Officials say there’s enough food and supplies in America to go around for everyone, but Americans everywhere are still dealing with empty stores shelves. With the coronavirus shut down in full effect and with millions of people out of work, you may be wondering what are the best Grocery Store Survival Foods to get during the shut down.
Here’s Exactly How Much Food You’ll Need for the Next 3 Months.
Today, I am going to share with you the top 135 survival foods at the grocery store that you can go out and get today (hopefully). I’m also going to share specific shut down survival foods that are budget-friendly, yet nutritionally packed.
Finally, I’ll share tips on how to properly store all this food so it won’t go bad. Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The Best Shut Down Survival Foods To Buy At The Grocery Store:
What Kind Of Grocery Store Survival Food Should I Store In My Pantry?
There’s several things you want to look out for when deciding what food to store at home. The BIGGEST factor, I believe, is if your family will actually eat the food you are buying.
Other super important things to keep in mind when planning your shopping list while in survival mode are:
- CALORIES
- COST
- NUTRITION
- SHELF LIFE
CALORIES
Each adult needs roughly 2,000 calories per day. Over the course of a month, the average healthy adult will need a whopping 60,000 calories!
I go over everything you need to know about How Much Food You Need To Buy For The Next 3 Months HERE. There’s even simple menu ideas and I break down exactly how much is considered a “serving.”
COST
Cost is a tremendous factor with anyone who is on a budget. If you are on a tight budget, like so many Americans nowadays, then you should focus on buying a little at a time.
Never go into debt over food storage!! There are plenty of community food resources to get you through a difficult time.
Here are some ways to save money while buying shutdown survival foods:
- Shop store sales
- Use coupons
- Purchase in larger sizes
- Buy from bulk bins
- Shop at damaged freight and seconds supermarkets
- Shop at “ethnic” grocery stores
NUTRITION
It’s important to ensure the foods you buy are nutritious, but don’t forget that if it’s food you aren’t likely to eat, then I believe you shouldn’t waste your money buying it.
Make sure you read How Much Food You Need To Buy For The Next 3 Months.
SHELF LIFE
Shelf life of food should be an important consideration when you are planning what foods to buy at the grocery store to get you through the coronavirus shut down.
Here are the best shut down survival foods to buy at the grocery store.
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Fruits and Vegetables
CANNED FRUITS
Most fruits won’t last very long on the table, but canned fruits and vegetables should last for at least one to two years past the printed date on the can.
- Applesauce
- Mixed Fruit
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
DRIED FRUITS
Dried fruits can still provide you with the same nutrients as other kinds of fruits, but you’ll need about 1/4 as much per serving. Raisins and prunes are loaded with fiber, vitamin C, iron, and other nutrients.
- Raisins
- Prunes
- Apricots
- Mango
- Banana Chips
- Cranberries
- Fruit Leather
CANNED VEGETABLES
Canned vegetables will provide your family with plenty of vitamins and nutrients such as iron, vitamin C, vitamin A, and processed tomatoes provide the antioxidant lycopene. They can also be a great source of fiber.
- Carrots
- Corn
- Green Beans
- Spinach
- Turnip greens
- Peas
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
Grains and Starches
CEREALS
I think it’s important to not only store food that is nutrient dense and flavorful, but also food that your family will actually eat. Here’s a few cereals that I think fit that bill.
- Raisin Bran
- Shredded Wheat
- Oatmeal
- Instant Grits
- Cream of wheat
FLOUR
Flour is one of the best foods you can store at home because it is so versatile! Hopefully, you can find some at the store because it seems to be hit and miss wherever I go.
Mix flour with yeast, sugar, a little salt, and flour and you’ll have dough for homemade bread, pizza, and rolls. Add baking powder, soda, salt, and shortening and you’ll have everything you need to make biscuits and tortillas.
Flour is also very rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins. If you think you’ll be storing flour for longer than a month or so, then go ahead and get plain white flour as wheat flour does not nutritionally last very long. You can also freeze whole wheat flour.
- White flour
- All purpose baking mix
- Pancake and waffle mix
- Muffin mix
- Cornbread mix
- Brownie mix
- Cake mix
PASTA
Super versatile and incredibly cheap, pasta is found at nearly every grocery store. You can even buy it in bulk at supermarkets like WINCO and Sprouts.
Pasta is filled with carbohydrates and all you need to do to prepare it is boiling water. Pasta will last for years beyond the “best by” date (which is NOT an expiration date!) on the package.
