Food Storage Tags

You may remember this previous post, Labeling Long-Term Storage, from back in 2009 where Stephanie shared her idea of making tags to help with locating, rotating and replacing her food storage.  Well, I've had two-year intentions of doing the same thing, but have never gotten around to it.  Just this past Christmas, my wonderful parents-in-law gave me a new fun laminator and I've been itching to use it for this project since then. 

I made my tags using a different color of cardstock for each food storage product that I keep in buckets.  Actually there isn't much rhyme or reason to the colors.  I just used the colors that I had on hand.  In the picture below, you might notice that the brighter colors are easier to see and read so I would recommend that you use bright colors instead of dull or dark colors. 

I figured out how many tags of each that I needed.  For example, I knew that I wanted to always keep four buckets of flour on hand, so I used my word processor to print four "flour" labels.  I repeated this process for each of the items I keep in buckets: wheat, sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, rice, oats, and beans.  I laminated my tags for durability, but this isn't necessary.  Then I hole punched the side and tied each onto the bucket handles with some white yarn.  I made more than 40 tags.  It took about two hours from start to finish (but most of that time was spent doing second and third runs through my laminator in order to fully seal the tags - I'm sure you could do it in a fraction of that time).  I love the result!  It is so easy to figure out what is in each bucket now.

Recently I ran out of flour.  So I ran down into my storage area, grabbed a bucket of flour (which was so easy to find because of the easy-to-see tags) and emptied the previously-stored flour into my upstairs bucket.  I actually left the tag on the empty bucket and let it remind me that I needed to buy some more flour to replace the now-empty bucket.  I could also untie the tag and slip it into my purse or tie it to a shelf as a reminder that I need to replace that flour.  When I refilled the bucket with flour, I flipped the tag over and wrote 2011 on the back with a black permanent marker so that I would know the age of the newly purchased flour.

Here are a few other ideas and tips that you could use for labeling your food storage:

*Use different colored ribbons for each different food (i.e red for red wheat; black for black beans; pink for pinto beans; tan for oatmeal; white for rice; etc.).
*Use a different colors of  ribbon/yarn to indicate the purchase date.
*Use different colors of permanent markers to differentiate between foods and/or dates.
*Wrapping ribbon and index cards would work just fine.
*Magnetic labels could be used with #10 cans or steel shelves.
*Instead of tying a ribbon to foil pouches or #10 cans (that don't have a handle like a bucket or a neck like the PETE bottles), just tie a tag to the shelves or adhere a label with a small piece of ribbon directly to the product.
*Label two sides and the top of each container for more visibility.
*Use cup-holder screws to hang labels (of items needing to be replaced).
*These tags would be a great idea for a cheap, but love-filled gift.


I would love to hear your ideas!

Food Storage Hunt

Hannah and Abby over at Safely Gathered In are doing an ongoing series right now about how food storage bloggers organize their storage.  Last week they featured my storage area.  If you are interested in seeing how we organize our food storage, you can go to:  http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/2011/03/food-storage-hunt-iprepared.html.

They've also featured two other bloggers with promises of more to come.  Check it out.  You might find some ideas for your own storage.

goal 4(a) - choose a storage location

Our current goal is gathering a longer-term storage.

Specifically - Choose a storage location(s) for longer-term storage.


The ideal location for a longer-term storage is dark, cool, dry and rodent-free. Most of us don't have all of these ideal conditions, though. So, choose the best possible location for your storage.

After living in several different conditions and locations around the United States, I personally have located my storage in a garage, in a utility closet, in an attic, under beds, in closets, in kitchen cupboards and currently in an unfinished basement. You might have to get creative in choosing your storage location. Click here to link to a past discussion on creative storage solutions.

Shelves are not necessary for your longer-term storage. In fact, I didn't have any shelves until just a few years ago. You can stack both buckets and cans in boxes. Mylar sacks can be dropped into larger storage containers. Do not place storage items directly on a cement or dirt floor. Unwanted tastes and chemicals can leach into your storage containers. Instead, place items on carpet, slats of wood, shelves, or pallets. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints recommends storing all items so that there is some air flow underneath.

This goal isn't a big step. But it is important to have in mind where you can put your storage and realistically how to fit it in your living space.

i've run out of room!

Six years ago, our stake president challenged all of the families in our stake (group of local congregations) to complete their one-year food storage. We had just purchased our first home and were new members in the area. We'd made multiple moves across the country during that past few years and had some food storage, but not enough. I took the challenge seriously. Over the next year, I was able to gather a one-year supply. The foods recommended at the time were the basics -- and were very easy to store. I had mostly buckets and #10 cans.

Four years later, the new church recommendations were introduced in General Conference. We had recently added a little boy to our family and I needed to increase our food storage to include him. Because I had a full year's supply, I dragged my feet to implement these new recommendations - particularly the three-month supply of foods that we regularly eat since I knew I already had a three-month supply of the basics. In fact, part of the reason that I began this blog was because I knew I needed to follow that counsel. So, I'm working on my three-month supply right along with the rest of you.

Anyway, that's two long paragraphs to get to my point, which is that storing a three-month supply of foods that we regularly eat is harder than storing all the buckets and cans of a longer-term supply. I've been surprised at the volume of cans, bags and boxes that I've added to my food storage. I've had to purchase an extra set of shelves that are already full. I suspect that I could reduce the sheer volume of products by utilizing fewer canned foods, but I really want to make my three-month supply as user friendly as possible.

As I look at all this food, I'm wondering how to fit it all into my home. Having lived in even smaller quarters, I know that many of you are also having to be creative in storing your food storage. So where do YOU put it?

Here are a few of my ideas (I'd love to hear yours!):
* Use the space between the top of your cabinets and the ceiling (in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room etc.). Put items in canisters, pots or cute baskets if needed (sometimes food storage can be decorative). Use curtains if needed.
*Utilize top shelves in closets and storage areas that might not have things on them because they are hard to reach.
*Store things under beds. You could even raise your bed with risers and store even more. Eliminate your bottom mattress and create a "foundation" using buckets and storage items.

* Store items under bedside tables or other decorative tables. Hide with a tablecloth.
*Store boxes in the bottoms of closets (shoes, boots, etc. can sit on top of the boxes).
*Insulate an attic space and add pull-down stairs.
*Basements, garages (might be too hot), cellars, sheds, cold-storage, etc.
*Dig a cold storage area.
*Pull a couch away from a wall and store items behind it.
*Free up cupboard space by hanging your pots and pans.
*Buy/make a decorative privacy screen and store items behind it.
*Buy an armoire and fill it with food storage.
*Use beds for the kids that are like bunk-beds, but that only have the top bunk. Fill the bottom area with home storage supplies. Cover with decorative fabric that matches the room. You could even use part of this space for storage and the other part for toys or a play area (separated by a desk or chest of drawers).
*Turn an extra coat closet into a food storage closet.
*Keep a box or two of food storage items in your trunk.

Keep in mind that idea food storage conditions are dry, dark and cool. You may or may not have an ideal place for your home storage. Be creative. If you don't have a place/way to store things in ideal conditions, then do your best. You might just have to rotate things through a little more quickly.