As far as I can tell, everyone is in a panic about how to live through this pandemic. I hope sharing my practical list can help others see a way through.
Start with water. Buy a case of bottled if you can. I don't see a significant disruption in availability of water in the US due to the virus. If you can't buy water, and are concerned, fill some available containers with tap water, but be sure to boil the contents of those containers before consuming. Â
Rice/ ramen/ pasta are next. Ramen noodles are probably the most accessible to the general population for price and simplicity, but water is required to prepare them. Same with rice only rice doesn't include the broth/ flavor packet. Cooking directions are on the package. Pro tip for rice, you can buy powdered bouillon in the dried soup isle to add flavor. Ask your friendly store clerk for details. Mac and cheese goes here as well. Â
Flour and oil are next. Whatever type of flour and oil work for you- stock it. Olive oil is my go to and it has a decent shelf life. Mixed oils may be cheaper. Canned Crisco ( yes it makes me gag too) is a viable long term option for oils. My grandmothers both lived on that and flour, rescued rotten potatoes and carrots, and some freeze dried coffee. So can you in an emergency. As far as I know- ramen packets, mac and cheese, and microwaves didn't exist back in the day, and our ancestors were hearty enough to give rise to us.
Dried beans come next. Packages give you cooking directions. These also require water. They take longer to cook, but give you necessary protein. Again, flavor comes at an additional price - iodized salt is a great place to start. Dried chilies are a fantastic addition, black pepper, garlic powder, dried bay leaves, dried oregano, onions, basil, cumin,turmeric... suffice it to say, visit the dried spice isle at your grocery and stock what you like if you're not growing your own. (Now is not the time to recommend tasting spices you're not familiar with. Once we return to a more normal level you should do that - lots of good things come from tasting new spices)
If you are feeling "rich" and aren't vegetarian, go for preserved meat - jerky is the best and can be cooked with beans or rice. Salamis or summer sausages can last for quite awhile as well and augment the basics in terms of flavor and protein. Nut butters, or just plain nuts,are good here.
Canned soups are great if you can afford them. They also provide the benefit of not needing water or heat to be eaten. Tomato sauce and various canned tomatoes with spice(rotel, or diced tomatoes will varying taste profiles) go here and can be a lovely accompaniment to your rice, beans and noodles. Other canned vegetables are here (Personally I can't do canned veggies and prefer frozen other than the ones I've mentioned please get your frozen or canned veggies at this point) Canned meat ( tuna,chicken, oysters, Spam) all goes here too as does concentrated lemon/ lime juice in the bottle.
If you can afford it, buy hard cheeses- cheddar blocks, parmesan- otherwise do velveeta and cheese soups are good here. Â
Multi vitamins to make up for what is missing in your available supplies.
Sugar, cocoa, coffee/tea come here. Last priority although we tend to put them first.
Find cookbooks! Buy them in in print, or print out recipes. I have a bunch of recipes in my head that I still go back to in order to look at cook times or ingredients.Â
Other things to have on hand - flashlight and battery. (Yes the old school kind- phones aren't everything and if you can't plug them in to an outlet to charge, the flashlight in them isn't going to work.) Candles and lighter.  Big fat sleeping bag or lots of blankets. Camping cook stove with required fuel ( and please don't use that in any enclosed space- including a garage- to cook.) Tp, soap, bleach, trash bags, you know. Basics. A deck of playing (or Tarot is more appropriate here) cards to pass the time. Hard printed books, any musical instruments you already have, a good meditation practice, writing materials. I don't think we will lose power or water in the US as part of this virus situation. There may be regional outages as is to be expected at any time. I think there will be quarantines - so prepare for them.
Now - let go and let God. If you don't have or can't get the aforementioned, let Spirit take care of it. Do the best you can, and let Spirit do the rest. Letting go is the hardest part, and Spirit is doing the rest, whether you let go or not. And this goes for everything in life, not just the current crisis of this virus.
Please share your own tips and tricks for survival! Laying out your own preparations and suggestions will help you be more grounded and help others remember what they need to do.
Â
Love to all!
don't forget the pets.  My cats would eat me, if i tried to give them ramen.
Welcome to our communty. Â Sorry this is what brought you here but glad to have you with us.
Â
^Thank you for the warm welcome.
Â
Now - let go and let God. If you don't have or can't get the aforementioned, let Spirit take care of it. Do the best you can, and let Spirit do the rest. Letting go is the hardest part, and Spirit is doing the rest, whether you let go or not. And this goes for everything in life, not just the current crisis of this virus.
Â
Love to all!
Great advice for any situation. Might I also suggest taking a look at this post on asking for guidance on how to do this.
It's a new thing in China that is emerging -- Quarantine Cooking! Â It is very cool. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/quarantine-cooking-finding-relief-from-coronavirus-anxiety-in-the-kitchen
Welcome @cyborgprincess. This is a lovely community!
Yes - I forgot to mention pets and our kiddos! How I could have overlooked these most essential parts of preparation, I don't know other than I haven't had a baby for quite some time now (my son is 16) and I buy the big bags of dog food that last for months anyway.
Stock pet food and cat litter. Make sure you have diapers and formula.
I love the quarantine cooking link! Another good thing to come from all this is people are going to learn the joy of cooking again.
