Food Storage

From personal experience, I think it is smart to stock up on foods when they are on sale and create a food storage.  You never know when you'll hit unemployment issues, lack of funds, hard family circumstances, food shortages, or whatever life throws your way.  Before being laid off of work, deep down I had a feeling that I might be laid off, even though I was PROMISED and convinced that my job was not in jeapordy.  I specifically went to my manager and asked him and he said I had nothing to worry about and there was no way they would let me go, that I was too much of an asset to the company.  Funny how I found myself out of a job.  :(  Since I had that feeling, I thought it would be smart to start setting aside some extra food in case I found myself without funds to purchase food later on.  I started finding all these good deals on bulk buy foods at the grocery stores.  I bought a little extra here and there if I had the means.  When I was let go, it took weeks for me to get the first money from unemployment due to being paid vacation pay that I hadn't taken.  Ugggg.  Thank goodness I had set a little food aside when I had a little extra here and there.  It came in handy more than I ever thought it would. 

Now that I am working, I think I am going to make a special effort to set up a more proficient food storage.  Let's face it, no job is 100% secure.  There are always circumstances arising.  The prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have been preaching for years about the substancial need to create and keep a food storage.  Even if you aren't LDS, it definitely is smart to work toward setting aside a little extra.  It is much more feasible to grocery shop for just a few things instead of a whole paycheck's worth of food when times are tough. 

I viewed the ads this past week and noticed a great deal on rice.  For anyone in the area, Food 4 Less has long grain white rice in 25 pound bags for only $7.98.  I bought one bag.  I know this will last us a while at our house.  My kids won't eat rice plain.  You have to be pretty inventive to get them to eat it.  Certain recipes they will devour containing rice, but most they won't.  So I figure 25 pounds will really last a while in our home.  It beats having to pay full price on smaller bags of rice later.  If my kids were more open to eating rice more frequently, I would have bought an extra bag and put it aside.  But since I know how it is such a fight to have them eat it, I am at a loss.  I just have to figure out more recipes with rice in them that I can manage to convince them to eat. 

I'm not too familiar with the whole food storage subject, but I would like to get into it more.  So I have been viewing different blogs via any search engine.  I have found some really great ideas, but for me it is one step at a time. 

Anyone here very familiar with food storage?  Anyone ready to give us valuable information on how to do it frugally?