One Month of Food and Water- Your First Step
If you are new to this idea of preparedness it might seem overwhelming. There are so many things that might happen, and you aren’t quite sure where to start.
Should you get a generator? What about extra personal protective gear? What about solar lanterns? The list could be endless. Thankfully there are many experienced preparedness pros who can help give you some good advice and help you stay on track.
So, if you are diving into this right now, don’t panic. We’ll help you start with the most important things to get squared away: one month of food and water.
Why start with food and water?
If everything else were taken away, the first thing you would have to find again would be food and water. They are critical to life and will be the first things to disappear in a crisis situation. Whether they become too expensive to purchase or impossible to buy, a good goal is to have one month of shelf stable food and clean water in your home at all times.
Even if there never is a critical breakdown in the supply chains, you will have the necessities on hand to weather unexpected power outages, blizzards, job losses, or income interruptions without having to worry about where your next meal is coming from. After all, it is guaranteed that you will always continue to need food and water, so it will not likely ever go to waste.
But what about charities/churches/governmental agencies? Won’t they take care of me in an emergency?
Sometimes they can help some, but chances are very good that if you are thinking this, many, many others are too. And these agencies are likely going to be impacted by the same crisis as their communities and will likely run out of supplies long before they run out of people who need them.
This is why it is wise to begin setting things aside for your family now. Then if other help exists it can go to those who need it more. You don’t want to be left fighting for resources with desperate people.
I’ll just live off the land, I don’t need to set aside food or water, right?
Living off the land is a valuable skill, and we encourage everyone to know as much about hunting, fishing, wildcrafting, and wilderness life as possible.
However, unless you live miles from civilization, chances are very high that in a crisis situation wildlife and fish will be quickly hunted into scarcity. You may find that they are much less abundant than they are now, and you do not want this to be your only plan.
Additionally, if you take down a deer or other large game and don’t have a way to preserve it, you’re going to find that you’ll waste more than you’ll eat and then you’ll be hungry again with less animals to hunt.
There is a saying in the preparedness community that “One is none, two is one.” In other words, if you only have Plan A and no Plan B, you are going to be in a very bad place if plan A doesn’t work out.
I can barely get enough food for this week, there’s no way for me to get a whole month’s food set aside!
We definitely understand that everyone has unique challenges and different financial situations, and so we have a great resource for you that shows different ways that you can begin to prepare on a very tight budget.
Now, with that said, don’t look at the month goal as something you have to do all in one shot. Perhaps set a goal of one day at a time. Then one week. Those incremental efforts will then eventually snowball into something much bigger and eventually get you to one month.
Just don’t give up. The time is going to pass anyway, you should at least try to get some set aside, even if you can’t get all the way to a month quickly. The alternative is to have nothing, and you don’t want to be in that situation either. Even a few cans or bags of food is something. You can do this.
First Step: Water
How much water do you need?
This amount varies greatly based on personal needs, but the disaster preparedness experts generally recommend that you should keep 1-2 gallons per person per day on hand.
You can use this handy calculator here to figure out your ultimate one-month goal.
How to store water safely
The easiest way to store water economically is to purchase 1 gallon or 5-gallon water jugs at your local store. Check the video below for the brand recommendations that tend to store the best.
That is going to be quite a few jugs of water, so think creatively. You can store water jugs under beds, in closets, behind furniture.
Now of course you can purchase other options like stackable water bricks to store your water in a larger container, but that adds expense and requires you to treat the water you plan to store to preserve it.
Here’s a deeper dive into water storage. It is very well worth your time!
Prefer to read a comprehensive guide? This gives great advice here.
Second Step: Food
Getting one month of shelf stable foods for your pantry is a very smart way to keep your family from being vulnerable to food supply interruptions.
Here are a few things to consider first:
Focus on shelf stable food items
When stored properly canned and dry goods will keep for a long time, so even if you do not need to use them right away.
You will want to focus on items that can be stored in a cool, dry location and do not need refrigeration or freezer space. You want to view this as a backup that you will not lose if the power goes out for an extended period of time.
Check the dates on cans
Canned goods are safe to eat past their stamped dates, however the best flavor and texture is guaranteed before those dates. When you are selecting pre-packaged foods, double check and grab the items with the dates the furthest out in the future.
When possible, purchase items you already know you like
In a crisis or shortage situation, you want to have food that you already know your family will eat. This may not be 100% possible, but make sure that you aren’t just setting aside a ton of rice and beans because people will get tired of that really quickly.
Purchase items you know how to prepare (or don’t delay in learning how to prepare those items ahead of time)
If you do not know how to prepare dried beans it is not wise to purchase a large amount of them for a short-term food stock up. It would be a better choice to choose canned beans instead.
Don’t know how to bake bread? It might be time to learn, since there isn’t a lot of shelf stable options for bread apart from baking it yourself.
Whatever you choose to stock up on, consider your skillset and the skills you are ready to learn before you make those choices.
Store your shelf stable food items properly
You’re wanting your food to last so make sure that you put them in a cool, dry place where they will not be subject to extreme temperatures.
Also, make sure any dry goods items are stored inside of bins, jars, or totes that rodents cannot get into. You want your food supplies to be safe from pests. If you take food items out of their original packaging, make sure you label the new package with preparation instructions and what is in the package.
