3 Month Emergency Food Supply for a Family of 3

Quick answer

A family of 3 needs about 540,000 calories to cover three months, plus 42 gallons of stored water, which is the two week target rather than the 270 gallons three months would otherwise call for. The checklist below hits those targets with regular grocery store items for roughly $1,025 at current prices, and stores in about 15 large totes, 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

People

1 234 5 6

Duration

3 days 1 week 2 weeks 1 month3 months1 year

Every combination has its own page, so the numbers are always exact and the link you share always shows the right plan.

540,000

Calories to cover

42 gal

Water

≈ $1,025

Est. cost, July 2026

15 totes

Storage space

	Item	Quantity for 3	≈ Calories	Lasts
Grains and staples
	White rice	49 lb	80,850	4 to 5 yrs
	Rolled oats	25 lb	42,500	1 to 2 yrs
	Pasta	29 lb	49,300	2 to 3 yrs
	Crackers	20 boxes	32,000	6 to 9 mo
Proteins
	Canned chicken	58 cans	13,550	2 to 5 yrs
	Canned tuna	39 cans	7,300	2 to 5 yrs
	Canned beans	78 cans	30,250	2 to 5 yrs
	Peanut butter	15 large jars	99,000	1 to 2 yrs
Fruits and vegetables
	Canned vegetables	97 cans	14,550	2 to 5 yrs
	Canned fruit	58 cans	17,400	1 to 2 yrs
	Dried fruit and nuts	20 lb	50,000	6 to 12 mo
Fats, dairy, and extras
	Cooking oil	10 qt	77,000	1 to 2 yrs
	Shelf stable milk	39 qt	23,400	6 to 12 mo
	Honey and sugar	20 lb	34,500	Indefinite
	Salt, spices, coffee, cocoa	1 set	9,650	Varies
Water: 42 gallons stored, the two week target
	Bottled water, 24 packs	6 cases	n/a	2 yrs
	5 gallon jugs	5 jugs	n/a	1 to 2 yrs

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 have

Days covered

90 days

Peanut butter, 15 large jars

+16.5 days

White rice, 49 lb

+13.5 days

Cooking oil, 10 qt

+12.8 days

3 months goal reached · 17 items tracked · expiry warnings on

What three months actually looks like

Day 10

AM Oatmeal with dried fruit and honey
Noon Tuna and crackers
PM Rice and beans with canned vegetables

Day 45

AM Peanut butter on crackers, canned fruit
Noon Chicken and rice bowl
PM Pasta with canned vegetables and oil

Day 80

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: 540,000 calories total for 3 people over three months. 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 42 gallons of water for three months?

Because a gallon per person per day over three months comes to 270 gallons, and that is 5 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 42 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.

How do I keep all this from expiring?

Buy foods your family already eats, store the newest purchases at the back, and eat from the front. The Lasts column above shows how long each item keeps. Provision Planner tracks the dates for you and warns you before anything expires.

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.