Wednesday Why: Home Storage Sacrifices

What are some possible sacrifices to get & maintain a home storage?  In order to get and maintain a home storage, there will be sacrifices in money, time, space and possibly in changing eating habits in order to incorporate and rotate the food storage.  

Money:  food, toilet paper, fuel and pretty much everything else you would include in a home storage costs money.  Most of us don't have lots of money to work with, so buying items for home storage may be a small or a big sacrifice.  We shouldn't go into debt to get home storage items.  But we can and should do what we can--whether it is 1 extra canned good a week or 1 pound of beans a month, most of us can do something.   Instead of using money for entertainment using it for home storage can be a sacrifice to many people--whether it means using the money that would have been spent to go to the movies or the money that would have been spent for cable/satellite.   There may be other things we go without so we can get some home storage--like no new clothes or making more meals at home instead of eating out.  

Time:  canning and preserving your own food takes time, as does sealing food into cans or mylar bags.  It also takes time to plan your home storage and inventory it.  And to get a year supply, it certainly takes time and patience.  To learn & practice how to use & rotate your food or other home storage items will take time too.

Space:  where are the home storage items going to be put?  Giving up space to put home storage can be a big sacrifice too.  There are ways to make it look nicer and be more accessible, but no matter where you store your stuff, you are giving up space for it.  

Eating Habits:  By getting long-term supply foods that sustain life, many people may need to learn how to use and make those items in a tasty way which means learning and eating it.  If you aren't used to eating and using wheat or beans or dried foods, learning to incorporate them may seem like a daunting task.  It may mean big or little changes in eating habits.

When we wisely use our money, time and other resources to get a home storage we may feel like we are sacrificing.  I know though that those minor and major sacrifices can be worth it--whether a major disaster happens, a loss of job or simply being able to have on hand something that is needed and not having to run to the store everyday.