Free planning tool
How much food and water does your household need for one, three, six, or twelve months? Enter the adults and children in your household. The estimate turns them into adult-equivalent person-days, pounds of dry food by category, gallons of water, and a budget baseline.
No account, no checkout. Analytics is opt-in. The estimate runs in your browser. It is a starting point for a shopping list, not a nutrition plan or a quote.
360adult-equivalent person-days
| Category | Pounds | Typical foods |
|---|---|---|
| Grains | 390 lb | Rice, Oats, Pasta, Flour, Cornmeal |
| Legumes | 58 lb | Dry beans, Lentils, Split peas |
| Sugar | 58 lb | Sugar, Honey, Syrup |
| Dry milk | 16 lb | Nonfat dry milk |
| Fats and oils | 10 lb | Cooking oil, Shortening, Peanut butter |
| Salt | 8 lb | Table salt |
| Total | 540 lb | Rounded; the category rows may not add up by one pound. |
Per week
First week, by category
Planning rates: 1.5 lb dry food and $3 per adult-equivalent person-day; 1 gallon of water per person per day. Children 0–6 count as half an adult for food and budget; 7+ count as an adult. The full 13-week shopping list, packaging, inventory, and rotation sheets are part of the paid plan.
Quick answer: a four-adult household covering 90 days needs 360 adult-equivalent person-days. At the planning rates below, that is 540 lb of dry food, 360 gallons of water, and a $1,080 budget baseline. The same 360 person-days split into 390 lb of grains, 58.5 lb of legumes, 58.5 lb of sugar, 15.6 lb of dry milk, 9.8 lb of fats, and 7.8 lb of salt.
The table uses the same planning rates as the calculator. It is a way to compare household sizes and time horizons before you build a shopping list. It is not a finished meal plan: canned, frozen, and fresh food are tracked separately.
| Household | Person-days | Dry food | Water | Budget baseline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | ||||
| 1 person | 30 | 45 lb | 30 gal | $90 |
| 2 people | 60 | 90 lb | 60 gal | $180 |
| 3 people | 90 | 135 lb | 90 gal | $270 |
| 4 people | 120 | 180 lb | 120 gal | $360 |
| 5 people | 150 | 225 lb | 150 gal | $450 |
| 6 people | 180 | 270 lb | 180 gal | $540 |
| 3 months | ||||
| 1 person | 90 | 135 lb | 90 gal | $270 |
| 2 people | 180 | 270 lb | 180 gal | $540 |
| 3 people | 270 | 405 lb | 270 gal | $810 |
| 4 people | 360 | 540 lb | 360 gal | $1,080 |
| 5 people | 450 | 675 lb | 450 gal | $1,350 |
| 6 people | 540 | 810 lb | 540 gal | $1,620 |
| 6 months | ||||
| 1 person | 180 | 270 lb | 180 gal | $540 |
| 2 people | 360 | 540 lb | 360 gal | $1,080 |
| 3 people | 540 | 810 lb | 540 gal | $1,620 |
| 4 people | 720 | 1,080 lb | 720 gal | $2,160 |
| 5 people | 900 | 1,350 lb | 900 gal | $2,700 |
| 6 people | 1,080 | 1,620 lb | 1,080 gal | $3,240 |
| 12 months | ||||
| 1 person | 360 | 540 lb | 360 gal | $1,080 |
| 2 people | 720 | 1,080 lb | 720 gal | $2,160 |
| 3 people | 1,080 | 1,620 lb | 1,080 gal | $3,240 |
| 4 people | 1,440 | 2,160 lb | 1,440 gal | $4,320 |
| 5 people | 1,800 | 2,700 lb | 1,800 gal | $5,400 |
| 6 people | 2,160 | 3,240 lb | 2,160 gal | $6,480 |
Read the table as a range, not a precision instrument. Package sizes, brands, and local prices move the real total; a household with children, guests, or pets needs its own adjustment. The calculator above applies the child weights and shows the category split.
The 1.5 lb per person-day is a total weight, not a shopping list. For planning, it splits into six shelf-stable categories. The example below is four adults for three months (360 person-days, 540 lb).
| Category | Share | Pounds | Typical foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grains | 72.2% | 390 lb | Rice, Oats, Pasta, Flour, Cornmeal |
| Legumes | 10.8% | 58 lb | Dry beans, Lentils, Split peas |
| Sugar | 10.8% | 58 lb | Sugar, Honey, Syrup |
| Dry milk | 2.9% | 16 lb | Nonfat dry milk |
| Fats and oils | 1.8% | 10 lb | Cooking oil, Shortening, Peanut butter |
| Salt | 1.4% | 8 lb | Table salt |
| Total | 100% | 540 lb | Rounding can move a category by one pound. |
The ratio follows a published home-storage planning table (per adult per year: 400 lb grains, 60 lb legumes, 60 lb sugar, 16 lb dry milk, 10 lb fats, 8 lb salt), normalised to the site’s 1.5 lb per person-day. It is a weight plan, not a USDA nutrition basket. The paid plan uses USDA food plans and age/sex baskets; the free estimate stays a planning ratio. Read the methodology for the sources, rounding, and excluded items.
If you follow the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ home storage guidance, this free estimate is a cross-check, not a replacement. The Church’s guidance describes two layers: a short-term supply of foods your household normally eats, and a longer-term supply of basic staples.
Use the calculator to size the short-term, three-month layer, and the six-category split to sanity-check staple weights. For the longer-term list and quantities, use the Church’s current Home Storage guidance; we link to it and do not reproduce or interpret its table. Household Reserve is independent and is not an official Church tool.
