Gardening, no matter how you tackle it, is always hard work. But every seasoned gardener knows that it can get a lot harder when you’ve got to combat the seemingly countless pests and diseases that want to rob you of your harvest. Slugs, bugs, bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes, mammals, and more: all are waiting to ... Read more
50 Garden Remedies for Pests and Diseases That Work can be read in full at New Life On A Homestead- Be sure to check it out!
I feel it’s appropriate to help those without food storage to inform them about my 3-month food challenge. Building a food storage inventory doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or scary. Whether you’re motivated by emergencies, rising grocery prices, or just wanting more financial cushion, a 3-month food supply is one of the most practical things you can do for your family. Everything you need to know, what to buy, how to store it, and how to get started, even on a tight budget, is included in this post.
This post breaks it all down simply. By the time you finish reading, you’ll know exactly what to buy, how to store it, and how to build your supply week by week without breaking the bank.
Did I mention that Mark and I are living off of our #10 cans of freeze-dried food? We decided that at our age, we may as well start eating it now. Our children won’t want all that we have stored. That’s okay, I get it. We taught them to garden, preserve food, cook from scratch, and, my favorite, to make bread. They all know how to cook from scratch; that’s a blessing.
Cooking with freeze-dried food takes more water than I had anticipated. Just giving you a heads up. Freeze-dried food takes a bit to get used to. I hope you practice now with a can or two. All of my #10 cans and pantry cans are from the company that closed, called Thrive Life. Great products, great company. It was sad to see them close.
The meat is not what you would expect, my friends. It’s fine for casseroles and soups. It’s okay for tacos, but not my favorite. The chicken is chewier than I had expected. It’s fine, it’s food. I opted against any “prepared meals” because I knew I could cook from scratch. They have a lot of sodium in them, but hey, it’s quality food storage with a long shelf life.
My freeze-dried food is just what it says on the can: ground beef, chicken, onions, apples, etc. No additives. Just oxygen absorbers. I have everything I need to cook from scratch. Would I love a half of beef, of course I would. It’s not in the budget. We have everything we need to survive and stay healthy.
Three months is the sweet spot recommended by emergency management agencies, financial experts, and preparedness communities for one simple reason: it’s enough to cover almost any realistic disruption.
Key Insight: A 3-month food storage plan for one person costs roughly $300–$500 to build — about $25–$40 per week over 12 weeks. For a family of four, budget $800–$1,500 total.
The golden rule of food storage: store what you eat, and eat what you store. Don’t buy a bunch of unfamiliar foods your family won’t touch in a stressful situation. Start with your everyday meals and build from there.
Here’s a breakdown of the core food categories to focus on, in order of priority:
White rice, pasta, oats, and flour form the backbone of your supply. They’re cheap, calorie-dense, and store for years. Buy these first and buy a lot of them.
Canned tuna, canned chicken, salmon, beans, and lentils give you the protein your body needs. Peanut butter is also a pantry hero, calorie-dense, shelf-stable, and universally loved.
Canned tomatoes, corn, green beans, and mixed vegetables round out your nutrition needs and make meals feel like actual meals rather than survival rations.
Olive oil, coconut oil, and ghee add calories and enhance the taste of food. These have shorter shelf lives than other categories, so buy smaller amounts more frequently.
Salt, sugar, spices, coffee, tea, and a few comfort items are underrated. Morale matters during hard times. Don’t build a storage inventory that’s technically nutritious but miserable to eat from.
Here’s a simple reference table for a 3-month supply per person. Multiply by your household size.
PRINTABLE: 3 Month Food Supply Check List
| Food Category | Amount (per person) | Shelf Life |
|---|---|---|
| White rice | 25–35 lbs | 25+ years |
| Pasta | 15–20 lbs | 5–8 years |
| Oats | 10–15 lbs | 5–30 years |
| Dried beans & lentils | 20–25 lbs | 8–30 years |
| Canned protein (tuna, chicken) | 25–35 cans | 3–5 years |
| Canned vegetables | 40–60 cans | 3–5 years |
| Peanut butter | 6–10 jars | 1–2 years |
| Cooking oil | 4–6 liters | 1–2 years |
| Sugar & salt | 10–15 lbs each | Indefinite |
Buying the right food is only half the equation. Proper storage can double or even triple the shelf life of your food. The four enemies of food storage are heat, light, moisture, and oxygen.
Best Storage Container: 5-gallon food-grade buckets with gamma-seal lids are the gold standard. They’re airtight, stackable, rodent-proof, and one bucket holds about 33 lbs of rice. You can find them at hardware stores or online for $8–$15 each. I have a lid color coding system, so I know how much of each food commodity I have in storage. I also have each container labeled so there’s no question what’s inside if I’m not available when food is being prepared using the stored item(s).
The hardest part of food storage is simply starting. Here’s a simple 4-step plan to get your first week going:
Audit What You Already Have: Walk through your pantry and write down what’s already there. You likely already have a good head start. Note expiration dates and identify gaps in commodities and dates.
Set a Weekly Budget: Even $20–$30 extra per week adds up quickly. Decide on an amount you can consistently commit to over the next 12 weeks.
