During the Preparedness Challenge – January Week 2, we were encouraged to work on three things. First, my mom asked us to go clean out our cupboards of any old food storage. Next, we were asked to buy a 3-month supply of food storage beverages and food. And finally, she challenged us to work towards a 1-month supply of toiletries.
Cleaning Out Food
Luckily, before this week’s challenge, I watched Marie Kondo’s Netflix original, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. The drive to clean out all of my cupboards and organize everything was fresh on my mind. So, I was excited to get going on this challenge.
Because I don’t have a lot of stored food, there wasn’t much to throw out. I used this as an opportunity to reorganize my shelves. My pantry is very small, so the more efficient I use the space, the more items I’ll be able to store.
On the food storage inventory sheets, I wrote down the few shelf stable items we had at the time. Here’s a picture of what I wrote. I added some of the foods I’d like to purchase in the next few months to the lists.
Food Storage Beverages
My mom encouraged us to buy a 3-month supply of food storage beverages that we’d actually drink if the circumstance required. Because of my tight space, I’ve decided to work on a 1-month supply.
For Christmas in 2017, my mom gifted me my very own bag of LDS Hot Cocoa drink mix! At the time, I wasn’t too thrilled, but I’m so grateful I have this now when working on building my own food storage. Because this particular hot chocolate has a shelf-life of two years, we’ll be sure to drink it by the end of this year!
I also bought a small container of Tang drink mix in case we wanted something a little more refreshing in this Arizona heat.
3-Month Supply of Food
As I mentioned before, I’m planning on storing a 1-month supply of food storage, instead of the recommended 3-month supply. At this time in my life, we don’t have the space or budget to store more.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on buying 3 to 4 extra cans of food every time I grocery shop. I try to buy what’s on sale that week and check out the grocery ads to make sure I get the best deals. Each week, we still consume some of the items I’m buying for our supply, but I make sure it’s still increasing.
I haven’t quite figured out what a 1-month supply for us will look like, but once I get a good stash, I’ll take inventory and try to figure out how long it could last. So far I have plenty of corn, beans, and diced tomatoes!
1-Month Supply of Toiletries
1-Month Supply of Toiletries
Along with the extra cans of food each week, I try to grab extra rolls of toilet paper or other toiletries. I almost have a 1-month supply of the items listed to collect.
Buying a few things each week has been super helpful for our small budget. So far I’ve been able to find a space for everything in our little apartment.
After my weekly grocery shopping, I mark down what I’ve purchased, and what I still need. I try to stay organized so I don’t get too overwhelmed by the quantity I need. Here’s a picture of the chart I added to the challenge sheet for this week. It’s where I keep track of the toiletries I have and need.
I should be able to complete our toiletry stash in the next couple of weeks, and then from there it’s just maintaining the supply as we go through the items. I’ve already noticed a feeling of simplicity by having these items on hand and can’t wait to continue gathering our supply!