5 Clever Tips for Building & Rotating Your Food Stockpile

There is something true {and cliche} about the New Year making you want to rectify all of your bad habits, start new, make positive changes, blah, blah, blah.  BUT, here’s the truth, what else is there to do in February?  It’s cold outside, the money and family have all gone away after the holidays, and there you are, with time on your hands and gray skies, so why not take the time to take on those projects you’ve always promised yourself?  And why not start with building and/or coming up with a system to rotate your stockpile?

Despite what you might think, stockpiles really aren’t just for doomsday preppers and couponers.  They are a great way to insulate yourself from potential natural disasters {i.e. hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, etc.} AND save you money.  Building a stockpile of basics while prices are low, save you from having to buy them when they are higher.

If you don’t have a stockpile of food and basic necessities, or haven’t rotated it in awhile, here’s some tips to get you started:

1. Store like with like, putting the newest stuff toward the back of the shelf, and moving the older stuff forward.  Example:  As you buy more tuna, put it in the back of the stuff you already have.  As you use the tuna, grab from the front.  That will ensure you keep your stockpile fresh.
2. Keep a list of what you have.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, a spreadsheet with everything you have is great–then you can hand write new numbers if you buy something new, so you don’t put it off because you can’t get to the computer right away.  Yes, it’s nerdy.  BUT, it really does help you know what you have.  It helps with menu planning too.  {This works really well for freezer items, especially if you buy meat in bulk.
3. Think whole meals as you build a stockpile.  For example, if you plan on chili think about what else you will serve with it.  Maybe you’ll want the ingredients for cornbread, and/or some sort of dried or canned fruit?
4. You don’t have to have a stockpile overnight.  That would be ridiculously expensive.  Try setting aside $10 of the weekly grocery budget for stockpile items, and pick some items up each time you go.
5. Shelving and storage is key.  Build your own shelves, or you can buy simple shelving that automatically rotates everything for you.  Being able to see and easily access what you have makes using it a heck of a lot easier. .

There are probably a million more tips I could offer, but these are the basics.  How about YOU, what tips do you have for keeping your stockpile rotated…or starting one in the first place?

~Mavis