Store What You Use and Use What You Store

I know I've heard this said in food storage discussions many times. And yet every time I use an online food storage calculator or read up on "what to store," I'm told that I need exorbitant amounts of food that I NEVER use. For example, in January our Relief Society will be starting the Ark Project to help guide the sisters and their families in getting their food storage together. It's a great program, and yet it tells me that I need to store 50 lbs of sugar per person. I rarely use sugar in my house...I just don't cook with it. So I know that it would be silly for me to store that amount of sugar.

To solve this conundrum, Utah State University has developed a food storage plan that allows you to better tailor your food storage to your own family's needs. YAY!!! The basic concept is that you take the meals that you prepare most often and calculate the amounts of each ingredient that you need for a year. Simple and smart (imo).

So now I just have to divide my family's storage goals into 12 months to fit the Ark Project.