Building a long term food storage supply? With the world around us growing more erratic every day, many people are choosing to stock up on food long term. That usually means buying some sort of long term storage food package.

You can find several stores that will sell you from several months - up to a year's worth of foods. But the packages are all different - from all freeze dried meals to the bare basics like flour, powdered milk, sugar, etc. You can also buy a la carte and build your storage up over time.

So how do you choose?

Here are 3 tips when buying and building a long term storage package to help you get the best bang for your buck.

#1 Do You Want To Do-it-Yourself or Do You Want Easy No-Cook Meals?

There are really 2 different types of long term food storage packages - ones that give you almost all freeze dried or dehydrated "no-cook" foods, and packages that give you the "basics" like beans, flour, mixes, etc and you prepare the food yourself.

With the "no-cook" packages, the food is easy to make. You basically add water and stir. Before you know it you're dining on chicken a la king or mashed potatoes and gravy. You're finishing off with blueberry cheesecake. And you're eating eggs with bacon or granola with blueberries for breakfast.

Most no-cook packages consist of freeze dried foods (and sometimes dehydrated foods too). These are superior in taste to dehydrated or canned foods and tend to be more nutritious as well.

Plus you can get complete gourmet meals like spaghetti, beef ravioli or chicken fettuccine just by adding water. So if you're not a gourmet cook (and really, who is during a crisis?), this might be the way to go. On the downside, the no-cook packages usually cost more per meal than the basics packages.

The basics packages are more cost-effective and give you up to a year's worth of flour, pasta, rice, baking mixes, beans, grains and cooking basics like baking soda, salt etc. There ma
y also be some dehydrated fruit or veggies as well.

While these are easier on the budget the downside is that you have to put the time and effort in to prepare these foods. And it can also get very boring if this is all you have to eat (just try eating beans for 5 days in a row and see how you feel).

So when building your long term storage supply, ask yourself if you want one with mostly no-cook meals or one with the cooking basics only.

#2 How Many Calories Per Day Do You Need?

When comparing packages, ask yourself how many calories per day you get with each. For example, I've seen some packages that give you as little as 800 calories per day and others that give you up to 2000 calories per day. Big difference there.

Be realistic - are you really going to subsist on 800 calories per day - especially in a crisis situation? Please.

Make sure you have enough calories per day in any package that you choose. It's tempting to buy the cheapest package but you may find when you actually look at it that you're getting less for the money calorie-wise than other packages.

#3 Do You Want To Buy It Once - Or in Stages?

Do you want to buy an entire package at once with everything you need - or do you prefer to build your food storage in stages? There are benefits to both.

If you buy it in one large package you get it done and over with. And you don't have to worry about being able to get more in the future (there are already shortages in some of the most popular freeze dried foods today). Plus you usually end up saving money because you're buying in bulk. However it can be expensive.

If you buy it in stages, this can be easier on your wallet. However you may end up paying more over the long run (especially as food inflation hits and prices rise). Plus you're not always assured of future availability of your favorite foods.

So those are 3 questions to ask before buying your long term food storage. Take your time and see what's out there. And buy foods you'll enjoy eating. Because eating delicious food will be one of the comforts you'll need should an emergency happen.