While many of us may not experience a natural disaster in our lives, there are still many reasons to prepare now with emergency food and water storage. Loss of a job, economic crisis, dangerous weather conditions, and experiencing a homebound sickness are just some of them.

It can seem daunting to provide for your family in this way, but food storage blogger Valerie Albrechtsen breaks it down easily for us here:

1. Take an inventory of what you already have and like to eat: all the canned, bagged, boxed, and packaged foods in your pantry. Check out this suggested three-month food storage list for a little inspiration. You may already be further along than you think! If you like fresh or frozen food, remember that the shelves in your favorite store will be empty during a disaster. You must figure out something to store. Also, see how much of your long-term foods with a 20- to 30-year shelf life you have at home, such as wheat, rice, and beans.

2. Water storage is a bit different. Every person in your family should have at least two weeks of clean drinking water for use during an emergency. Experts recommend having one gallon per person per day available. You can fill clean plastic containers, such as juice and soda bottles, with drinkable water and store them in a cool, dark place so they will last longer. If you do not have safe drinking water in your home, boil tap water for one minute and let it cool before storing it.

3. Start small. Just buying one or two extra cans of food per week or filling up one container with water can help build your supply! And it won’t break your budget. If you are single or a student, here is a helpful list to get you started.

You can also check out these helpful Mormon Channel videos for more tips.