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.

Nutritionists recommend storing food that provides 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day.[1] Plan more for hard physical work or cold.

Children's needs vary a lot with age and size. Ask your pediatrician if unsure.

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.

StaplePer adult, 3 months≈ CaloriesEst. cost
White rice60 lb99,000$45 to $95
Dry beans (pinto or black)25 lb37,000$25 to $45
Rolled oats10 lb17,000$12 to $25
Cooking oil (rotate yearly)3 L24,000$12 to $20
Sugar or honey8 lb14,000$8 to $20
Peanut butter6 lb16,000$15 to $25
Canned meat or fish20 cans8,000$40 to $70
Dry milk4 lb7,000$15 to $25
Salt, bouillon, spices, multivitamins1 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].

Sources

  1. Getting Started on Your Food Storage · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Provident Living) · checked 2026-09-21
  2. 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
  3. Food and Water in an Emergency · FEMA · checked 2026-09-21
  4. 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