Planning guide
What to buy, how much, and in what order — for a household of any size. The list below turns a three-month reserve into a weekly purchase rhythm instead of one large, expensive cart.
This is a planning estimate, not a government standard or a medical diet. The water line is Ready.gov's; the three-month horizon and the dry-food rate are ours. Sources are listed at the bottom.
For a family of four: a three-month dry-staple baseline is 360 person-days — 540 lb of dry food, 360 gallons of water, and about $1,080 at the planning rates. Spread over 13 weeks, that is roughly 41.5 lb of dry food, 27.7 gallons of water, and $83 per week.
Those numbers are a starting point, not a complete nutrition plan. They cover dry staples, a water baseline, and a budget. Canned, frozen, fresh, and special-diet foods are added separately.
The table divides a 90-day estimate across 13 weeks. Use it to see what one week of progress looks like before you buy anything.
| Household | Person-days | Dry food total | Dry food / week | Water total | Water / week | Budget total | Budget / week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 90 | 135 lb | 10.4 lb | 90 gal | 6.9 gal | $270 | $20.77 |
| 2 people | 180 | 270 lb | 20.8 lb | 180 gal | 13.8 gal | $540 | $41.54 |
| 3 people | 270 | 405 lb | 31.2 lb | 270 gal | 20.8 gal | $810 | $62.31 |
| 4 people | 360 | 540 lb | 41.5 lb | 360 gal | 27.7 gal | $1,080 | $83.08 |
| 5 people | 450 | 675 lb | 51.9 lb | 450 gal | 34.6 gal | $1,350 | $103.85 |
| 6 people | 540 | 810 lb | 62.3 lb | 540 gal | 41.5 gal | $1,620 | $124.62 |
Package sizes and local prices move the real total. A household with children, guests, or pets needs its own adjustment; the calculator gives you the custom number.
Build the list by category, not by brand. The goal is a reserve you can turn into meals, not a shelf of identical cans.
| Category | Examples | Planning note |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Bottled water, food-grade containers, a cup for each person | Start with 1 gallon per person per day; Ready.gov's baseline is for drinking and basic sanitation. |
| Dry staples | Rice, oats, beans, lentils, pasta, flour, cornmeal | The calculator uses 1.5 lb per person per day as a planning weight, not a nutrition standard. |
| Canned protein | Tuna, chicken, sardines, beans | Ready-to-eat protein is the difference between a pantry and a meal. Check pull-tops and dates. |
| Fats | Olive oil, peanut butter, nuts, seeds | Calorie-dense and easy to rotate. Store oil away from heat and light. |
| Canned produce | Tomatoes, corn, green beans, peaches, pineapple | Adds fiber and variety. Check liquid, salt, and sugar if your household watches them. |
| Shelf-stable dairy | Powdered milk, UHT milk | Useful for oatmeal, coffee, and cooking. Rotate before the date. |
| Seasoning and comfort | Salt, spices, coffee, tea, a familiar treat | A reserve you do not want to eat is not a reserve. Buy foods your household actually likes. |
| Tools | Manual can opener, containers, labels, outdoor-safe cooking fuel | The food is only half the plan. A can opener and a way to cook matter. |
| Special needs | Infant formula, pet food, allergy-safe foods | Add for your household. For medical diets, follow your care team; this page is not medical advice. |
This list is deliberately category-based. A fixed “3-month menu” would be a nutrition plan, and this page is not one. Choose foods your household eats, then use the weight and water figures to size the reserve. For a shopping list with quantities and shelf life, see the non-perishable food list.
Buying everything at once is expensive and hard to store. The phases below spread the cost and put the most important items first.
| Weeks | Buy | Why | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | Water, one week at a time; rice, oats, beans, pasta; a manual can opener. | Water and dry staples are the base. The can opener is not optional. | Count gallons. Date every lot. Put the oldest food in front. |
| Weeks 3–4 | Canned protein, olive oil, peanut butter, salt, and spices. | Protein and fats turn staples into meals you will actually cook. | Check pull-tops and dates. Keep oil away from heat and light. |
| Weeks 5–8 | Canned vegetables and fruit, shelf-stable milk, coffee or tea, comfort foods. | Variety and morale. A three-month reserve should not be a punishment. | Store cool and dark. Rotate the oldest cans first. |
| Weeks 9–13 | Fill the gaps, add extra water, labels, containers, and a rotation sheet. | Close the shortfall and make the reserve maintainable. | Do a monthly ten-minute check. Eat what you store. |
Both can work. The right answer depends on whether you are building a 3-day go-bag or a 3-month home reserve — and on how much control you want over allergens, calories, and rotation.
