Imagine that a disaster strikes and you realize you will need to bug in at home.
While you may know what’s happening exactly, you do know that you need to get food to keep your family fed for the duration of the disaster. You turn to the $100 emergency cash that you keep on you at all times just in case your credit card isn’t working.
This is a scenario that could feasibly happen in the event of an economic collapse, societal unrest, or an EMP attack.
That’s why this last week, I decided to go to Walmart with $100 in my pocket to see what I could do. I allotted myself exactly ten minutes so I could get in and get out fast.
My goal was to acquire enough food to last my family for a week, and to focus on getting a variety of foods that could be used to make different meals while still ensuring a balanced diet.
Here was the results:
Eggs
Eggs were at the top of my my mind when I walked into Walmart. They can be prepared with a variety of other meals. I ended up purchasing 2 18-packs for $9.58 each.
This egg preservation method makes eggs last for over a decade, so I plan on going back soon and getting more for my stockpile.
Eggs come packed with high-quality protein and also provide the essential amino acids necessary for the body’s growth and maintenance.
Beyond protein, eggs boast an impressive array of vitamins, including B12 for nerve function and DNA synthesis, and vitamin D crucial for bone health.
The yolks, though often scrutinized, still contain valuable nutrients such as choline, which is important for brain health, liver function, and metabolism.
Canned Chicken and Dumplings and Beef Stew
Canned meats were also high on my agenda when I walked into Walmart.
I ended up going with the canned Chicken & Dumplings and Beef Stew cans, which sold for $3.74 each.
My purchase totaled seven cans, amounting to $26.18
I went with the chicken and dumplings and beef stew options because they provided a convenient and hearty meal options that bring comfort and flavor to the table.
Related: How to Can Amish Pot Pie
The chicken and dumplings consists of feature tender chunks of chicken and dumplings immersed in a savory broth. Similarly, the canned beef stew consisted of pieces of beef that mingled with hearty vegetables in a flavorful broth as well.
Canned Fruit
Cans of peaches and pears were being sold for $3.16 each. I purchased seven cans for $22.12 in total.
Personally, I think fruits are too often overlooked by preppers.
While they may not be considered as essential as old fashioned beans and rice, they still serve as the cornerstone for a healthy diet by offering a wealth of nutritional benefits that contribute to overall well-being.
A big benefit to fruits is their high fiber content, which promotes good digestive health, aiding in regular bowel movements and weight management.
The natural sugars that are found in fruits come with a nutritious package of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, providing a balanced source of energy.
I wasn’t too picky about the fruits I would get, and went with the canned peaches and pears just because they were available.
Canned Beans
Canned beans were another food item I knew I was going to get before I even walked in. I ended up getting ten cans of pinto and black beans that were priced at just $0.98 each.
Related: Meal in a Bag: Chili with Beef and Beans
There’s a reason why preppers praise canned beans so much.
They’re dirt cheap, have a long shelf life, packed with nutrients and proteins.
Beans can be seamlessly integrated into almost every other kind of dish imaginable, including soups, casseroles, or stews.
Beyond their versatility in that way, canned beans help promote digestive well-being and are great at giving you sustained energy. If you’re a vegetarian on a plant-based diet, beans are among the very best sources of protein available
White Rice
You can’t have beans without rice, right? I went ahead and picked up a ten pound pack of white rice for $11.48.
Rice is an a excellent source of carbohydrates, offering a quick and efficient energy boost. Its neutral flavor makes it a versatile accompaniment to a variety of dishes.
For instance, a simply and yet hearty meal to make would be a bean and rice mix with either eggs or meat on the side.
I’m a big proponent of stocking up on white rice over brown rice as well. a
Canned Corn
There was one major food group I was lacking at this point: vegetables. Cans of corns were being sold for $1.92 each, so I picked up seven cans for $13.44 in total.
Corn is rich in essential nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and like beans and rice, it can be effortlessly incorporated into most meals.
Instead of relying solely on veggies from the store, you should consider building your own garden using this comprehensive guide.
By doing so, you will learn how to grow your own fresh produce and ensure that you and your family are well fed during the next crisis.
Just like that, I was able to acquire a week’s supply of eggs, chicken, beef, fruits, and vegetables, rice, and beans. Okay, I may have spent a little more than $100 after sales tax, but I managed to keep it close.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to do a cheap food run like this just for emergencies.
