# Assessing Prep Levels?



## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

I'm working on a spreadsheet to track food storage, both short and long term. ( I use OpenOffice. ) Now what I'm trying to determine is how often I should I take inventory? Everyday? Once a week? What does everyone else do?

Long term items I don't think I would inventory every week, but I think rotation is important even with the long term storage items, because I want to get used to using it. You all know the phrase, store what you eat, and eat what you store. Same thing with canned goods. I don't want them to sit around, and donate them before they expire. I want to use the food.

Also, how often do you assess other areas of preparedness? Do you review your "bug out"  ( Yes I used the phrase... ) plans on a regular basis? Do you review and inventory your backpack contents on a regular basis? Do you ocassionaly drive routes you might use to check them out in case something has changed? For example, road construction might delay you when you head to your retreat? Do you ocassionly make sure family members are following opsec?

If you don't regularly asses your prep levels why not?

In the long run, I'll make a decision, but it's always good to get ideas from other people; especially from members of this forum.


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## pandamonium (Feb 6, 2011)

Zanazaz said:


> Also, how often do you assess other areas of preparedness? Do you review your "bug out"  ( Yes I used the phrase... ) .


OOOOOoooooo!!! YOU SAID IT!!!!!!! I'm tellin MOM!!

Well, for inventory isn't an issue yet. Just don't have enough yet!!  
As far as going through my bags, yup all the time. Always looking for alternative every things!!


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## phxrising (Jun 24, 2012)

I inventory my storage on a spreadsheet as well, and what I did to start, was do a full inventory of everything, then set up a tab for each category (ie, beans & legumes, baking supplies, vegetables, etc..) and put in the counts. When I take, I write it down and then go into the spreadsheet and subtract one. When I do grocery shopping, I replace what I took and then try to buy some more of something. This is how I'm slowly building a storage and keeping track of it.

This way, you don't have to count it more than once--it sounds like a lot of work to keep updating the spreadsheet but it becomes a habit, its easier to track what you need, and you don't have to do a full count of everything ever again.


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## Tribal Warlord Thug (Jan 27, 2009)

we use a dry-erase board in our pantry to keep track of the goin' ins and goin' outs....easier to do then spreadsheets and inventory sheets.......as far reviewin' our 'bug out'.........we already chose to  now its just a matter of gittin' up our new homestead and making it 'Home'. life is good in the Ozarks. :wave:


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

I guess I'm kinda lax about it. My canned goods don't get replaced until they go on sale; it would cause me pain to pay full price for a can of corn.  Right now we're pretty low on canned pumpkin & cranberry sauce, but I won't buy any until November sales. So if the SHTF now we'll be eating canned pineapple & sweet potatoes instead of cranberry & pumpkin but I can live with that. I just keep enough so that we always have enough to eat if the SHTF.

Our long term storage is left alone for the most part. When we need pintos, for example, we get a bucket fromLT storage & pour the beans into half gallon mason jars. The bucket is then refilled & put back into LT storage & the jars are put in one of the short term pantries. It's not a perfect system but it's easy to maintain, a quality that's a necessity for me.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

My system is a lot like TSRWivey. I replenish as I go and I generally go through my inventory on a yearly basis. I date my cans and add the new ones to the back so when I'm cooking I grab the oldest first. It is basically the same set up that my mom and grandma used.


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## Moby76065 (Jul 31, 2012)

Here's a really cool site if you want your preps inventory stored in the cloud.

www.editgrid.com
It's a spreadsheet on line.
Don't worry, it's secure.


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

Thanks everybody. I'll probably do many of the same things. I like redundacy.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

tsrwivey said:


> I guess I'm kinda lax about it.


Well, I don't feel so bad anymore knowing I'm not alone. All this talk about spreadsheets and updating them every time you take something out and again when you replace it was making me dizzy. :surrender:

I'm one to just look at the supply each time something is removed and decide whether it needs replaced now of if it can wait awhile. If I look towards the back of a row and can immediately see the end of it, it's time to replenish that particular item. Yep. I've occasionally had that WHOOPS moment where I discover I'm taking the last can, jar or bottle of something but not too often. So I'll just stick with the visual method. :dunno:


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

No spreadsheets for me ... :dunno:

As the garden come in and I put it up ... it goes to the back (or left of new)

Alway done it this way ... Always will.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

My system: "Oh look, there's an empty spot on the shelf. I must be out of something." 

(Well, actually my system is a cross between trswivey, Andi, and the above method.)


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

I think it's great that those methods work for you, UncleJoe & Andi. Me? I hate those WHOOPS moments.

I like the versatility of having my inventories on a spreadsheet. I can track usage, i.e. how fast I go through certain supplies, and determine how much I need for a specific length of time. I can also use formulas to determine how many cans of beans I need to acquire, to increase food storage for say six months, based on usage I've already tracked. Yeah, it's going to be a bit of work to get started, but I want to know what I have on hand. There are a couple of other advantages, but these probably wouldn't be important to anyone but me. I can tend to be a bit OCD.

