Storing Water

Water is the most critical portion of your food storage. We can live without food for much longer than we can live without water. In doing research about water storage, I went directly to USU extension services. Before you worry about shelves, getting your grains, sugars, etc, your first priority really needs to be water. The following is contributed by Carolyn Washburn, Utah State University Extension family and consumer sciences agent, Washington County, Utah:

Most often, the safety of our domestic water supply is of little concern. However, situations may occur when the water supply may be cut off or damaged. Consider this information for water storage and use in emergency situations.

• It is recommended that you store a gallon of water per person per day for drinking. One quart of water will sustain life, but you will likely not be as comfortable. You will also need additional water for washing. It is recommended that you store a minimum of a three-day supply of water, per person, but it would be best to have a two-week supply in your home for each family member.

• When drinkable water is properly disinfected and stored, it should have an indefinite shelf life, but to maintain the optimum drinking quality, water should be rotated every six months.

• Storage containers should be “food grade,” meaning they were meant to hold food or water. This includes containers made of glass, plastic, stainless steel or metals coated for food and water storage. They should have secure lids and spouts to allow dispensing without contamination.

• Clean all containers with soap, water and rinse well. Sanitize container and lid with one tablespoon bleach per gallon of water, shake well, empty container and allow to air dry. Juice and milk jugs may not be effective, as they may leak and may contain proteins and sugars from the previous foods. Two-liter pop containers are less likely to leak or hold residues. Do not store containers by materials that may leach into them. Store water containers off the ground and cement in a cool, dark place. Store a few containers in a freezer to provide ice if the electricity goes off.

• Most city-treated water is safe for storage without additives, but to ensure the storage of quality water, use a chlorine or heat treatment. To treat with chlorine, unscented, liquid bleach may be added to disinfect. Add eight drops, or 1/8 teaspoon bleach, to one gallon of water. To treat with heat, fill clean quart Mason jars and process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes. This provides a way to have safe drinking water and also use jars that may be sitting empty.

• Purchased bottled water is a quick and convenient way of getting a water supply; however, it is not considered to be safer or purer than city-treated water.

• In an emergency, you may need additional water. If this becomes necessary, use water from pipes, ice cubes or your hot water heater. Only use water from swimming pools, toilet tanks or waterbeds as a last resort and then only for purposes other than drinking since chemicals may be present.

• In some emergency situations, you may need to treat or purify contaminated water, such as that from lakes, runoff, streams or ground water. To do this, boil water for five minutes, cool, then pour back and forth to improve taste. Chemical treatments may also be effective. A chlorine treatment of 1/4 teaspoon or 16 drops of unscented bleach may be used. Allow the water to sit for 30 minutes, then check for cloudiness. If it is cloudy, repeat the chemical treatment and let stand for 15 minutes. A slight chlorine odor should be present. If the water does not become clear, do not use it. Note the difference in treatment and purification amounts of bleach. For a treatment, use eight drops per gallon; for purification, use 16 drops.

• Water purification tablets are another option. Be sure to note their shelf life. Commercial water treatment units may also be used. Follow directions carefully and note the additional treatments that may be needed. Be aware that there is no effective way to decontaminate water that contains radioactive chemicals or fallout.

Water storage is important to your survival in the event of an emergency. Being prepared is critical.

How Much Should I Store?

One of the first things needed when starting (or continuing) your food storage is to have a plan on what and how much to store.

If only mine looked like this.

1 yr supply for one person.

 Your family may be large or small. Perhaps there is only 1 person. It is important to assess your needs. There are many tools to help you do this. Click here for a great food storage calculator that follows LDS guidelines, and is very simple to use.

Rather than retype instructions that have already been typed, follow this link, A Management Plan for Home Food Storage . This is a very insightful and easily used program to help you decide for your family what and how much you need to store.

Paying for Food Storage

As I look around and see friends who are struggling because job loss, it makes me even more appreciative of food storage. However, the #1 excuse for not having a year supply of food is "It just costs too much" or "I don't have enough money." Does obtaining a year supply of food totally freak you out financially? It sure doesn't have to.


Food storage is anything that you are not eating right now. Anything in your pantry is food storage. Anything in your freezer is food storage. Anything in your "food storage room" is food storage.

Here are some ideas that have helped our family:

1. Do not buy your food storage all at once. Most families would not be able to afford that! How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Absolutely do not go into debt for food storage.