| Factor | Commercial kit | Build your own |
|---|---|---|
| Convenience | High: one box, a known serving count. | Lower: you plan, buy, and label each category. |
| Control | Limited to the kit's menu and allergens. | High: choose foods your household actually eats. |
| Cost transparency | Varies; compare price per 1,000 kcal, not price per box. | High: you see every price and package size. |
| Storage | Often bulky; check the box dimensions. | Fits your shelves and containers. |
| Rotation | Check dates; some kits are hard to rotate. | You control dates and first-in, first-out. |
| Best use | 3-day go-bag or a short-term backup. | 3-month home reserve and a printable rotation. |
Ready.gov recommends replacing self-filled water every six months; commercially bottled water stays in its sealed original container. For food storage times, use the FDA FoodKeeper rather than a general “years” claim. The pantry inventory is the printable monthly check.
The calculator uses $3 per person-day as a national budget baseline. That is $1,080 for four people over 90 days, or about $83 per week across 13 weeks. It is a planning number, not a quote: local prices, brands, and package sizes change the total.
The BLS Average Price Data is a national starting point. Replace it with the prices you actually pay as soon as you start buying. The point of the weekly pace is to spread the cost and avoid a single large purchase you may regret. The Household Reserve Cost Index tracks the USDA Thrifty basket monthly for a full-diet cost comparison.
Use the food storage calculator for a custom household size and horizon.
For four people, the planning baseline is 360 person-days: 540 lb of dry food, 360 gallons of water, and about $1,080. That is a dry-staple baseline, not a complete nutrition plan. Canned, frozen, fresh, and special-diet foods are tracked separately.
At $3 per person-day, four people for 90 days is $1,080, or about $83 per week over 13 weeks. Local prices and package sizes change the total. Use the number as a budget range, not a quote.
A kit is convenient and has a known serving count, but it can be bulky, expensive, and limited on allergens. Building your own gives you control and lets you rotate food you actually eat. Check servings, calories, expiration, and shipping before buying.
Water, dry staples, and a manual can opener. Then canned protein, fats, and salt or spices. Add vegetables, fruit, shelf-stable milk, and comfort foods over the next weeks. Buy in the order you will eat.
Keep it cool, dark, dry, and off the floor. Date every lot, put the oldest in front, and check the shelf once a month. Commercial bottled water stays in its original container; self-filled water should be replaced every six months per Ready.gov.
The water line is Ready.gov's. The 3-day and 2-week tiers are the Red Cross's. The three-month horizon, the 1.5 lb dry-food rate, and the $3 budget rate are ours. They are planning assumptions, not government standards or a certification. How we estimate a three-month reserve explains each rate, what is excluded, and how the sources are checked.
| Source | What it establishes | How this page uses it | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEMA / Ready.gov — Water | At least one gallon of water per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. | Sets the water baseline. The three-month horizon is ours, not a government standard. | |
| FEMA / Ready.gov — Food | At least a several-day supply of non-perishable food that needs no refrigeration or cooking. | Sets the emergency minimum; the 3-month list scales it into a household reserve. | |
| American Red Cross — Survival Kit Supplies | A 3-day supply for evacuation and a 2-week supply for home; one gallon of water per person per day. | Sets the shorter tiers that the 3-month reserve builds on. | |
| USDA CNPP Food Plans | Weekly food baskets and monthly costs by age and sex. | The reference for the full plan's food groups and budget; 13 weeks is the planning frame. | |
| FDA FoodKeeper | Storage times for 650+ foods and cold-storage safety. | Sets first-eat and best-by prompts for the rotation sheet. | |
| BLS Average Price Data | National average food prices and inflation. | Starting point for the budget baseline; replace it with the prices you actually pay. |
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