This week, buy (1) 25-lb bag of white rice and 10 lbs of pasta. That’s your caloric foundation, and it’ll cost you around $20–$30. Store it in an airtight container.
A case of canned tuna (24 cans) and a 10 lb bag of dried lentils. You now have the foundation of real, nutritious meals that could last weeks.
Keep going week by week, filling in vegetables, flavor builders, and comfort foods. Within 12 weeks, you’ll have a complete, solid supply.
Do I need special “survival” food or freeze-dried meals?
No. Regular canned goods and bulk dry staples work perfectly well, cost a fraction of the price, and use foods your family already knows how to cook. Only consider freeze-dried food once your basic pantry is fully stocked.
Where do I store food in a small apartment? Under beds, in closets, behind furniture, and in storage ottomans. You’d be surprised how much a small apartment can hold with creative use of vertical space. A single tall bookshelf dedicated to food storage can hold a substantial supply for one or two people.
How do I cook if the power goes out? A two-burner propane camp stove ($30–$60) is the most practical solution for most households. Store a few extra propane canisters alongside your food supply. You’ll need a plan to use the stove outside for safety’s sake.
What about water? Water comes before food. The recommended minimum is one gallon per person per day; that’s 90 gallons per person for a full 3-month supply. Start with stackable water storage containers or large food-grade water barrels. I recommend 4 gallons of water per day per person. Please remember your pets need water.
Will this actually save me money on groceries? Yes, often significantly. Buying rice by the 25-lb bag instead of the 2-lb box typically cuts the price per pound by 60–70%. Having a full pantry also means you shop sales strategically and never make expensive last-minute grocery runs.
15 Foods I Would Stock For Sure
Building a 3-month food storage inventory isn’t about living in fear; it’s about living with confidence. When your pantry is stocked, a job loss doesn’t become a food crisis. A storm doesn’t send you scrambling. An unexpected expense doesn’t mean skipping meals.
Start small. Buy a bag of rice and a case of canned beans this week. Add a little more next week. Before you know it, you’ll have something that genuinely protects your family and saves you money in the process. The best time to build your food storage was last year. The second-best time is today. May God bless this world, Linda
The post The 3-Month Food Storage Challenge appeared first on Food Storage Moms.
When the grid goes down and grocery store shelves are bare, peanut butter might just be one of the most valuable foods in your stockpile. It’s calorie-dense, protein-rich, and incredibly shelf-stable — exactly what a serious prepper needs. But here’s what most people don’t realize: store-bought peanut butter is just the beginning. Knowing how to […]
The post How to Make Peanut Butter: The Prepper’s Complete Guide to Homemade, Long-Lasting Peanut Butter appeared first on Ask a Prepper.
Let’s face it – if the economy ever really crashes or the grid goes down for good, we’re not going to be paying for things with Apple Pay or Visa cards. We’re going to be trading goods and services like our great-grandparents did during the Great Depression. And if you think bartering is just about […]
The post 17 Depression Era Bartering Skills We Will Use Again Soon appeared first on Ask a Prepper.
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
When it comes to gardening, no matter where you live, many of us will take any of the tips and tricks we can get. From old wives tales to science-backed evidence, we will try anything once to see how it works.
Sometimes we can’t even explain why these gardening tips work, but no use in worrying about that when it comes to growing food for your family. Check out these weird gardening tips that you should know for this upcoming growing season.
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If your garden is prone to rabbits, squirrels, or other critter damage, consider this unusual tip. Place the handle of plastic forks into the ground around your plants with the prongs facing up.
The shape is supposed to scare pests away and keep them from eating your plants. Use this tip to keep pets out of the garden as well!
When planting in a container, add a good amount of packing peanuts to the bottom before adding the soil. This will help make the container lighter and shouldn’t hurt the plant roots. This tip is especially helpful if you plan on moving the containers around.
One cent doesn’t go far these days, so why not use them to help your gardening? Glue pennies onto the top of the container rim, making sure the pennies touch or overlap. Slugs and snails don’t like copper and won’t cross the barrier of pennies if done correctly.
Go through your coin jar and pick out those pennies that were made prior to 1982 for pennies that contain more copper than those made today. If you don't have any copper pennies, try using copper tape. Just wrap it around your container and glue it in place.
There are many odd gardening tips using eggs. You can save eggshells and blend them up to create a calcium-rich powder for the soil. Broken eggshells sprinkled on top of the ground will act like diatomaceous earth in deterring bugs.
After hard-boiling eggs, save the water afterward and use it to give plants a calcium-rich drink. Some gardeners even place a whole egg in the soil when planting to help boost the nutrients underground.
If your area has a big deer population, keeping your garden safe can be a full-time job. Deer are very sensitive to smell, so some gardeners shave super scented soap around their garden to keep deer away.
Irish Spring is often the go-to favorite, which leaves bright neon green speckles around the garden. Simply shave more soap as it wears down.
While many gardeners wear gloves to keep their hands clean, there are some of us who prefer to feel more and use our hands directly in the soil. However, this can lead to many minutes trying to scrub out all of the dirt around nail beds.
