What’s the difference between a year supply of food and a 3-month supply of food?
A year supply is the main staples like your flour, wheat, and sugar that can store for years. Whereas a 3-month supply is a three months supply of the food you eat every day like condiments, canned goods, etc. Often these have a shorter shelf life.
The goal of a 3-month supply is at any time having 3 months of the things you eat everyday by consistently replenishing them as you use them.
When we were first married we made the mistake of getting a year supply of everyday items. We went off of a list someone recommended. Three years down the road, we still haven’t eaten through it. Things have expired and we have to try and use up the things that are still left over. Your 3-month supply list should be very personal based on your own family’s eating preferences. We rarely eat Jell-o or drink any kind of flavored drink. Those items that we bought a year supply of continue to collect dust over the years. We ran out of dried beans and canned stewed tomatoes very quickly.
Steps to collect your 3-month supply
The first step is to take inventory of what you already have. Make a list of what you have, note the weight measurement for each item and the quantity. Write it down.
IE: tuna 5- 4oz cans, corn 15- 15oz cans, peaches 9- 12oz cans
Second, you need to find what you’re lacking. See the little “leave your email” box on the right bar. Leave your email and I’ll send you an excel spreadsheet of recommended amounts of each food. Go through each item on the excel sheet and modify it according to your family’s needs. If your family hates mayonnaise and never uses it, then take it off. The current list is what our family eats. Write in what you have and figure out what you need.
Note: If you have a smart phone you can put this spreadsheet on a Google doc and access it when you find things on sale at the store. If you do not have a smart phone, I would suggest printing the list and carrying it with you at all times so when you see a good buy- you know exactly what you need to purchase.
Third, wait and watch for these items to go on SALE. There is no reason to go out and spend $1,000 today on items that go on sale throughout the year. Wait for when stores have case-lot sales and get your supply little by little as you find what you need on sale. I write down what I bought it for so I’ll know in the future what a good price is for the item.
Fourth, update your inventory. You probably won’t be updating your list every time you use a can of tomato sauce or a box of crackers. You’ll want to be taking inventory every 6 months or so. Try and keep your food organized so that you can do this quickly. If you have the space, shelf reliance is a great shelf to see what you’re lacking.
My favorite part of having a 3-month supply of food is when I run out of brown sugar, I just go get a new bag out of my pantry and note that the next time I go to the store to get another bag of brown sugar. I never have that “oh-no-I’m-in-the-middle-of-a-recipe-and-am-lacking-that-ONE-IMPORTANT-ITEM!” panic. I try and budget at least $50 a month to adding to my 3-month supply of food.
This is an example of the spreadsheet we use.
Remember the goal of a 3-month supply is at any time having 3 months of the things you eat everyday by consistently replenishing them as you use them. If you maintain a 3-month supply of food and a situation comes up where you need them you wont have to change your lifestyle for at least 3-months.
Authored by Steven Cooper Google
