Why You Should Invest in Food Storage
There are many reasons why you should invest in food storage. In times of emergency, natural disaster, or social unrest, having a stockpile of food can be the difference between life and death. But even in more normal times, having a well-stocked pantry can save you money and provide peace of mind. Here are ten reasons why you should invest in food storage.
Storage Containers I Recommend:
- 8-quart Rubbermaid Containers
- Buckets with Gamma Lids
- OXO Containers
- FoodSaver (to vacuum seal jars or bags)
- Quart Wide-Mouth Mason Jars
- Lettuce Keepers
- My Favorite Organizers
- Two-Gallon Buckets and Two-Gallon Gamma Lids.
Why You Should Invest In Food Storage
1. You’ll be prepared for any emergency
Food storage is one of the best ways to be prepared for any emergency. With a supply of food on hand, you’ll know that you and your family will have something to eat no matter what happens. Food storage is the best way to prepare for an emergency. There is something incredible that happens when you know that you are prepared in ALL the right ways!
2. You’ll save money
Investing in food storage can help you save money on your grocery bill. When you have food on hand, you’re less likely to make impulse purchases or buy things you don’t need. When it comes to food storage, things can get expensive if you wait until everyone else is doing it after an emergency or disaster happens. Besides, things could disappear so fast you may not find what you need at any price.
3. You’ll have peace of mind
When you know that you have food storage, you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that you and your family will be taken care of no matter what happens. This can help reduce stress and anxiety in times of uncertainty.
4. You’ll be able to help others
In a time of crisis, you’ll be able to help those who are less prepared than you are. Having food storage can make you a vital resource for your community in times of need. I’m not saying you have to help others when they are in need, but it is nice to know that you may be in a position to help others if they need it.
There is nothing worse than turning someone away when they need your help. I’m not suggesting you need to feed your entire neighborhood, no not at all. We would all need a warehouse in order to do that, and that’s not going to happen.
It could be a situation where some of the homes in your area are destroyed by wind, fire, earthquake, etc., and yours is one that survives. You can then step in a take care of those adversely affected and make all the difference to those in need.
5. You’ll be self-reliant
With food storage, you won’t have to rely on others for your food. You’ll be able to take care of yourself and your family without having to depend on anyone else, including the government, extended family, your church, the food bank, and more.
Please remember the government will not drop water and food off at your doorstep after an unforeseen disaster. They may have water available at a few locations, but who wants to get in that line, right?
6. You’ll have control over what you eat
When you have food storage, you’ll have the ability to choose what you eat. You won’t be at the mercy of the grocery store or restaurant menu. You can choose foods that are healthy and delicious because you planned ahead and followed your plan.
7. Food storage is economical
Investing in food storage is one of the most economical things you can do. When you have food on hand, you won’t have to waste money in an emergency. Everyone else will be running to the store to stock up, but you’ll already have the items on hand that you need.
8. You’ll be prepared for power outages
When you invest in proper food storage, you are prepared for all circumstances. Thanks to your food storage, when a power outage happens, you’ll have food to fall back on. Plus, you should have the tools you need to survive the power outages with hardly any hiccups at all!
9. You’ll be able to take advantage of sales
With food storage, you can buy items when they’re on sale and save money. This is a great way to stock up on items that you use regularly. Investing in food storage over time means you will save money! Buying a few items for your food storage each week means that you’re not really going to notice it in your budget!
10. Getting back to our roots
There’s something to be said for getting back to our roots. In a time when we are so disconnected from our food, it can be empowering to know where our food comes from and how to store it properly. Food storage is a great way to do this. It’s amazing that when we stop and look back at WHAT our ancestors did, we can learn a lot from them!
One of my favorite posts on my blog is this The Great Depression: What You May Not Know post! There are a lot of things that happened during this era that not everyone knows about and it’s time for us to get back to our roots!
11. Food storage makes you self sufficient
When you have food storage, you’re no longer reliant on others for your food. This is a great feeling of self-sufficiency! If an emergency happens, you know that you can take care of yourself and your family. Unless you enjoy relying on the government and the local stores, then it’s super important to be self-sufficient. Relying on yourself and your skills is one of the best things you can do in regard to food storage.
12. Prepared for natural and man-made disasters
When you have food storage, you are prepared for anything! Natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes happen without warning. But if you have food storage, you’ll be able to weather the storm and come out on the other side with minimal damage. Man-made disasters, like power outages from car accidents or poor maintenance at substations, and job loss can also be weathered with a food storage supply. In my opinion, you can never be too prepared.