When times get tough and you need to be careful about spending your money, you can take comfort in knowing that it’s still possible to put a fully balanced meal together like I’ve done here.
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Really, china mart
They have also helped in the destruction of america, just like we all have, by buying from this china mart.
Shame on us for simplicity.
Hard work made us strong, but we are weak because we have made a weak nation by giving into the lie
stay sharp
years ago Sam Walton would go the extra mile to provide American produced products, to the point of contracting with US companies large and small to give choices to foreign products on the shelf. Sadly the corporation outgrew the man. With that being said, the consumer needs to be vigilant, especially with food, meds, and health items.
That and Amazon, I refuse to shop at either.
Love of Money , Power , Greed Destroyed the world and now on it s way to sinking
Freedom Make Great Countries
Oppression , control , Greed Destroy countries
end result is Civil War , Destruction , and koas
We are in the time of Revealing , revelation , opening up the truth so all can see what the lies, deception, and true motive s of the heart really are
on the edge of the end , where mankind chooses Sin, Pride, Lust , Perversion , self over God , Repentance, self Denial , and good
Maybe WalMart is the only store available in his community that is nearby. Don’t be such a smart @$$.
Not much choice here. Grow yourown or Walmart out on the interstate at the edge of a town west of me. My Walmart is cheaper than yours but if I buy, I buy store brands.
Still it’s worth considering if you need something in an emergency. For me food isn’t an emergency. I tend to do any shopping just once or twice in any month.
I pressure can jars of pinto beans with seasonings and or meats as desired so I can just heat and eat some meals. I do buy 24oz cans of diced and crushed tomatoes as growing tomatoes here is iffy at 6,800 ft without a greenhouse. Those in store brand cost $.99 @. The tomatoes that do get ripe are a treat in salads or on a sandwich. I do can and sun dry lots of vegetables and this year I’ll be cutting asparagus from 70 plants. I’ll can most of that.
I have chickens and rabbits. Eggs here are cheaper than yours but I love em really fresh. So I keep 15 to 20 chickens and a few rabbits to butcher for meat.
yes, its make sense, to those that have no other place to shop. Please go to China mart…
So the woke won’t cry about it… common sense tells you to go where you can…
stay sharp
Thank you, where I live (and it is not rural) I can buy food at Shoprite, Superfresh or Acme(Super fresh and Acme are super expensive,) So I have Shoprite of Walmart.
Maybe WalMart is all he had to buy food at. Not everybody can drive an hour away to get groceries.
You are right, but I found lots of inexpensive storage food items at Dollar General. They have the nice small Brookside and Brookdale canned hams (some smoked flavor and some honeyed) they sell for $3.99 a piece. Also things like canned sausage and gravy, canned chili with and without meat or beans for less than $2.00 each. Many other good buys with good taste much less expensive than Walmart.
I found this article very interesting. I also thought prices in your area were high. Your total was $102. By checking prices at my WM today in SW Florida I found that buying WM brand products my total would be $64.88 and buying name brand, except eggs which I couldn’t find 18ct, the price was $87.14. Obviously prices are different in different areas.
The lesson learned from this is to be aware of prices and to always stock up whenever you shop. Somewhere on the internet is the “5 cans every week” which I think is a good way to keep your pantry stocked.
Not a great article, but a realistic one. The list is very similar to mine. I always include some tomato products and usually some soup, cheese and broccoli is one I always keep on hand. On my beans & chili shelf I also keep some canned tamale. In the rice & bean category, I have plenty. The rest of his stuff is things we use regularly enough that the stocked level goes up and down.
We must do our best to find Non-GMO foods. Buying organic is not even always best, BUT that said, I do believe there will come a time when there will be nothing available but these foods and we will have to be sustained by them. I prefer fresh foods for soups, but that requires water and fuel to make! We should get them while you can. Even foods you don’t like, might be bartered later to someone who does like it. I think times are going to get really tough and having emergency type food is going to serve you well. Prep on people!
I should add, get several cheap can openers, to store with your stash!
I loved your first comment, especially about making fresh foods, and even bartering, but not your second. I think a can opener is a pretty important tool, and to buy the better quality manual ones isn’t going to break the bank for most of us. And yes, there are multitudes of way to open a can, but a GOOD opener can really make a difference.
