Showing posts with label groceries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label groceries. Show all posts

Friday, November 6, 2026

Bunker-down Survival Groceries

Readers, let’s play a game!

Whenever there’s an announcement of bad weather that puts everyone in survival mode, scurrying to the supermarket, here are the items I bring home:

My Bare-bones Survival Mode Groceries:

1) eggs
2)  milk
3) bread
5) potatoes
7) frozen vegetables
8) fresh fruit
9) peanut butter
10) Some type of meat - beef, chicken, or ham

If I must stop at 10, these are my bare-bones survival mode groceries. 

But if the alert or crisis gives me more time to shop and the supply chain is optimal, I would also buy:

11) extra sharp cheddar cheese
12) spicy nacho tortilla chips (I know, but I’m addicted!)
13) dried peas, beans, and/or lentils -- in that order. So whatever is left on the supermarket shelf
14) all-purpose flour - in a pinch, I could make my own pasta and dumplings or gravy for the meat and potatoes!
15) dried pasta - because if I don’t have to make it myself
16) Cajun spice -- that would cover salt, pepper, and garlic
18) Greek yogurt
19) tomato or vegetable juice 
20) rice

As you can tell, I lean savory over sweets. I like sweets, but I crave salty and umami food and snacks. We’re not headed into bad weather, and yet, I have everything on my list in my kitchen now. It gives someone playing our game a clue to what his/her bunker-down groceries are: the foods you buy time and again, and feel you can’t be without when there is no crisis. In thinking about your list, just eliminate the extras: the treats. Not to get testy, but my dear readers, I’ve already explained the nachos.🙂

Personally, I’d never invest in one of those survival food kits with dried and canned food. I don’t understand the reasoning behind them. They tend to be pricey, and what would it help you to survive a few months after everyone else in the world perishes? And if bunkering down is temporary, which is our game, having to eat that terrible-tasting freeze-dried food, sans being shot into space ... no way! Bunkering down with food you like can lead to an element of fun! Perhaps you have good dinners and chats with family or friends. Maybe you watch a few movies with snacks until the bad weather passes.

This list of 20 comprises my bunker-down survival groceries. What are yours?

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