So you’re going shopping because you’re concerned that you may be forcibly cloistered or you may self-cloister for two weeks.
First, ethics requires me to suggest that you think strongly about what you’re buying.
Is it more than a month’s supply? And if so, is it something you would normally buy in a month+ supply?
(I.e., we buy toilet paper twice a year, soap once a year; we’re not changing our buying habits on those.)
Do you have the room to store it all; can you use it before it goes bad; do you have a plan if you can’t eat it?
(If it’s a non-perishable, when this is over check out your local food pantry.)
What do you need to get?
Let’s start basic and work up:
You need 1500 (approx) calories a day and a way to cook or eat them.
(For reference, a cup of uncooked white rice is 675 calories. A chicken egg has about 70 but the fat used to cook it – a Tablespoon – has 50. 2 TB of Peanut Butter has about 190 calories. Hey, we’re like 2/3 of the way to a Thai meal here. Lime juice is short on calories but good on flavor.
If you’re concerned that your water (power) may go out or may be bad, the suggestion is for one gallon of water per person per day.
I am going to suggest that you keep on hand at least some water, possibly not 14 gallons a person (we’re at closer to 7 total right now; maybe I should get some water…), but at least a couple gallons.
Also, make sure you have a source for heating food and /or boiling water if your power goes out – something like this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Portable-Bottletop-Propane-Gas-Stove-with-Adjustable-Burner/20369794 is functional and takes up very little space.
A 3- or 4-quart stovetop pressure cooker also speeds up any number of cooking processes, a great thing if you’re using a limited fuel supply and great even if you’re not, say it’s 3 p.m, you realize you feel cruddy, and you want a good chicken stock for soup for dinner.
Don’t forget your pets, both food and water. Our cats eat an average of 2-1/4 cans of wet food and probably about 1 cup of dry food total a day between them, along with water (which they already get bottled, because our vet suggested they not drink the water-softener water and they definitely agreed with her).
Okay, so rather than just buying a bunch of rice – or maybe in addition to it – what else can I suggest?
* Buy foods you like to eat. Buy stuff you already have more than one recipe for, esp. with canned foods.
* Corollary: Try to treat this as if you’re buying ahead on your normal grocery run. Certainly don’t buy a month of lettuce at once, but if you usually buy tuna twice a month, buy more tuna.
Don’t forget your pets, both food and water. Our cats eat an average of 2-1/4 cans of wet food and probably about 1 cup of dry food total a day between them, along with water (which they already get bottled, because our vet suggested they not drink the water-softener water and they definitely agreed with her).
Okay, so rather than just buying a bunch of rice – or maybe in addition to it – what else can I suggest?
* Buy foods you like to eat. Buy stuff you already have more than one recipe for, esp. with canned foods.
* Corollary: Try to treat this as if you’re buying ahead on your normal grocery run. Certainly don’t buy a month of lettuce at once, but if you usually buy tuna twice a month, buy a month’s worth of tuna (especially if it’s on sale)
* second corollary: plan before you go.
What’s your household’s most common meals?
What do you buy every time you go to the store?
What are the shelf lives of things you want to get? How much room do you have in your fridge/freezer?
What do you already have? For instance, if your rice or rolled oats are measured in gallons, maybe buy something else instead.
Be ready for things to be out of stock. Have backup plans and backups to the backups, because the stores are not prepared for this shopping pattern.
I’m always going to suggest planning as if you might lose power, because that’s frankly better than not planning that way and losing a fridge full of new food.
That being said, we DID go buy a roast and some chicken thighs the other day, along with sausage and bacon. Do as I say, not as I do?
(by the time I’m getting around to posting this, the roast is in the instant pot becoming soup. Om nom nom.)
Back to what to buy:
* Start with bulk – rice, oats, buckwheat, etc. Can you buy it in a 25-lb bag(note: do NOT buy a 25 lb bag unless you have a way to store it. For reference, a 25-lb bag of rolled oats fits almost perfectly in a seven-gallon bucket with a gamma lid https://www.thecarycompany.com/plastic-pail-lid-gamma-seal-yellow-56wgs8 )? Does it have a very long shelf life? Will you eat it? Do you know how to cook it?
(When in doubt: triple the volume of grain in water, 1/4 tsp per cup of grain, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, let simmer until the grains are desired texture, strain any additional water out, eat. Add desired flavorings to the cooking water – bay leaf, some garlic, etc.)
* Aim for variety – canned veggies, some pulses or other legumes to swap with your rice, cans of beans, even freeze-dried veggies.
* Buy (or make sure you already have) condiments, esp. shelf-stable ones like Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and mustard (https://www.doesitgobad.com/does-mustard-go-bad/); you can live on rice or bread but you might wish you hadn’t.
*Go for veggies/fruits with longer shelf lives: in my experience – apples and oranges vs. stonefruit. Cauliflower & Brussels sprouts vs. anything with a leaf. Bell peppers are in between; ditto mushrooms & tomatoes and eggplant. Carrots, potatoes, and onions, of course, along with most other root veggies, will last for freaking ever (That’s an official number).
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/54254370486940429/
As a note, we buy winter squash in bulk and keep it on our counter all winter. Generally, you’ll start to see a little wrinkling which tells you it’s time to eat that squash.
* When looking at canned goods, ready-made meals, or box meals, check the nutritional information, especially the sodium. A lot of these things had way more sodium than any living being really needs.
Again, buy what you will eat.
Make sure you have a way to cook it.
Make sure you have a way to OPEN it.
Buy a second can opener.
And make sure you remember TO eat.
Addendum: Toiletries – not just the TP you won’t be able to find in most places, but kleenex, menstrual supplies, soap and shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Gonna run out in the next month? Might be the time to restock.
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Oh! If you’re in NYS, don’t forget your reusable bags!
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Would people be interested in pantry recipes as these weeks of weirdness drag on? I’ve definitely got a few.
Footnote on Food Safety During Power Outage:
Food Safety dot gov : https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/food-safety-during-power-outage
Ways to prolong the length of time your food stays safe in the fridge/freezer: https://www.insider.com/how-to-keep-food-from-spoiling-in-a-power-outage-2018-10#keep-a-cooler-or-two-handy-in-case-of-a-prolonged-power-outage-7
And the FDA page: https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-and-water-safety-during-power-outages-and-floods
A side note on water:
Our water includes the countertop Brita, which we are more careful to fill if we think there’s going to be A Thing (blizzard, really windy day, etc.), three 1-liter Soda Stream bottles we keep in the fridge, and half of a flat of bottled water we keep in the car all summer for hydration reasons. Think beyond just the gallons on the shelf.
Mr. Thorn also points out that the hot water heater holds 30 gallons of potable water.
And in addition – 1 gallon/day is for drinking/cooking; that’s what you need potable to put in your body. Washing can take a lot more!
(for instance: a Navy Shower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_shower takes 3 gallons of water. I’ve taken a short-water bath with 2 gallons, including washing my hair & shaving my legs. It was unsatisfying, but I was clean when I was done.)