What should I get at the grocery store before a storm?
The goal is several days of food and water your household will actually use if the power goes out, with plenty that can be eaten safely without cooking, plus enough cold-storage support to protect what is already in your refrigerator and freezer.
Open the mobile checklist now and check things off as you shop. Your boxes stay saved on your phone, and you can also save or print the list for offline use.
Open the grocery checklist →Start with what you already own
Before buying another cart of food, look at the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Group what you already have into actual meals and decide what should be eaten first if the power fails.
If an outage is likely, freeze water containers with expansion room and freeze refrigerated foods you will not need immediately. More frozen mass helps a freezer hold temperature longer. Put appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer before the storm if you have them.
Do a 30-minute kitchen reset before the storm
Use the vulnerable food first. Plan tonight's meal around refrigerated foods already close to the end of their safe storage life. If you cook meat or other perishables ahead, remember the cooked food still requires safe refrigeration.
Freeze tomorrow's food instead of leaving it refrigerated. Suitable meat, leftovers and other foods you will not need immediately can start the outage frozen instead of merely cold.
Make cold. Freeze sturdy containers of drinking water with room for expansion and freeze reusable ice packs. Empty freezer space is a missed opportunity before a forecast outage.
Set up two cooler jobs. If you have two coolers, reserve one for food and one for frequently opened drinks. If you have only one, plan a small working cooler for the foods you will use first.
Take a freezer photo. Photograph the contents before the outage so you can check what is inside without opening the door repeatedly.
Wash what creates a sanitation problem. Run the dishwasher, wash reusable bottles and food containers, empty the sink, and take out the kitchen trash while water and power are normal.
Make the normal comfort stuff now. Brew coffee or tea ahead if that matters in your house. Chill or freeze what makes sense for later. A storm plan works better when it protects routines as well as calories.
The practical grocery list
Water + drinks
□ Drinking water
□ Extra water for pets
□ Electrolyte drink or mix if useful for your household
□ Coffee, tea or other normal daily drinks
□ Shelf-stable milk if needed
No-cook protein
□ Peanut or other nut/seed butter
□ Tuna, chicken or salmon pouches/cans
□ Ready-to-eat beans
□ Jerky or other shelf-stable protein your household normally eats
□ Protein bars or familiar shelf-stable snacks
Easy carbohydrates
□ Crackers
□ Tortillas
□ Bread with a realistic shelf life
□ Cereal or granola
□ Quick oats if you can heat water
Fruit + produce
□ Apples, oranges or other sturdy fruit
□ Bananas if you will eat them quickly
□ Canned or pouched fruit
□ Shelf-stable vegetables your family will eat
Quick meals
□ Canned chili, stew or soup
□ Ready rice or grain pouches
□ Shelf-stable meals that need only brief heating
□ Foods that can still be eaten cold if your cooking plan fails
Morale food
□ Chocolate or favorite snack
□ Familiar food for children
□ A treat that makes a stressful day feel more normal
Build actual no-power meals, not just a pile of snacks
Breakfast: cereal with shelf-stable milk, granola with fruit, or peanut butter on bread or tortillas.
Lunch: tuna or chicken with crackers, ready-to-eat beans with tortillas, or nut butter with fruit.
Dinner: canned chili, stew or soup with crackers; a shelf-stable rice pouch with beans or pouched chicken; or another ready-to-eat meal that can be eaten cold if heating is unavailable.
Between meals: nuts, bars, dried fruit, sturdy fresh fruit and familiar snacks.
The point is not to create a perfect emergency menu. It is to make sure the groceries combine into enough recognizable meals that people will actually eat.
Protect the food you already paid for
Buy ice only if you have a plan for it. A hard cooler can protect the refrigerator foods you most care about if the outage lasts. Keep drinks in a separate cooler when possible so the food cooler stays closed.
Block ice or frozen water containers last longer than loose cubes. Frozen potable water also becomes usable water as it melts.
A refrigerator/freezer thermometer is more useful than guessing. Food safety decisions should be based on temperature, not smell or taste.
Know the clock before the outage starts. USDA guidance says an unopened refrigerator keeps food safely cold for about 4 hours. A full unopened freezer holds temperature for about 48 hours, or about 24 hours when half full. Keep the doors closed as much as possible.
Taylor fridge/freezer thermometer →Coleman 52-qt hard cooler →Cooler Shock reusable ice packs →Do not forget the boring stuff
Kitchen
□ Manual can opener
□ Paper towels
□ Trash bags
□ Foil or reusable food-storage containers
□ Disposable plates/cups/utensils if clean water may be limited
□ Matches/lighter only for a safe, appropriate cooking setup
OXO manual can opener →Household
□ Pet food, pet water and pet medications
□ Prescriptions and essential OTC items
□ Batteries for devices that actually use them
□ Hygiene supplies
□ Baby formula/food, diapers and feeding supplies if applicable
□ Elder-care supplies if applicable
□ Foods required for allergies, diabetes or other medical diets
What not to waste money on
Do not buy weeks of dehydrated food if you have not solved water. Many emergency meals consume water and fuel.
Do not fill the cart with food nobody normally eats. A rotating pantry is more useful than a shelf of “survival” products your household hates.
Do not overbuy perishables immediately before a likely outage. You are creating another refrigeration problem.
Do not assume every can is shelf-stable. Some canned meat and seafood products are labeled “Keep Refrigerated.” Check the label before counting anything as outage food.
Do not rely entirely on foods that need heat. Your backup cooking plan can fail, fuel can run out, or weather can make outdoor cooking unsafe.
If the power actually goes out
Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Use refrigerated foods strategically, protect frozen foods, and move to shelf-stable meals as needed. Never taste questionable food to decide whether it is safe.
If flooding occurs, food safety rules become stricter. Do not assume a sealed-looking package is safe after flood-water contact. Follow current public-health guidance before salvaging food.
For the full plan, use the food, water and outage-cooking guides below.
Build the full food plan →Cook safely without power →Build water storage →Treat questionable water →Safety sources
LivSolv uses current public-health guidance for food and water safety. During an outage, keep perishable food at 40°F or below and do not taste questionable food to judge safety.
USDA FSIS: Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency
USDA FSIS: Foods to Keep for Emergencies
CDC: Keep Food Safe After an Emergency
CDC: Emergency Water Supply