Once you have your short-term crisis planning done and started learning your basic emergency skills you need to look at preparing for slightly longer-term situations.

What you need to build in this step is a three month supply of water, food and nonfood consumables that you regularly use. So for example, let’s say you love pasta and eat it every other night, you want to make sure you have enough pasta on hand that you will be able to keep eating what makes you comfortable for at least three months, which allows to more gradually phase in your longer term food storage items that we will talk about in Step 5.

Why three months?

Not only can it help you survive through slightly longer-term general emergency situation, but it can also help you survive a crisis that might only affect you and your family such as losing your job. Another major benefit to having a three month supply is allows you to time your shopping trips and by and bulk which can lead to significant savings off the cost of purchasing those items, so it’s good for your budget too.

3 Months of Water

Having a three month supply of water is a vital part of your three-month storage. During many emergencies municipal and ground water supplies of water can become contaminated and unsafe to drink. There are often interruptions in services so you could face water shortages, if you have a three month supply of clean and properly stored water you will be able to survive longer and have more peace of mind. Read more about 3 month water storage.

3 Months of Food

You should store food that you eat on a regular basis as well at food that has a longer shelf life. In a crisis or high stress situation your body reacts better to foods that it is familiar with.  Planning your 3 month food storage is a great time to make sure that you are eating a healthy diet that has all of the nutrients that your body needs. If your diet is primarily fresh foods and produce, it’s a good idea to mix in the canned and dried equivalent of those fresh items into your meal planning so that your body is also used to preserved items.  Read more about 3 month food storage.

3 Months of Non-Food Items

When planning your three-month supply, do not forget to include all the nonfood items that you will need if you’re unable to get more from the store.

Things you might want to store are toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, diapers/wipes (if you have small children), toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, deodorant, any other personal care items that you need, and household supplies such as cleaners, bleach, and garbage bags. These items will help you to stay healthy and can help you be more comfortable during an emergency.

Storing Your Three-Month Supply

The ideal place to store your three-month supply would be on shelves in a cool dark room without any windows. More likely than not you want your three-month food supply in your home so that it’s easy to access and use on a daily basis so that you can make sure that your supplies are rotated and nothing ever expires or goes bad. That being said, everyone’s situation is different and you may need to be more creative with your storage.

If you don’t have enough space to have a separate storage room, don’t worry or other places that will work fine. Closets work great you can store your supplies on the shelves or in boxes. If you are tight on space items could be stored under beds or under couches. If there is enough space between the ceiling and your kitchen cupboards, that is another great place to store your supply. Try to store your cleaning supplies separately from your food and water so you don’t have to worry about contamination.

Rotating your Storage

You should be continuously using and replacing the items in your three-month storage. Food and consumable supplies have expiration dates. After you go shopping write down the date on the package of your purchases. When placing the new items in your storage area placement behind the items that you already have that way you’ll use the oldest products first and you won’t have to worry about your storage items expiring him waste your money.

Building your Supply

You do not need to purchase your whole storage all at once. The best way to build your three-month supplies and stay within an affordable budget is to plan ahead and buy a little extra at the grocery store each month of everything that you normally use. This way, you gradually build up your supply. Each month, you go shopping or rotate your supplies so that the items you bought first used first. Once you’ve built your supply, it will be easier to maintain.

Here is a very well-respected resource on building up your basic three-month storage: providentliving.org

Next page: Step 5 – Long Term Preparedness Planning >>