If your question is not answered in a thorough reading of the User Guide nor found here, click here to submit your question.

Q. How do I open the Recipes in version 4.0/4.1/5.0?

A. Select Open... under the File menu. The open dialog will appear. Find the Food Storage Planner 4.x or 5.0 folder in your computer in the Program Files folder on your C drive. Next, at the bottom of the open dialog, there is a drop down list with the label, "Files of type:". Select "FSR Files" and the Recipe Book file shipped with FSP should then appear in the dialog window for you to select and then open it. You will only have to do this once. Thereafter, FSP will remember where the file is and automatically open it upon launch.

Q. If I don't want to store a certain item because I don't like it is there a way to delete it, and if I do so, will the software automatically increase other foods to make up for the deleted item?

A. You can delete any item, but the software will not automatically increase the amount of another food item to make up for the one you deleted or decreased for whatever reason. Why? Simply put, how would it know what food you want to replace it with? You must select the item you DO want to replace/increase it with and add quantity to that item, while deleting or decreasing the food item that you have decided against.

Q. How did you come up with these items and quantities to be sure this is what my family needs?

A. The food items pre-listed in the "Supermarket" Survival Priority level are based on survival needs for generally one year. The quantities and variety of items are suggested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the South Dakota and Utah State University Extension Services, the Welfare Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, consulted dieticians, and local food storage specialists. More often than not, these sources disagreed on required amounts. We carefully analyzed each "Survival" item and merged the consensus of the sources, slanting generously. This approach insures, in time of crisis, that you will have the required minimum and perhaps just a little bit more. Standard and Luxury level items are are reasonable estimates, but in any case, you should experiment to see how much you use of your favorite products.

Q. How do I change the size of container that I want to store? The size that is preset isn't what I have in my storage, i.e. we want to change a canned food item from 28 oz. can size to 112 oz. can size?

A. You can choose to increase/decrease the container size as you wish. You simply need to multiply it out. For example, if the software says: Store 30 @ 28 oz. cans of XX (30 x 28 oz. = 840 oz.) but you want to store 112 oz. can size instead, then 840 divided by 112 = 8. The exact conversion would be 8 cans so you would change it to read: Store 8 112 oz. cans of XX.

Q. Is there a forum where I can exchange ideas with other users of FSP and get help as well?

A. Yes! Visit OrganizeMe.com to see what other users are doing with FSP!

Q. I still have the older version 2.03, and when I select New... from the File menu for the first time, FSP gives me an "illegal operation" type of error and then quits, OR: When I click on the Goal icon in the Setup window, the whole window is blank. What gives?

A. Both questions above are related and have the same solution. You are most likely using an old version of Windows 95 (such as Win95-A) which lacks one or more important DLL files for the operating system. In the Setup/Goals window we have a calendar object that is trying to display and if you don't have the necessary components in your Operating System, it either makes the whole window go blank or it crashes the program. To solve this, use a work-around that we have developed. In doing this, you remove the calendar object from the window and replace it with a simple date field. FSP operates the same, it's just that you lose the convenience of clicking on a calendar and will need to type in a date. Do the following:

1. Click on the following link to download the fix: Calendar Off Fix. Remember where you put it on your hard drive (C drive). You will only need to run it once. This should already be in your FSP folder in the Program Files folder.

2. Make sure you aren't running FSP (exit the program if necessary).

3. Double-click on "calendar_off.reg". You will be asked a question about the registry. Just click Yes. The problem should be fixed! Launch FSP.

Upgrading to FSP version 4.1 will also solve this problem.

Q. How do I add a Vendor of my own?

In order to add a vendor, type it directly in the Pantry View field. For example, click on, say, corn meal. In the Goal section at the bottom you have "granary" as the vendor. Just click into the field and type the name of the store you want. After you type in a new name, it will become available in the drop down list the next time you select it.

Q. How do I add an item and put it in an Aisle in versions 3.x-4.x ?

A. In order to add an item, select New Item near the bottom of the Supermarket menu. This will add an "untitled item" to the bottom of the supermarket (scroll to the bottom). Type in the name of this item and then press enter. Then click on it again. You will see it load into the right side of the screen, which is the Pantry View. In the Pantry view you specify properties of the item you added, such as selecting its Aisle in the Aisle drop down in versions priior to 4.0. Once you specify an Aisle for it in the drop down, the item will move to that Aisle. In version 4.0+ just drag and drop the item in the desired Aisle. You also need to specify its Priority, Shelf Life, Unit Cost, and so forth.

Upgrade to version 5, and eliminate this!

Q. How come the expiration field is grayed out in the purchases window? I want to set my own expiration date!

A. The only time this field is grayed out or "disabled", is when the Shelf Life reads N/A. In other words, a pair of boots doesn't have a shelf life, so N/A entered in the shelf life field in the Pantry, disables the expiration date. To change this, just enter a valid shelf life as described in the user guide.