8 scenarios in which you will wish you had food stored up

The basic theory of prepping is simple: to be prepared before a significant event (SHTF scenario) occurs. In essence, this is a proactive approach to survival… Prepping at its most basic is simply being prepared for an unknown event that will have a direct impact on you, your family, or your group.”     ~ Zion Prepper, The Prepper’s Handbook, 2011

We have shared with you some of the reasons why we store food and how we started, but even though we feel it is very important, especially for family with kids at home, I realized we haven’t given you many examples of why it would be beneficial to you to store up food. So here are 8 scenarios that could very well happen (or already have) in which you will wish you had a food storage. Remember, it may seem silly to you now, but when an emergency happens, your opportunity to prepare will be long gone.

1) You forgot to add something to the grocery list. Okay, so this is a bit trivial, but how many times did I start to mix a batter together only to discover that I didn’t have x, y, or z, before we started our food storage? Now that we have one, if I do forget something, I can almost always find what I’m looking for in the food storage and then add it to the grocery list.

2) You have unexpected guests. A friend drops by at dinner time and you weren’t planning on an extra person. Suddenly the casserole you were planning isn’t big enough to feed everyone, and you don’t know what to make. Simply shop in your food storage and with a little creativity, a larger meal can be made to accomodate everyone.

3) Bad weather or a natural disaster hits. You aren’t able to travel to the grocery store, and at a time when people normally grab a few extra things, transportation of food to your grocery store from the warehouse becomes more difficult and less timely, resulting in empty shelves at the supermarket.

4) Inflation or crop troubles result in food prices skyrocketing beyond what your budget can handle. This has happened to a minor degree in recent years. Generally we can manage and spend a little extra on food, but a food storage can help you spend less until the crisis passes.

5) You lose your job and have to cut corners until a new one can be found. Many people are finding themselves in this place now, and who wants to choose between buying food and paying bills? Again, having a food storage can help you to reduce your grocery bill so you only need to purchase fresh produce and meats.

6) Our country loses control of oil in the middle east. We know our government doesn’t want to drill for oil here, so less oil means less fuel for transporting food from the country and the warehouses to the grocery store, which means tightening up the belt for those who don’t store up.

7) China decides to confiscate our food supply. We owe an insane amount of money to China, and last I checked, we weren’t even keeping up with the interest payments. They have already traded payments for food on a small scale, what happens if they decide they want more than we can afford to give? 

8) Civil unrest results in rioting, and either martial law or no rule of law. As demonstrated by the occupy movement and other groups, people in our country are getting more and more upset with the way things are being run around here. Times like Katrina, and short-term events since then have proven that the government believes they have the right to confiscate and redistribute food. And even if they aren’t involved, travel would be unsafe and food sparse in such cases.

Please store up food for your family! A short-term food storage of one week to three months worth of food should hold you over for almost any natural disaster or minor emergency, but planning for at least six months to a year is ideal so you know you will be able to feed your family no matter comes down the line.