3 Month Emergency Food Supply for a Family of 4

Quick answer

A family of 4 needs about 720,000 calories to cover three months, plus 56 gallons of stored water, which is the two week target rather than the 360 gallons three months would otherwise call for. The checklist below hits those targets with regular grocery store items for roughly $1,350 at current prices, and stores in about 20 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 2 345 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.

720,000

Calories to cover

56 gal

Water

≈ $1,350

Est. cost, July 2026

20 totes

Storage space

	Item	Quantity for 4	≈ Calories	Lasts
Grains and staples
	White rice	65 lb	107,250	4 to 5 yrs
	Rolled oats	33 lb	56,100	1 to 2 yrs
	Pasta	39 lb	66,300	2 to 3 yrs
	Crackers	26 boxes	41,600	6 to 9 mo
Proteins
	Canned chicken	78 cans	18,200	2 to 5 yrs
	Canned tuna	52 cans	9,750	2 to 5 yrs
	Canned beans	103 cans	39,900	2 to 5 yrs
	Peanut butter	20 large jars	132,000	1 to 2 yrs
Fruits and vegetables
	Canned vegetables	129 cans	19,350	2 to 5 yrs
	Canned fruit	78 cans	23,400	1 to 2 yrs
	Dried fruit and nuts	26 lb	65,000	6 to 12 mo
Fats, dairy, and extras
	Cooking oil	13 qt	100,100	1 to 2 yrs
	Shelf stable milk	52 qt	31,200	6 to 12 mo
	Honey and sugar	26 lb	44,850	Indefinite
	Salt, spices, coffee, cocoa	1 set	12,850	Varies
Water: 56 gallons stored, the two week target
	Bottled water, 24 packs	7 cases	n/a	2 yrs
	5 gallon jugs	6 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, 20 large jars

+16.5 days

White rice, 65 lb

+13.4 days

Cooking oil, 13 qt

+12.5 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: 720,000 calories total for 4 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 56 gallons of water for three months?

Because a gallon per person per day over three months comes to 360 gallons, and that is 7 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 56 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.