6 Tips From A Prepper Family

COVID-19 is resulting in too many people buying too many of the wrong products.

My family is a crazy conservative religious family. Never use birth control, think the government is out to get them, type of crazy family. So naturally, they are an extreme prepper family.

They have an entire storage room downstairs filled with food for doomsday and an entire arsenal of guns to match.

Again, crazy stuff. Which is one of the many reasons I am not close to them these days. But regardless, my family has taught me some valuable steps for emergency preparedness.

With all of the panic-buying from the COVID-19 scare, let me tell you: everyone is buying too many of the wrong things.

1. Stop buying 6 months' worth of perishable food

I’ve gone to several grocery stores in the past couple of days and oddly enough, the aisles that are all picked over are not the ones that should be.

The bread, meat, egg, and fruit aisles are practically empty. With the exception of a few chicken gizzards, there is no produce in sight. And while it may make sense to buy a little bit more than you normally would, it doesn’t make sense to buy 6 months' worth of bread. Because bread, eggs, meat, and fruit expire at a pretty quick rate.

Even if you were to stockpile perishable foods with the intent of freezing them, freezers have finite space.

The shelf life of bread is only about a week. Berries will only last about 3–7 days before molding. Raw chicken only lasts about 3 days in the fridge. Dairy will only last about 5 days after its expiration date.

So if you’re buying seven gallons of milk with a small freezer, you’re doing yourself a disservice and you’re hurting others who need these products.

2. Canned food is your best friend

If you’re worried about extensive quarantine where it will be hard to leave your house, buy canned food. Canned food has a significantly longer shelf life and can be a great source of protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins.

Canned food you should be buying:

• Canned fish: a great source of high-quality protein, iron, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids
• Canned beans: excellent sources of fiber, folate, plant protein, plant iron, vitamin B1, and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and copper
• Canned vegetables: great sources of carbohydrates and vitamins

3. Honey, nuts, and oatmeal…oh my!

If you’re worried about having nutritional snacks on hand, skip the chips and granola bars. Nuts and trail mix (with fruit, chocolate, and nuts) are a great way to snack healthily.

High-quality honey is rich in both essential minerals and vitamins, as well as antioxidants. Honey is a good alternative for some sugars and has about a 2 year-long stock life.

Although eggs won’t last more than a few weeks or so, oatmeal is a nutritious breakfast. Not only are oats one of the healthiest grains but they are a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. If the going gets tough, oatmeal is a wonderful thing to incorporate into your daily diet.

4. Unless you are in a water-insecure area, stop stock-piling water

Among other things, water aisles of supermarkets are completely bare. Among the panic, many people are worried about the supply of water and are stockpiling.

However, doing this depletes resources for families who are in need of bottled water. In communities where tap water is dangerous, the availability of bottled water is essential. When the water out of your tap is brown, you need bottled water.

If you’re in a township where that is not the case, stockpiling water doesn’t accomplish anything except deplete resources for families who need it.

Although there is a lot of uncertainty around the COVID-19 situation, things would have to be on fire for the water infrastructure to shut down. There are no facts to indicate we have any reason to be worried about our water infrastructure.

5. Ramen, Doritos, and Spaghettios will not help

If you’re seriously worried about being quarantined without access to the grocery store, don’t stock up on sodium-rich foods with limited nutrition. Ramen and Doritos may fill you up but they are far from nutritious.

Oatmeal and honey will get you a lot further than ramen as meals.

There is nothing wrong with having some unhealthy snacks on hand, especially if you have little ones that will beg you for some Spaghettios. But stocking up on high-sodium processed foods will not provide your body with the nutrition it needs to stay healthy.

6. Coffee and tea are luxuries in times of anxiety

No matter the outcome of this situation there is no doubt that we are living in anxious times. A lot of families are in quarantine or self-isolation for the foreseeable future. Coffee and tea in the morning are small luxuries that may keep your head level during uncertain times.

If you have other foods or drinks that help calm your nerves, grab an extra bag. Food is a powerful tool when it comes to our mental health, make sure you are best prepared. But again, don’t go overboard and selfishly buy 30 bags of coffee so you’re the only one in town with that luxury.

Panic-buying is not unusual during times of crisis. It helps people maintain a sense of control in times of uncertainty. However, stockpiling food depletes your community of the resources it needs to stay healthy.

My suggestion for everyone is to buy a little bit more food than they normally would (maybe 2 bags of rice instead of 1). In the case, states enforce serious restrictions on movement, a little extra food in the pantry will be helpful. However, buying 6 bags of rice just means that 2 other families do not have that option.

Be mindful of your community in times of need. I promise you do not need 10 gallons of milk.

If you’re really worried, buy nonperishable, nutritional food. Get some canned fish, rice, and beans. Buy some coffee since your children will likely be home from school for the next two weeks, you’ll want it.

The COVID-19 crisis is a community one. Express empathy and think about your community when considering your grocery store runs. At the end of the day, we want to make sure everyone has access to the supplies they need to stay healthy.

Buy what you need (maybe a little extra) and leave the rest.

Stay healthy everyone!

Thanks for reading! Please consider supporting my writing by signing up for my email list and following me here on twitter.