1 Year Emergency Food Supply for a Family of 2
Supply Plans · Targets follow FEMA and Ready.gov guidance · Prices checked July 2026
Quick answer
A family of 2 needs about 1,460,000 calories to cover one year, plus 28 gallons of stored water, which is the two week target rather than the 730 gallons one year would otherwise call for. The checklist below hits that with sacks and tins that outlive the plan, for roughly $1,800 at current prices, and stores in about 24 five gallon buckets, which in practice means shelving rather than a closet floor.
Targets: 2,000 calories per person per day, and 1 gallon of water per person per day for two weeks
Every combination has its own page, so the numbers are always exact and the link you share always shows the right plan.
1,460,000
Calories to cover
28 gal
Water
≈ $1,800
Est. cost, July 2026
24 buckets
Storage space
The shopping checklist
| Item | Quantity for 2 | ≈ Calories | Lasts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grains and staples | ||||
| White rice | 240 lb | 396,000 | 25 yrs sealed | |
| Rolled oats | 80 lb | 136,000 | 2 to 3 yrs | |
| Pasta | 60 lb | 102,000 | 2 to 3 yrs | |
| All purpose flour | 50 lb | 82,500 | 1 to 2 yrs | |
| Proteins | ||||
| Dried beans and lentils | 100 lb | 155,000 | 8 to 10 yrs | |
| Peanut butter | 24 large jars | 158,400 | 1 to 2 yrs | |
| Canned meat and fish | 120 cans | 27,600 | 2 to 5 yrs | |
| Fruits and vegetables | ||||
| Canned vegetables and fruit | 200 cans | 36,000 | 2 to 5 yrs | |
| Dried fruit and nuts | 30 lb | 75,000 | 6 to 12 mo | |
| Fats, dairy, and extras | ||||
| Cooking oil | 20 qt | 154,000 | 1 to 2 yrs | |
| Powdered milk | 50 lb | 90,000 | 2 to 10 yrs | |
| Honey and sugar | 70 lb | 120,750 | Indefinite | |
| Salt, spices, coffee, cocoa | 1 set | 16,000 | Varies | |
| Water: 28 gallons stored, the two week target | ||||
| Bottled water, 24 packs | 4 cases | n/a | 2 yrs | |
| 5 gallon jugs | 3 jugs | n/a | 1 to 2 yrs | |
Totals land slightly above the 1,460,000 calorie target on purpose: quantities are rounded up, and appetite goes up in a real emergency. Swap freely inside each category to match what your family actually eats. to take it shopping. No email required.
In the app
Turn this list into your family's number
Add these items once and Provision Planner counts it for you: how many days you are covered, what expires when, and what to restock. About 2 minutes, and the free plan is enough to start.
See how many days you haveDays covered
365 days
White rice, 240 lb
+99.0 days
Peanut butter, 24 large jars
+39.6 days
Dried beans and lentils, 100 lb
+38.8 days
1 year goal reached · 15 items tracked · expiry warnings on
What one year actually looks like
Day 30
AM Oatmeal with dried fruit and honey
Noon Tuna and crackers
PM Rice and beans with canned vegetables
Day 180
AM Peanut butter on crackers, canned fruit
Noon Chicken and rice bowl
PM Pasta with canned vegetables and oil
Day 350
AM Oatmeal with peanut butter
Noon Bean and vegetable stew
PM Chicken, pasta, and canned fruit
Frequently asked questions
Is 2,000 calories per person per day enough?
It is the standard planning baseline, and it is what this page uses: 1,460,000 calories total for 2 people over one year. Young children need less, teenagers and adults doing physical work need more. If your household skews either way, size up or down one step with the selector above, or let Provision Planner calculate it per person.
Why only 28 gallons of water for one year?
Because a gallon per person per day over one year comes to 730 gallons, and that is 13 fifty-five gallon drums. Almost nobody has the floor for it, and stored water needs rotating anyway. So the honest target is two weeks stored, which is 28 gallons, plus a way to keep making more: a filter rated for pathogens, unscented bleach for chemical treatment, and a known source you can reach on foot. A plan this long is really a plan for a situation where the taps come back or you move.
Why does this list look different from the two week one?
Because a year of food is not fifty-two grocery runs stacked in a garage. Crackers and shelf-stable milk are gone in six to twelve months, so a year plan is built from sacks and tins that outlive it: rice, beans, oats, oil, powdered milk, honey. Sealed in mylar with oxygen absorbers, the grains and legumes here keep for decades. The tinned and dried food carries the variety, and you rotate that part.
Related plans
Go deeper: The 1-Year Food Supply: What It Really Costs · Mylar Bags for Food Storage
Calorie and water targets follow FEMA and Ready.gov emergency planning guidance. Cost estimate reflects typical U.S. grocery prices for July 2026 from our monthly price check. This is general planning guidance: adjust for allergies, medical needs, and what your household actually eats.