What is the Point of Food Storage and a Well Stocked Pantry?

A lot of people I know don't understand food storage. I get questions such as 'Why do you want to grow your own fruits and vegetables when you can just go to the grocery store to buy it? Sometimes it is a struggle to put all my thoughts about food storage into words when I am standing in front of someone who thinks the idea is crazy. However, it is important to me, it saves me money, and I love not having to run to the store to buy something!

I found someone who thinks just like I do over at the blog, A Working Pantry. In this post, Patsy talks about why she works hard to can up food for the winter and the sense of security it provides for her family if they ever had to rely on it. You can read the post here.

I agree with her thoughts! And I will add some of my own: 

My church counsels us to be prepared for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water, and some money in savings. Being prepared in such a way is the first step on the journey to self-reliance. Many LDS church members store one years' worth of basic supplies like rice, powdered milk, honey, wheat and beans. Then, a three month supply of the everyday foods you eat. Having this much food stored away gives you a feeling of peace. When adversity comes your way, having food storage allows you to spend what money you do have on other critical things. You can rest assured that you and your family do not have to worry about how you are going to eat!

If you haven't yet started your food storage program, you can start here. In these posts, I have listed lots of other resources to help you get started .

If you have started your program but still have work to do, remember, purchasing a little every week is a better strategy than buying it all at once. Even better, try growing some of it yourself!

I know that when you complete your supply of food storage - and can stand back and look at your well stocked pantry - you will realize it was worth the effort!