Bucket Answers

Since some of you were so astounded by all my buckets I thought I had better answer your questions.

Where did we get the buckets?

Industrial Container and Supply Company in Salt Lake City Utah. You might check your nearest city to see if there is a similar company. Hopefully we won't need them all. We bought a whole pallet because it was a little bit cheaper and we can sell the extra to family or friends who need them.

Why did we buy so many?

We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."—The First Presidency of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

If you are LDS (Mormon) or know of anyone who is LDS then you know of our obsession with food storage. We have been instructed by our leaders to store a one year supply of food in case of emergency. That could be anything from a natural catastrophe, to losing a job. For our family a one year supply is 2160 pounds of grains and beans plus other items. Food storage calculator. You can go here to find out more about food storage. If you read the bible you might have learned a little bit about food storage from Joseph of Egypt.

What are we storing in the buckets?

Wheat, oats, corn, other grains, beans, sugar, , salt, yeast, etc. Anything we use on a daily basis that we could live off of if we didn't have access to any other food. We also store canned foods, baking powder, powdered milk, oil, water, spices, etc. I am slowly learning how to cook with these foods so we're not just storing the food but using it and continually replenishing it with a new supply. Not only is it economical but when you add fruits and vegetables to a whole grain diet it's healthier too!

Why are we doing this now?

We were planning on moving for several years so even though I should of been getting prepared, I didn't work on getting my food storage because I didn't want to move it! Now we are in our new house so I don't have any more excuses. It is a big financial investment but obviously worth it in the long run and much cheaper than fast unhealthy food. Another stop on our food storage trip is to grow a garden and learn to can our own fruits and vegetables.

Where are we storing everything?

We have a cold storage room in our basement and also a crawl space under our house were there is lots of room for storage. If you live in a small house or apartment then you obviously won't be able to store as much. I know some people make beds and coffee tables with their food storage!

Did I answer everything?