The thought of beginning to prepare overwhelms many people. It shouldn’t. My first prep was very simple. Over the time frame of one month, I accumulated 2 weeks worth of food to add to my normal amount of food on hand. Every item, in that extra 2 weeks’ worth of food, was exactly what our family ate on a regular basis with one exception. Fresh fruit and vegetables were substituted with frozen and canned versions. For us, this meant frozen and canned vegetables, frozen and canned fruit, meat (which went into the freezer), breakfast cereals (hot and cold), rice and pasta, dairy, crackers, peanut butter and jelly, and sauces such as pasta, alfredo, and soy sauces. It doesn’t get much easier than purchasing a bit extra of the items that you’re already adding to your shopping cart.
Figure out what you eat on a regular basis and go out and purchase 2 weeks worth. Based on your budget, take as long as you need to get this first task completed. If you are on a budget but you eat fast food, check out our series Fast Food vs Preps.