Eventually everything is going to be inventoried.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

What I need is a system to know how much certain food items cost per unit at various locations. Let's say TP is 0.67 per roll at Big Lots, but I find it on sale at Meijer for 0.59 per roll - then I know to purchase some at Meijer. I used to have a decent memory for grocery prices, but with the prices changing like they do these days, my brain can't stay on top of it.


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> What I need is a system to know how much certain food items cost per unit at various locations. Let's say TP is 0.67 per roll at Big Lots, but I find it on sale at Meijer for 0.59 per roll - then I know to purchase some at Meijer. I used to have a decent memory for grocery prices, but with the prices changing like they do these days, my brain can't stay on top of it.


I've been thinking the same thing. I need to stretch my dollars as far as I can. However, trying to track all the prices of things you buy in your town/city is so labor and time intensive, I'm not sure it's worth the time.

I wish there was a website that did that. I'm sure most groceries stores keep the prices on a computer network because they scan the barcodes at the checkout. I guess the companies are to worried some hacker might change the prices.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

UncleJoe said:


> Well, I don't feel so bad anymore knowing I'm not alone. All this talk about spreadsheets and updating them every time you take something out and again when you replace it was making me dizzy. :surrender:
> 
> I'm one to just look at the supply each time something is removed and decide whether it needs replaced now of if it can wait awhile. If I look towards the back of a row and can immediately see the end of it, it's time to replenish that particular item. Yep. I've occasionally had that WHOOPS moment where I discover I'm taking the last can, jar or bottle of something but not too often. So I'll just stick with the visual method. :dunno:


We must be kin--many times we have the same notions about many things.
Like Uncle Joe, I just know when I've used 10 cans of tuna, a jug of vinegar or a bucket of sugar, etc. and replace them.:ignore:
I have enough that I don't run to the store just to replace a can or two.
And if I ever have a 'whoops' moment--this world is doomed!!! I have not bought a few of anything in over 3 years.
I also track usage--it's with a sharpie; dh brought me his Gillette Fusion package opened Feb 4th--that means he has started his 4th blade; they will last about 8 months. By that I know how long the stored fusions will last him; same for most of my stores---sharpie, dated when opened, assessed when depeted how long they lasted, know how much I have and how long the will last.
No inventory needed--been there, done that--labor/time intensive.


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## wildcat (Oct 26, 2011)

I'm not really a spreadsheet guy either. Most of my inventory control is visual...If low on something, it goes on a simple list, usually handwritten... I date stuff and rotate FIFO... Kind of a PITA, but the way I was taught/brought up... Pretty much resembles how I would track stuff without all the modern conveniences... Not perfect, but for the most part, it works for me, and thankfully, my method wouldn't change much if something "bad" happened...


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

The whole idea of a computerized inventory is to aid me in stocking up, and tracking how much I have, and perhaps how much more I want to acquire. Easy to do with a spreadsheet. After an event, especially a bad one, I probably won't be running out to the stores anyway.


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## wildcat (Oct 26, 2011)

Zanazaz said:


> The whole idea of a computerized inventory is to aid me in stocking up, and tracking how much I have, and perhaps how much more I want to acquire. Easy to do with a spreadsheet. After an event, especially a bad one, I probably won't be running out to the stores anyway.


That's cool. I'm not down on how you do it. I don't think anybody is. I was just responding to the question you asked: "What does everyone else do?"

After a while, it may become "routine" to you. I know it has for me. I don't have to make a "conscious effort" to track my stuff. It's kind of just a part of how I live.

My GF does it like you. She uses an Excel spreadsheet, she also labels the contents of boxes so she knows what's in them without opening them. (Like, attaches an inventory sheet to the box.)

I just know what I got and where I got it.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Zanazaz said:


> The whole idea of a computerized inventory is to aid me in stocking up, and tracking how much I have, and perhaps how much more I want to acquire. Easy to do with a spreadsheet.


Just like anything else; you do whatever works best for you.


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## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

Our prep levels are in use but we're still able to get by. Just started living off my preps. Still, many of the preps I've made are training and skill sets that are renewable and just now coming to fruit. It's harvest time and I'm still preserving foods. Still picking up deals where possible and hopefully in the next week or two I'll be out hunting increasing our stock of foods.
So, as we're using things, we're able to replace them for now from the gardens.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Zanazaz said:


> ...What does everyone else do?...


Usually twice a year I check over to make sure what I have matches what I think I have. And I keep track of what I think I have on the spreadsheet I came up with.

PrepperGuide.ods I originally posted it in the topic http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f2/prepper-guide-7356/#post82448.