Before gardening bare-handed, scrape your nails across a bar of soap to fill in those areas that the dirt would normally accumulate. After gardening, simply wash your hands, and you’ll have clean nails without the fuss.
When starting plants indoors, it is common for mold to appear, given the warm temperatures and sunlight. A light shake of cinnamon will help combat the mold since cinnamon is naturally antimicrobial.
Cinnamon will also work in the outside garden as well. Just make sure to not sprinkle produce with it, unless you want cinnamon cucumbers!
Okay, this one sounds crazy, but it sounds like it would work! Place a diaper or two in the bottom of a container to help keep the plant moist but also cut down on topsoil.
The diaper will absorb the water and help the plant last out those super hot summer days. This is a great tip for those hanging baskets around the house that can drain all over the place.
Copper pennies are supposed to also help fight tomato blight. Throwing pennies into the garden soil that were minted prior to 1982 is best given that they have a higher copper content than modern coins. Make sure that the pennies are no deeper than 5 inches down in the soil for best results.
Sacrifice your brewsky to help combat slugs and snails in the garden. Find an old plastic container and bury it in the soil so that the top of the container sits at soil level.
Fill the container with beer and check back in a few days. Slugs and snails love beer and will crawl into the container and drown. What a way to go!
Sprinkle baking soda around the soil of your tomato plants to help produce sweeter tomatoes this year. Baking soda is a chemical base that will battle the acidity in the tomato plant. Make sure to only sprinkle the baking soda on the soil and not the plant.
While the stores would love you to buy new containers for your plants every year, you really don’t need to. Get creative with your plant containers to make your garden your own.
You can use literally anything that will hold some soil and not blow away. Just make sure that you use something that you don’t mind getting wet. From used water bottles to plastic food containers to old boots, you can use anything to plant, and it’s easy on the budget!
It is important to know what kind of seed you planted in the garden, both if it does well or dies. Labeling the garden should be easy enough to change out from year to year. Gather up those kids’ popsicle sticks and reuse them to make easy plant markers. Just write the plant variety on it and toss it at the end of the growing season.
Most homesteads have a few old tires lying around. Use those tires for good to help cut down on weeds and congestion. Consider planting strawberries in a tire to create a semi-permanent container in the garden.
For those plants that need a bit of a barrier in the lawn, cut the lip of the tires off to create a rubber collar that is easy to mow around.
Placing a coffee filter or two at the bottom of a container can help in multiple ways. A coffee filter will allow the water to drain well but keep the dirt in place. This is especially helpful for houseplants where you want to keep the mess to a minimum.
Coffee filters in the bottom of a container also help when transplanting a plant later on. The filter will keep the roots from growing or sticking to the container, making it easy to lift the plant out.
While you may not want to spray your garden with your favorite red or white, you can reuse the glass bottles to help benefit the garden. Simply fill up the bottle with water and quickly turn it upside down into the soil near the roots of a thirsty plant.
The water will slowly hydrate the ground, keeping the plant hydrated on those super hot summer days. This trick also works with beer or glass pop bottles as well.
Summertime is equivalent to juicy strawberries! Why not use your garden space better and add a touch of whimsy to your homestead? Planting strawberries in elevated gutters keeps ground critters away.
The long container also helps deter weeds and the berries can hang over the sides of the gutter for easy picking. Consider adding a net to the berries to keep birds away if necessary.
For those plants in the garden that tend to creep and spread quickly, consider planting them in a container in the ground instead. This will help limit the size and growth of the plant without hurting its overbearing tendency.
When the plant dies, simply lift the entire container out of the ground for easy clean up.
One of the best uses of space in any kind of garden is to grow vertically. Plants aren’t picky about what container they are in, so you might as well save some pennies and use what you already have.
Vertical gardens can thrive using a few recycled containers, some twine, or even old picture frames and some chicken wire. There is no limit when it comes to growing a vertical garden. For those plants in a standard garden that like to climb, consider using anything to help them grow, like old wood stakes, fence posts, string, chains, or broken tool handles.
If you’re tight on ground space or want to try something different with your tomatoes, peppers, or vine plants, try growing them upside down! Hang a bucket or planter with a hole cut in the bottom and plant the seedlings so they grow downward. This surprising method can reduce pests, cut down on weeds, and make watering easier.
Don’t toss those coffee grounds or banana peels! Blend them into a “garden smoothie” and water your soil with the nutrient‑rich mixture. The grounds add nitrogen, and banana peels can offer potassium and other trace nutrients that many plants love. It’s a tasty treat for your garden that most gardeners overlook.
Instead of letting old tires sit in the yard unused, turn them into unique mini gardens! Stack them, fill them with compost and soil, and plant flowers or shallow‑rooted vegetables like lettuce or herbs. The rubber helps retain warmth and define your planting space while keeping weeds at bay.
Sprinkle used coffee grounds around the base of your plants to naturally deter certain pests like ants and slugs that don’t like crawling over the rough, bitter surface. The grounds also help improve drainage and add organic matter as they break down.
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