- Spaghetti
- Macaroni
- Fettuccine
- Bowtie
- Linguine
- Couscous
- Lasagna sheets
- Ramen noodles
POTATOES
Fresh potatoes will only last for so long in the pantry or refrigerator, but there are some shelf-stable versions you can buy. By the way, instant mashed potatoes are great or thickening soups and making potato bread.
- Dehydrated hashbrowns
- Instant mashed potatoes
RICE
Having a hard time finding rice at the store lately? You’re not alone. Rice is one of the first pantry staples to get hoarded up, and there’s reasons for it.
Rice will last for years under ideal storage conditions and it’s a comfort food being consumed by many cultures. You can even add a little milk, butter, and sugar for a delicious breakfast cereal or use it in a recipe to make a sweet dessert with raisins, sugar, cinnamon, and milk.
A word to the wise – don’t buy brown rice in bulk. Although brown rice is way more nutritious, it spoils easily and won’t last as long as white rice.
- White Rice
OTHER GRAINS
Flour can last for many years under the right storage conditions, and here are some other grains that can last just as long or perhaps even longer. Consider adding these grains to your food storage if your family will eat them.
- Cornmeal
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Wheat
- Popcorn
- Barley
- Rye
Meat and Protein
BEANS
Beans are another pantry staple that doesn’t last very long when a crisis, like the coronavirus shutdown, happens.
Beans are rich in nutrients and high in protein. They will last for years, they’re super cheap, and some even say a super food.
Personally, I think cooking dried beans is a waste of time, energy, fuel, and water. It’s just so much easier to buy beans in can and dump them into your favorite recipe.
But if you like sorting, rinsing, presoaking, and cooking beans for hours on end, then by all means buy your family dried beans.
- Refried beans
- Garbanzo beans or chickpeas
- Black beans
- Navy beans
- Pinto beans
- Lima beans
- Kidney beans
- Ranch-style beans
- Baked beans
- Black-eyed peas
- Lentils
BEEF JERKY
- Jerky
- Jack Link’s
CANNED MEAT
Canned meat is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to eat meat. Canned meat is tasty, nutritious, and can make a budget conscious meal go from blah to hurrah!
Canned meat will give you the exact same calories and protein as it’s freshly prepared counterpart, but it will last for years on the shelf in your pantry.
Canned fish such as tuna, salmon, and sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids, and sardines contain less mercury than salmon and tuna. Canned salmon is rich in omega-3 fats, vitamin D, and calcium.
Don’t discount canned luncheon meat (aka Spam)! While not the healthiest option at all, it now comes in a variety of flavors and redeems itself for being edible right out of the can. Fry it, dice it, eat it straight out of the can, add it on a sandwich, serve it with scrambled eggs.
- Canned tuna (in oil)
- Canned salmon
- Canned chicken
- Canned beef
- Spam
- Vienna sausages
- Canned sardines (in oil)
NUTS/SEEDS
- Pecans
- Peanuts
- Almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Walnuts
- Mixed nuts
- Party nuts
NUT BUTTERS
Peanut butter is a staple to have on hand if you have kids. Put it on toast, bread, celery, or add to cookies and frosting.
Peanut butter will basically last for what seems forever (or at least several years past the date stamped on the jar). It is reasonably cheap and packed with protein and fats.
- Peanut butter
- Hazelnut spread
- Almond butter
Basic Pantry Foods Everyone Should Keep On Hand
Here’s everything else you should keep on hand in your pantry. Some of the aforementioned foods will be useless without the next few ingredients and are super important in recipes!
INGREDIENTS
If you plan on doing any amount of baking, then you’ll want to add these basic pantry items to your stuck at home shopping list.
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Cooking Oil
- Shortening or Lard
- Powdered Cheese
- Dry Milk
- Salt
- Spices
- Sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Cornstarch
- Corn syrup
- Cocoa
- Vanilla Extract
- Maple Extract
- Vinegar
- Yeast
CONDIMENTS
Imagine eating waffles without syrup or baked beans without barbecue sauce. What makes our comfort foods so comforting are the condiments we add to our meals.
My family keeps what we call a “struggle drawer” in our kitchen…basically all the little condiments we have collected from pizza delivery, take out, and drive thru meals over the past year.