If you don't mind sharing yours (the shell/template, not the contents!) when you finish I, for one, would be interested in seeing how you implemented it.


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

CulexPipiens said:


> Usually twice a year I check over to make sure what I have matches what I think I have. And I keep track of what I think I have on the spreadsheet I came up with.
> 
> PrepperGuide.ods I originally posted it in the topic http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f2/prepper-guide-7356/#post82448.
> 
> If you don't mind sharing yours (the shell/template, not the contents!) when you finish I, for one, would be interested in seeing how you implemented it.


Nice spreadsheet. I think you saved me alot of work. I might add a couple of things, but that's about perfect for what I want to do! :2thumb:

Now that I looked over it some more, I'm really impressed. Great job. One question, how do you get the colors of the cells to change??? That's a nice trick.

Actually, I'll continue to work on mine, but just because I'm trying to get better at OpenOffice.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

A couple of you mentioned wanting a local price comparison list to help your memory so you know if you run into a good deal. I don't personally do this, but I know some extreme couponing or food storage blogs have templates for binders that they keep updated with price comparisons ... they organize their coupons in the plastic page protectors, along with various other sections such as local normal prices in each local store for things their family uses, maybe a printout from the local 'frugal mom' type website that lists weekly ad deals for all local stores, etc. It's worth checking out to see if there is a frugal blog type site maintained by someone in your area. Those couponing moms are uber-organized, many have downloadable spreadsheets or templates.


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

Lake Windsong said:


> A couple of you mentioned wanting a local price comparison list to help your memory so you know if you run into a good deal. I don't personally do this, but I know some extreme couponing or food storage blogs have templates for binders that they keep updated with price comparisons ... they organize their coupons in the plastic page protectors, along with various other sections such as local normal prices in each local store for things their family uses, maybe a printout from the local 'frugal mom' type website that lists weekly ad deals for all local stores, etc. It's worth checking out to see if there is a frugal blog type site maintained by someone in your area. Those couponing moms are uber-organized, many have downloadable spreadsheets or templates.


That's a great idea!  Thanks!!!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

My bug out system is like a work of practical tactical art. I have meticulously determine every aspect of our bug out and continuously inspect all food stuffs and gear to ensure instant readiness. I refresh bug out water sources on a regular basis and rotate other supplies. Associated weapons and ammunition are routinely detail stripped, cleaned and lubricated. We never allow fuel levels in our vehicles to go below 51% full. I even conduct flash drills to determine out ability to quickly access to the equipment and supplies so boots can hit the ground. 

My bug in system is much like the government; half-assed with some good intentions and rampant broken promises. Okay it's better than that but not by much. I am in the early stages so I basically buy an extra couple cans of this or that every time I go to the store and shop clearance sections as much as possible. I am sitting somewhere in the 3-4 weeks worth of supplies range, so no organization is really needed yet. But when I get there I am certain it will be based on visual inspection and stock rotation.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

when I use something I put it on my grocery list. when I go to the store I buy what is at a good price. if I don't buy what is on my list, then I had it to the top of my new list. when something is at a very good price then I get it even if it is not needed at that time an add it to the preps. don't be locked in to only following a list. buy by price/need and anything at good price that will keep will be a good reason to deviate from your list.


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## ntvtxn (Jul 19, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> What I need is a system to know how much certain food items cost per unit at various locations. Let's say TP is 0.67 per roll at Big Lots, but I find it on sale at Meijer for 0.59 per roll - then I know to purchase some at Meijer. I used to have a decent memory for grocery prices, but with the prices changing like they do these days, my brain can't stay on top of it.


If you have a smart phone, down load a bar code reader app. I used to have one and it would let me know different prices from stores within a certain distance


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

stayingthegame said:


> when I use something I put it on my grocery list. when I go to the store I buy what is at a good price. if I don't buy what is on my list, then I had it to the top of my new list. when something is at a very good price then I get it even if it is not needed at that time an add it to the preps. don't be locked in to only following a list. buy by price/need and anything at good price that will keep will be a good reason to deviate from your list.


I make similiar lists, if we aren't running too low, it will stay on my shopping list till it's on sale. Most stores have a pattern to when they put certain items on sale. Once you figure out that pattern, you can stock up based on weekly sale ads.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

ntvtxn said:


> If you have a smart phone, down load a bar code reader app. I used to have one and it would let me know different prices from stores within a certain distance


Thanks, ntvtxn. I've heard about those apps, and they sound really neat. (also iPad apps) However, my phone is the dumb kind, and we have made the economic decision not to raise its IQ.


