Guess what? I’m still alive! This week took a turn for the busy and I’ve been seriously neglecting the blog, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. On that note, this post goes out to all of you who may experience similar time crunches!
Is “slow and steady” just not your style? Here’s a quick and dirty guide to getting essentials stored in your home – FAST. This one-shot list will stock your home with the essential food, water, and supplies to help you weather a short-term emergency. This list is best suited to a hunker-down situation, in which you don’t plan on evacuating.*
I really don’t recommend this approach, but sometimes a situation calls for fast action. I also don’t recommend waiting to start preparing until RIGHT before an emergency (the hurricane hits in two hours! GO!), so keep that in mind when making your plans.
As with every post on this site, I make no guarantees…your results may vary! Personally, I could survive for a long time on the food and water that this shopping expedition would bring in, but I don’t eat a lot. I also don’t have a large family to feed. Adapt to suit your needs.
Go to the grocery store and buy:
- 4 big jars of peanut butter
- 3 huge canisters of rolled oats
- 4 5-lb bags of flour
- 2 5-lb bags of sugar
- A canister of salt
- Baking powder and baking soda
- 40 cans of soup (not condensed) – the heartier the better
- 30+gallons of water
- 20 lbs of dried beans – your choice (pintos are cheap)
- 20 lbs of rice (white – longer shelf life, brown – more nutritious)
- 20 cans of tuna (or chicken or salmon)
- A big canister of Tang drink mix
- Two big boxes of powdered milk
- The largest bottle of cooking oil you can find
- 30 cans of vegetables – assorted
- 20 cans of fruit – assorted
- A big bag of raisins or other dried fruit
- As much chocolate as you can stuff in your cart 🙂
- Hard candies
Now go to a walmart, sporting goods store, or the like. Purchase the following:
- Flashlight
- Radio (preferably hand-crank and/or solar)
- Manual can opener
- Water storage drums – fill these AS SOON AS you get home. Buy enough drums to have 30-60 gallons of water on hand, in addition to what you bought at the grocery store.
- Bleach, try for about a gallon (it has many uses)
- Multivitamin – 90 count at least
- Matches, lighters
- Steel wool, if you can find it quickly, and a 9-volt battery
- Spare batteries of all sizes (for trade if nothing else)
- Biggest first aid kid you can find
- Medications: cold, pain relievers, the like
- Biggest package of feminine products you can find (again, you can always trade these for more supplies)
- Toilet paper
- Duct tape
If you have time, also pick up a propane stove, as many extra propane tanks as you can afford, and some sleeping bags/extra blankets.
What else would you put on this list, if you were shopping for your family?
apartmentprep 
Packets of MREs (meals ready to eat), purchased by the case, can also be a good food source and doesn’t take as much storage space. There’s even a kosher version.
I never feel like I have enough stuff! it is very hard when you live in a 1 bedroom apartment to prep..thanks so much for your cleaver ideals..it helps!
There are very few apartment preppers who blog, I’m glad I found your blog
I would add a big bag or two of tea lights from IKEA (or wherever you can get them cheapest). They can be used for light, for fire starting, and even for heating up meals. Also, for anyone who has a caffeine habit, stocking instant coffee is a good idea if you want to stay functional.
Great post! Even if you don’t get everything at once, this is a great starter pantry.
Don’t forget to get an Rx from your doctor for a 90 day or more supply of any essential medications that need to be taken on a daily basis. Also pick up things like granola bars, pop-tarts and those charcoal heat packes for your gloves and socks as well.
I’m newer to the emergency prep world and I’m now getting stocked up. Do you have any clever storage ideas for all of these items? Also, I’m guessing even though they are your emergency stock, are you rotating the older items for use and buying new to replace? Can’t wait until I get organized, lol
I copied and pasted just the list part of this into a Word document. It fit perfectly on one sheet- ideal to put into a page protector or fold and carry in my wallet. Thanks!
put me on your site.thanks
Well, after all of the above have been purchased, stocked and what not, I would have to say, sewing and crocheting/knitting supplies! You can do so much with so little in that department. A good foot pedaled sewing machine, thread, zippers, buttons and material will keep you and your family clothed. No need for patterns, use the clothes you have after they wear or are no longer wearable and make the patterns from them. Use the clothing that is worn out as scraps to fill pillows, line jackets, stuff or use for quilts. Yarn and the crocheting/knitting supplies are good for all seasons. You can also make medical bandages, i.e. ace bandages and slings, just to name a few. If you use scraps of material and crocheted/knitted lengths, you have medical bandages. People will think I am weird when I am raiding/buying out the sewing/craft corner, but when it comes down to it, my family will have warm winter clothes and things to trade when the time comes.
My cooking oil always seem to be rancid since I dont use much, so lots of small bottles of oil would make more sense for me.
Rope, tarp, ax and canned pumpkin (has a lot of vitas).
(For the ladies) Feminine care items!!! If nothing else, pads can be used as large wound bandages and a tampon or two can stop a bloody nose!
How do you keep all this from spoiling or getting bugs? Do you have some system of keeping track of when things will expire?
What about Duct tape? SO many useses. Can fix damn near anything
Scratch chocolate, add scotch:)
DIY Electrolyte (aka Gatorade) Drinks: in cases of dehydration/sickness. Many recipes out there – basic ingredients appear to be sugar, sea salt, water and a sweetener. I haven’t zeroed in on the recipe I trust yet; but definitely good to figure one out now and keep it with your supplies.
http://www.prepperideas.com/how-to-make-a-backpack-stove/