Storm coming soon?

Just tell me what to get at the grocery store.

You do not need survival buckets, specialty food or a huge budget. If a storm is coming and you have one grocery run to get ready, start here.

If you only read one thing, buy this.

For each person in your house, aim for enough to cover at least 3 days.

Water. Peanut butter. Crackers or tortillas. Canned chicken or tuna. Beans. Soup or chili. Canned or packaged fruit. Granola or protein bars. Nuts or trail mix. Shelf-stable milk. Cereal or oatmeal. A few foods everyone actually likes.

And make sure you own a manual can opener.

The simple storm grocery list

Don't buy every possible emergency food. Pick a few things your household already eats.

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WaterGet this first. Aim for at least 1 gallon per person per day, plus water for pets.

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Peanut butter or another nut/seed butterProtein, fat and calories with no cooking or refrigeration.

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Crackers or tortillasEasy to pair with peanut butter, tuna, chicken or beans.

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Canned or pouch chicken and tunaEasy shelf-stable protein. Pouches are especially convenient during an outage.

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Beans, chili or hearty soupChoose pull-tab cans when possible.

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Canned or packaged fruitEasy to eat with no cooking.

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Granola or protein barsUseful when nobody wants to prepare a meal.

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Nuts or trail mixCompact calories, protein and fat with no preparation.

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Cereal and shelf-stable milkA familiar breakfast that doesn't depend on your refrigerator.

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Sturdy fresh fruitApples and oranges can sit on the counter.

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Comfort food and snacksEspecially useful with kids. Buy things people will actually eat.

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Pet foodInclude your animals when counting days of supplies.

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Manual can openerIf your plan includes cans, don't forget the thing that opens them.

I don't have much money. What matters most?

Start with water and enough food to get everyone through a few days. Add more only if your budget allows.

About $25

Start here

Water, peanut butter, crackers, canned beans or chili, tuna or chicken, oatmeal and inexpensive snacks.

About $50

Add variety

Add fruit, shelf-stable milk, cereal, nuts, extra protein and more easy meals.

About $100

Build breathing room

Increase quantities toward a week and fill obvious gaps in your pantry.

These are planning ranges, not guaranteed grocery totals. Prices vary by household, store and location.

Before the storm arrives, do these free things too.

Freeze containers of water.They help the freezer stay cold and become usable water after they thaw.

Get the refrigerator and freezer cold now.Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below and freezer at 0°F or below.

Group frozen food together.A full freezer holds cold longer.

Freeze things you won't use before the storm.Meat, milk and leftovers can stay cold longer when frozen beforehand.

Charge everything.Phones, battery banks, power stations and rechargeable lights.

If the power goes out, stop opening the refrigerator.

An unopened refrigerator generally keeps food safely cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer can hold temperature for roughly 48 hours, while a half-full freezer is closer to 24 hours, if the door stays closed.

Want to keep the refrigerator and freezer running?

See the simple backup-power guide →

Want the ready-made option?

Emergency food kits cost more than ordinary pantry food, but long shelf life and convenience can be useful.

Show me the 3 simple choices →

Want to prepare for longer?

See the complete emergency food supply guide or plan your emergency water supply.

The LivSolv rule

If you can afford a complete backup system, we'll help you choose one. If you've got $25 and a storm coming tomorrow, we'll help you with that too.

Solve the problem you actually have.