Watch my video about 3-day food supplies:

When my husband and I decided to start our larder we made a list of all the food stuffs we'd want on hand, and even included things our cats would need. We augmented food to include vitamins and health care items. In short, everything we would need if forced to stay home for many weeks.

We determined a storage location and stock rotation plan. Once the plans were made, it was easy to start picking up individual elements as they were on sale and placing them in our storage area. We didn't have to buy everything at once -- which would mean a significant investment of time and money. But when we did shop, we'd be sure to buy a portion of what was on the list to start building our supplies.

Our research and discussion helped us come up with a list of food stuffs that would store well, be easy to prepare, and be nutritious. We have chosen to not stock up on unhealthy snacks or foods. We are going with foods that have as little factory-processing as possible involved.

Let me suggest you stock foods that are part of your normal routine and diet. Below is a general list of the foods or food types to consider. You can either make a list based on your eating habits, or actually set foods on your table or counter to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner for the length of time you want to be prepared. I think three days is a bare minimum, and a week is better. The more food supplies you have the better, but your space and budget constraints will guide your decision.

A simple list to work with for short-term supplies include:
* canned food items -
    Protein: meats, consider those packed in water like tuna and chicken, and those that are "as is" like liverwurst and ham spread
    Fruits: consider those in natural juices not in heavy syrup; peaches, pears, pineapple, apple sauce, fruit cocktail ...
    Vegetables: corn, beans, peas, tomato (whole, pureed and sauce), carrots, yams, hominy, etc
    Meals: stew, chowder, chili, ravioli, spaghetti, chow mein, ...

* frozen food items -
    the same as you would for canned -- meats, fruits and vegetables, and cheese

* dehydrated items -
    pasta, like spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, lasagna
    mashed potatoes and stuffing
    soups and soup mixes
    bread and muffin mixes
    cheese
    fruit like raisins, blueberries and bananas
    salami and jerky

* canned or shelf-stabilized liquids -
    juices; orange, cranberry, grape, apple, grapefruit, tomato, ...
    milk: powdered, evaporated, or shelf-stable

* staples -
    flour, sugar, cocoa, corn meal, powdered milk (canned or shelf-stabilized would work too -- or consider rice or soy milk as an option, and look for calcium-fortified products; if you can't find them, be sure to add calcium citrate vitamin supplemens to your list)
    salt, pepper, seasonings and spices
    rice, uncooked cereals (oatmeal, cream of wheat, farina are good examples)
    breakfast cereal
    vinegar, baking soda
    cooking oil
    bouillon (cubes or granules)
    condiments
    high energy foods like peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars and trail mix, jello
    comfort foods like cookies, candy, hard candy, nuts
    instant beverages like coffee, tea, cider and hot chocolate
    crackers

* extras -
    vitamins
    simple medical supplies like pain killers, antiseptics, bandaids, allergy medicines, diarrhea
    special diet foods for infants, elderly, diabetic, and those with allergies
    can opener, scissors, knife
    flashlight and batteries
    paper plates, cups, utensils, and trash bags.
    pet supplies as appropriate
    hygiene items like soap, shampoo
    cleaning supplies like dish soap, bathroom cleaners
    disinfectants like unscented chlorine or iodine
     thermometer
    alcohol-based hand cleaner

As you bring things home, write the purchase date on the top with an indelible pen and put them in your storage area. Will it be one specific shelf in your home, one that's not exposed to high temperatures or humidity? Perhaps in a box in a closet, basement or crawl space? If not on a kitchen shelf, consider putting the items in plastic bins or buckets, or even a metal footlocker.

Be sure to rotate your stock according to a general rule.
     * every six months - dried fruits, crackers, cooking oil, nuts, powdered milk and potatoes
     * annually - canned meats, vegetables, fruit, juices, soup, uncooked cereal, peanut butter, jelly, candy

Some food items can be stored almost indefinitely, if in proper containers and conditions, such as wheat, corn, baking powder, sugar, salt, instant beverages, white rice, bouillon products, dry pasta, powdered milk that's in nitrogen-packed cans, and vitamin C.

So how much do you need to stockpile? I've seen a wide range of suggestions of what and how much to get, so I'm going to synthesize the lists I've seen to share here. Of course your dietary needs will guide you to a certain extent, but here's a minimum for starting your larder. This list is geared towards two people for three days. Extend the list as necessary to account for the number of people in your household and the length of time you want to be prepared for. Modify the list to suit your needs and to account for differently sized containers than we have suggested here.
     * Canned Meat: 3 - 6 oz cans
     * Canned Vegetables: 6 - 15 oz cans
     * Canned Fruit: 6 - 20 oz cans
     * Canned Meal: 3 - 15-20 oz cans
     * Starch: "spaghetti" pkg
     * Breakfast: Cereal - 1 box
     * Canned Milk: 2 - 12 oz can
     * Canned Juice: 6 - 10 oz bottles
     * Soup: 1 - 11 1/2 oz can
     * Water: 6 gallons

These supplies cost me $50.40 in March 2007, from a Kroger's food store. The food supply, minus the water, fits into a paper case. I bought Kroger's brands when it didn't matter to me, but I didn't scrimp in some areas either. I tried to stick to my environmental convictions of no plastic as much as possible. And I tried to buy healthy and foods options as much as possible too.

One problem I realized as I bought these foods was that it's cheaper to buy for longer periods of time because you can buy larger cans, get more diversity and catch sales as they happen. So that I could have the diversity I like in my food choices, I made different choices than my research had suggested to me; you'll probably do the same as well. Here's what I ended up buying.
     * Canned Meat: 3 - 6 oz cans; Alaskan salmon (I already have tuna and chicken)
     * Canned Vegetables: 6 - 15 oz cans, 2 corn and 2 beans (though I'll get more of other     things so I have items I can barter)
* Canned Fruit: 6 - 20 oz cans; 2-peach slices, 2-pears,1-whole-cranberry sauce, 1-small can of chunk pineapple, 2-fruit cocktail, 1- small can of mandarin oranges (if I were buying for a longer period, I'd add apple sauce too) -- I bought these in juice, not syrup
     * Canned Meal: 3 - 15-20 oz cans; beef stew, mini ravioli, chili with beans
     * Starch: 1 - 16 oz pkg of spaghetti
     * Spaghetti sauce; 26 oz
     * Breakfast: Cereal - 1 24 oz box of grapenuts (I like this cereal because of the lack of sugar and additives, and in my imagination it will store longer)
     * Canned Milk: 2 - 12 oz can
     * Canned Juice: 6 - 11.5 oz cans of V8 and 6 - 5.5 oz cans of apple juice (I'll get more variety with time, avoiding plastic as much as possible)
     * Soup: 3 - 11.25 oz can; bean with bacon, vegetable in beef broth, and chicken noodle
     * Water: 7.5 gallons; 3-2.5 gallon dispensers of distilled water

Watch the expiration dates as you buy; some stores carry food items close to their expiration dates. Not all foods go bad on that date, but it's good to hedge your bets and buy food with expiration dates out as far as you can.

If you decide to plan further ahead than a few days to a week, see the article about a one-month and a one-year supply. If you aren't convinced a larder is important, consider the article on The Idea Behind Food Storage.