Provident Living: Preparing for the Rain

When I was a growing up, my dad had two expressions he must have repeated to me a thousand times: “Make hay while the sun shines,” and “Save something for a rainy day.” Now, my dad wasn’t much of a weatherman, but he sure could predict the future. As I grew, I understood that he wanted me to learn how hard work and preparation can help us weather the big storms of life.

Dad’s simple, truthful counsel has guided me (and saved me) more than once in my life, and I thought it was a great place to start when talking about provident living. Think about Noah of old—directed to build an ark and collect provisions and animals while the skies were clear. What would he have done if he had ignored the admonition?

Even though we may not encounter a flood anytime soon, we may hit other rough waters—perhaps it’s prolonged unemployment, or a reduced paycheck that cuts into your food budget, or one of the many very real disasters from tornadoes to hurricanes that affect families. Wouldn’t it be a comfort to know that you were prepared with adequate food and water on hand for every member of your family?

Our VP of Marketing, Kristine Widtfeldt, grew up in Washington state in a comfortable, safe community and never imagined that anything would happen to change that. But in May 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted with greater force than ever predicted. Her family was trapped in their home with limited access to mobility, resources, or services for several weeks. But Kristine’s parents had a well-stocked pantry with everything from candles to radios to food storage. While many were in chaos during those first weeks after the eruption, Kristine (who was a kid at the time) remembers thinking of it like camping—with simple meals and crafts and family games played by candlelight. The difference between surviving and thriving may be a matter of preparation.

So, where do you start? Amassing smart, affordable food storage for every member of your family can be as easy as making a plan and then buying a little extra every time you go to the grocery store (or a discount warehouse like Costco, which you know I love).

Here is a great guideline for ONE MONTH of basic staples for food storage for an average adult (you can scale down the proportions as needed for children):

Whole wheat, 12.5 pounds
Dry beans/legumes, 5 pounds
Rice, 5 pounds
Rolled oats, 2.5 pounds
Corn, 2.5 pounds
Pasta, 1 pound
White flour, 2 pounds
Dry milk, 2 pounds
Sugar, 3.5 pounds
Honey, 1.5 pounds
Vegetable oil, 1 quart

Other staples under 1 pound per person include: yeast, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and of course water.

While it isn’t feasible for most to store a year’s supply of water, clean water is essential and often unavailable in times of emergency. Strive for at least three days of water per person, noting that FEMA says an average adult needs at least one half-gallon of drinking water per day. You might want to add more for cleaning. As you can, you’ll also want to add non-perishable canned items to your staples listed above—high protein items like tuna, peanut butter, and refried beans are great additions to food storage, and so are spices, sauces, and fruits and vegetables.

Making a plan to acquire what you need is as simple as basic math—determine how many people you have in your family, multiply by the number of months you will strive to store (the ideal target is three months or more, but start where your space and budget allow), and then add an item each month to your shopping list. Start with a bag of wheat, then a bag of lentils, then a bag of rice, and so on. You’ll find that in no time, your food storage (and your confidence) will grow!

Now I know what you’re thinking: whole wheat? Dry milk? What am I going to do with that? Once you’ve started building your food storage, it’s pretty important to actually use it—rotating foods in and out and actually creating meals with your inventory. Check in tomorrow and I’ll give you some ideas to make life a little tastier!