starting food storage---and non-food storage

I don't know where to start with this. Everyone says "store what you eat!" but we don't really eat things that store. We eat a lot of perishables. Cheese is a big thing in our house, so is milk, and bread. We also really like fruits and veggies (or at least we're getting better about eating them).

Of the non-perishable food items, we eat a lot of pasta, pasta sauce, canned cream'o'soups, and um. . .I'm sure there's more but I can't think of any.

I found this food storage calculator. It tells us how much we need to store for years supply of food. I'm not ready to get that far. First I want to get a 3-month supply and start and good rotation working.

Your Family Will Need:

Grains
375 lbs of Wheat
62 lbs of Flour
62 lbs of Corn Meal
62 lbs of Oats
125 lbs of Rice
62 lbs of Pasta
748 lbs Total Grains

Legumes
75 lbs of Dry Beans
11 lbs of Lima Beans
25 lbs of Soy Beans
11 lbs of Split Peas
11 lbs of Lentils
11 lbs of Dry Soup Mix
144 lbs Total Legumes

Fats and Oils
10 lbs of Shortening
5 gal of Vegetable Oil
5 qts of Mayonnaise
3 qts of Salad Dressing
10 lbs of Peanut Butter
63 lbs Total Fats and Oils

Milk and Dairy
150 lbs of Dry Milk
30 cans of Evaporated Milk
32 lbs of Other Dairy
187 lbs of Total Milk and Dairy

Sugars
7 lbs of Honey
100 lbs of Sugar
7 lbs of Brown Sugar
3 lbs of Molasses
7 lbs of Corn Syrup
7 lbs of Jams
15 lbs of Powdered Fruit Drink
3 lbs of Flavored Gelatin
149 lbs Total Sugars

Cooking Essentials
3 lbs of Baking Powder
3 lbs of Baking Soda
1.5 lbs of Yeast
13 lbs of Salt
1.5 gal of Vinegar

Water *
42 gal of Water
3 gal of Bleach

Fruits
100 lbs of Flavored Apples
100 lbs of Applesauce
75 lbs of Banana Chips
87.5 lbs of Fruit Mixture
100 lbs of Fruit Juices
462.5 lbs Total Fruits

Vegetables
75 lbs of Corn
75 lbs of Peas
75 lbs of Green Beans
75 lbs of Carrots
100 lbs of Potatoes
12.5 lbs of Onions
50 lbs of Tomatoes
462.5 lbs Total Vegetables

* It is impractical for most families to store a year's supply of water. However, at least 14 gallons per person are suggested as a two-week emergency reserve.

So that's for a full year. 2 adults, and 1 child under the age of 6. It's pretty intimidating in my opinion. That seems like it would take a really, REALLY long time to get all that stuff! and it needs to be stored properly so it doesn't go bad, so it's mostly dehydrated stuff. And we're not big bean eaters, but I'm sure if it was an emergency we'd find a way to do it.

That's why I'm starting with a 3 month supply. It's all about baby steps.

I've made a list of things we use on a regular basis and should have a storage:

Building a 3-month supply of things we eat

Pasta/rice/beans
Pasta Sauce-pesto
Soups
canned fruit and veggies
flour
sugar
water

Non-Perishables

Shampoo
Conditioner
Hand soap
Bar Soap
Toothpaste
mouthwash
Laundry soap
Dish soap
toilet paper
paper towels
condoms
tampons

and now as I go grocery shopping, I'm going to pick up an extra of a few things until I have a good collection. With the non-perishables, I've started keeping a list of about how long it takes us to go through something. Like a bottle of shampoo. We go through that quicker than conditioner, because Captain Jax doesn't use conditioner, only I do. And toothpaste. Right now only 2 of us brush our teeth, but in a few months, Munchkin will probably have her first tooth or two.

It's all about baby steps. and trying not to get overwhelmed with all the information out there.