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## radio477 (Feb 9, 2012)

I just keep buying more, and i can buy it faster than we can use it, 10 for 10 sales and i buy 50, buy 1 get 1 and buy 50, wifey says i just can't pass up a deal. Shelves get full i buy more shelves, gonna have to do a home addition so i can have more storage space. Wifey works at a county market store and brings home stuff everyday i think, she likes "deals" too. Seems like i just keep buying more, never use it, just keep adding to the stock pile. Geesh; i feel like a slave to the prep pile. The latest this, the newest that, yep i gotta have it. An actual assessment would probably scare the crap out of me, but hey ignorance is bliss right? Mom and dad live close and there is a sale this weekend, wonder how much rooms in there basement?


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## deetheivy (Aug 7, 2012)

i have spent over ten years cooking in kitchens and i would say that a little research in that area would turn up tons of additional info for you, after doing a google search for restaurant food inventory form i got a but load of info, 

as for me having done it for so long i am a visual and memory person, and i also use the FIFO(first in first out) concept i believe wildcat first mentioned

culex didnt get to download your spread sheet yet, but will do as soon as possible.

hope im not repeating what may have been in there but i like the idea of the spread sheet, because i prep using a mindset of how many total calories do i have in my food prep. a spread sheet could give me a total on calories, vitamins, fat, carbs, etc. and knowing that i need 1200 to 2400 calories a day, then simple division gives me my total number of days worth of food i have.

thanks think ill start one later today


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

deetheivy said:


> ...culex didnt get to download your spread sheet yet, but will do as soon as possible.
> 
> hope im not repeating what may have been in there but i like the idea of the spread sheet, because i prep using a mindset of how many total calories do i have in my food prep. a spread sheet could give me a total on calories, vitamins, fat, carbs, etc. and knowing that i need 1200 to 2400 calories a day, then simple division gives me my total number of days worth of food i have.
> 
> thanks think ill start one later today


Do yourself a favor, and download the spreadsheet. It will save you a lot of time. It covers just about everything you mention.


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## deetheivy (Aug 7, 2012)

thanks zan i figured thats what would end up happening now as soon as i get home it will be done


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I'm a spreadsheet guy. It's what you become when you're educated to be an accountant. I keep track of everything I bought so I'd get the right quantity of things. For example, I bought 50 canned hams and 50 cans of corn. With other things I bought more than what we need to give ourselves flexibility. We have something like 180 boxes of Mac & Cheese, 200 cups of ramen noodles, a total of 100 cans each of 3 different Campbell's Soups.

We're also prepping for four cats. Our two and my stepson's two. So we have about 250 pounds of dry food, 360 5 1/2 ounce cans of wet food, and literally a ton of kitty litter.


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## ntvtxn (Jul 19, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> Thanks, ntvtxn. I've heard about those apps, and they sound really neat. (also iPad apps) However, my phone is the dumb kind, and we have made the economic decision not to raise its IQ.


I understand that one. I only have one for my work. My personal phone is a dumb one. I know having two phones is extravagant but it's better than being on vacation and work calling me for a dumb reason.


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## ReadyMom (Feb 25, 2011)

Well, I feel like I am the anal one then, because I have a 'tag' system that I use on my pantry:

I have food items stored by category (veggies, pastas, baking, pets, spices, etc.).

When I shop, I put a tape a small yellow label on each item (usually where it is opened or a cooking direction is located). When an item is taken out of our preps, the yellow label has to be removed and put in a jar, in the kitchen. This is my 'inventory control'. I had to figure something out, because the kids and hubby were taking items they wanted and I wasn't realizing that we ran out! Now they all take off the tags and I can keep track.

Then I use those labels to adjust my count in my master Excel Inventory sheet. I also have a list of used items that I keep in my coupon box, so that (for example) I know we've used up 15 cans of corn and when it goes on sale I can replace those cans or just buy 1 or two at a time till I replace them. I take a complete inventory once a year. Usually during the cold winter months, when I'm the weather is horrible and I'm stuck in the house.

I also have a small 'year tag'. that I tape to each item as I put it away. Each year is a different color. I preprint them on colored paper and just put the month in so it will read: "07-10". At a quick glance see the color and I can tell when things for the current year have to get pulled to use up (if they have a short shelf life) and they will go into our kitchen pantry. It also makes it easier to see the expiration dates, which are really had to see, most times.










Yes, it does take longer to put my groceries away, but in the long run so worth it. If anyone is interested, I have the files all preset and don't mind sharing.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

As we are working on being self sustaining we use our preps. Which has resulted in a few opps we're out, I need to plant more tomatoes next year or I did not need to spend that much time fishing. But that is one of the advantages of being self sustaining now. If I am short we go to the store. If you try beginning to be self sustaining after SHTF and are short, you starve. One more reason to live on your BOL and make it self sustaining now.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Zanazaz said:


> Now that I looked over it some more, I'm really impressed. Great job. One question, how do you get the colors of the cells to change??? That's a nice trick.


Conditional Formatting.

Took me a bit to figure that out the first time too.


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