Next Goal: 30 Days of Food Storage, 10 Days of Water Storage

Well as most of you know, the next goal for ward and stake preparedness is to get everyone to have a 30 day supply of food storage and  a 10 day supply of water (I will sometimes refer to this as your 30/10 supply). How much is that really? Honestly, it depends on each family and each person's needs within the family, but the main thing to remember is to have enough food and water for three meals per person per day. As we have said before, each person needs about a gallon of water per day, and that's only going to give you enough water to drink and prepare food and doesn't count cleaning dishes, clothes, bodies, or any other uses for water. But for the sake of eating and drinking, each person will need to prepare 10 gallons of water and 90 meals. While that may sound like a lot at first glance, especially for those with larger families or limited storage space, there are ways it can be done. Here are some principles to keep in mind while starting up your 30/10 supply:

• This is only a 30 day storage, not a 30 year storage. Store non-perishable foods that you eat on a daily basis, not buckets of wheat and dried beans. While those are excellent long-term storage items, we're just focusing on a 30 day supply right now.
• Find a way to store water that works for you and your family
• We will do another post soon regarding different options for storing water in your house that go beyond 72-hour kit water storage (for a reference, go to this link to see our 72-hour kit water post).
• Start with small steps; for those who find 30 days of food storage daunting, start by buying one extra of whatever you normally purchase at the store (for example, if you normally buy 3 cans of green beans, buy 4 and set the extra one aside).
• Once you have your 30 days of food storage, rotate through it. Since these are supposed to be foods that you normally eat anyway, this shouldn't be more difficult than simply remembering to do so.
• Be creative in your storage space - don't feel like you have to be limited to a designated "storage room."
• We will likely do a post on this as well, but for now, try to think of every open space in your home, and see how you can best utilize it - you will be surprised at how much space your home has when you really look for it.
• Just because this is a more temporal goal, don't forget to bring God into the equation. If' you're worried about anything, such as figuring out how to store water, finding storage space, or having the means to obtain your 30/10 supply, bring your worries to the Lord and he will help prepare a way for you to accomplish the things he commands you to do (1 Ne. 3:7).

I hope this goal becomes a time of spiritual growth for everyone as we seek to obey the commandments of the Lord. We will continue to do more posts on creating your 30/10 supply, and if any of you have any questions about it, please don't hesitate to contact us.