Where Do You Store a Year's Supply of Food?

by Miriam Caldwell | More from this Blogger

Storing a year's supply of food creates many challenges. One of these challenges is where to store the food. If you are lucky you will have a huge pantry and a room in your house that is devoted entirely to food storage, with shelves from floor to ceiling so everything is neatly arranged. Unfortunately this dream is not available to most of the population.

You should rule out the garage as a safe place to store food. Garages usually are not very well insulated and as a result the temperature will vary a great deal. This can lead to your food spoiling sooner than the expiration dates on your cans. If you store your food in your basement you will need to watch out for dampness and flooding. You never want to store items directly on the floor, but at least a few inches higher.

People become very creative when storing food. One common place to store food storage is under the bed. This space is very seldom used effectively, and cases of can's fit quite nicely underneath the mattress. I recommend storing cans only in the bedroom, because they are less likely to attract pests. A hall or linen closet is another way to extend your pantry. This is ideal if there is one located near the kitchen. You can store items, which you usually stock up on in a hall closet, such as flour or sugar.

If you do not have the extra closets in your house you may consider purchasing shelves or stand alone cabinets to store your food in. These can be put against a wall in your kitchen or along the hall. They will add extra room in a fairly unobtrusive way.

When storing your food remember that you want it to be easily accessible, because this makes it easier to rotate. You will also want to write down where you have stored every item. You do not want to forget about a case of green beans that you have stashed in the back of a bedroom closet. A simple list will help you to stay on top of your rotation and storage.

Learn more about Miriam Caldwell

Miriam is a SAHM mom of three children. She has a daughter who is seven, and two sons, four and two. She loves being a parent and spending time with her children.

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