A Week in a Bucket

If you’re thinking about food storage, but are feeling a bit overwhelmed or just not sure how to go about it, here is the solution. A week in a bucket. This is one of the best food storage ideas I’ve ever come across. The idea is that you store a weeks worth of food in a 5 gallon bucket. Each week’s meals are planned out and then stored in the bucket. For a one year supply you would put together 52 buckets. So why is a week in a bucket such a great idea?

Well first, it’s not quite as overwhelming as trying to buy food in bulk to get your years supply. Just start with one bucket first, then add more at a pace you feel comfortable with.

Second, if you actually have to use your food storage it is way more convenient. Meals are pre-planned and you only have to have one bucket open at a time.

A week in a bucket is also easier to rotate. Open one up every once in awhile, use the shorter term stuff, and then replace.

A week in a bucket is also way better if you need to “Bug-Out” or evacuate. You can grab a bucket or two and go. No need to choose from hundreds of #10 cans and try to decide in perhaps a moments notice what to take.

Also if things got really bad and neighbors came needing food, it would be a lot easier to share if you chose to do so. You wouldn’t have to open a whole bunch of cans to give them some from each. Just give them a bucket. It might even be wise to plan on having some extra buckets on hand just for this purpose.

Storage isn’t bad either. The buckets have a diameter of 1 foot. So a 4 foot by 4 foot area stacked 4 buckets high is all you would need for a one year supply plus extra.

Some other thoughts

• You’ll need some oxygen absorbers and Mylar bags to put your dry stuff in.
• Canned stuff just goes right in the bucket as is.
• A good idea would be to put a label/menu on the outside of the bucket.
• If you're trying to store food for a lot of people/family members, it becomes difficult to get a weeks worth in one bucket.

Here are some ideas for each meal to help you put your menus together.

Breakfast Ideas

• Breakfast cereal (cereals lower in fat like corn flakes, chex, etc. will last longer)
• Powdered milk
• Powdered eggs
• Packets of instant oatmeal

Lunch Ideas

• Hard red wheat (For grinding/ flour for a loaf or two of bread or biscuits). Add an envelope of yeast/ baking soda and other bread making ingredients, depending on your preferred whole wheat bread recipe.
• Cans of assorted condensed soup or envelopes of assorted dried soup mix like Knorr, etc.
• SPAM, Tuna Fish, or other meats in a can.
• Peanut butter
• Honey
• Jar of Jelly
• Cans assorted fruit or envelopes of dried fruit
• Macaroni and cheese

Dinner Ideas

• Pasta and cans of pasta sauce
• Boxed pasta dinners or pasta dinners in a bag
• Cans of Beef Stew
• Cans of Soup Cans of vegetables or freeze dried vegatables
• Freeze dried meats
• Bag(s) of beans, bouillon cubes, dried onions, dried tomatoes, etc for your favorite bean recipe.
• Bag(s) of rice
• Envelopes of dried chili mix
• Dried Mashed Potatoes
• Envelopes of dried Gravy Mix
• Envelopes of assorted pudding or gelatin mix for desserts (mix with water and heat, then let cool).

Other

• Small bottle of multiple vitamins.
• Extra dietary fiber pills or Metamucil.
• Salt and Pepper
• Seasonings like Tabasco, garlic and onion powder, Montreal Steak Seasoning, A-1. Also Asian or Mexican seasonings add flavor and break up the monotony. If there is room you could put in some paper plates, bowls and plastic cutlery incase you were bugging out and didn’t already have that kind of stuff in your bug-out bag. So what do you think? Any other menu ideas?