Food storage should be a means of supporting the life you are living currently with the added benefit of helping if something crazy gets thrown your way. Unfortunately there are those who live for food storage. Their entire life revolves around food storage and I'm here to throw down the gauntlet and say that is not healthy and needs to stop.
Recently someone invited us into a food storage Facebook page (which will remain anonymous) and I could not believe some of the advice being given on there. Someone was asking about ideas for keep food storage in a small apartment. Here were some of the responses "Stack it in the middle of your living room if necessary. You will be glad you have it very soon" and "Just use your apartment as a food storage room. Do not worry about having a place to gather or party it's time to gather food to survive." Stop it right there! Food storage is to help support your life, not be what you are living for! If food storage is taking over your life you need to press pause. No room to gather and connect with others because your living room is packed with food storage? Seriously? Yes, this is coming from a person with a 12'x12' food storage room stacked to the ceiling whose does multiple batches in her freeze dryer each week. Yes, that's a lot of food storage stuff going on in my life, but you know what? Food storage hasn't taken over my life. I don't live to stock up. I can't not use my living room because it is stacked full of food. I don't frantically try and accumulate every food item I can possibly think of to try and make sure I have enough. I haven't let go of relationships or hobbies because all I have time for in my life is preparing for some catastrophic future event.
I hope if you are reading this you haven't let food storage take over your life. But if you are feeling a little annoyed or angry after reading this post may I suggest you take a step back from whatever your preparedness goals are right now and revaluate? Take stock of your mindset, your life goals, and your priorities and ask if you are really going about things in the proper order. And if you are a reader who is new to the idea preparedness who has been a little turned off by getting answers like that in a Facebook group let me reassure you that preparedness doesn't have to take over your life.
It can be done in a way that supports your life, now, and helps you be ready to face whatever the future throws your way.
Don't let your life get off balance. I know 2020 was a little nuts and 2021...I don't even know where to start on that...it was a lot nuts. I'm sure 2022 will have us all wishing for the good old days of March 2020 where we were blissfully ignorant of how quickly life can get turned around. Life gets crazy, then it gets better. It always has it always will. But don't ruin today by planning for tomorrows crazy. Plan and prepare for the future but live in the now.