Why You Should Invest In Food Storage
Final Word
The bottom line is that having food storage is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. It gives you peace of mind, saves you money, and ensures that you are prepared for anything! I truly hope that you take the time to invest in food storage now so that your family is prepared later. May God Bless this world, Linda.
Copyright Images: Food Supplies AdobeStock_332468340 by Natasha Breen
Great post as usual, Linda. These reasons are all why I store food. That and it’s what I grew up with. My grandparents and mom always tried to store food for a year. It’s what I know. I do love seeing the food stuff we have stored. Too many young people just worry about today. They seem to think that nothing bad will ever happen. Being a single mom with with three children, it was hard, but we made it. We always had food to eat. Maybe not what we wanted, but we didn’t go hungry.
Hi Deborah, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment! “We always had food to eat. Maybe not what we wanted, but we didn’t go hungry.” I remember when Mark and I were first married, we would either have a chicken for dinner or a salad. We couldn’t afford both. We both grew up poor and never realized we were poor as well. We paid for Mark’s college, one semester at a time. Back then we ate a lot of bread with cheese! Oh, and lots of soup with homemade bread. Deborah, you should pat yourself on the back, because you raised 3 children as a single mom. Kudos to you, my friend! Linda
I forgot to add that I had no help from their other parent. I did have help from my mom and sister, though. Needless to say, my children have nothing to do with him. He is not a good person!
Hi Deborah, divorce is not fun. You see the real person come out after a divorce. Yikes! Thankfully, you had a mom and a sister to help even if only a little. It takes a tribe to raise a family. Linda
No ma’am it’s not fun! But his demons came out before the divorce. That’s why I divorced him. I later found out he was worse than I thought. All three of my children were molested by him. I didn’t find out until many years later. I always felt guilty for not knowing because I, too was molested as a child. I was older than my children were.
Hi Deborah, so sad to hear this! Unfortunately, it happens more than we may know. I always say there’s a story behind every front door. Linda
Deborah, I remember as a kid not having what we wanted, but what we Had. Personally, I love canned tomatoes with a bit of sugar sprinkled over, a piece of bread to sop up the juice. This was a staple of our diet, lol. I have sisters who Hate plain canned tomatoes. Pretty sure they’d have to be literally starving before they’d eat what I consider a treat. I’m thinking they have the bad memories of being desperately poor while I just accepted it? As a parent, you just need to do whatever you can to provide sustenance for your family.
Hi Wendy! I grew up poor, but didn’t know I was. We had plenty to eat and clothes to wear. Granted, mother made them, but that’s where I got my love for sewing.
Hi Deborah, see, we are sisters from different mothers!!! I LOVE to sew!! SQUEAL! Linda
Hi Wendy, thanks for sharing, I love this! Linda
My mother grew up during the great depression. Food storage was almost a religion to her. I believe it is arrogance to believe that nothing bad could happen. Thanks for all your good tips.
Hi Janet, you know I LOVE this! Food storage is a religion of sorts, I totally agree! Thank you! Linda
For those who have few dollars food storage is the safest investment.
It is something everyone needs. Having a deep pantry allows a hedge against inflation and being in want.
My DM ‘s parents were depression era children, she taught us much about saving things for every facet of life.. string, old cloths..and the new life given to old clothing thru quilting and rag rug making.. DM and i were talking abt. food storage.. i changed her life with a question. That question was..”how can you help others if you are needy yourself.”.. The freezer, canning jars took on a whole new meaning.. as did grocery sales.
Hi Denise, boy, I remember every piece of fabric being cut into squares or whatever out of old shirts, blouses, and dresses. We always had quilts on a quilt frame. If we have a pantry full of food we really can hedge against inflation, you are so right!! Linda
If anyone needs a reason for food storage, all they need to do is watch and read the REAL news. Food production and distribution facilities being destroyed by fire or explosion. Fuel costs causing severe hindrance to truckers in the supply chain. Probably future fuel shortages as well. Contrived fertilizer shortages at exactly the most critical time. Many other causes. Those who know about what is going on need no encouragement. Those who ignore the dangers are oblivious!!! Getting off of soap box now.
Hi Harry, oh, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment! Oh, the soap box is the best, I have one too! I sure hope people are reading the REAL news, God help them if they’re not! Linda
Your number 12. Prepared for natural and man-made disasters reminds me of a store I heard a few years ago. After a hurricanes, friends were helping clean up each others places. One man told them they didn’t need to come help clean up his place as there wasn’t anything left. They insisted and finally went to his place. As he stated nothing was really left. One friend in walking around realized he was walking on broken jars that had been part of the mans food storage. The friend mentioned this to the man. I loved the reply he gave. He said, “I was commanded t have the food storage. I wasn’t promised that I would eat it.” Yes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and floods can destroy our food storage, but I would rather have it than not have it.
