First let me say thank you to everyone who wrote words of support. It helped over a couple of bad days when the last thing I wanted to do was to make bread and soup from scratch.
Overall though I have to confess that the challenge was quite easy. I am mostly vegetarian (I eat fish and take emu oil capsules), I think it would be harder for meat eaters. However, having said that, if you had a freezer full of meat and chicken, you'd be able to live off your stockpile with no worries. It would also be more difficult with kids, but not impossible. My sons are grown and living away from home now. You'd have to think of snacks and drinks for small children but as long as you planned you'd be able to do it.
With regards to my own stockpile, I found that most of the things I had met our needs. I never buy on impulse when I shop for my stockpile and I never buy things I haven't eaten and enjoyed before. Whatever is in that stockpile needs to be tried and true. If you're stuck and can't shop for a month, the last thing you'll want to do is to eat food that no one likes. I also thought it was a good idea to provide reward food like pies and cakes when we had such a plain diet. So homemade soup with hot bread, followed by lemon meringue pie or canned salmon with salad with pineapple and coconut cake satisfied everyone. Making those desserts also provided morning or afternoon tea treats and well as snacks if anyone wanted them. So make sure you have cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, powdered milk, canned fruits etc in your stockpile
The thing I missed the most was fresh fruit. We have a vegetable garden so I got plenty of fresh vegetables but when we ran out of oranges and apples, I was unhappy. I had canned pineapple juice in the stockpile but that didn't satisfy my cravings for fruit. neither did making lemonade from the fresh lemons in the backyard. We've recently planted an orange tree in the back yard so in the future I hope to be able to go outside and simply pick and orange. In the meantime, does anyone know how long supermarket oranges can be stored for in the fridge? I'm guessing they would last a good 2 months.
The one thing I will add to my stockpile is a recipe folder with recipes using the stockpile goodies. I found I had to search through my recipe books a lot and I didn't like doing that. I think if you had to live on your stockpile in an emergency or if you're sick, it would be an added burden to look for recipes. I'm going to have a list of different recipes for a variety of soups, casseroles, breads, snacks, cakes, pies, vegetarians curries and drinks. I have a spare A5 three ring binder, I'll write recipes in that and add to it over the coming weeks. Then I'll just have that folder poked in the side of the stockpile cupboard. This will help also if it's not me doing the cooking.
STARTING A STOCKPILE
I started mine by allocating $5 from my grocery budget for items on sale and loss leaders. I only ever buy things I know I'll use and what will keep. When I built the stockpile to a reasonable size, I spent whatever was left over from the grocery budget on stockpile items.
Alternatively, if you can afford it, allocate a set amount for your stockpile. Karen, I think $400 would give you a huge start to your stockpile. Sit down and work out what your family uses and eats. Look at your menu plan and your grocery list and write a list of every item that will sit on a shelf for a long time without an ill effects. Turn yourself into a squirrel - stockpile those items that are on sale, go searching in your neighbourhood for bargains and when you find something, snap it up and add it to your cupboard. Things like:
toilet paper, toothpaste, tooth brushes, tissues, tampons, shampoo, conditioner, soap
anything canned - like soup, chick peas, beans, tomatoes, fruit, fish, condensed or evaporated milk (good for desserts and treats) etc
anything dry - pasta, beans, rice, milk, flour, sugar, spices, oatmeal, cornmeal, stock cubes, tea, coffee.
things in jars - honey, jam, pasta sauce, tomato paste.
cleaning and laundry items: suppies for homemade laundry soap (soap flakes, washing soda and borax), white vinegar, bicarb soda,
medical supplies:
aspirin or panadol, bandaides, antiseptic wipes or cream, any medication your family needs - asthma puffers etc, your contraceptive pill
Only you know what you'll need. So study your buying habits and start putting away those items you buy every week as well as those you use occasionally.
Of course, one of the great side effects of stockpiling is that theoretically, you should never have to pay full retail price for anything in the stockpile. You can "shop" from your stockpile, knowing that you're paying less than most other people who are shopping each week. So always keep your eye open for loss leaders and then stock up on that item when you have a chance. If you can buy 20 cans of tomatoes for $5 (25c/can)and have them sitting in your cupboard waiting for the day you make spaghetti sauce or tomato relish, it's better than rushing out to the supermarket and paying full price for that same item, in my case 89c for normal retail canned tomatoes.
Just a quick work on dried goods. When you bring home things like flour, rice etc., whack it in the freezer for a week or so to kill any pantry moth lavae it might contain. I had an outbreak of pantry moths a few months ago and I had to throw out most of my dried goods. Always make sure you put dried goods in a sealed container when you open them as well. It's better to be safe than sorry.
I hope I've inspired some of you to start stockpiling. It's a really good way of saving money, providing meals in hard times and saving time by not shopping at the supermarket when you're busy.