My wife has problems these days with arthritis, and while I can help when I am around, her having several good quality options is just better all around. Heaven forbid she needs to deal with it if I am not nearby,,,,,
In a pinch, we all need to make sure we “can” (wink wink) minimize the places where our efforts have to cost us time or strength. And, if electricity is not handy, it’s a biggie. We will ALL be working harder all over the place.
I also agree with you about us heading for when “times are going to get really tough”, and I hope those of us who are trying to help each other, like on here, manage to get past it.
I like that last line of yours, “PREP ON, PEOPLE!”
I have hand and electric can openers. I now have a couple of battery operated can openers. Small gagets that work with my AA rechargables and small solar powered chargers for those batteries. Handy in kitchen or camping gear. Actually I have lots of things now the charge from a USB port. For those I have a solar panel with built in USB ports and a homemade solar generator with USB ports direct from the 100ah 12v battery I put it n it. I have lights that are also 12v. All handy. For the USB port I have flashlights, small batteries charger, a small double fan, a blender, and more. It’s amazing what is either available in USB or 12v these days. Just think of everything you can use in a vehicle. And you’ll find it’s camp or travel ready. My home is solar powered so all those things don’t have to go through the inverter. I have things direct wired from the solar generator I made. It has a 100 ah 12v battery then an inverter. I find I use the inverter less and less as I find new products made for USB port or 12 volts. My home is mostly wired to operate on a 48 v system.
NOBODY should buy GMO or BIO-ENGINEERED foods. I did a research paper in college and you really don’t want it. The animal studies showed several problems with every animal involved. In one of the tests the GMO and NON GMO grain was put outside in a trash can over several nights and they would try moving them around and putting lids on etc… The wildlife never touched the GMO grain even when it was the only choice. This is why it is illegal to sell it in Europe. The only reason the FDA approved it is because wonder of wonders The head of Monsanto retired and became the head of the FDA. That made it legal to poison everyone. I could not find the words of GMO etc.. on the stew so I called the number on the can and was told that the company could not deny nor confirm that they had any BIO or GMO ingredients. I told them “Thanks for alerting me on the GMO”. I had those products in the past and never thought anything about it (until I did my paper). I got a very rare genetic breast cancer that I DID NOT have the genes for. Some of those test animals got cancer. So now I’m trying to find foods that do not carry GMO or BIO. This is very hard to do because it is a cheap filler on products. It is even in candy because it has corn syrup in it. Check it out. Have a good one 🙂
I’m more concerned with Glyphosate (Round up) that’s probably in the GMO food. Round up was allegedly sued by a cancer victim and won even though it’s still on the market. It kills all the weeds around the corn but doesn’t hurt the corn due to biological engineering. All the while the plant is growing in the same soil and potentially drawing in the same Glyphosate. So….. you may be consuming plants that are saturated with that stuff. There is a list of all the plants in the US that are GMO’s on the USDA’s website. As of right now it’s only a few plants but corn is one of the biggest and as you know is in pretty much everything. I would recommend that everyone do their own research on this. You’ll be shocked at what you’ll find.
We do not support Walmart. At BJ’s on Long Island, the fruit, vegetables and beans are sold by the case (between 6 and 8 cans per case) for less than $1 per can. 25lbs of Carolina white rice is $13.99 (we prefer Basmati for its flavor and aroma even though it’s more expensive). Another product, Producers Rice ParExcellence Premium Long Grain Rice, 10 lbs. is $7.49. Wellsley Farms Large White Eggs, 5 dozen is $10.99. Yours is $9.58 for 18 eggs. Dinty Moore Beef Stew, 6 ct. is $12.99… yours is $3.74 per can.
Real, and right to the point. Thanks for writing. I keep reading.
Keep your powder dry.
Good list for last minute preps. But shopping for similar items, I could get more bang for my bucks at ALDI just up the road. Living in FLA, we prep in advance year round for hurricane season with both no-prep canned foods as well as basic items that do need preparation and means to cook. I’d suggest adding tortillas or a tin of soda crackers (they both keep well beyond the best by date) and a large jar of peanut butter. Dried beans/legumes over canned would go further as long as you have access to water and way to cook. (ie. 1 cup dried beans = 3+ cups prepared).
