Chapter 7 – How To Make The Most Of Your Short-Term Storage

 

We are planning to build up a food store to last 12 months.  The majority of your prepper's pantry will be stocked full of food that, although you will continually rotate, is there because it can last a long time.  However, for the first few weeks of any emergency situation, you don't want to have to dive straight into your long-term store.  The foods you have kept in your long-term store are there precisely because they can be kept for a long period.  It makes no sense to start consuming them straight away. 

 

Instead, you need to have a plan to use the foods in your short-term store and live off them for as long as possible.  Of course, when there is an emergency situation,  it is very possible that you will have no real idea of how long it will last.  From the get-go, start to assume that you will have to use your store as sensibly and as efficiently as possible.  

 

This means that you are going to be very careful not to waste any food because it has gone off.  A key consideration will be whether you have power for your refrigerator and freezer.  Inevitably, the lack of mains power or a back-up will substantially alter the way you are able to consume your food.  Both eventualities could occur, so it seems sensible to plan for both.   

 

The most important consideration for managing your short-terms store is to know exactly what you have in it.  This knowledge will prevent any unnecessary waste and this is when your inventory comes into play. A tricky question is whether you should use the perishable food in your refrigerator first.  Food will last longer here, but if there is a danger of losing power, you should consume it first.