No doubt the fears of possible coronavirus outbreaks in your community have you wondering if you should be proactive and pick up a few extra items at the store for good measure.
I am a big believer in rotating my food storage supply so that we always have a foundation to rely on during troubled times. That way, if an emergency occurs unexpectedly, we have food, and if there is time to further prepare, we can run to the store to fill in any gaps in our supplies.
How to Protect Your Home, School, Workplace, and Community from a Deadly Pandemic
Over the years, I have made recommendations for the best types of foods to put in your pantry, how to save on emergency food stores by learning how to can and dehydrate your own food sources, as well as providing the best rules to go by when creating an emergency food pantry. Ideally, you want the food you put in those coveted pantry spots to be versatile and serve many uses. These are the preferred food staples I like to keep stored away. I like them because they are versatile, cheap, and can usually be purchased in bulk to cut down on expenses.
Before you begin, take inventory of what you already have. Chances are, you may already have the beginnings of a solid emergency food pantry. While you are doing an inventory of your food and supplies, make a list of items you need to restock or purchase.
That said, the timing of emergencies can sometimes be rather sudden and you have to run to the store and quickly stock up. Therefore, the best advice I can offer you is to stick to the classics and build upon your supply. We like to err on the side of caution when it comes to emergencies and with fears of coronavirus outbreaks close to our community, we decided to pick up a few items to have on hand to reduce our need to run to the store in the coming weeks. Let’s be honest, preparing for the possibility of a pandemic is no easy feat! Here are some of the basics we stocked up on. Keep in mind, this is a basic supply list and is by no means complete. You can find a more extensive preparedness list here. Following these listed foods, are some other considerations to keep in mind.
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Plant-based oil
- Ramen and/or canned soups
- Pasta and sauce
- Rice
- Beans (small beans like lentils and navy beans will require less water and time for cooking)
- Boxed dinners like rice-a-roni and macaroni and cheese
- Oats
- Dried Milk
- Flour
- Honey
- Antibacterial soap and/or hand sanitizer
- Water
- Bleach
A Few Other Items to Consider
For a more extensive food supply list for the family, click here. I also like layering my pantry foods with some healthy food items to ensure a well-rounded diet as well as a supply of multivitamins to keep immune systems healthy. Another item we purchased was pet food for our animals – don’t forget about preparing your pet.
We recently made a bulk purchase of paper goods including toilet paper and paper towels, so we were already stocked up on these basics. Add them to your list, if you need to.
N95 or N100 masks are in short supply at the moment, but we were lucky to find some N95 masks at our local Home Depot. Before you run out and waste your time, go online and see if your local Home Depot store has any in stock. If they do, they are usually in the painting section of the store.
For a full list of pandemic preparedness supplies, click here
How To Save a Buck
I know what you’re thinking. “How on earth am I going to be able to afford to buy all of this extra food?” I get it! Monthly budgets sometimes do not allow for expensive, top of the line purchases. Don’t underestimate what you can find at your local Dollar Store. Check out these 30 prepper-related items you could easily find at your local Dollar Store. Moreover, the checkout lines may not be long compared to the grocery stores. Another trick to beat the supermarket lines is to shop late at night but you take the chance on some items on your shopping list running out.
How Much To Store Away
The CDC has urged everyone to make preparations in the case that this outbreak becomes more widely spread. Therefore, one can assume that social distancing measures and possible periods of home isolation could be in the near future. To give a rough time estimate, many are ensuring they have enough supplies to last them at least 2 weeks and some are preparing for even longer. It is entirely up to you and what your family can plan for.
Hopefully, this primer will get you started on your emergency food pantry endeavors. As well, here are some additional articles to help you create a long-lasting and dependable food pantry.
The Coronavirus Preparedness Handbook
11 Emergency Foods That Last Forever
Five Family Friendly Food Pantry Organizing Tips Anyone Can Do
5 Ways to Stretch Your Meals SHTF Style
72 Hours Without This Will Kill You: Survival Water Fundamentals
One needs to be storing canned meats like tuna, smoke sausages, SPAM, canned chili and salmon just to name a few. Dried meats like jerky are great but $$$$.
Buy tuna in foil packs because they’re convenient and backpack light. I found them for less than a dollar at some stores so I bough quite a bit. Easy to pack out and long shelf light.
Buy protein bars. Easy to pack. Found several brands at a buck per bar or less.
Go to value stores and supermarkets where you can find canned goods cheap.
Salt will be useful if you have to kill your food or if you plan on canning. Buy lots. It’s cheap.
Lard will be needed if you kill your own food also. Wild game is the leanest one can get. Need a little fat for delicious deer summer sausages.
Of note: Masks don’t work.