Some products may look cheaper than Walmart, but check on the price per ounce. Having said that I shop there also because I do not like going into a Walmart.
for eggs, you are far better off to let chickens run around the yard, they will take care of themselves and keep the bug population down. if you have to buy them, the 60ct are only $10. and forget name brand canned food, the big names put the same product in store brand cans for 50 cents a can. find an aldi’s or savalot, much better daily prices or keep an eye on sale prices at the big chains and buy then.
Ah, yes! I love our chickens and I personally don’t mind them dropping their precious excrement around the yard. The eggs are nice too! Over the winter I fed them their scratch feed around my fruit trees so that they found their bug delicacies as well. Now I just have to add a layer of wood chips around the trees! Thanks for the work, chickens!
I need more articles on how to hide this stuff safely.
Gloria, there is an article called: 10 Good Spots To Hide Your Food In A Crisis
just type it on the search bar at the top of this site. 🙂
you did well until you came to the rice. the picture shows hinode rice packaged by Calrose. you probably know that it is manmade plastic rice from communist China. it will be okay to eat that brand of rice for a couple of weeks but any longer and severe bouts of constipation will occur. the human body cannot metabolize plastic. this is evident by dead dolphins/mammals filled with consumed plastic bags cast into the ocean. i guess you must have lots of water which you did not purchase which would cut down your chances of survival by a lot, as it is estimated that we can only go without water for only 3-5 days. hell, what do i know?!
Sorry to disallusion you but hinode rice is one of the varities grown by the Rose family in Central California. I used to work for the family and Calrose is their brand name. Personally I like less sticky rice but it works well for specialty oriental dishes where sticky rice is desired.
Don’t know what the article is on preserving eggs as it took to a buy ‘the lost superfoods’.
You can only preserve a whole egg if it’s fresh from the hen. All shop bought eggs have been chemically washed which inhibits the whole egg to be preserved.
The only other way to preserve eggs (that I’m aware of) is to mix them up (scramble) then dehydrate them to create egg powder.
I’ve dehydrated plenty of my eggs, just scrambling them in a bowl and not cooking them, then grinding them up in the blender and storing them in the plastic bags from my food saver with O2 absorbers and putting them in mylar.
Freeze dry, don’t dehydrate. Dehydrated eggs don’t last nearly as long.
Not everyone can afford thousands for a freeze dryer. Dehydrated eggs, if well packaged can easily keep a couple years, longer if kept in the fridge or freezer.
I think many people overlook the value of food that can last several years. I don’t necessarily need everything to last 20 or 30 years. But having many items on the shelf that I can use between now and four or five years out is handy. And, I can add to that midrange pantry a bit at a time as I rotate stock.
I’ve dehydrated many different foods over the years, and my dehydrator is still going strong. Each time someone suggests getting a freeze dryer, I calculate and compare the cost with what I’m doing now. I already have the dehydrator bought and paid for. That $3000 for a food dryer is better spent in my household on buying food I can process to last a few years. Granted, if the power grid goes down, it won’t be as easy to run the dehydrator. Or a freeze dryer for that matter.
Why would you buy all of the name-brand cans like Del Monte? We NEVER buy name-brand as store-bought is always cheaper, sometimes substantially. I could have got several thousand more calories and other nutrients than this list.
Start a little each day , a portion for tomorrow , and a plan for rotation
not a run on the banks, food closets, grocery stores
when you mass store , you show GREED , LUST , SELFish Motive
in a short period of time you will see your efforts pay off
like a savings acct of storage, prepping , and planning
Then when all Hell Breaks out you will be prepared
if not
YOU will be like the massis , LOST , IN Denial, In Anger , In Blame , In a state of hate
Trusting God means , Denying the lust , pride, perversion , attitude of ME ism in our culture propagated by the TV , Media, Social liars clubs
YOU will have to choose who you will serve , God, Jesus Christ, Goodness, Greatness , Love for neighbors , giving to the needy not the Greedy
Every heart will be judged for Justice, Truth
God will Not be Mocked , sowing and reaping
I agree on most of what you said but mass storage is not wrong.
My 1st comment…1 can your own beans…half cup dry beans, half teaspoon salt, water to top of jar shoulder, seal and ring, pressure can, hour 15 min. What you get is same size as canned…for about 60c Plus heat. I mix the bean types so I get jars of each kind…kept us warm last ice storm….Also in Missouri , but a Jersey transplant about 30 years ago.
