1.
Variety Many people buy a year supply of wheat for their family and call it good. What in the WORLD are you going to do with a bunch of wheat? Eat it raw? Besides the fact that no one would want to eat JUST WHEAT for two weeks or more in a row. How boring, you'll get tired of it fast... You need ALL the ingredients for a "recipe". Just because it's food "storage" doesn't mean it should be looked at differently than "normal" food, because one day this could be your "normal" food supply.
2.
Flavor Many people forget to put spices and extras (like cinnamon, jam, etc) that help flavor your food and make it not bland into their food storage.
3.
Comfort Many people don't imagine themselves REALLY living off of their food storage. Well, if you ever HAD to, can you imagine NEVER having any treats? Don't forget to add those in! Add candy, or easy to make goodies like pudding, jello, or cookies (you could make with powdered eggs, milk, etc). Remember those "other" items that can help put you and your children at ease such as books, games, a simple paper and pen or a blanket...
4.
Health Don't forget that in an emergency you could be even MORE likely to need things like vitamins and medications. How horrible would that be if you got hurt and didn't have any over the counter pain killers on hand such as "Ibuprofen" or "Tylenol". ESPECIALLY if your kids needed them. Don't forget the hygiene and sanitation supplies as well, that's one thing you DO NOT want to be without. A little hand sanitizer and toilet paper can go a long way.
5.
Water Many people think about "food storage" and completely FORGET about water storage! DON'T! YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT WATER! People go to the hospital all the time in "normal" every day scenarios for dehydration. You need to store at least one gallon of water per person per day. Don't be without this essential!
6.
Preparation Many people that have "traditional" food storage such as grains, legumes, sugar, salt, etc. have NO IDEA what to make with it or how to use it. If you're in a stressed situation that is NOT the time to be figuring it out. Make sure you get some recipes and learn how to use it now!
7.
Eating A lot of people eat TOTALLY DIFFERENT things on a daily basis then what they are storing. YIKES! This can really mess up your body if for example all you eat is white flour and you're storing a bunch of whole wheat that you'll grind up in an emergency in your basement. Store what you eat and eat what you store.
8.
Storage A lot of people don't store their food in appropriate containers thus creating A LOT of waste in their storage when rodents, insects, or moisture get into their food before they do.
9.
Rotation Many people don't rotate their food as often as needed creating a lot of waste and food that needs to be thrown out. Make sure you have a good rotation system. (Or store freeze dried food that doesn't need to be rotated except for every 30 years)
10.
Purchasing Many people when they get some extra money will purchase one staple at a time, such as 20 bags of wheat and then next time they'll get 20 bags of rice, and then next time they'll get 5 water barrels... Hold up. If you do it this way and an emergency happens in the mean time you're going to fall WAY short. Buy a little of everything you would need for a "recipe" in your food storage each time, and DON'T FORGET THE WATER!
SERIOUSLY AWESOME to have included with your food storage! (But remember to use it often so you don't freak out in an emergency situation with not knowing how to use it!) I want one of these! And thank goodness, BETTER TO BE READY is working on becoming a distributor! Again, AWESOME! I've always wondered how I would cook bread if I had no electricity. I had researched doing it in a dutch oven, but that was the best I could come up with. Now there's the "Global Sun Oven". I'm TOTALLY impressed. They're a little pricey, but an AMAZING device. So if you're wondering how you would cook with no power, take a look at these here.