2. Each week, grocery stores have "loss leaders" on their ad. These are generally 1-5 items that lure you into the store. These items will be on sale for less than what the store pays for it. The idea of loss leaders are to get you into the store, in hopes that you will buy lots more while you are there. When an item is a loss leader, buy your year supply of that item. For example, when ketchup was on sale for .59 cents, I bought 12 bottles of it. That cost me only $7.00 (not a huge increase of my budget for the week), and now I have my year supply of that item. Often times, I would buy 3-4 loss leaders per week, buying the whole year supply of that item.

3. Make goals for your long term storage (beans, rice, flour, oats, wheat, powdered milk, etc). I would make a goal for the month. I have found that the LDS cannery usually has the best price on wheat, oats, beans and powdered milk.

4. Coupons. I have started couponing and seriously can't believe how much I am saving. Just think, if you save say $50 per month with coupons, you have an extra $50 that month for food storage.

5. Only buy items on sale. Stores cycle their ads about every 3 months. If you buy at least a 3 month supply of an item when it is on sale (preferable a year supply), then you won't have to buy it again until it is on sale again.

6. Food Storage Date Night. Instead of going on your regular date for the week, do a free date and use the money saved for food storage. If you forego only one date a month (dinner and a movie), you could easily have an extra $50-60 for food storage.

7. Tax Returns. This is the perfect time of year to use some of that tax return for food storage.

8. Store brands. Often times store brands can save you big. However, make sure that you buy one or two cans/boxes/bottles first to make sure you like them. No sense saving money on food you don't necessarily like.

9. Canning. When you find a great deal on meats, buy a bunch and pressure can it (future post). When boneless/skinless chicken breast is on sale, buy 40-80 pounds and can it. Same with pork, hamburger, steak, etc. Canned meat is a great thing to have in your food storage. Do the same with fruits (apples, pears, peaches) and vegetables (beans, beets, etc).

10. Your food storage is an extension of your pantry. It is nice to be able to "shop" in your food storage room for the items you need. Take is slow. Take it steady.

11. Ask for food storage for Christmas or birthdays. The peace of mind we receive from having our food storage outweighs many of the other things we could receive.

12. Plant a garden. For several dollars you can get seeds to plant enough produce to feed your family.

13. Eat at home. This alone can save so much money- which can be put towards food storage. Not to mention much more nutritious.

14. Know that the Lord will bless you as you endeavor to build your food storage.

Building a Food Storage Program

"Food storage is good, in that it provides a personal buffer against outside forces (economic, natural, political, etc.). But, it must also be placed in proper perspective. It is a resource and a resource should be wisely managed. Like any other resource it should be kept in balance with other resources. It has never been a wise practice to “rob Peter to pay Paul” or to deplete one resource at the sacrifice of another. The more time and effort spent on the project the more the project will become a part of everyday life, practical and usable.


1. Avoid going into debt. This is “robbing Peter to pay Paul” and may create a situation much more serious than not having “food stored for a time of emergency.”

2. Budget all expenses for the household and include a food storage budget.

3. Change the mindset from food storage only in time of disaster to food providently used daily. If the food is not to be eaten immediately, it is food storage. Purchase food to increase the amount stored. Purchase food to manage one’s own storage program. Purchase food in accordance with personal and family tastes, habits, lifestyle, age, etc.

4. Allot an amount each shopping trip to increase storage amount (since food storage is being rotated and used daily—that means 80% of the food dollar should be going for food storage); therefore, use wise shopping strategies on every shopping trip.
     a. Shop with a plan and with a list—use the list of foods generated in the “How to Store What You Use” section.
     b. Compare prices:
          1. Compare the price of one brand to another. Try out new brands before purchasing in quantity to ensure the quality is acceptable to your household and will be eaten.
          2. Compare the price of one size package to another. Divide the size of the package into the price and compare the price per unit of different packages.
          3. Shop sales—Be cautious of shopping several stores and risking impulse buying at each store. Sometimes the 50 cents saved may cost $5.00 more in the long run.
          4. Compare price of sale item to non-sale item—is it really less expensive?
          5. Do not be persuaded to purchase an item just because it is on sale.
          6. Be cautious using coupons, they are used to encourage sales for the store or the manufacturer.
     c. Buy foods in season.
     d. Buy two items when one is needed.