Every number on this page comes from the same five lines. Adult-equivalent person-days are the anchor: they let you compare two adults for six months with four adults for three months.
adult-equivalents = adults + children 7–17 + (children 0–6 × 0.5)person-days = adult-equivalents × months × 30dry food (lb) = person-days × 1.5water (gal) = people × months × 30 × 1budget (USD) = person-days × 330 days per month is a planning convention. Water uses the actual headcount; food and budget use adult-equivalents.
This is a planning shorthand for shelf-stable staples such as rice, oats, beans, lentils, pasta, flour, and cornmeal. It is the weight of the dry staple, before you add water, canned food, or fresh food. It is not a calorie target and not a balanced diet. The six-category split above is a planning ratio; the full plan uses USDA food plans and food groups.
Ready.gov recommends at least one gallon of water per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. For four people over 90 days, that is 360 gallons. That is a planning floor, not a guarantee: hot weather, activity, pregnancy, illness, pets, and medical needs can raise it.
This is a national budget baseline, not a BLS quote. It is useful for comparing a one-month reserve with a three-month reserve, and for deciding how much to set aside each week. Replace it with the prices you actually pay as soon as you start buying. The Household Reserve Cost Index tracks the USDA Thrifty basket monthly if you want a full-diet cost context.
The calculator is intentionally narrow. Knowing what it does not count is part of using the number honestly.
Weigh or estimate your dry staples, count the canned goods you will actually eat, and note the water you already store. The gap matters more than the total.
Divide the shortfall into weekly purchases. Start with the foods you eat most often, so the reserve rotates instead of becoming clutter.
Write the purchase date and best-by date on each lot. Put the oldest food in front. A ten-minute monthly check is cheaper than replacing a shelf you forgot. The pantry inventory is the printable version of that check.
The paid plan is being built to turn this estimate into a printable shopping list by aisle, an inventory sheet, and a rotation sheet. The free estimate stays free. If you want one note when the plan is ready, join the founding list.
For four adults over 90 days, the calculator produces 360 adult-equivalent person-days. At 1.5 lb of dry food per person-day, that is 540 lb of dry staples: about 390 lb grains, 58.5 lb legumes, 58.5 lb sugar, 15.6 lb dry milk, 9.8 lb fats, and 7.8 lb salt. Canned, frozen, and fresh food are tracked separately.
Children 0–6 count as half an adult for food and budget; children 7–17 count as an adult. Water uses the actual headcount, because Ready.gov's one gallon per person per day is a floor. The paid plan uses USDA age/sex baskets for a finer adjustment.
For four adults over three months, the planning split is 390 lb of grains, 58.5 lb of legumes, 58.5 lb of sugar, 15.6 lb of dry milk, 9.8 lb of fats and oils, and 7.8 lb of salt. These are weight-planning ratios, not a USDA nutrition basket; the paid plan turns them into a 13-week shopping list with packaging and rotation.
At the planning rates, one person needs 45 lb of dry food, 30 gallons of water, and about $90 per month. For three months that is 135 lb, 90 gallons, and $270; for six months it is 270 lb, 180 gallons, and $540. These are planning weights, not a calorie or nutrition target.
It sizes the short-term layer: a three-month supply of foods your household normally eats, using the same planning rates. The six-category split is a cross-check for staple weights, not the Church's official table. For the longer-term supply, use the Church's current Home Storage guidance; we link to it and do not reproduce it.
Ready.gov suggests at least one gallon per person per day for drinking and basic sanitation. For four people over 90 days, that is 360 gallons. Climate, activity, pets, and medical needs can change the amount, so treat the number as a floor for planning, not a guarantee.
No. It is a planning shorthand for the weight of dry staples such as rice, oats, beans, lentils, pasta, and flour. It is not a calorie target or a balanced diet. The full plan is being built around USDA food plans and food groups; this free estimate is a starting point.
The calculator uses $3 per adult-equivalent person-day as a national planning baseline, so four adults for 90 days is $1,080. Local prices, brands, and package sizes change the total. Use the number as a budget range, not a quote, and replace it with the prices you actually pay.
No. It estimates dry staples, water, and a budget. Canned goods add water weight and volume; freezer food depends on power; pets and guests need their own calculation. Track those separately so the dry-food number stays honest.
Buy one week at a time in the order you will eat. Put the oldest food in front, date each lot, and check the shelf once a month. The paid plan turns the total into a weekly shopping list, an inventory sheet, and a rotation sheet.
The water line is Ready.gov'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. Read the full methodology for the formula, the excluded items, and the update policy.
| 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 calculator scales a longer household reserve. | |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Home Storage | A short-term supply of foods in the normal diet and a longer-term supply of basic staples. | Frames the LDS section; we link to the official guidance instead of reproducing its table. | |
| USDA CNPP Food Plans | Weekly food baskets and monthly costs by age and sex. | Reference for the full plan's food groups and budget. This free estimate uses a flat planning rate. | |
| USDA FoodData Central | Calories and nutrients per 100 g, plus branded labels. | Checks calories and food groups in the full plan, not just weight. | |
| FDA FoodKeeper | Storage times for 650+ foods and cold-storage safety. | Sets first-eat and best-by prompts for the rotation sheet. | |
| Bluffdale, Utah — Estimated Basic Food Storage Needs | A published adult year-supply table for grains, legumes, fats, sugars, milk, and salt. | Cross-check for the six-category split; normalised to 1.5 lb per person-day. | |
| BLS Average Price Data | National average food prices and inflation. | Starting point for the budget baseline; replace it with the prices you actually pay. |
Last updated: