FoodWaterStorage.com

Mastering a few food storage recipes is a great way to learn how to incorporate the foods you store into your daily diet.

We’ve compiled a list of recipes using ingredients that are commonly stored. If you have a recipe you’d like to submit, please contact us and we’ll be glad to feature it on our site!

It’s all about perspective.

Hindsight is a unique point of view that intelligent, rational people have used to prepare for the unexpected and come out ahead for centuries. The perspective of looking back to prepare and anticipate what is to come is often ignored in favor of the latest trend as if history will never repeat itself.

This is simply not realistic.

On one hand, any rational individual knows that the unexpected will eventually happen. Disaster in one form or another will eventually strike. Yet, now more than ever, it seems that the vast majority of the population is simply content to let calamity transpire and do nothing to prepare for it.

The loss of ones livelihood, deteriorating macroeconomic conditions, increasingly frequent natural disasters, geopolitical and social unrest haven’t disappeared nor will they. To be blunt, it’s simply not realistic to expect federal or state governments to have the resources required to provide food and water to their citizens in times of need.

So given the widespread availability of water in developed countries, is it really necessary to store water?

Absolutely.

In this article as the title obviously suggests, you’ll learn why storing water should be the first item you accomplish. Without a doubt, water storage and purification is the most important element of being prepared. After all, with the human body consisting of 60% water, a human being will die in just 3-4 days without water.

Yes, storing food is also essential to being prepared for the unexpected but given that most people can last several weeks without eating, it’s clear to see that having clean water on hand takes precedent over having food available to eat. Given the widespread availability of clean water in the U.S., it’s understandable that most people simply don’t think it’s necessary to have any type of water storage plan in place.

If they get thirsty, they can simply go to the faucet and get water straight from the tap. If they’re not at home, they can go to the store or a restaurant and buy water. But what happens when they go to the tap and no water comes out? Or there’s a power outage and the water treatment facilities go offline thus rendering the water unsafe for consumption.

In recent memory is the extended drought in Texas where water is being rationed in some areas, if available at all. The drought has severely impacted water supplies to the extent that the water pressure is so low that in some small, rural town’s the water system simply doesn’t work. All the water has to be distributed in bottles.

Although this example is extreme, there are still many other scenarios that are played out with much greater frequency that cause disruption to the availability of water supplies. Some of the these scenarios include power outages that impact water treatment facilities, water pipelines bursting or being rendered useless to extreme cold weather, contamination to a local water supply that is unable to be treated in the short term,drought conditions, etc.

It’s very easy to take water for granted but as soon as it becomes unavailable you’ll quickly notice just how dependent on it you are in your daily life. Obviously, the most important usage for water is consumption to keep the body hydrated. But water is used in many more ways than just drinking it such as hygienic uses (showers, baths, shaving, etc.), cooking, cleaning, agriculture, and even to create energy!

It’s surprising to see just how much water is used over the course of a day, you can get an estimate for you or your family by using this handy water consumption calculator the US Geological Survey created. With such a reliance on having clean water, hopefully you’re starting to see why it’s so critical and potentially life saving to have a solid water storage plan in place.

So what can I do about this?

As the site name suggests, FoodWaterStorage.com’s sole purpose is to provide easy to understand, practical information on how to help get you started in storing food and water. It may seem like an impossible task at first, but soon you’ll see just how easy it is to accomplish both of these tasks without breaking your budget.

Now that you understand the main reasons why you should store, learn how the best methods of water storage or read more about methods of water purification.

Storing water along with having the knowledge and capability to purify your stored water should be your top priorities in putting together your long term food storage plan. Although most humans can last 3-4 weeks without eating food, they will die in just 3-4 days without access to clean water. It’s easy to take water and its many uses for granted when it’s readily available, so if you’re not sure why you should be storing water and learning how to purify it, check out our Why Store Water article first.

According to the U.N., the average American uses approximately 105 gallons of water daily. It may sound like an unbelievably high estimate, but when you stop to think about the convenience of running water for its many uses such as drinking, baths/showers,lawns & gardens, pets, etc.; it makes sense. Based off the large daily amount of water consumed, it’s clear to see that for 99% of the U.S., it’s unrealistic to store up enough water to cover much more than a few weeks at best. Just to store enough water for a household of 2 adults under normal levels of consumption for month would require several thousand gallons of water.

As we mentioned before, having the capability to store thousands (or even hundreds) of gallons of water is simply unrealistic for most people. Yet, it’s essential to have some water on hand to anticipate the unexpected. It only takes one catastrophic event to truly appreciate how much water is taken for granted. There’s a few steps of planning you’ll want to tackle before you take any action of storing away water. First, decide how many individuals (including pets if relevant) you’ll be storing water for. Once that figure is determined, try and store away three days worth of water for each covered individual. In a true emergency hopefully you won’t be using your stored water for unnecessary uses such as extended baths/showers or watering your lawn so plan on storing between 5-6 gallons of water per person, per day. These 5-6 gallons will cover drinking water as well as extra water for cooking, cleaning, and hygienic uses. Assuming once again there are two adults, it will require 30 gallons of stored water to cover three full days.

Methods of Water Storage

There are several options for how to actually store the water. First, let’s start with common mistakes that many people new to water or food storage make – storing cases of water bottles or 1 gallon jugs. Besides the common problem of BPA and other toxins found in plastic water bottles and jugs, they simply aren’t designed for long term storage or use. In many instances, 1 gallon jugs are only designed to last about 12 months. After that, they’ll begin to break down rendering them ineffective for storage purposes. Cases of water bottles or jugs are bulky and are difficult to store in bulk. If you do choose to store some water bottles or jugs, ensure they are composed of a food grade plastic quality. Also, be sure to observe the expiration date on the plastic to rotate them out of your water storage. Take care not to stack your cases more than 3 high to avoid the cases on the bottom slowly being crushed over time.

For homeowners or those who have a bit of extra space such as a garage or yard, a far more efficient option is to store your water in 50-55 gallon sized rain barrels designed for water storage. These barrels are composed of HDPE (the same plastic resin as food grade buckets), and many also include basic features such as a spigot for dispensing the water and a mesh lining on top to keep out yard debris and insects. There are many styles of rain barrels available to match any type of outdoor house decor if style is a factor to you. One of these barrels supplies enough water for two adults for 3+ days. Your buildings gutter system can be routed into the barrel to collect the excess water or you can simply fill it up from an outdoor spigot. Keep in mind that water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon, so a full barrel will weigh approximately 400 lbs!

WaterBrick

Another water storage option is the WaterBrick. WaterBricks have traditionally been used for humanitarian and relief purposes but have gained popularity for preparedness uses. Unlike water bottles or jugs, WaterBricks are designed to stack on top of each other enabling them to be stored efficiently in closets, under beds, etc. They are also made of HDPE food grade plastic and can also be used to store food or water. WaterBricks come with a handle that makes moving them around very manageable. The main drawback to using the WaterBrick system is their price. Coming in at approximately $18 for the standard 3.5 gallon size, it puts it out of some people’s price range. Bottom line is if you can afford it, the WaterBrick system is among the best method of storing water.

WaterBOB

Finally, a great back-up option to add to any solid food and water storage program is the waterBOB.  The waterBOB consists of a food grade liner that is attached to your bathtub.  It’s important to understand that the waterBOB is a great supplement to add to your water storage plan but it’s certainly not the only source of water storage you should be counting on. They’re not re-useable and in some instances if no water is dispensing from the tap, it’s useless. Scenarios that would provide you with advanced warnings such as oncoming storm systems, planned water line disruptions, etc are the most likely events in which the waterBOB would be extremely useful.n an emergency you simply attach the waterBOB to the bathtub faucet and fill it up. It will store up to 100 gallons of water and includes a spigot for dispensing the stored water.

Now that you know how much water you want store and the type (or types) of vessels you’ll use to store the water in, it’s time to cover a few methods of water purification.

Up until a few years ago, the thought of long term food storage for emergency preparedness was ridiculed and thought of as impractical, unnecessary,and especially for urban dwellers – downright strange.

That was then, and here you are today… Whether you simply stumbled across our site by accident, or you’re curious about having an emergency food supply that is affordable and practical regardless of where you’re at in life – you’ve come to the right place! The sole focus of this site is to teach you the most cost effective and safe way of storing food and water as a food insurance policy.

Maybe you’ve checked out other resources in the past and were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information about how to store food for disaster preparedness, what the best emergency food is, and many other essential emergency concepts. Or maybe you’ve been putting it off by thinking in terms of why you shouldn’t have a long term food insurance plan for you and your loved ones.

Some common misconceptions of a long term food insurance plan is that it’s too expensive, takes up to much space, or perhaps the most dangerous misconception of all – that long term food storage simply isn’t relevant because you can always go to the grocery store or dine at a restaurant when you’re hungry and running out of food at home.

Keep this concept in mind while you consider this: imagine a basic software program like the internet browser you’re using to read this now. Now imagine how many lines of code it takes to create this browser and all its features for you to use. If one or two of those lines gets damaged or coded incorrectly, the impact on the overall browser is generally catastrophic. You’re probably thinking what the heck does an internet browser have to do with food storage!?

