Set up a calendar to simplify buying food storage

Gathering a food supply can feel daunting if you think about getting everything you need at once. A monthly buying calendar breaks food storage into "month-size" pieces, allowing you to focus on purchasing what you can of the items of the month. At the end of the year you have some of everything you need. That's encouraging!

Set money aside each week for emergencies.

It's important to set aside some money each week to create a financial reserve for emergencies. Use a part of this money to acquire food storage.

Make a plan by dividing the kinds of food you want to purchase over 12 months, creating a buying calendar for a year. Then set a goal to buy as much as you can of the items listed for each month.

It is not wise to go into debt to acquire food storage. A buying calendar allows you make significant, yet paced, progress in buying what you need within your budget.

Some monthly calendars become discouraging.

Occasionally, you can find a monthly purchasing plan that lists specific items and amounts to buy. People get excited about these at first. However, enthusiasm wanes, and food storage purchases stop when people find quantities listed don't match their family preferences. Those on a limited budget become discouraged when they can't purchase the amounts suggested.

Here's one idea for a buying calendar.

You decide what to buy and how much based on your budget and the food storage recipes you want to prepare. Wheat, grains and legumes are listed twice, as these are the basis of a healthy diet when you're storing food on a budget. If you're planning a long-term food supply, you will buy large amounts of these. If you want good taste and increased nutrition, you will want to buy other items listed. Dry milk and sugar appear twice as they are the most expensive basic food storage items. Consider buying important non-food items in the winter months.

• January - First aid supplies and medications; Personal and sanitary supplies; Check clothing, blankets and sewing supplies

• February - Oils and Fats: vegetable/olive oil, shortening, mayonnaise, salad dressing, etc.; Dried Eggs

• March - Vitamins; Fruit drink mix (source of Vitamin C); Canned meats

• April - Salt (Iodized), Garden Seeds; Canned vegetables and fruits; Water (rotate water and refill containers)

• May - Milk: dried, canned; Baking powder, Baking soda; Canned vegetables and fruits