DISQUS

Food Storage Made Easy: Long Term Food Storage Calculator

  • Shreela · 9 months ago
    I entered what I had stored into J column, but nothing automatically happened in the K column, like I was hoping it might autofill/calculate. I guess we're to do our own math, then enter it into column ourselves.

    Also, I don't understand column H -- cost/unit. I paid $11 for 50lbs of wheat, so I entered in 11.00 into h5, which then returned 3300 for total cost in i5. Yea, I'm new at doing this, sorry. What am I supposed to enter there?

    Thanks!
  • jweiss08 · 9 months ago
    Shreela - I did this too late last night. I forgot I had deleted the formula in the K column. It's fixed on there now.
    FOR COLUMN H
    MY BAD! I accidentally took that formula out... it's in there now. It's fixed on the site now.

    For this one you do 11/50, to get the cost for 50 pounds and put that number in there- We did this because everyone will probably be purchasing things for different prices. You can do these costs/unit numbers on a calculator OR simply enter =11/50 in the cell.
  • Shauna · 9 months ago
    I love this. I tweaked it a little to serve my needs better but I really appreciated the big job of preparing it done by someone else. Thank you so much for sharing this with us...
  • Joyce · 9 months ago
    Thanks girls! I love that I don't have to have Excel to get a copy of the form.:)

    Joyce
  • jweiss08 · 9 months ago
    That's great that you tweaked it. I didn't lock this one so people could alter it based on their own needs (hopefully people don't play around too much that the important formulas disappear ;). That's the whole point, its a reference that helps you with what your family needs.
  • Shreela · 9 months ago
    Woo, thanks for the K column. And also for telling me how to work the H column with Cost/Unit -- it took me a few to figure out I had to include the EQUAL sign in the cell.

    The last time I worked with spreadsheets a lot was when I took it at college, back when it was in DOS, if that tells you anything LOL
  • Leigh · 9 months ago
    Thank you so much for putting this together --- I am a big fan of excel but never would have come up with something this great on my own. One question...if you have a 3-month supply of foods that you regularly eat, do you still recommend to have a full year of long term food storage? I had been calculating my food storage based on 3 months short term plus 9 months long term. I'm curious about your opinion on this. Thanks!
  • Andrea · 9 months ago
    I LOVE this! It is so easy to use and everything is right there. Thanks for doing all the hard work so I don't have to. The best thing is that it is free!! I have come across tools like this but you always have to pay. You are awesome!
  • Mary · 9 months ago
    This is amazing! I love it, thanks!
  • Tara B. · 9 months ago
    This is incredible!! wow! wow! wow!!
  • Rachel Johnson · 9 months ago
    3 month food supply- Does this include freezer goods like meat? We only eat fresh produce and meat. I have a challenge in that my husband won't eated canned food or casserole dishes. I feel that if I do buy all this 'stuff', it will go to waste. Help, I'm already overwhelmed!
  • Jamie A. · 9 months ago
    Awesome job! Thanks for putting that together for all to use.
  • Tammy · 9 months ago
    Thanks!! I input all my stuff and can see how far behind I am! Julie, for your next challenge for Crystal please ask her to figure out what to do with all that corn meal!! I only have 2 pounds in storage and it will expire years before I even open it. Thanks again ladies! Also, I just watched Crystal's videos about bread and wondered if you can store wheat gluten long term...?
  • Tammy · 9 months ago
    Aah! I see that you have a couple of recipes here for using corn meal! Yay! Thanks!!
  • Sarah · 8 months ago
    I'm curious where these numbers came from, because the milk seems really high compared to other calculators I've seen. They usually say 16 lbs. per person as opposed to 60! Quite a difference.
  • Alissa · 8 months ago
    This is really cool. I tried making my own and it didn't turn out quite as awesome as yours. I am curious how you came up with some of the yearly amounts. For example your milk is 60 lbs per adult...the LDS church says 16 lbs per adult for one glass a day. Do you really need 44 more lbs for cooking? Just curious where you got your numbers from so I can compare and decide what my family should store/do from that and what the church says.
  • Kathy D · 4 months ago
    Alissa, does your family eat cheese and yogurt, or do you use evaporated milk and condensed milk for cooking or baking? The extra dry milk powder can be used to make any of these. We aren't big milk drinkers but we do eat a lot of other dairy products.
  • jweiss08 · 8 months ago
    Alissa and Sarah
    We're going to do a post shortly on this question - along with a way for you to customize the calculator to store foods to better fit the way your family uses and eats it.
  • Chris · 8 months ago
    Can I ask you for the download for the font you used on this page. I LOVE it, but don't have it installed on my computer. Mine is coming up in Ariel and I can't stand it. Silly I know, but that's my request. :) Thanks for all your hard work!!!
  • Melissa · 7 months ago
    I have the same question as Leigh. Do you have a 3 month supply and a 12 month supply (which is really a 15 month supply)? Also, can you just substitute lb for lb items on the worksheet that you don't use? For example, we don't use evaporated milk so can I just add the recommended amt (lbs) to the nonfat milk that I do use? I love the site and feel FANTASTIC because I am finally tackling my food storage!
  • curataetindustria · 2 months ago
    I suggest that you also include information (or links to ) seed saving. If there is a "incident" in the future that interupts food supply, the people to survive will be the ones with Horticultural knowledge, not food knowledge (LDS notwithstanding).
    Saving seeds has been an important tradition (and survival necessity) until the Post WWII generation. The under 30 crowd is very ignorant about saving and maintaining a strong seed base of grains, vegetables, fruits.
    Additionaly, very few people know how to keep Bees, or alternative insects, to pollinate crops.
    I am literate in both areas, and will never fear going hungry because of an incident.
  • Emma · 1 month ago
    Good luck with your business ventures. You are great. Love to chat with you sometime, about food storage, rotation and meal preparation. I am starting a website to share my idea. Not read for prime time.
  • Garry Stutz · 1 month ago
    Love your site. Next month I am launching a site called Preparedness Network which will feature the best prepardness resources and products. You have such good content that I would like to include your site. Do you pay an affiliate commission for the sale of your binder and other products? Would like to discuss this with you if interested.

    Garry Stutz
  • Toolip12 · 1 week ago
    How much water should you have stored for a year for a family of 4
  • Jodi - Food Storage Made Easy · 1 week ago
    The recommendation is 1 gallon per person per day. Getting a full year supply is not very feasible. We recommend 2 week supply at a minimum.