If possible, freeze any dry beans or grain items for 72 hours to kill any bugs or eggs that may be in them and then allow them to come to room temperature before storing. Do not freeze canned goods, they are already long term preserved.
Sample 1 month Shelf Stable Food Supply Menu
Of course, you will want to make a plan based on the eating habits of your family, but here is a sample menu of foods that are shelf stable and would be fairly easy for most people of any skill level to make.
If you do not eat these foods, that is no big deal. Use this sample plan as a way to jog your thought process and help you make your own menu.
This plan shows one week’s worth of meals and assumes you will repeat it four times in the month. Additionally, we do not list quantities, so you will need to add quantities that are appropriate for the number of people eating with you during the week.
Day 1
Breakfast
Old Fashioned Oats with Raisins and Brown Sugar
Lunch
Canned Soup with Crackers
Canned Peaches
Dinner
Canned Ravioli and Canned Green Beans
Day 2
Breakfast
Fried Canned Ham/Spam
Pancakes topped with Fruit Jam
Lunch
Peanut Butter Crackers (put PB on crackers, not premade sandwich crackers)
Applesauce
Dinner
Canned Chili served over rice with Canned Mixed Vegetables
Day 3
Breakfast
Peanut Butter Oatmeal (prepare Old Fashioned Oats as normal and add brown sugar and Peanut Butter to taste at the end)
Lunch
Canned Ham with Scalloped Potatoes
Canned mixed fruit
Dinner
Boxed Macaroni and Cheese mixed with canned tuna and 1/2 a can of canned peas
Day 4
Breakfast
Bisquick Biscuits with Country Gravy and Fruit Jam (You will need dried whole milk for both the biscuits and the gravy)
Fried Canned Ham
Lunch
Ramen Noodles or Cup Noodles (add optional canned chicken or beef for extra protein)
Applesauce
Dinner
Canned Beef Stew with Bisquick Biscuits (biscuits can be left over from breakfast)
Day 5
Breakfast
Pancakes with Fruit Jam
Canned Beef Hash
Lunch
Canned baked beans and canned Vienna Sausages
Canned Pears
Dinner
Pasta with Meat Sauce
Canned Green Beans
Day 6
Breakfast
Cream of Wheat with Raisins and Brown Sugar
Lunch
Hearty Canned Soup Served over Prepared Mashed Potato Flakes
Canned Mixed Fruit
Dinner
Tuna Helper with Canned Mixed Vegetables
Day 7
Breakfast
Pancakes with Peanut Butter
Canned Beef Hash
Lunch
Ramen Noodles or Cup Noodles (add optional canned chicken or beef for extra protein)
Canned Peaches
Dinner
Canned Chicken or Pork with BBQ Sauce (Drain liquid from meat, heat, and add BBQ sauce and eat)
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Canned Corn
1 Week Sample Shopping List
OId-Fashioned Rolled Oats (enough for 2 breakfasts)
Brown Sugar (enough for 3 breakfasts)
Raisins (enough for 2 meals)
Hearty Canned Soups (enough for two meals)
Crackers (enough for two lunches)
Canned Peaches (for two meals)
Canned Ravioli
Canned Green Beans (enough for 2 meals)
Canned Chili
White Rice
Canned Mixed Vegetables (enough for two meals)
Peanut Butter (enough for three meals)
Canned flaked ham
Boxed scalloped potatoes
Canned Ham/Canned Spam (enough for two breakfasts)
Canned Mixed Fruit (enough for two meals)
All in One Pancake Mix (enough for three breakfasts)
Jam/Jelly (enough for two breakfasts)
Applesauce (for two meals)
Boxed Mac and Cheese
Canned Tuna (for two meals)
Canned Peas
BIsquick Baking Mix (enough for one breakfast and one dinner)
Dried Whole Milk Powder (easiest to find on Amazon)
Country Gravy Mix Packet
Ramen Noodles or Cup Noodles (for two meals)
Optional Canned chicken or beef for two meals
Canned Beef Stew
Canned Beef Hash (enough for two meals)
Canned Baked Beans
Canned Vienna Sausages
Canned Pears
Dry Pasta
Jarred Pasta Sauce (the kind with meat is your best value)
Cream of Wheat
Canned Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Boxed Tuna Helper
Canned Chicken or Pork
Bottle of BBQ Sauce
Mashed Potato Flakes (enough for two meals)
Brown Gravy Mix Packet
Canned Corn
Additional Notes: If you know how to bake from scratch then you can make this menu quite a bit more interesting and economical. Adding pantry staples such as flour, yeast, salt, sugar, cooking oil, shortening and dried milk to the list will allow you to make baked goods that can help stretch your meals even further.
Imagine being able to add sandwiches, toast, cookies and more to your meals. It is worth it to learn and practice this simple skill.
How to make bread from scratch.
Want more ideas? Check out this excellent video!
We hope that this article has given you some good ideas to get started pulling together your own stash of food and water for your family for 30 days.
If you have not completed this step, don’t rush ahead and put other preparedness items in front of this critical task.
You want to have this base covered before moving on to other steps.
We will cover additional topics in coming days that will help you once you have squared away your 30 day water and food supply, and we hope you’ll join us in getting more prepared.