5. Shop in quantity or bulk—but with wisdom:
     a. Be sure quantity will be used before spoilage occurs or quality deteriorates.
     b. Be sure quality of bulk item is high quality. Food will never be any higher in quality than the day you purchase it.
     c. Use wisdom when purchasing at bargain stores, discount stores, salvage stores, warehouses, etc. Items sold at these stores may be lower priced due to poor quality and safety. If the food is discarded later or causes illness, the bargain price will not be worth the cost. (Even after following the guidelines below the quality of the product inside the package may not be acceptable.)
          1. Check expiration dates—old items do not store well.
          2. Check quality of packaging for tears, openings, exposed product, signs of leaking, soiling, excessive dirt, etc.
          3. Check for signs of pest infestation.
          4. Check for signs of temperature abuse—frozen packages are distorted, warped or have large ice crystals; items which should be loose are frozen into a solid clump; frost build up; freezer burn, etc.
          5. Reject cans with dents on the seams, dents on the seal, dents large enough to hold at least one finger, cans with bulging lids, signs of leaking, rust, etc.

6. Ways to “increase” available money for food storage:
     a. Use non-fixed income for storage such as tax refunds, gifts of money, bonus checks, rebate checks, etc.
     b. Use entertainment money for storage by cutting back on (or cutting out) movies and movie rentals for 1 month, 2 months, etc.
     c. Eat at home rather than eating out; cut back on snacks; use money spent on snacks such as sodas, chips, candy, munchies; develop cooking skills and cook from scratch rather than with higher priced convenience foods; pack a lunch rather than eat out.
     d. Use vacation money by: choosing a less expensive vacation; shorten vacation time and use money saved for storage items; stay home for vacation; plan vacation wisely— lack of planning usually ends up in higher costs and less results.

7. Purchase foods from a reputable source. ..."

(Source: Utah State University Food Storage Cooking School—Low and Hendricks, USU Extension, Salt Lake County, 1/1999, pgs. 118-119. Copies may be made for individual and non-profit use as long as Utah State University Extension credit appears on each page.)

Preparedness Christmas gift ideas

When and if the turmoil of the world changes our lives (think of natural disasters, economic problems, unemployment, war, or disease), won't we be thankful to have food and supplies which can help us?

Giving these items for Christmas is a great idea, because if you are going to give them something anyway, why not make it something that might save their lives or enable them to live through a disaster?

Here are some great ideas to give for Christmas:

Food storage of any type.

Equipment to help them use food storage: Wheat grinder, dehydrator, pressure canner, food processor.

Camping equipment: Tent, sleeping bag, hammock tent, flashlight, lantern, water filter, Noah's Tarp for shelter.

72 hour kit: back pack, mess kit, cookstove, fuel for cookstove, emergency blanket, compass, flashlight, glowstick, water filter, individual packs of food such as MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat), ramen, spaghettios, instand oatmeal, poptarts, etc (they need to rotate those after 6 months).

For heat: an indoor propane heater (like a Big Buddy)

Items to help them start a garden: "The New Square Foot Gardening" book, shovel, hoe, kneeling pad, order seeds from a seed supplier, coupons for helping them in the garden in the spring,

Car emergency kit: warm blanket or sleeping bag, flashlight, glowsticks, bottles of water, phone recharger,

Communication: wind-up or solar radio, solar cell phone charger,

A recipe book of the food storage recipes you love.

These were just things I thought of off the top of my head, I'm sure you can think of a lot more very useful gifts which can help your loved ones be more prepared.

from Gotta Wanna Needa Getta

Butter Spread

This is a great recipe that allows you to make your butter last a bit longer! This can be kept at room temperature, if
you want it super spreadable, or in the fridge. We prefer to keep ours in the fridge, since it is still spreadable, and softens (or melts) quickly on warm items. It spreads easily on pancakes, bagels, toast etc. I think it tastes pretty much like butter, and it is way better than the spreads you buy in the store (in my opinion :) It also is fantastic for grilled sandwiches (cheese, tuna, etc) because it gives the bread a bit more crispiness.


Butter Spread

2 cubes of butter (1 cup), at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil (can use olive oil for a stronger flavor)
1/2 cup water

Using an electric mixer on high, whip the butter until it is really light and fluffy. While mixer is still going, slowly add oil. When all of oil is incorporated, slowly add water. Mixture will be white (not the usual yellow color of spread!) and fluffy. Put in fridge until set up. Enjoy!