Today, I want to share some ideas for a 1 week’s food storage supply for one person. I want to make this simple so everyone can understand the concept of food storage, and then follow through to put a plan in place to do it. Here’s the deal, you may or may not like the food that’s stored in your pantry or basement as much as you do fresh items, I get it.
I would love freshly served food too, but in an emergency, we need a plan B. So, I hope this gives you some ideas to get prepared for the unexpected or add to what you have stored right now. Please keep in mind, that if the grocery stores are empty after an unforeseen emergency, what will you feed your family?
Let’s start with the basics, and you add your own fluff, like chocolate chips. Yeah, baby, we need chocolate. Please understand, that what I’m suggesting isn’t diet or calorie specific. If you have special food needs, you will need to make some adjustments to these items for your diet or health needs.
In case you missed this free printable, Food Storage List-Where Do I Start Free Printable
Be sure to check out this FSM Meal Planning Schedule
1 Week’s Food Storage Supply
Water
We need 4-gallons of water per day per person. We need to hydrate our food, cook our food, have water for personal hygiene maintenance, and wash our laundry, or at least our underwear. So, for one person per week, we need 28 gallons (4 gallons a day for 7 days). Now, that may seem like a lot, but it’s not. I can almost hear, “But I have three kids, plus my partner, so that means I need to store 140 gallons of water. (28 gallons times 5 people=140 gallons).
This doesn’t mean you will be hauling that much water somewhere, you store it on your property somewhere. I had the majority of my bulk storage in the garage, some outside with UV covers to protect the water, some in WaterBrick containers under a queen size bed, etc. Be sure and place some 2 by 4’s of wood at least 2-inches off the ground or concrete to keep chemicals from leaching into your water containers.
Please take the figure of 28 gallons per person and calculate how you can store what YOU need for your family. There are lots of options when it comes to water storage containers.
How to store 28 gallons:
Be sure and use a Lead-Free Hose to fill any water containers. I also use Water Preserver so I only have to rotate the water every 5 years. If you use unscented bleach, you will need to rotate the water every six months. Please store water in several different ways. One container at a time. Buy right the first time.
WaterBrick 3.5 Gallon BPA Free Portable and Stackable – 10 Pack (these would equal approx. 35 gallons)
The awesome thing about the WaterBricks is the fact that they hold 3.5 gallons each. When filled with water, they weigh about 27 pounds. They have a handle and you can purchase a spigot for them as well. WaterBrick Spigot They stack on top of each other, or you can stand them up. I put several under my queen size bed.
55-Gallon Water Barrels I have had four of these stored outside with a UV Barrel Cover to protect them from the heat in the summer. These need a Bung and a Water Pump so you can get the water out when needed.
5 Gallon Water Containers (Six of these equals 30 gallons) In case you missed this post, The Best 5-Gallon Water Jugs
BlueCans I’m sure you know by now, I store cases and cases of this water. There is no need to rotate and the boxes stack easily under a bed or behind the couch or a dresser. The cheapest place to find these is at Brownell’s. If they’re out of stock, put your name on a waiting list, they’re worth the wait. I buy the 24 cans (12 ounces each) in a box. So, if these equal 2.25 gallons per box, you will need just over ten cases per person per week. (Approx. 13 cases per person) I would use this water for drinking or cooking only.
I quote BlueCans website:
“1 Case – 12 oz of water per can – 24 cans per case – 2.25 gallons of water per case Pure Fresh Taste, Hermetically Sealed, Purified with 12-Step Filtration, Reverse Osmosis, UV Light Treatment, Eco-Friendly Packaging, Tested BPA Free, No Chlorine or Flouride.”
Protein
Today, I am talking about cans of food. Some of you may have a freezer full of meats, but many don’t. It’s quite simple, you need 7 cans of protein per week. You can choose from chicken, pork, beef, corned beef, Spam, roast beef, or beans. If you have the option to cook, you can buy bags of beans, I purchase both bulk and cans. Today, we are breaking out what to purchase for one person for a week.
If you never buy anything in a can to eat, that’s awesome. What’s really neat about buying canned food for your storage stash, and I love canned food, by the way, is it’s easy to store. And all you need is a can opener when it’s time to prepare a meal. In case you missed this post, Canned Foods I Highly Recommend You Store
At the end of the year, if you don’t eat all the cans of food stored, please check the expiration dates and donate them to the food bank. The food banks really need our help for those less fortunate.
Of course, make sure you have a good can opener, Small Can Opener and a Large Can Opener.
Vegetables
Do we love fresh vegetables, yes, indeed? But today, we are talking about food storage for the pantry. If you have a garden, that is awesome, but not all gardens grow year-round. It’s quite simple, you need 7 cans of vegetables per week, pick your favorites. We love green beans, corn, asparagus, carrots, canned potatoes, and beets. I love pickled beets too!
Fruit
I love home canned fruit, so if you have some, you rock! But today, it’s all about cans of fruit. You’ll need fruit in your canning jars, or cans from the store. Remember, we are stocking your pantry for 7 days. Choose 7 cans of your favorite canned fruits. You may love pears, peaches, Mandarin oranges, apricots (hard to find), and applesauce. Do you see how many fruits you can choose from? If I had a bag of tortilla chips, I could eat a small jar of salsa, don’t tell anyone! Tomatoes are a fruit, remember.
Grains
Now, let’s make this simple, for one person for 7 days. You will need a 16-ounce bag of rice. I love Jasmine rice! If you want quinoa, stock quinoa, that’s what is great about breaking down the foods we need for 7 days.
Dairy
You can start with 1 package (approx. 26 ounces) of instant milk. Luckily you have water stored so you can mix it up with the instant milk to drink or pour it on your cereal.
If you want to store butter, I have tried every powdered butter offered in #10 cans out there. I gagged over all of them. Here’s the deal, they are fine for baking but, I would not spread that stuff on my toast or pancakes.
If the butter is important to you, I get it. Grab a few cans of this brand, yes, it is pricey, but you get what you pay for. Red Feather Canned Butter
In case you missed my post on which powdered eggs to buy, How To Use Powdered Eggs I can only recommend these OvaEasy eggs for scrambled eggs, quiches, etc. OvaEasy Eggs, keep in mind they don’t have a long shelf-life.
Miscellaneous
Please note, that I did not add baking supplies to this list. If you cook or bake from scratch, your pantry is ready for now.
Pancake Mix (16-ounce box)
One box of Biscuit Mix
Cereal
Peanut butter and Jam (one small jar of each)
One box of your favorite crackers, I like Ritz, Saltine, Chicken in a Biscuit.
Tortilla Chips
Flour Tortillas
One jar of salsa, (I would need two or three jars!)
1 Week’s Food Storage Supply
Final Word
I hope you enjoyed my post today, on 1 Week’s Food Storage Supply! It’s quite simple, we do not need #10 cans of freeze-dried food, at least not right now. The prices are 4 to 5 times what I paid for them 10-15 years ago.
I can’t even justify commercially prepared dehydrated food right now because food, in general, is so expensive. If you prefer buckets of food storage for each person, so be it. Please compare ounces to ounces in #10 cans, they vary greatly, and so do the shipping costs.
Take your family to the store and have them fill their box for 7 days or two weeks. You can label their boxes with their name and the number of days it will feed them. Not only will it be fun, but you will also have food storage for each person in your family. Please remember to store what you eat, it’s actually quite fun, my friends. May God Bless this world, Linda
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