Tools / food planner
Food-storage planner
Enter your household. The planner scales a three-month staple kit to the calories your household needs. Start with food you already eat, then add these long-life staples. See the Food guide.
Find preparedness resources by state. Calculator quantities depend on your inputs, not state boundaries.
The kit behind the numbers
Three-month staple kit, one adult. Calories are approximate. Canned meat is counted at the low end of its range, so the plan errs toward more food, not less.
| Staple | Per adult, 3 months | ≈ Calories | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice | 60 lb | 99,000 | $45 to $95 |
| Dry beans (pinto or black) | 25 lb | 37,000 | $25 to $45 |
| Rolled oats | 10 lb | 17,000 | $12 to $25 |
| Cooking oil (rotate yearly) | 3 L | 24,000 | $12 to $20 |
| Sugar or honey | 8 lb | 14,000 | $8 to $20 |
| Peanut butter | 6 lb | 16,000 | $15 to $25 |
| Canned meat or fish | 20 cans | 8,000 | $40 to $70 |
| Dry milk | 4 lb | 7,000 | $15 to $25 |
| Salt, bouillon, spices, multivitamins | 1 set | — | $20 to $30 |
Can and bucket counts use these capacities: White rice, 5.4 lb per #10 can[4]; Pinto beans, 5.2 lb per #10 can[4]; Regular rolled oats, 2.8 lb per #10 can[4]; Granulated sugar, 5.6 lb per #10 can[4].
How the estimate is calculated
The kit table above is Family Survival planning data, not an independent source. Its item calories are approximate and its prices are illustrative 2026 estimates, not current store quotes. Item-level calorie references, price-sampling dates and a sampled market are not documented in this table.
- Add the daily calories entered for all adults and children.
- Multiply by months of food and 30 days per month.
- Divide that total by the calories in one kit, then scale each item's amount and round it up to a whole listed unit.
- Scale the kit's cost range by the same factor and round to dollars. This cost estimate is not a priced shopping basket of the rounded quantities.
Per-person calorie inputs are adjustable planning assumptions, not individual dietary recommendations. The result scales calories; it does not establish that a diet meets anyone's nutritional needs. Can capacities have separate references below; they do not independently validate the kit's calorie or price estimates.
Worked example using the starting values
2 adults at 2,400 calories per day, 0 children at 1,600 calories per day, for 3 months (90 days).
- Daily total
- 4,800 calories
- Period total
- 432,000 calories
- Calories in one kit
- 222,000
- Kit multiplier
- 1.946 (rounded here for display)
- Illustrative cost estimate
- $374 to $691
This example uses the same calculation as the form and does not change when you enter your own plan.
Sources
- Getting Started on Your Food Storage · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Provident Living) · checked 2026-09-21
- Our three-month staple kit per adult (family preparedness research, 2026-09-21). Calories approximate; costs are 2026 estimates · Family Survival (planning data) · checked 2026-09-21
- Food and Water in an Emergency · FEMA · checked 2026-09-21
- Home Storage Center Order Form (U.S.), prices effective January 1, 2025 · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Provident Living) · checked 2026-09-21