Calculating preps for your family...

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   Hello all ~ I have been "lurking" here for quite a while, and this is my first post. I regularly (read: obsessively ) check this board for latest news and prep information.

Recent news from all over has me feeling that we are close to this all becoming a very unfortunate reality, and that has prompted me to take a HARD and REALISTIC look at my preps for my family.

To try to get a handle on how much food we will need, and to help focus on this ENORMOUS task ahead of us, here is what we did:

My DH and I made up a very simple menu for four days (to at least try to avoid eating tuna and powdered milk every day). I then used a spreadsheet to calculate how much of each item I need to have in order to feed our family (10 people) for those four days. 

Once we came up with the four day totals, it was then very easy to multiply those totals to see how much we need for 30 days, 90 days, etc.

What I found really shocked me! I thought we were well prepared, but in fact I have VASTLY underestimated how much food we will use each day.

We were really conservative (IMO) planning the meals, and kept it super simple. 

Sample Menu for one day:
Breakfast ~ one granola bar, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of canned fruit. 

Lunch ~ 1/2 box of mac and cheese, and 1/2 can of veggies. 

Dinner ~ 1/2 can of chunky soup. 

Also 1 cup of milk per day, per person. 

We tried to keep three meals each day, thinking that for the kids (and adults who may act like kids ), keeping the routine of breakfast, lunch, and dinner would be nice if possible.

For example, in our four days of menus, we have planned on 1/2 can of tuna fish per person, for two different meals. So for 10 people, we need 10 cans of tuna fish every four days! This turns into 250 cans of tuna fish for 100 days (approx 3 months). If we plan on 10 people eating 1 can of fruit per day, then we need 1000 cans of fruit just to get through 3 months! At last count, we only have about 250 cans. YIKES!

Yet another thing I underestimated was rice. I just did the math, and one pound of rice will make approx 10 cups of cooked rice. So if we plan on having one cup of rice per day for 10 people, then we need 1 pound of rice PER DAY. Our 50 pounds of rice will not last very long with 10 hungry people in our house.

I thought I was doing well with the tons of stuff already in the basement ~ now I have MAJOR shopping to do to even be remotely prepared for even 3 months. AND to make matters worse, I now believe we should really be prepared for 6 months at a minimum, one year to be comfortable.

This has really been eye opening for me and my DH. We used the same formulas to calculate rolls of toilet paper (one for each person every four days, or 250 rolls for 100 days), and all other items we think we will need. 

It does help me to have REAL numbers to use to prep ~ now I will KNOW how many boxes of mac and cheese (800 for those that are wondering ) I need to have in my basement to even begin to feel ready for what is coming. My DH thinks that as we approach those numbers, my anxiety will ease off ~ but I have my doubts. 

I would be happy to help anyone figure out the totals they need for their family if necessary, or provide you with our sample menus. I think the only way we will get through this is to help each other as much as possible, and this is the least I can do for any and all of you who have opened my eyes to the reality of what is to come.

Now we are off to the store...