Difficult Times Preparedness Grocery List for Newbies

Every day we continually see news reports about shortages, mysterious fires, warehouse explosions and numerous other oddities. In addition to these troubling details, we see the battle heating up between Ukraine and Russia with more and more countries choosing a side. I’m going to just drop my suggested list of foods you should be picking up each time you go to the store.

• Canned Meat/Fish – SPAM, canned or packaged tuna, Corned Beef, Corned Beef Hash, Keystone Ground Beef or Chicken, Vienna Sausages, Sardines in oil, canned beef stew
• Potato Products – Canned potatoes, plain dehydrated potato flakes, dehydrated diced potatoes, canned sweet potato or sweet potato mix
• Egg Replacement – Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer or some other reputable company
• Dairy Products – Cheese Powder, Ghee, Butter Powder, condensed sweetened milk, evaporated milk, shelf stable milk, NIDO powdered milk, chocolate milk powder
• Wheat Products – Ramen Noodles, Dried Pasta (repackaged with an oxygen absorber), Baking Mixes (repackaged with an oxygen absorber), knorr sides prepackaged dishes, meal helpers (repackaged with oxygen absorber)
• Legumes/Peas – Canned beans/peas, dried beans/peas (repackages with an oxygen absorber), bean soup mix (repackaged with an oxygen absorber), jarred PB, PB powder
• Flavor Enhancers – Dry gravy mixes, italian dressing mix, dry dip mixes, morton table salt, pink salt, black pepper, taco mix, enchilada mix, shelf stable broths, lemon granules, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar
• Coffee/Tea – Instant coffee, espresso powder, apple cider mix, hot cocoa packets, herbal tea bags, black tea bags, green tea bags
• Sweeteners – Honey, White Sugar (not brown), bottles of Molasses, Honey Powder, Maple Sugar
• Non-Carb Veg & Fruit – Canned or dehydrated (avoid GMO), apple sauce, canned mandarin oranges (vitamin C source), homemade or store brought jelly/jams, canned diced tomatoes, canned tomato paste, canned tomato sauce, jarred pasta sauce, jarred tomatoes in oil, powdered tomato
• Non-Wheat/Rice Grain – Oatmeal/Barley (repackaged & labeled w/ oxygen absorber), popcorn (repackaged with oxygen absorber)
• Fats – coconut oil, *see dairy products above, pork lard

I created a previous post on items that I wouldn’t long term stockpile with some explanations on why you shouldn’t intend to long term stockpile them along with ways that some can be stored long term. If you have freezer space, it’s a great way to extend the shelf life of items with an otherwise short life span.

Many of the items above can be picked up at the local Dollar Tree, Dollar General or Walmart, but if you can’t find it at one of those three locations you will need to spend more money and pick it up wherever you can.

I’m going to say this again and as many times as I have to, when you are choosing a location to put your stored foods, please do not store them in an attic, basement, or garage. If you live in an area where your basement is free from mold and mildew, then they should be safe in sealed airtight containers. I’ve had a few people tell me their horror stories of cans of creamed soups, pineapple products and soups expanding and finally exploding which led to an odorous cleanup effort.

I would recommend that you pick up a roll of round neon garage sale labels and list the expiration date on each item you store so that you can rotate out your stockpile. While the expiration date doesn’t guarantee it will be good, it’s still the best option you’ve got if times are tough, and you have to eat the oldest food first.