Food Storage Mistakes

6. Food Storage Conditions and Containers:

Frequently when the term “emergency” is used, it is usually connected to a visit to the hospital.  In the event of an earthquake, terrorist attack, or pandemic one can expect the hospitals to be taxed greater than 600% of what they are equipped to handle. Ironically, any time you have a situation in which there are more patients than a hospital is equipped to handle, you’re faced with a sub-crisis within your crisis. Today I wanted to give you some real numbers and some real facets to consider with regard to a hospital’s ability to respond in a disaster.

I frequently address the Ten Principles of Preparedness as being a great road map to pursuing a self-reliant lifestyle. I assert that the 10 Principles are put in order of prioritization and that one will find the truth of these priorities in their day to day living as well as preparing for the more vulnerable  of circumstances. I’m satisfied a hundred times over and over with the completeness and the order of the prioritization as it’s applied to one scenario after another successfully. However…there is one key component in our lives that we must be mindful of in order to ensure that we can always apply these principles to our life and that is freedom. This key is often overlooked as a part of the Mental Preparedness Principle.

“How much food storage do I need?”

For the record, I absolutely loathe the term "food storage." It's no longer used in our household because I'm not a squirrel. As such I don't purchase items which serve no other purpose than to be stuffed away into a corner, only to promise unpleasant eating later.  If I don't eat it or know how to use it, it doesn't come into our home. And if it comes into our home, we use it and are very familiar with it.

Now, have said that, the question posed above is a common question in my line of work because others don't necessarily share my point of view. That's okey dokey. Regarding having "enough" there are certainly plenty of numbers thrown out there. I do have an opinion to add to that list of suggested amounts, of course, though I confess that my answers aren’t always well received—I have this nasty habit of sharing facts that may contradict what a person has relied upon for a long time. *wink* So, how much food do you really need in order to have a year’s supply for your family at any given time?

I have to say, this is my most hated and loathed 5 word sentence.  Anyone who has the temerity to take control of their future though, aka practices self-reliance, has heard these words, or a derivative thereof way too many times.

“When things get rough, I’m coming to YOUR house!” “Why do I need to prepare for anything? I’ll just go to my parents house?” “If the world comes to an end, I’ll just get my gun and find me a Mormon.”