep Pantry on a tight budget.

Don’t forget to share what you were able to do this past week to have a deep pantry/food storage. Let’s encourage each other. And if you have a question feel free to ask or if you have the answer to a question feel free to answer. If you have a tip or idea you can share that also. As I said let’s make this a place where we can share and encourage others to get that deep pantry.

This first month will be a jump start to get a little ahead so if things go south before you can get everything you want, at least you have something to survive on.

The amounts are for two people If you have more just double to what you need.

This first week is 50 pounds of rice. More if you can afford it. I get white rice as it will store longer than brown rice. Also, 50 pounds of beans, get what your family will eat. I get pintos they go a long way and are very nutritious. The price of beans and rice at Wal-Mart. for 20 lbs of rice it is 8.92 and 20 lbs of pinto beans are 13.42. So for 60 lbs of rice, it would be 26.76 and 60 lbs of pinto beans are 40.26. )

The action item for this month will be to get in shape. If things go south you will be having to do a lot more physical work you will need to be in shape so that you will be able to do the things you need to do.

The extra item for this month is a car kit if you don’t already have one. You Can go here to see what I have in ours. You will want one for each vehicle that your family drives. Even the teenagers. They may balk at it but do it anyway.A few years ago there was a bad accident about 20 miles from us that had the highway closed down for most of the night. people were stuck on each end that lived on the other side, so a lot of people were displaced. Joleen’s boyfriend and his grandmother had come to town and were unable to get back home, and had to stay with us. But I was able to use that example as to why you should always have a car kit in your vehicle, even if you don’t travel very far from home.

  Every week you will want to put back water. You can buy it, or fill your empty juice and soda bottles. You can also store water in your empty canning jars, as you empty your jars just add some water and put the lid back on. You don’t have to can this water but if you wanted to you could. You can also put it in bleach and detergent bottles ( this will be non-potable but you could flush and wash dishes with it. ). I will be doing a separate post on water in the near future.

Every week you will also want to put back a few dollars, even if it is a small amount it will add up.

What I was able to get done this past week.

I was able to bring my milk goat home she is due in March so I will be able to milk her then. It will be nice not to have to buy any dairy from the store. My chickens are laying an average of 5 eggs a day. I saved all the paper from 08 records to make paper with. I was able to get wrapping paper a few other Christmas items on the 75% off sale. I also picked up some paper that I can use throughout the year for Birthdays and such. I think that was about all I was able to get done. Hoping to get back into the swing of things now that all the holidays are over.

What were you able to get done this week?

Have a great week

 

6 Replies to “Week 1 Deep Pantry / Food Storage Challenge”

  1. NRP

    Ranchers Wife
    I believe you bring up a very good point, Food that you have no way of cooking is worthless. Well except for those unused McDonalds Hamburgers that will store at room temp for many months.
    Pleas also remember what your storing, things like Beans and Rice take a lot of fuel to cook, so learn alternative ways to cook, such as Solar or those fancy Thermos Cookers.

    Add water ALL the time to your Deep Pantry. remember 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      NRP,
      Thinking I may have to go hungry if all that is left is Mcdonalds hamburgers ( oh please don’t let me ever be that hungry that those sound good haha.).
      You are so right about having an alternative way to cook. I address that in Aprils Deep Pantry challenges. I have a thermal cooker and I love that thing I use it all the time, hoping to start doing some post on how to use them. I also have a solar oven I haven’t really done much with it but really need to get it out and learn how to use it.If it wasn’t so stinking windy here it would be a lot easier to find time to use it but seems everytime I think about it the wind is blowing a million miles an hour. Need to figure out a place close to the house and out of the wind, and where the cat’s, dogs, and the escape artist goat can’t get to it.
      Water is super important I have that at the bottom of every week’s challenge.
      Have a great day
      Connie

      1. NRP

        Ranchers Wife
        Please remember here in the For Corners we have 4 seasons of weather.

        Windy as heck (the oven will be 3 counties away)
        Hotter than the hinges of Hell (don’t need the oven, just set on the driveway)
        Absolutely BEAUTIFUL (will be to nice out and will forget)
        and Colder than the Ex’s heart. (snow will cover it by 2 feet)

        Good luck with the Solar Oven if you don’t nail it down to the Picnic Table. 🙂 🙂

        1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

          NRP,
          How right you are haha, that is why I haven’t done anything with it lol never can get a just right day. If I use it on a windy day and forget to nail it down I will have you watch for it as it comes blowing by :).

  2. Tori

    Omgosh NRP that’s hilarious!!! The summers here in TN range pretty much on the hinges of hades!!! HaHa! My question is do any of y’all use wind power!? I have wanted a windmill for years, just not sure if it would truly be beneficial for us here.

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      I would love to have wind power, We have two windmills that are not put together and need work, We are wanting to someday use at least one to bring water from the creek up to the house. It is way on the bottom of the priority list though :(. Depending on what you wanted to use it for I think it would be great.
      Have a great day
      Connie