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Mayonaisse
- Salad dressing
- BBQ sauce
- Honey
- Hot sauce
- Jam and jelly
- Soy sauce
- Syrup
- Red pepper flakes
- Parmesan cheese
- Ramen seasoning packets
DRINKS
Water gets old after a while and it can be difficult to get little ones to drink plenty of it. Keep life exciting and bodies hydrated by storing drinks that are shelf-stable and will last a long time in the pantry.
- Herbal tea
- Black tea
- Coffee
- Hot chocolate mix
- Gatorade Powder
- Lemonade mix
- Tang mix
- Kool-aid mix
- Energy flavor mix-ins
INSTANT MEALS
Don’t feel like cooking? Just open up the can or container and start eating.
- Canned chili
- Canned soup
- Canned condensed soup
- Canned ravioli
- Canned spaghetti-o’s
- Hormel COMPLEATS meals
- Instant ramen cups
SNACKS + MORALE BOOSTERS
Keep up morale with cheap snacks your family likes without busting the budget.
- Cookies
- Animal crackers
- Saltine crackers
- Goldfish snacks
- Chex mix
- Hard candy
- Pickles
- Trail mix
==> Want us to EMAIL this list of 135 Grocery Store Survival Foods to you?
Top Tips On Storing Grocery Store Survival Food At Home
WHERE TO STORE FOOD
It’s important that you store your food correctly if you want it to last. If you don’t store your food properly, then you risk it going bad, stale or heaven forbid bugs getting into it.
No one wants to waste their hard-earned money.
Food Storage Location Tips:
- Out of direct sunlight
- Room temperature
- Away from mold and pests (rodents, insects)
- Dry area (no humidity or moisture)
- For most homes your pantry will be just fine
- Consider other locations like under the bed or in a closet
HOW TO STORE DRY FOOD
There are many ways to store food to help it last longer and to keep it free from bugs and rodents. Here’s two methods depending on your needs and budget.
METHOD 1 – Simple
This method is perfect if you have just a few food items to store or you don’t need to store food for a very long time.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Air-tight food storage containers (variety of sizes)
- Mason jars with lids and rings (variety of sizes)
- Sharpie
Here’s how to store dry foods, simple method:
1. Fill air-tight food storage containers and mason jars with DRY food. Just take your food out of its original packaging and pour or scoop into the containers and jars. One type of food per container or jar.
Reserve large air-tight food containers for bulkier foods such as flour, sugar, pasta, baking mixes, etc. Salt, baking soda, and spices can usually be left in their original packaging and do not need any special handling.
2. Screw lids on storage containers finger tight. You’ll want to eventually open these containers one day.
3. Using a Sharpie, mark the date and what’s inside. This lets you use the oldest foods and ingredients first. It’s also helpful because certain ingredients look the same, for example sugar/salt, cornstarch/baking powder.
METHOD 2 – Long Term
This method is for the serious person that wants their food storage to last for a long time. You’re invested in food storage…and you might even be a prepper.
- Food grade buckets with lids
- Oxygen absorbers
- Mylar bags
- Vacuum cleaner with hose
- Hair straightener
- Sharpie
Here’s how to store dry foods:
1. Fill all of your Mylar bags with food. All you need to do is take your food out of its original packaging and add it to the mylar bags you bought using our affiliate link. One type of food per bag.
Do not overfill the mylar bags. Leave about one inch at the top so you can seal them in step 3.
2. Start sealing the bags. Just use a hair straightener–no need to buy fancy equipment! Do NOT seal the bags all the way though. Leave just enough space to insert the end of a vacuum hose.
3. Add the oxygen absorbers. You’re going to put one oxygen absorber into each mylar bag. Next, you’ll insert the vacuum hose into the space you left unsealed and then turn the vacuum on so you can suck as much air as possible out of the bag. While holding the bag, you’ll now use your hair straightener to finish sealing the bag. Write the date and contents on each mylar bag.
4. Put the bags into the buckets. Fit as many sealed bags into the food grade buckets you bought using our affiliate link above. You can also use other buckets, as long as they are food grade and seal well so that rodents and bugs will stay out.
5. Write the date and contents on the buckets. Using the sharpie, write the contents of what is contained in each bucket, as well as the date the bucket was sealed.
==> Want us to EMAIL this list of 135 Grocery Store Survival Foods to you?
135 Best Grocery Store Foods To Buy During The Shutdown…And How To Store It All
Here’s the Top 135 Grocery Store Foods To Buy During the Shut Down, plus how to store it all properly so it doesn’t go bad.
==> Want us to EMAIL this list of 135 Grocery Store Survival Foods to you?
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