My list of items to have on hand ASAP
#1 Don't buy something you know your family won't eat just because it is on the list.
#2 I had a very large Catholic group about two decades ago, it was called Days of Noah (some of you may remember it).
I stressed the fact that the very young and the very old would sometimes rather die than eat something they didn't like.
I had a few folks get nasty with me and tell me that if someone is hungry enough, they will eat anything. Not true for the very old and the very young...there are studies and I will see if I can pull them up again.
#3 Before anyone points it out to me, this is not a "health" listing of foods. It is food that will keep you alive and lasts without refrigeration.
#4 This list is nowhere near complete, but I wanted to get you started, and didn't want to overwhelm you.
MY LIST
(not a complete list, but a great start)
Rice (White rice stores longest) Pasta (My Grandma McNamara used to take hers out of the box and store it in glass jars with a top to keep the critters out) Dried Beans Canned Vegetables Canned Fruit Canned Meat Canned Fish Canned Soups & Meals Distilled White Vinegar (Lasts forever and many uses) Peanut Butter Honey (Lasts forever and is also good for wound care) Sugar Flour Baking Soda & Powder Drink Mixes (and something like Gatorade for electrolytes. Yes, there are other options but we may not have too many options in the near future) Herbs & Spices Salt First Aid type of supplies Supplements (Vitamins, tinctures, etc ) OTC Medications (Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Aspirin, Imodium, MiraLax, Sudafed etc) Prescription Medications -if possible Toiletries (Shampoo, Toothbrushes, razors, etc) Pets - Don't forget their needs Treats (Candy) - Now, don't get too crazy on me. A chocolate bar can bring a sense of "normalcy" to an emergency situation. A well timed chocolate bar is not going to kill your immune system.
Cooking Oil (I keep Olive, Coconut, and Peanut oil for frying)
Jam or Jelly
Ramen (not the healthiest, but my kids love it and I made plenty of it in college)
Paper products: Toilet paper, Paper towel, Diapers, Feminine hygiene products, etc
Aluminum foil, ziplock bagsDuct tape. Super Glue (it can also close wounds) Tarps & Plastic Sheeting (we use them over our outside wood pile, we have used it to cover a broken window, etc) Batteries (generally their shelf life is about 10 years) Soap & other cleaning products Can Opener (manual, have at least 2) Candle & Flashlight Sewing Supplies Lighter & Matches SEEDS (and learn how to grow them! I show you how to garden INSIDE here
- https://www.cukierski.net/products/salad-garden-kit?_pos=1&_sid=c9ea3d646&_ss=r Clothing (socks, underwear, coat, boots etc) Bouillon cubes. You can add canned chicken and canned veggies and make a half way decent soup
Pax Christi, Walt & Wendy and the entire Cukierski family