Last Minute Survival Shopping List

So you’re at work when everyone stops what they’re doing, lights are out, mobile phones are suddenly down and all you see are stunned looks. People start heading for the exits, jumping in their cars and rolling home.

Now, there could be many reasons why, natural or man made disaster. We have all seen videos of store shelves picked clean before a storm, people tend to go for food and water first, but hopefully if you are a reader of SHTFBlog, you are a little more prepared than most. You are luckier than most, on your way home their is a Mom & Pop grocery store that has yet to be over run. What would you get at this store on your way home after getting that message about zombies hordes over running the large chain grocery stores? That is assuming you have time and you are willing to stop.

by Pineslayer, a contributing author

I wouldn’t say I’m a list guy, but I do have some. When decisions need to be made quickly, there is nothing wrong with having some things written down. Do you trust yourself to remember all the important stuff when you’re in fight or flight mode? For the sake of this post we will assume you have food and water stored. There are always more things we can store up, but money and shelf life forces us to prioritize. The other aspect of having a list is spending as little time as possible in a store with freaked out humans. So let’s explore the possibilities.

Over the Counter Medicines

1. Tylenol/Acetaminophen 2. Advil/Ibuprofen 3. Aspirin 4. Imodium AD/Loperamide Hydrochloride 5. Benadryl/Diphenhydramine 6. Mucinex/Guaifenesin 7. Antacid Tablets

Now these cover a lot of symptoms, not all of them. When times get stressful your body will react, maybe your wife hasn’t slept in 2 nights and things are getting intense, a sleep aid might just be the ticket to get her back on track. How about some multivitamins? Everyone’s list will differ a little, but I consider these to be a good starting point. Think what having an extra huge bottle or two could do to help friends and neighbors.

Toiletries

1. Toilet paper 2. Soap 3. Toothpaste and brushes 4. Feminine hygiene products

Maybe some first aid stuff too? Hydrogen Peroxide, antibiotic ointment, and condoms. Think about that one, after about a week or when the pills run out, they will be worth their weight in gold to you and others. When times get hard, you still need to be able to get clean for health reasons, don’t overlook any cleaning supplies.

Sundries

1. Batteries 2. Laundry detergent 3. Bleach 4. Got clothes pins?

So you can see where this list can get long if you allow it. The point of this mental exercise is to open your mind to the other things that make life easier and all of them have great potential to help others and barter options. A couple extra rolls of duct tape, a roll of clear 6 mil plastic or tarps can fix and cover a lot of stuff, they sure aren’t as sexy as a new AR, but in your day to day activities hopefully they will be used more.

Last Minute Food & Water

1. Fresh fruits and veggies 2. Milk, eggs, cheese 3. Boxes of cereal, oatmeal 4. Treats? Candy?
2. Peanut butter, bottled water, coffee, sugar, flour, rice
3. Bottles Water

Now before you start typing up how stupid some of these items may be, think about the situation. The SHTF and do you want the next 72 hours to be lifestyle chaos for you and your family or a transition. Things could/will be hard enough without going on that beans and rice diet immediately. You know your family and when making your list you need to honest with yourself and not make believe your wife and kids are as excited as you about the Zombie Apocalypse.

Once again, for the sake of this exercise, we are assuming you don’t have everything you need, if that is even possible. I think I’m in pretty good shape, but it might be awhile before I see clementines again, so please grab me a bag. Now I could go on and on about last minute items, this is a supermarket based post. If you have the time, hit the hardware store up next, think plywood & nails, got a list? How about an extra bag or case of dog food?

Remember when drawing up the list to prioritize, keep it to one page, keep it as simple as possible. Maybe you are reading this and saying to yourself, ‘I got this covered and I’m squared away’. Cool, I bet you don’t have enough beer. How would a half gallon of Haagen Daz Rum Raisin hit the spot while your scoping out the dirt road leading to your house?
Everyone needs a list…