how much to store?

[fallout boy]

How much food shoud someone store? 2 weeks a month 3 month 1 year 2 year?

i'm still working on mine :)

[Jerry D Young]

My goal is 10 years for 20 people. Right now I'm at 2 months for 1.

[M4Shadow]

I have about 2 years now for 6. My goal is 5 to 6 years .

[eeyore]

I'm at a little over a year for 8, i would like to increase it to at least 2.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

kind of like bullets, you can't have enough.

[crossbow]

I would think 7 yrs food for 8 people, any extra could be used for barter. a good selection of hand tools,shovels ect. plenty of heirloom seeds and gardening knowledge

[RainyDayChick]

It seems most of the experienced preppers recommend having 3 years' worth to hold you over while you learn to garden--at least have that amount of long term grain stored up.

[Kat]

I would plan on several years plus extra for spoilage, barter, extra people, etc... You can't go wrong if you over-prep. It's not always the end of the world that happens. Sometimes it's as simple as a job layoff or a sickness that causes you to dip into your supply. Nothing wrong with that. Besides, if you have extra, it won't be a big deal to dip into your preps to get you through hard times.

[rice paddy daddy]

We try to keep a year on hand, but there's just the two of us so it's not as much as it would be for some folks.

[Rmplstlskn]

I think for most temporary emergencies, where some form of order would be restored within a few months, a 6 month supply would be minimum. I would focus on canned goods and normal staples, mixed with some long-term storage foods. I have safely eaten cans of meat (chicken, turkey, tuna) I bought at Sam's Club back in 2004, and it was still tasty, if not a bit flat. So wet-pack cans can take you a year or two if chosen wisely. And don't forget the paper goods (TP and paper towels)...

For a real game changer event, then I would say most of us are still building towards it. My limitation is money to buy stuff... Otherwise I'd be prepped to the gills...

Rmpl

[rockriver]

i have wondered this same thought.
and spent a long time being curious if God had an instruction...
i now believe He does.
I found 2 examples.
1. enough for a 40 day disaster, plus enough to reestablish and rebuild after the disaster.

2. God sent a messenger to His people. His people rejected the messenger (messenger was a little ****y)
His people discarded the messenger. the messenger gave God's message to the heathen.
The heathen put up enough for the heathen to live and some extra. the Heathen then traded off food
to God's people and other heathens and became extremely wealthy. God's people became slaves.

my bottom line goal is three step.
build storage for me and my family for 40 days supply plus plenty to re-establish.
continue on targeting enough for 7 years.
then add to that in order to be able to trade/help others
respectfully proposed
rr

[crossbow]

people should be preparing for hyperinflation also.
Up until recently, the United States enjoyed a strong world-wide demand for its government paper. Thus, the negative affects of government deficits have been subdued. Now, with consistently low interest rates, and a growing fear globally that U.S. deficits may have run out of control, foreign support for the U.S. bond market has faltered. In the absence of international buyers, the Fed could be forced to monetize an ever larger portions of the debt -- the modern equivalent of printing money.

Whether or not the situation will slip out of control is a matter for debate. The trend, however, is alarming. The largest annual contribution to the outstanding public debt during the Nixon years was $30.9 billion; Ford - $87.2 billion; Carter - $81.2 billion; Reagan - $302 billion; Bush(Sr.) - $432 billion; Clinton - $347 billion; GW Bush - $1,017 billion; Obama - $1,885 billion.


this is long but well worth the time.

http://www.usagold.com/germannightmare.html

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Weimar+Hyperinflation&aq=f

[servingbrother]

We have a year for 2 people. I'm looking at rotating food around the 2 year mark. I will still add some fresh stuff in occasionally.

[trkarl]

We have built up 1+ yr for 2 people. My next goal is to get to 2+ yrs for us. One way I look at it also is it is an investment that has greatly increased in value and when I cash it in by eating it I don't have to pay a tax on the capital gains.

Just wait til they figure out how to tax the electricity off gridders use and tax the produce and meat we produce for ourselves.

[Avenger2354]

Currently 1 year for 4 people, but always pushing it further, goal is 5 years