How to Use My Monthly Food Storage Shopping Lists

Shopping for food storage year-round along with my regular grocery shopping has helped me rotate, use, and buy more food storage. Years ago I bought long-term dry foods [wheat, rice, beans, etc.], and stored them in our California basement. But I found that I only used some of my food and not other items. After throwing away expired food that cost me a pretty penny, I decided that shopping year round would be better.

Buying short-term shelf stable foods weekly, and long-term foods a few times a year allows our food storage to have various expiration dates, helps us buy what we eat, and prevent waste. Out of site, is out of mind for me. Even though I store most of my food storage in a basement storage room, I keep a small supply of EVERYTHING in my kitchen. (If you prefer shopping once a year, then you’re probably reading the wrong blog.) I’ve found that because I do meal planning and grocery shopping weekly, I can easily include shopping for food storage as well.

Creating standard Monthly Food Storage Shopping Lists has prevented me from reinventing the wheel. I can actually coast with my food storage purchases. This year I broke my monthly lists down into weekly goals that are on the side of the front page of my blog. So you can easily refer to them. I also will have a monthly handout which shows the same items for a 3-month and 12-month supply for one adult. These are not items you have to store. They are items I consider important based on the old food storage guidelines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and lots of research. I refer to a 3-Month Food Storage Plan, and then spread those items out over the year in categories.

I’ve been watching seasonal grocery store sales for the past couple of years, which has helped me know some of the best times of year to shop. It’s not rocket science; just mom science – observation, experimentation and a bit of snooping. I ask grocery store managers lots of questions. 🙂

You are welcome to print the lists and use them as a guide or rough draft for your own food storage purchases. If you share my lists with friends, please refer them to my blog.

Three Ways to Use The Lists
Plan A – Come up with your own food storage plan, and use the monthly categories as a guide to purchasing those types of foods each month.
  Jan. – Beverages
  Feb. – Breakfast Foods
  Mar. – Tomatoes & Pasta
  Apr. – Soup & Beans
  May – Condiments/Spices
  June – Grains
  July – Summer Foods
  Aug. – Fruits & Vegetables
  Sept. – Meat & Potatoes
  Oct. – Oils & Fats
  Nov. – Holiday Foods
  Dec. – Pantry Basics

Plan B – Purchase the suggested monthly items once a month. Based on Utah sales, one month is about $25 per adult. I’ve spent a TON of time trying to keep the food cost down, and it’s not easy. Could be less if you have more food storage already. If you have limited apartment space, you could work on a 3-month supply for 1 person and see if that fits in your home.

Plan C – Purchase the suggested items for 52 weeks. Best for those on a limited income. You could add one (sometimes there are several) suggested items to your weekly grocery list. You could mix up the suggested items based on sales at the store, and still focus on the monthly category.

No matter how you do it, I hope they help some of you gather your food storage and use it.

“We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.”—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage

I will only post the Lists once a month because I make many last minute changes, and I need time to create each PDF copy. So I’m sorry that I don’t have all 12-months. However, I left last year’s posts on my blog, and you are welcome to refer to them. Understand that there are many changes in 2012. So, if you sign up for my monthly posts by entering your email address at the top of my blog, you will be able to get the monthly lists.

Goal #2 – Decide how to use my Monthly Food Storage Shopping Lists, or choose another method for systematically gathering your food storage.

Monthly Food Storage Shopping Lists

Suggested 3-Month Food Storage Plan.pdf

Goal #1 – Decide on a Food Storage Budget

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