Stockpile Rotation

Do you have a method on rotating your stock pile or your emergency bins?

I've never had a rotation issue with my stockpile mainly because I've never had too much stockpile. I stick strictly with about a 3 month supply when it comes to food items. And usually within that three months there is at least one paycheck where something comes up financially and we use part of our Grocery money for an unexpected bill of some kind. (It's ok Real life happens sometimes and we just roll with it!) This is why I love my stockpile. When things like this come up my family still has a ton of food and they typically don't know that I didn't spend as much on groceries that week.

However, if you do have a large stockpile, make sure to put new items behind the ones you already have. I take a black marker and write the expiration date on the box or bottle big enough that I can see it easily. So if I see I have salad dressings that need to be used up this month I can either plan them into my menu or donate them to someone that can use them within that time frame.

I've seen some ladies that will have a shelf that is designated for items that will expire in the next month or two. As they are putting away their weekly groceries they will move those items to one shelf and then when they are planning their weekly or monthly menu they will start with those items on the menu so they use what needs to be eaten first.

The things that I feel are a MUST when it comes to rotation are the items in my Emergency bins. I don't want to be in an emergency situation and realize my batteries are four years old and no longer work or the food expired 6 months ago. Here is my method of rotation. If I have batteries in my Emergency bin than when I purchase new batteries for my "normal" stockpile I will swap them out for the ones in the bins. Moving the ones from the bins into my pantry for the family to use.

Another way is to mark your calendar every couple of months and set aside time to go through your emergency bins and check the dates. I don't have many things in my bins that will expire anytime soon so I will probably only do this once a year. A good reminder is twice a year when the time changes they say change your smoke detector batteries. You could make it a habit to check your emergency kits at the same time. Just a thought.

Just a side note. My current emergency bins are mainly for toiletries, soap, cleaning supplies, paper products. I don't have a food emergency bin yet so if you do have a food emergency bin you could put a list of the items and expiration dates on the side or top of the bin and then rotate accordingly. My plan for a food emergency bin is to have a bin available and ready to throw food into it if we needed to evacuate again.

These are clearly just my thoughts and what has worked for me and my family. I'm always getting idea's and tips from others who do things differently from me and I love it! There is no Wrong way to do these things. It's a lot of trial and error. Find what works for you and stick with it. Oh and SHARE! Share your ways with others and ask lots of questions if you are trying to solve a specific problem. You'd be surprised how much you could bless someone else by just sharing with them how you organize your crazy stockpile!

I'd love to hear your stories or solutions for crazy storage and rotation of of your stockpile!