Budget Tool

Since this is a site on how to buy your food storage, I really want to get off on the right foot. The most important thing to have is a budget. You need to know where your money is going. Keeping track of it every month helps you to know where you save/spend your money. Below is a budget that you can easily put in all your financial information, and you can make improvements where you need to!

Yes- there is a category for 3 month Food Supply & Long Term Food Storage! Unless you can afford it, it is not wise to go out and buy your food storage all at once. It is important to build your food storage monthly so you don’t go into any debt acquiring it. You can also see what you are using out of your food storage, and get the items you actually use!

Here is the Excel Budget Tracker

1. Download the file and save it as “Monthly Budget Tracker - Master”
2. On the excel sheet, any cell that is shaded does NOT need to be filled it. Just input numbers into the white cells only.
3. Input all the information into the “Projected” cells. Save file.
4. Each month, go into your file and input your actual costs. Each month you need to save a different file under “Budget - (Name of month).
5. Analyze where you are spending your money. Try your best to put as much into savings as possible. Figure out how much you can put into food storage. Realize it is a goal worth putting money into!

I hope the tool is helpful. Also, a quick note, I added an RSS feed to my site. It is on the right hand side. Feel free to add me to your RSS feed to get my weekly posts. Thanks!

FUN WITH FOOD STORAGE SITE RELAUNCH!

I am a member of the Fun With Food Storage Network where we teach you how to Plan, Buy, and Eat your food storage. Well, it’s the moment you have all been waiting for! The Fun With Food Storage Network Site RE-LAUNCH! The new site is a combination of feedback and great ideas we got from our readers on how to make the Fun With Food Storage Network more useful.

To celebrate the relaunch, The Network is giving away a WonderMill Grain Mill (Courtesy of WonderMill), and a few other surprises as well.

For details on how to enter the GIVEAWAY visit the new Network Blog, which is just one small part of the BRAND NEW FUN WITH FOOD STORAGE NETWORK website! Come on over and explore the new site!

Welcome Welcome!

Hi, my name is Andrea and welcome to my blog. I’m part of the “Buy It” portion of the Fun with Food Storage Network (a food storage network that helps you plan, buy and eat your food storage). I started my own food storage a little under a year ago. I thought it was going to be so hard that I just kept putting it off until the gals over at Food Storage Made Easy showed me how to get it all together. It is easy and fun, and I am excited to show you different ways you can get your own food storage.

I just started this blog, so I still have more work to do, but I hope you check out my training page. I talk about where to get the best deals on certain items. I also have some costs analysis done to see where you can save some of your hard earned money. Please let me know any tips you may have and I can pass that along to our readers.

Under the Frugal tips - I plan on sharing some ways to be frugal in all areas of life: home, garden, clothes, etc. It is so much fun to get a good deal!

It is easy – and with a little bit of planning and effort you’ll have your own storage and be saving money in no time! Please if you have any question or tips, e-mail me!

E-mail: thefoodstorageshopper@gmail.com

Ordering Food Online

Ordering long term food storage online can be confusing. I have spent some time looking at sites and found companies that offer really competitive pricing on long term food storage – and the best part is that you can order it all from the comfort of your own home!
Below is a list of websites that I found.
www.honeyvillegrain.com
http://shop.bluechipgroup.net/main.sc
www.histakes-spelt.com (I have been wanting to learn more about flaxseed and spelt - and this is a great site - they also offer hard white wheat!)

Do you know of any website that offer great deals? Let me know. E-mail me at thefoodstorageshopper@gmail.com
These websites offer a lot more than just food storage. I have done a little table to compare/contrast some of the most common food storage items.

	Hard White Wheat 50 lbs	Beans (Pinto) 25lbs	Non-fat Dry Milk #10 can
Blue Chip Group	$22.81	$19.63	$18.59*
Histakes-Splet	$20.00	N/A	N/A
Honeville Farms	$50.99	$37.99	$12.99 (Milk Sub)
Home Storage Ctr	$7.40 (25lbs)	$17.00	$7.60

*Price Includes shipping
Some things to think about when ordering online
- How much will it cost me to ship?
-If I am not satisfied, is it easy to return?

Some of you have given me some awesome tips on how you store your food storage. I will be doing a post on different tips as well.

Thanks and happy shopping! I hope some of this helps as I am learning too!

Home Storage Centers

Before I started my food storage, the cannery seemed so scary! There was way too much to learn and there was no way I could do it. I was wrong. It is actually quite simple. The LDS church has several canneries, and it is really easy. It just takes some organization. Click here to find a cannery near you.

I have found that each cannery is a little different and has different “rules.” If you have a question, make sure you contact your local cannery before you go. I hope some of this information helps:

• There are two types of canneries, wet and dry. The dry cannery is very different from the wet cannery, and they offer very different items. Here is a list of items available at dry canneries. It also includes the prices and pack sizes available.
• If you would like your items stored in a #10 can or pouch, you must can it yourself at the cannery. You can call your local cannery to set up an appointment.
• Most people don’t know that the bulk items are available to purchase at any time. Simply go into the cannery and ask for them. You do not need an appointment. You will be asked to fill out a form giving your name, ward and stake. If you are not a member of the LDS church, simply put on the form that you are not a member. A lot of people like to buy wheat and beans in bulk because it is cheaper, and they will use it all before it spoils. They store them in 3-6 gallon buckets. I will be doing a post soon on how to get cheap buckets! Again, I must mention to call your local cannery to see if you can purchase items in bulk as a “walk in” customer.
• If you are not close to a cannery, some of the items are available online. The LDS Catalog website offers the following items : Wheat, Pinto Beans, Quick Oats, White Rice, and the Starter Kit. Each kit contains 6, #10 cans of longer-term food supply items. Click here for the link, and look for “Family Home Storage” on the middle of the page.

All of the items above are available online at the canneries as well, they just cost a little more b/c they are already packaged in #10 cans.
For members of the LDS church, a lot of wards already have times set up to go to the cannery. Check with your local leaders to see when you can go with members in your own ward. If you are not a member of the LDS faith, ask one of your friends who may be.
Please leave any comments about how you use your canneries. It is fun to learn, and a lot easier when everyone shares info!