I would like to start off by saying it is best to never have all your resources at one location. Natural and man made desaster should come into play when planning. For our family we have 3 stash locations. Our main location for the pantry is our root cellar. When we decided to start canning and develop a major food supply it became apparent we needed a system to rotate stock and consume it before it goes bad. I built shelves along the walls of the old root cellar and it worked out great. Side note: I went to construction sites and gathered scrap wood to build the shelves, cost was very minimal. You would be amazed at what they throw away. Ask permission first. We label all goods with purchase dates and separate by type of food product (Most products come with exp. dates). New product is placed to the back of the rack and older product moved forward. It is natural habit now with the family to stock all incoming foods in the pantry first and take from the front rack when needing items for cooking. Having this system out of the kitchen is amazing and frees up so much room in the cabinets and counter space. Things you should consider when setting up a rack system. Bulk goods: Bulk products such as rice and grains are a great way to gain leverage with your dollar. Dry Goods: Need protection from moisture and creatures. Size: When building shelves take into account the can/sack/container sizes. I will leave you with some pics of some rack and shelves. Good luck And here is a great resource: http://www.emergencyhomepreparation.org/index.php?sid=e41513b859c2224caf387fa0772d7cb7