Definitely off topic but vital information anyhow… if your safe is an electronic keypad style of lock then you very well may be SOL after an EMP on being able to get inside where your valuables are at. I have since changed my lock mechanism back to an old fashioned dial tumbler setup since most likely your electronic keypad system will be burnt in an EMP or CME.
I did find the information of the food preps helpful for the most part but the variety and costs per unit were extremely high. Just something to keep in mind folks. Take care.
Mark, I agree wholeheartedly about the electronic access to a safe, and am actually browsing the options in my area. I wasn’t aware of safes where we owners could swap out the mechanism. Definitely something to consider. I personally don’t plan to need instant access to it, and don’t mind the minute or so needed to turn the dial.
Even the safes where there is a keyed backup to the digital keypad give me pause, as I haven’t heard back yet from the one place I wrote to about whether the “KEY” they provide is the same for every safe out there, or if they have hundreds of different key blanks they make up, like padlocks or household or cars ones. Last thing I want is a thief to have a “skeleton key” to my safe ya know?
Thanks for the reminder!
$9.58 for 18 eggs??? I can get 3 dozen eggs at Piggly Wiggly for less than $9.
You’re going to need a Proctologist after a screwing like that!
Tal,
I TOO, thought some of the numbers a bit high, but I have to consider the writer might live where that’s the best option. I shop at 4 different stores over the course of a few weeks, and have learned what ones have better prices on various items. Some store are quite a bit higher on some things. (I kill over an hour just looking at coupon sites on a few of them, it ends up helping a good bit. the savings add up).
For me, the local BJ’s has the eggs this past week priced at about $7.49 for 2 packages of 18 eggs, that’s a great deal compared to the Shop-Rite or other local venues, as just one example. That happens to be in central New JerKsey.
–
Don’t get the Proctologist upset, he might do more than we want back there,,,,,, 😉
That hasn’t been my experience with house brands.
They are 1.30 a dozen at Aldis and 1.60 a dozen at our Walmart here in SW Florida …
Hi Tal
Eggs are large size, $1.89 Dozen in Omaha. Ribeyes, roasts or steaks, choice on sale is $10 lb.
You can freeze eggs and amazon has the silicone tray just for that. Crack shell and deposit entire egg into sprayed silicone cup, and the trays hold a dozen XL eggs. Mine are red. Gently break the yoke in it’s cup with a fork, do NOT create bubbles, after spraying the cups with some cooking spray (Aldi has good stuff cheap), is KEY!! Must break that yoke membrane and move the yoke contents very gently around, for freezing purposes.
Hard to carry floppy tray with eggs in the cups, so move to freezer on a small tray or big plate — carefully into freezer, cover with wax paper, freeze.
Tip silicone tray over and all your now frozen eggs will plop out so CAREFUL they don’t hit the deck. I then put 3 into a vac seal bag and seal em up tight, date the bag, and food for a YEAR in the freezer. Now….. I have 4 vac sealed and dated bags of 3 raw eggs each, at the ready. Really easy to have a few dozen frozen real eggs in freezer for a rainy day. In a pinch, I bet they’d be good or at least edible for a couple years though may lose some flavor or taste slightly off maybe. Don’t know yet.
I keep seeing huge chicken ranches on fire so wonder what’s up with all that.
He bought 2- 18 packs
I have tried some of the genetic brands sold at stores like Aldi and thanks but no thanks. Green beans you get the ends cut off the string beans and stems and really poor quality. The fruits are mushy and full of spoiled spots. For the few cents more I will buy quality. And you just might want to see exactly where those low priced cans are coming from. Fresh fruit is no better quality than canned at the Alto type stores. But nutritional value is more important than ever during SHTF events.
Hi Laura
I agree one has to be cautious in the produce aisle at Aldi. But if careful can get a good buy there, and just don’t buy if they have a load of beat up banana’s or something not up to snuff.
Once outside of the producer aisle, MOST of their items are as good or acceptably close to the big name stuff. Some of it I swear IS the same. Different box.
In Omaha, their bread supplier is fantastic given their buns and bread stays fresh WAY longer than the $3.50 a loaf stuff! I’m single so that loaf lasts longer for me. Even 2-3 weeks past the outdate it’s usually still good. A month past outdate I’ll use the loaf bread for french toast. Help my fuzzy critters out and they can eat the old buns.