This is how our food system is here in the USA and in many other “developed” countries around the world. Although the end result for us is that anyone can go to a grocery store (many of them 24 hours a day), and simply buy whatever looks enticing us at the moment, if one or two links in the food supply system are damaged or disrupted, the impact will be felt by all of us. In other words, the more complex any system becomes, the greater the impact is whenever something goes wrong.

Maybe you’ve never thought about how the food in your pantry or freezer was produced in the first place. Just think about it… you depend on your bank account or paycheck to buy the food, and you rely on your local supermarket or restaurant to actually have the food in stock. They, in turn, rely on local, regional, national, and sometimes international systems of delivery trucks, not to mention their facilities to be operating. These folks then rely on the manufacturer’s distribution capabilities to meet demand, who in turn rely on the farmers who grow the food/meat/whatever who in turn rely on weather to create favorable conditions to grow the crop!

And that’s an extremely simplified overview just to make the point that the current food system is extremely vulnerable and sensitive to the slightest disruptions. There are thousands of people involved from the time food is produced to the time you end up eating it.

It doesn’t need to be some crazy “end of the world” scenario for you to be impacted by problems in this food system. Haven’t you noticed food prices skyrocketing over the past few years?!

Whether you want to blame this on inflation or on global supplies of basic grains barely meeting demand, you would have to be pretty blind to read all this and still not believe there’s not a good reason to have at least some type of long term food storage plan for you and your family or loved ones.

Fortunately that’s where our site comes in. We’re going to show you the easiest, most practical strategies to put together your very own long term food storage or “food insurance” policy with pictures, videos, and easy to understand guides complete with the most frequently asked questions for anyone who wants to learn more about long term food storage.

Unlike some of those other doom and gloom fear mongering sites, FoodWaterStorage.com is here to guide you through the process of food and water storage by educating you about the many benefits of storing food – not scaring you into buying some fancy “survival kit” that will probably just collect dust in your basement.

One of the most helpful ways to think about long term food storage strategies is to understand it as a food insurance policy. The idea of insuring something of worth or value in the event of something going wrong is a practical and widely accepted practice in society. Everything from your home/apartment, vehicle, business, expensive art or jewelery, even your pets or your own life can be insured. This is a prudent risk management strategy, but why is it that you have all these different types of insurance policies but don’t have more than a few days worth of food stored up? Will these other insurance policies keep you and your loved ones from starving when disaster strikes?

Hopefully you never have to use any insurance policy you take out, and the same goes for emergency food insurance. However, unlike other insurance plans, long term food storage pays for itself over time even if disaster never strikes! You can buy food at today’s prices and in a few months or years if you haven’t used that food, you can simply consume it at it’s original purchase price!

Not only does it pay for itself in the big picture, but it also provides another benefit that is one of the strongest selling points of any type of insurance – peace of mind. If you have an emergency food supply and something does happen, you know you’ll be able to provide for your family, loved ones, and anyone else you may have “insured” (pets, neighbors, etc).

Although we think we’ve done a good job of organizing information about how to store food long term and other basic concepts regarding long term food storage, it’s important to understand food storage is a large topic. There are several finer points you can learn after you’ve mastered the basics.

FoodWaterStorage.com is committed to helping you along every step of your journey.

Methods of long term food storage: we’ll help get you started by narrowing down on what type of long term food storage strategy is right for you. Is the traditional method of storing a few hundred lbs of grains and other nutrient dense foods stored in food grade Mylar bags and sealed buckets right for your situation? Or maybe buying a freeze dried food storage kit is more practical for you.

Components of food storage: learn about the basic components of any solid long term food insurance plan including heavy duty food grade buckets to store food in; Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers to create a more shelf-stable environment for your food insurance plan; a sealing mechanism to keep oxygen, water, and pests out of your food containers; and finally, the food itself you choose to store.

We’ll also cover the other emergency essentials of long term food storage strategies such as the best place and environments to store your food in; how much food you should store for each member of your household; the most cost effective ways to find and purchase your emergency food and long term food storage supplies as well as the shelf life of the most commonly stored emergency food items. FoodWaterStorage.com would love to answer your questions and get your input, so if you have a particular topic or issue you’d like us to look into for you, please contact us!

As you may have noticed, we also have an easy to understand resource about how to store water and make sure it’s safe to consume. It’s best to first check out those guides or media content if you don’t already have a solid knowledge base of water storage and emergency water purification techniques. Humans can live a few weeks without food, but any human being will die in just a few days without water.

We know this is a lot of information to take in and you’ve probably not thought about food in this way before so take your time in absorbing this info! Check out our helpful videos and step by step pictures to walk you through any process you’re unsure about.

With FoodWaterStorage.com’s resources and experience, you can put together a potentially life saving food insurance policy together in no time!

Up next –> Learn what planning you need to do before you store food!