Love that! I have always practiced the art of cooking from childhood up.The oldest daughter of a family of seven I frequently prepared meals for my family ...and in teen years family and friends. The hardest thing for me to learn was to cook for two.. and then.. for one. I have dishes that I make that I still only can make large amounts of :-) Small pots of homemade soups and chili were the hardest to learn. I still make large pots to share with family,friended and co-workers. It would be a good time for all to join in and learn the basics of simple preparations on up to more complicated recipes. I inherited a lot of cookbooks (remember all those little community church cookbooks fundraisers?) and added my own over the years.. they are fascinating reading! I actually use them for reading material and inspiration to tweak the family recipes that have been in my family for generations. As long as the internet is up there are a plethora of cooking sites and recipes...some you can even ..enter what ingredients you have and find all the meals you can make with them such as this one : https://www.supercook.com/#/recipes
Cooking is my kitchen Zen - my creative outlet... I am happy to think that others will discover the Joy of cooking and sitting together around the table and talking and sharing a good meal...and some of us will rediscover it. If there is a silver lining to be found in this virus threat and self-isolating and quarantines...I think it could be learning to be together as families again...gathered around a table and sharing meals and communicating...feeding our bodies and our hearts...drawing sustenance from each other as we weather this together/apart.
Â
Nothing about this is even remotely funny, but I have to admit to a twinge of amusement when something like this happens and the panic-buying starts, only because I've always thought disaster prep is a really good idea, just in general.
Living in an area where natural disaster can strike anytime, it kinda becomes, for me at least, second nature. Whether it's wildfires, earthquake, hurricane, ect, it's good to be prepared, as much as possible. Nobody wants to think about it happening, but you have to. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
I struggle a bit with the hard-core doomsday preppers, because I think with some of them, their paranoia and obsession eradicates any joy they have in living. But, at least it's well-prepared paranoia, lol.
Thank you for sharing the Quarantine cooking article. Â I loved it.
There will be many studies done on how life will change after this virus. Â Perhaps in China, it will be how to appreciate the art of cooking. Â I am sure people are reflecting and slowing down. Â
Â
@polarberry. My husband and I were laughing when I returned from Costco two days in a row with a car filled with stuff. We got the biggest laugh out of the massive sack of sugar that I could not lift, and the gigantic can of ground coffee, oh, and two giant packages of toilet paper that someone here said to get. Â I knew I was over doing it. Every oversized item was a reflection of what we relish (or dread being without).Â
Â
LOLLOLOL. I asked my husband to make a costco run...I told him to stock up on toilet paper and paper towels. A couple days later I asked him if he got enough toilet paper? He said, "I bought enough toilet paper for a year" ?Â
Â
Re Quarantine Cooking, I like the term Quarantine Cuisine. Â
"Re Quarantine Cooking, I like the term Quarantine Cuisine."
 Love it, Jeanne! Absolutely perfect!!!
Â
Â
Here's what I bought today, just for more ideas:
Batteries
Paper Towels and toilet paper and tissues
frozen and canned veggies
soups
pastas and sauces
Rice and beans (canned - no water needed to prep them, no chance of pests getting into them)
Nitrile gloves
cat litter and food
dog food
condiments
pickles and sauerkraut
canned tuna
muffin and cake mixes
raisins
granola bars
crackers and cookies
bleach, Lysol
Hand wipes (alcohol based)
Also refilled as many human and pet meds as I could.
Some of it is in the house and some of it is in our storage shed, not to be touched til we need it. I plan to grocery shop as usual unless and until we can't. I didn't bother with water, we're in a big city and water supply shouldn't be affected. Keep in mind that in a pinch, Amazon will probably be able to continue delivering dry goods, certainly things you don't find in the store you can order now.
That's ok, we all do it. LOL
It's so funny to me, though. What some people would call panic-buying is just normal stock-up to us. When you live thirty minutes from the nearest store, you do not want to run out of toilet paper! Or anything else, really, especially when the weather's bad. The thought of running into town for one or two items is one big UGH.
Â
I forgot: also got some yogurt (keeps for a month in fridge), and some organic liquid eggs that are in milk cartons (which I then froze), almond milk. And my one impulse item: rice pudding (because I like it and it was there).
Since we don't know how long we may need our quarantine cuisine, I suggest putting some things in the emergence food box that might bring you joy. Â I have been joking about chocolate, but if that is what you love, include some. Â Make sure it includes things that can help your emotional needs too. Â Some comfort food in addition to healthy food. Â
If you have children, wrap some small "surprise" Â gifts from the dollar store. Â Maybe spring oriented ones too so if you don't actually use them in a quarantine situation, Â they can be used for Easter Gifts for those children later. On that note, maybe some plastic eggs you can fill, you can be prepared now in case you will not want to go out later on.Â
We should  have power with a quarantine situation.  Do you have a good supply of printer paper , photo paper and ink?  Laundry detergent?  Dish soap/ dishwasher detergent, hand soap, shampoo, toothpaste? Â
If you are stuck at home, you can  do a hobby you like to relieve stress.  Paint? Do you have art supplies? Knit?  How about yarn?  Want to do some spring cleaning?  Do you have enough trash bags? Woodworking? How about journaling? Garden seeds.Â
You get the picture. Â You don't need to be stuck in front of electronics and Netflix.Â