DISQUS

HW · 6 months ago

We have small cans of fruit, fruit snacks, small cans of baked beans or pork and beans, and several packages of premade tuna salad/chicken salad with crackers that you can buy. Anything in a can has a pull-tab lid so you don't need a can opener. One really helpful thing I've done is compile a list of everything in the kit with the expiration dates of each food. Then, every General Conference I look at my list, remove the foods that are expiring soon, and replace them. This way I don't have to go digging through the kits and checking every date in order to rotate, and then I rotate only what I need to so it costs me less money.

Allison · 6 months ago

The milk jug kits are too low in calories. We've made sure to personalize ours so we haven't more calories then we need just to make sure we have enough.

Allison · 6 months ago

I meant so we have plenty of calories!!! I love the freeze dried entrees from Mountain House and MRE's are great ideas too! These last for at least 5 years so they are a great choice.

Farron · 6 months ago

Have you tried those 3-day supply of food bars, and the water packets, let me tell you that brand is not good. I know something is better then nothing, however there are much better choices. E.E. has a several options that are much better.

Farron

Jodi -- Food Storage Made Easy · 6 months ago

Farron, We haven't tried those ones. We were just showing them as examples of kits already put together for you. We always encourage people to find out what works best for their family and go with that option. Thanks.

CC · 6 months ago

I'm just wondering if anyone has tried actually living off of the contents of the milk jug food kit. I'm really concerned about the caloric content of the foods included in there - I think they are WAY too low. Do any of the meal plan days achieve over 1000 calories? If you're having to use the food in your 72-hr kit, it's a good bet you're going to be under a bit of stress, and you will need MORE calories than usual. You will need carbs and fats and some protein, which I don't feel most of those milk jug items provide in a sufficient manner. Any ideas? Help!

Jodi -- Food Storage Made Easy · 6 months ago

CC, The milk jug kit is just one sample, that's why we have provided the handout with even more ideas so you can incorporate things you think might be better for your family. The idea with the milk jug kit is that it is light, fits nicely in that container, and provides a variety of different foods. We didn't invent the contents, we received it at a church function and thought it might be helpful for people who get stuck on trying to figure out what to include.

Angie · 6 months ago

I live in central Oklahoma and we have had some crazy weather in the last few months (earthquakes,tornados, wild fires, hail storms) . Our 72 hour kits and our car kit have been real life savers. In an emergancy it is nice to have one less thing to worry about. Thanks for all the great ideas and hard work. -
Blessings , Angie

Tegan · 3 months ago

I've just done a 72hr kit for my family. I bought backpack/lunch bag combos for each of us- 2 adults and 3 preschoolers. Everyone has their own change of clothing, flashlight, thermal poncho, ect. The kids each have a stuffed animal, crayons, a coloring book, and a few other little things. And the adult's packs have the heavier emergency items- the radio, mini campstove, and so on.
Also, the lunch bags fit neatly inside the backpacks so that we all can carry our own food supply. This leaves us hands-free to carry anything else we may need at the time- like water and the cat carrier.

Here's what I packed, food wise:
Breakfasts:
*instant oatmeal packets (3/per child, 6/adult)
*raisins (3 sm boxes/person) (constipated child + emergency = not fun!!)
*carnation instant breakfast pouches (3/person)(high protein! add to reconstituted milk)

Lunches/Suppers: (a variety to avoid appetite fatigue)
*Uncle Ben's ready rice pouches- I got the brown rice (3/person)
*Old El Paso heat and serve black beans (2 pouches/person- to go with rice)
*Tasty Bite Indian entree pouch (1/person- to go with rice)
*Heath Valley dehydrated cup-of-soup (3/person)
*Kashi crackers, single-serving pouches (3/person- to go with soup)

Snacks/Comfort Food: (enough for 3 snacks/day- very important for kids!)
*Bumble bars (3/person) (these are very nutritious and tasty! case pricing is most economical)
*8oz bags unsalted nuts/seeds- almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc (2/person)
*8oz bag mixed dried fruit (1/person)
*applesauce cups (2/person)
*Poptarts (1 pouch/person)

Drinks:
*powdered milk (2/person)(I bought a box of packets that make 1qt/packet)
*individual electrolyte mix packets- Propel brand (6/person)
*V8 (3-8oz cans/person)(tasty mixed into rice or soup cups instead of water)
*tea bags (as desired- I just tossed a few that I already had into the adult bags)
*hot chocolate mix (3/person)

Other Items:
*condiment packets (saved from restaurants- soy sauce, hot sauce, pepper, etc)
*True Lemon packets (6/person)(a great shelf-stable source of vitamin C!)
*a snack-size ziplock of hard candies (1/person)
*plastic utensils
*wet naps

The food for all 5 packs, all-told, cost about $75- or $5/day per person. Nothing requires more cooking than adding hot water and I avoided cans- except for the V8- to make the overall weight much lighter. This is pretty much how we eat on camping-trips and it's always been enough- and I know it's healthy, high-energy food. (We're vegetarian, but I imagine you could add some jerky or whatever and be pretty happy with the above regardless.)

Thanks for the ideas and the kick-in-the-behind to get this done!

Jodi - Food Storage Made Easy · 3 months ago

Tegan. Great job! We would love to make a post out of this if you don't mind. In looking at our milk jug kits we are getting awfully leery about eating ONLY those foods (yes, that's a hint that that may be an assignment in the 7 day challenge).

Tegan · 3 months ago

I thought the milk jugs seemed like a good starting place- it got me thinking about my 72hr kits as something manageable. And actually, I still might make them- they'd be a good for sending to school with the kids, they would fit in a cubby and be better than nothing in the event of an emergency. Thanks again.

Katrina Ancel · 1 month ago

I am wondering if the 72 hour kits need to be parceled out per person as opposed to a box that has enough for the entire family. It just dawned on me that using normal size cans and jars etc would provide a lot more variety than limiting ourselves to things that only come as a single serving size.

Jodi - Food Storage Made Easy · 1 month ago

We used to think it would be ok to do it all in one, but have since discovered that it makes the most sense to separate into individual backpacks, even for small children. You never know when you will get separated or who will be home at what times. And it helps lighten the load for any one individual to be carrying too much.