Be prepared in case of a home quarantine with this printable shopping list!
With all of the talk about Corona Virus, there is a lot of worry about the possibility of being quarantined. As I visited my local bulk supply store today, I found out just how nervous people are. Cart after cart were full of toilet paper, bottled water and SPAM. Yes, SPAM. I took to my Instagram community as I was surprised by the weird items in people’s carts. There were A LOT or responses.
Check out my Indoor Activities for Kids post for ideas of what to do while you are at home!
What do you need during a quarantine?
While I was shopping there was complete chaos around me. I understand that people are concerned, we are advised not to over buy. There could be shortage in supplies and I’m definitely not saying to go without toilet paper. However, I don’t think that you need to have enough stock for several years based on this situation. Here are the basics of what you need:
CANNED FOOD
Although ideally we would be able to eat fresh and/or frozen foods, we need to be prepared in case we will have limited ability to cook. Canned foods make that easy:
- Meat Products
- Fish
- Beans
- Soups
- Broth
- Stews
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Canned/powdered milk
Don’t forget a good can opener! Having lots of canned food without an opener doesn’t help.
SNACKS
The following snacks last for a long time and have lots of protein:
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Trail Mix
- Dried fruits
- Granola bars
BASICS
- Sugar
- Salt
- Pepper
FLUIDS
- Bottled water (*if you don’t drink tap water) – we drink from our tap and don’t require bottled water. I was floored at how many cases people were buying at the store!
- Electrolytes
HYGIENE
Note: I use Amazon Subscribe and Save to get a lot of these supplies. I don’t have to go on the hunt to find toilet paper, paper towels, etc and it gets delivered to my home. It’s the best thing ever!!
- Anti-bacterial soap
- Tissues
- Toothpaste
- Toilet paper
- Feminine supplies
- Diapers
- Laundry detergent
- Disinfectant
- Paper Towels
MEDICAL SUPPLIES
- Thermometer
- Acetaminophen (ie, Tylenol)
- Pain relievers
- Cough suppressors
- Antihistamines
- Cough drops
- Imodium
- First Aid Kit
ENTERTAINMENT
Because if you are at home for an extended amount of time, you will need some distractions for sure.
- Board games- check out some of our favorites!
- Movies
- Cards
- Books/magazines
- Toys
*Note: this information was gathered from research found via Oregon Live and USA Today.
This isn’t my first time talking about emergencies. In our church, we are taught to be prepared. Emergency preparedness is something we have heard about a lot over the years.
- Food Storage Challenge – this is good to start at any time of year. At times like this, we are reminded how much we should be stocking up and rotating food and supplies.
- 25+ Emergency Preparedness Hacks
- Emergency Checklist
- Medical Binder
- Emergency Box
Download this printable checklist to use for preparation. For personal use only.
Good information. Thanks for sharing.
thank you very much for the email is helpful.
thank you so much my mother is in the older generation she shared it with her friends to insure they had what they needed
only suggestion supplies for the pets for anyone that has them
Great suggestions!!
Thanks for the list, Mique. We haven’t stocked up on food yetbut if we do, this list will definitely come handy.
I plan just to marginally upgrade my normal daily purchases — an extra pack of rice here, one more bag of beans there, so we can stock up enough over the course of the following weeks. I hate panic buying..
It is rational to prepare for something bad that looks like it is likely to occur, but it is not rational to panic buy and take essential goods out of the hands of people who need them most (such as face masks for health workers). Masks are crucial for those people and are also recommended for family members who need to care for someone who is ill.
However, masks will probably make little difference if you’re just walking around town or taking a bus and stockpiling makes little sence. So, I decided to make a pattern for a fabric face mask for the people who really need it – here’s a link https://hellosewing.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/ . Yes, it requires some sewing, but it is easy enough to handsew. Hope that helps
This is really helpful, thank you. We haven’t started stocking up, but honestly I’m not sure we will. But if we need to this will be so helpful
You forgot supplies for any pets in the house. If you are quarantined or sheltering in place then you’ll need to consider all the above for pets as well, including an evacuation strategy should it be needed.