Yesterday while in Salt Lake City, I went to a store to buy 50 pounds of potato’s. First ones I have bought since last summer. Past couple years I have been helping a friend who raises potatoes and get paid getting his culls. The ones I got were on sale for $18.25. While there I noticed several bunches of bananas were turning brown. I asked if I bough all of them if I could get a discount. I ended up with about 22 pounds of bananas discounted at 25%, from their 55 cent per pound price. In a few hours, many will be in our freeze drier, then into Mylar bags for storage. Not the first time I have bought something at a discount in a store that wasn’t on sale at a discount. Noticed I asked for the ones changing color, the all yellow ones.
While thinking of it, especially if a veteran and you have an ID card, ask businesses for a veteran discount. Most places that do give a discount, give 10% off. Seniors can also often times get a discount. What has been great lately, I have noticed several places giving discounts to first responders. Doesn’t hurt to ask. If old, No” OK. If, “Yes” you just saved money. Even pennies add up.
Hi Chester, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment, “He said, “I was commanded to have the food storage. I wasn’t promised that I would eat it.” WOW, WOW, WOW! So true! Thanks for sharing! What a great buy on the bananas! That’s a great reminder of the Veteran and Senior Citizen discount!! It doesn’t hurt to ask! Linda
Love this post! In the early 80’s during the recession, I was a stay-at-home mom and hubs was a teacher in a rural county, making very little. I became a master at shopping the sales, couponing (oh for the days of doubles!), rebates and more., always stocking up. Our oldest still teases me about the instant milk mixed with the bottled milk. We put in a wood burning furnace and fireplace with money from his summertime paint contracting business. He became an incredible scrounger for wood from trees and pallets (a factory close by). This led us to a family of 14 living in their former produce market. Along with our church, we were able to minister to this family and watch them grow and prosper! Some of the most meaningful times of our 49 1/2 year marriage. We would love to have that wood furnace now!
Hi Marilynne, oh how I love your comment! I miss having a wood-burning stove as well!! I actually miss the double coupon days too! Oh, my gosh, we would get grocery carts filled with cereal for 50 cents each using coupons! It was such a blessing to our family! Oh, I did the instant milk mixed with bottled milk to stretch the “good” milk! Oh, those were the days! What a blessing you were to the family of 14! May God bless you for all you do! Linda
Thank you Marilynne and Linda, for reminding me of “the good old days”….lol…. the coupons and the multiple trips to multiple stores to get all the best deals. The “free” truck load of broken wooden pallets dumped in our driveway that took a week to cut up and stack. The annual garage sale, where we sold the clothes and toys our kids had outgrown, to afford the next years needs.. Along with the “curbside treasures we would bring home, clean and fix to sell. (Three of our kids and grandsons still do this) My husband and I were just talking about everything we did to support our family, that people now would never do.
You are right, about the Peace of mind. Everytime I complete a food storage shopping trip, I find gratitude and peace.
Hi Chris, you know we learned a lot of “skills” over the years. If I saw a pile of FREE pallets, I would cut them up for firewood too! Oh, the good ole days! I’m with you on the food storage shopping trip, I smile and put it away. Life is so good! Linda
40+ yrs later, Yard sale toys, books, and wood puzzles the 4 grands love!
I miss the days of double coupons (up to a dollar). I always had 12 coupon inserts on hand for BOGO (buy one get one free), 10 for $10 sales, and the holy grail of couponing – stacking the manufacturer’s coupon, the store coupon, and a competitor’s coupon on sale items. I really miss those days, even the coveted Catalinas are now hard to come by in comparison to how things were pre-pandemic. The Catalinas basically bought all of the meat for me, my mom, and my cousin. We now have coupon rebate apps, which is great!
Additionally, I am grateful to my grandmother for teaching me to sew, as I have saved hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the years in hemming and altering my own clothes. I am not even five feet tall. Furthermore, I am grateful to my aunt for teaching me how to crochet and knit, and to my great great aunt for teaching me how to churn butter and the importance of bacon grease.
Hi Ravenna, oh those were the coupon good old days for sure. Now we have apps, but I still think I got so many things for free back in the day. We are lucky our family taught us to sew, quilt, repair, and alter clothing. I never learned to churn butter but I accidentally made butter by whipping cream too long! LOL! Oh, the bacon grease, is a blessing! Linda