Be Prepared

That's the scout motto, right? I have 4 Eagle Scout brothers, so I know it has something to do with scouts.
My sister, Kat, told me about the Preparedness Pantry when I visited her in UT. I bought some Christmas gifts for my brother, actually. Then Kat ordered some hot chocolate for me and brought it on the airplane with her the next time she came to visit. It's delicious! It's in a funny #10 tin can instead of packets. But it's better, b/c I use an old formula scoop, and can add as much or as little mix as I want when we do get cold nights here.

Recently, Kat posted about the company's Food Storage Analyzer™. It's a free calculator that's customizable. I used it just now. The kids are in bed, so I didn't go look under their beds to get an exact count of how many cans of pinto, adzuki, black, garbanzo, and kidney beans I have, or how much rice, wheat, and oats I have, so I guessed. I'll redo it later to really be accurate. (My dad bought a lot of organic food storage, and it's all here!)

Here's why I like the free service.
It's free. It's quick. I can put in how many people are in my family, and their ages/genders so it tells me how many calories we need daily. When I clicked what I have, it has photos so I know exactly what I'm clicking. It's simple. The best part is that I quickly scrolled through a bunch of food storage items and was finding myself wanting more! It tells me the price, and it has things that would be pretty cool to have, like pancake mix! If the hot chocolate is good, then that stuff must be good too. I can do a search for foods with certain vitamins or fiber. So far, my diet is lacking the most in the area of Vitamin A. So after I do the analyzer for real, I'll order something with more vitamin A in it like carrot dices, spinach, or even strawberry drink mix. That would keep my boys happy in time of a food crisis.

Speaking of which, I just got an email today from my dad about 2010 having a major food crisis. I'm only going to comment that food prices have gone up, and there have already been some food shortages, so no matter what, it's always a good idea to get lots of food storage. Of course enough to get through a couple of days' power outage or tornado, hurricane, or something, but a year's supply is actually standard recommendation for the members of our church. We should be prepared.

So, if you'd like to find a way to start your own food storage easily (or add to your pantry), then click the button below. (And you can read about getting a $10 gift card for trying it and spreading the word!)