The beginning of a new year is a time to take an inventory of your food storage to help you organize it and set preparedness goals. Our first January preparedness challenge is to take a food storage inventory. If your children are old enough, let them help. This inventory could take a few hours, so pause for treats or you may lose your helpers. Teach them that this is important for your family. You’ll soon discover what your family doesn’t eat anymore and what they do.
How to Take a Complete Food Storage Inventory
- You want to move quickly with this tedious task, so grab a clipboard and pencil. I don’t use an app, laptop or tablet to take inventory, because they slow me down.
- Go to my FREE printables page and print one in English or Spanish. I’ve categorized food for you which will make this job so much easier. Add more food items on the blank rows as needed.
For decades, the Lord’s prophets have urged us to store food, water, and financial reserves for a time of need. The current pandemic has reinforced the wisdom of that counsel. I urge you to take steps to be temporally prepared.
President Russell M. Nelson
COUNT IT UP
- Go through your home and count how much of each item you have.
- Throw away old food or damaged cans. How do you know it’s old? Check the labels or go to StillTasty.com.
- If you still have Latter-day Saint Potato Pearls, throw them away because they are probably rancid.
- If your Latter-day Saint Dry Milk cans are more than 20 years, toss them out too.
- You’ll want to argue with me about throwing away food storage, but you throw away fresh food every day, don’t you? Be wise.
- I’ve also created monthly inventory worksheets that will come out later this week in my Etsy store etsy.com/shop/FoodStorageOrganizer. Eventually you’ll take monthly inventories of your preparedness items. But your goal this week is a complete food storage inventory.
You are on your way to managing your “home store.” I believe in you!
Stock up your way this new year!
Valerie Albrechtsen
The Food Storage Organizer
Purchase my food storage and emergency preparedness items in my Etsy shop.
What does LT next to food items mean?
Foods that have been packaged to have a 20 to 30-year shelf life such as wheat, rice, and beans.
The printable inventory sheets have three columns – Type of food (Beverages, Meats, etc.), a check mark (for the number?), and the third symbol. What’s that column for and what is the symbol?
Thanks for all the encouragement and showing how easily this can be done…not that I’ve done most of the challenges. Merry Christmas and have a wonderful new year.
The check mark is where you write the total number of your items. The target is where you write your goal. 😁
Will you be starting this wonderful challenge over again this year 2021?
Yes! I will. Coming this. Working on my plan now.