They have frozen long green beans I really like! Nuke em. Some of them do get missed to get an end off here and there, but for $2.10 a BIG bag, I’m fine. This ole Marine has eaten a lot worse. 🙂
I’m a huge Aldi fan and on shopping day, it’s my first stop! Just DO be a good shopper in the produce aisle. I save a ton in there. Something isn’t that great to you, then you know to just not buy that item there. I’m on a horrible fixed budget so Aldi is my friend.
You did not include any dairy products in your shopping. While whole milk will not keep very long, sour cream and various cheeses will do fine for a few days in a cold refrigerator, even if you don’t have power. You were setting up a scenario of doing a panic run once things are imminent or have started to go sideways. In that case, having cheeses and cold cuts, especially smoked meats and sausages, will carry you through a few days without requiring cooking fuel and tortillas, biscuits and even lettuce or cabbage leaves can be substituted for bread. These days, you can even purchase UHT (ultra high temperature) pasteurized milk that is shelf stable for months, if not a year or more, and that can provide necessary nutrition as well as a form of water/fluids.
Just a few thoughts to augment your shopping list.
As for alternatives to Walmart – I live 25 miles from the nearest gas pump which happens to be in front of Walmart. The only other choices are a chain grocery store (more expensive, not as much variety) and several convenience stores at other gas stations in the same town. If I drive 30 miles in another direction, I have a choice of 1 much smaller grocery store and 2 gas stations with convenience stores. Some of us can’t be too picky about where we source our necessities. That’s why we don’t worry about making panic runs at the last minute. We keep our pantries stocked year round, just in case.
I don’t belong to Costco due to their anti-2nd Amendment rules and BJ’s, Aldi and Sav-A-Lot don’t exist around here. Sam’s Club is 100 miles away but I don’t need to disarm before going in to shop… a definite plus in my book. Trips to Sam’s happen 2 or 3 times a year but they deliver via UPS or FedEx.
Sabel,
Big thumbs up on the dairy comment, as well as the sometimes challenging access to stores.
I just want to add to your comments that the Parmalat brand of boxed milk matches your description and lasts over a year beyond it’s “best by” date, which is often close to a year or more beyond the initial purchase dates for me here. We keep it in the basement, consistently around 70 to 75 degrees.
–
(LOVED your Costco comment, too, btw! )
I don’t understand people who disarm when they’re told to. I’ve been concealed carrying since I was 15 whether in California or anywhere else. Even snuck it on planes and in court rooms, which are very dangerous places. I don’t follow unlawful rules
I have some ultra pasteurized milk and #10 cans of dry milk. One year roughly and 25 years roughly are good guestimates for storage.
I dont know where you live, but most canned vegtable in southern indiana cost around $.90 – $1.00. Beans are less.
65 cents for canned veg and 82 cents for any canned beans here in SW Florida
Hey Folks,
Believe the author is just recommending food (that does not appear to be made in China) to buy. You can shop wherever you want for the items. Unfortuantely some areas only have a Wally-world to shop from other than gas stations. Great variety there . . .
I noticed the only store brand was the beans. I’m curious why. The money would have stretched further if you bought all store brand canned foods.
If you live in the Midwest, you don’t have to go to Walmart.
Menards carries a number of foodstuffs similar to those above, many times they run specials and often during the year your purchase comes with an 11% coupon that you can use for future purchases.
Menards is for the commies
Thanks for sharing. Everyone should have a back up plan just in case. You gave some insight of what you might grab quickly to get in and out. Your food will feed one meal a day for 7 days. Rice and beans are great ideas to help supplement your canned foods to stretch them farther. I can my dried beans so I have my own quick meals. I don’t know what prices are since we raise and grow our own food. Your shopping will give me ideas if the need arises.
Wow what walmart did you shop at? Prices are way higher than my area. I get fruit for 1.50 a can and veggies like corn for 64 cents. BTW walmart just finished their fiscal year and they are starting their spring resets which leads to clearance opportunities. Just got 12 10lb bags of the same rice for $5 each.
Powdered milk or canned evaporated milk, distilled water, plus dried fruit like dates and raisins are good to have. I have found Aldi to be cheaper than Walmart although the selection is smaller. We have a dehydrator and dry a lot of fresh fruits and veggies which we then vacuum seal with a desiccant. Sometimes canned products contain preservatives and other chemicals that I wouldn’t want to ingest in large amounts. It’s also good to remember that rice contains arsenic and so should not be eaten on a daily basis or in large quantities.