Every experienced prepper knows that storing food and water for a crisis is never as easy as it seems. There is so much more to it than just buying supplies and dumping them in your basement.
In this article, we’ll look at the common problems that many preppers face when storing food and water for a survival situation… and how you can overcome them.
- Budget
Depending on your financial means, storing food and water can be a burden. If you’re on a tight budget, buying supplies to store for 3 months can seem like a Herculean task since you’re barely making ends meet.
For people on a tight budget, the best way to go about it is to go slow. Buy just 2 or 3 items for your supplies every month.
This month it could be two 5-gallon drums of water which will last for a year. The next month, it could be a few boxes of cereal and canned food.
Over time, you’ll have enough supplies to last you a while. Keep track of the expiry dates of the food so that you can consume them before they expire. Take a slow and steady approach to your planning and actions.
- Space constraints
Having a ton of supplies is not enough. You need to have a place to store them. Some people build a large water tank outside their house to store water because of the amount of space required.
Others store water in barrels in their basement. Whatever the case may be, you need a place that is cool, dry and has shelves to store your food and water. If you live in an apartment, you’ll need to figure out where to store your supplies.
This will require good planning. Make use of as much space as you can without cluttering the house up.
- Location
Don’t place all your stores in one location. This is a common mistake many preppers make because it’s more difficult to store supplies in separate places. However, it is the smart thing to do.
Keep some supplies in the basement, some in the attic and some may be kept in a garage. If you have a storage locker, you can keep extra supplies there too.
Separating your supplies is very important. Putting all your eggs in one basket can be disastrous.
If there’s a flood and your basement gets flooded, all your supplies will be gone. If you have some supplies in your attic, you still have some food and water to use.
In the event there’s a hurricane and you need to evacuate your home, you can always go to the storage locker for your supplies. There are a multitude of benefits to diversifying your risk.
- Keeping track
It’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of your supplies and stores. Different foods will have different expiry dates. You’ll need to plan your budget well too.
Use a notebook to keep track of everything. Try not to use programs on your computer. If there’s a disaster and the power goes out, you’ll not be able to access your records.
Nothing beats pen and paper. You can set up reminders in your calendar to remind you 2 weeks or so before anything is about to expire, etc. This will help you to consume what’s going to go to waste and replenish your stocks.
- Perishables
Storing perishables during a crisis will be difficult because power in many areas can go out. It could be a hurricane, blizzard, earthquake, etc. Power lines may snap during a hurricane, etc. When that happens, your refrigerator will be rendered useless.
The only way to prevent this from happening will be to have a generator for your home that can be used to power the house. This will be a temporary measure because the generator will require fuel.
The best way to get by will be to rely on freeze dried foods, MREs, and canned food that will not go bad fast. Go ahead and consume whatever food you have in the fridge, and once all the perishable foods are gone, you can then start on the supplies you’ve stored.
This will not only buy you some time and make your supplies last longer, but fresh food will always taste better, and you’ll have that extra one or two days of ‘comfort’ before you really knuckle down and eat survival style.
Follow the tips in this article and you’ll overcome many problems that preppers commonly face.