I had debated a little about starting this up again this year but if nothing else last year has taught us that having a deep pantry is extremely important. I know a lot of you are struggling right now but if you can get even a little extra to put in your deep pantry it would be well advised. Even if only an extra bag of rice or beans. I will be posting the challenge every Thursday. Be sure to check out each week’s challenge they will be different from last year’s.

I feel it is more important now than ever to get stocked up. Take a  little time and look at where your holes were in your deep pantry while you were in lockdown. Make a list and try to fill them in. I don’t know if we will have a second round of lockdowns or not (it is starting to look like it), but I do know we are getting ready to go through some food shortages and some rough economic times.

I know money is tight right now but at least try to get some of the basics. At least try to get all of January’s list. Even if you have to do a little at a time it will give you something for your family to eat if times get extra hard. And remember to EAT WHAT YOU STORE AND STORE WHAT YOU EAT.

“A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. Proverbs 27:12

Remember having a deep pantry isn’t just about having extra food on hand. It is also about having the means to survive in an emergency situation, having all the extra food isn’t going to do you much good if you can’t cook it when the power is out. If you are having a hard time trying to afford filling a deep pantry read my post on “having a Deep Pantry on a tight budget.”

Don’t forget to share what you were able to do this past week to have a deep pantry/food storage. Let’s encourage each other. And if you have a question feel free to ask or if you have the answer to a question feel free to answer. If you have a tip or idea you can share that also. As I said let’s make this a place where we can share and encourage others to get that deep pantry.

This first month will be a jump start to get a little ahead so if things go south before you can get everything you want, at least you have something to survive on.

The amounts are for two people If you have more just double to what you need.

This first week is 50 pounds of rice. More if you can afford it. I get white rice as it will store longer than brown rice. Also, 50 pounds of beans, get what your family will eat. I get a lot pintos since they go a long way and are very nutritious. I also like to have a few bags of black and kidney beans on hand. The price of beans and rice at Wal-Mart. for 20 lbs of rice it is 8.92 and 20 lbs of pinto beans are 13.42. So for 60 lbs of rice, it would be 26.76 and 60 lbs of pinto beans are 40.26. )

The action item for this month will be to get in shape. If things go south you will be having to do a lot more physical work you will need to be in shape so that you will be able to do the things you need to do.

The extra item for this month is a car kit if you don’t already have one. You Can go here to see what I have in ours. You will want one for each vehicle that your family drives. Even the teenagers. They may balk at it but do it anyway. A few years ago there was a bad accident about 20 miles from us that had the highway closed down for most of the night. people were stuck on each end that lived on the other side, so a lot of people were displaced. Joleen’s boyfriend at the time and his grandmother had come to town and were unable to get back home, and had to stay with us. But I was able to use that example as to why you should always have a car kit in your vehicle, even if you don’t travel very far from home.

  Every week you will want to put back some water. You can buy it, or fill your empty juice and soda bottles. You can also store water in your empty canning jars, as you empty your jars just add some water and put the lid back on. You don’t have to can this water but if you wanted to you could. You can also put it in bleach and detergent bottles ( this will be non-potable but you could flush and wash dishes with it. ). Here is more information on water 

Every week you will also want to put back a few dollars, even if it is a small amount it will add up.

What I was able to get done this past week.

I didn’t get much done just trying to play catch up after being sick. I did get an inventory done of my deep pantry and was able to see where my holes are and what I need to concentrate on getting filled. We have company coming this weekend so I won’t be getting much done this weekend. 

Have a great week!