How To Make a Prepper Grocery List

When it comes to stocking up on food and water, sometimes it can feel a little daunting. With so much to choose from, how do you consistently make the right choice and purchase the food and water that you’ll need?

I wouldn’t recommend walking into food storage without a plan. One of the easiest ways to sort out your needs is to create a menu plan.

Creating a food menu plan would look similar to planning out your everyday meals, except these will be for emergencies and disasters.

How to create an emergency food meal plan

When you create an emergency food menu plan, you’re physically seeing your food needs. This will help to create your prepper grocery list.

Let’s take a look at a weeks worth of emergency meal plan:

• Sunday –
  • Breakfast: Just add water pancakes with eggs
  • Lunch: Tuna sandwiches
  • Dinner: Chicken and vegetable casserole
  • Snacks and drinks: coffee, water, powdered milk, tea, peanut butter granola bars
  • Water needs: 1 gallon per person for drinking plus 2 gallons for cooking and cleaning
• Monday –
  • Breakfast: Eggs, tomatoes and spam
  • Lunch: Bean and rice tortillas
  • Dinner: Salmon burgers
  • Snacks and drinks: coffee, water, powdered milk, tea, canned fruit
  • Water needs: 1 gallon per person for drinking plus 1 gallon for cooking and cleaning
• Tuesday –
  • Breakfast: French toast with vienna sausages
  • Lunch: Mac and cheese
  • Dinner: Goulash with biscuits
  • Snacks and drinks: coffee, water, powdered milk, tea, popcorn
  • Water needs: 1 gallon per person for drinking plus 1 gallon for cooking and cleaning
• Wednesday –
  • Breakfast: Cereal
  • Lunch: Peanut butter jelly sandwiches
  • Dinner: Pork, mashed potatoes and vegetables
  • Snacks and drinks: coffee, water, powdered milk, tea, canned fruit
  • Water needs: 1 gallon per person for drinking plus 2 gallons for cooking and cleaning
• Thursday –
  • Breakfast: Just add water pancakes with eggs
  • Lunch: Mac and cheese
  • Dinner: Soup over rice with vegetables
  • Snacks and drinks: coffee, water, powdered milk, tea, popcorn
  • Water needs: 1 gallon per person for drinking plus 2 gallons for cooking and cleaning
• Friday –
  • Breakfast: Oatmeal
  • Lunch: Tuna sandwiches
  • Dinner: Chicken a la king
  • Snacks and drinks: coffee, water, powdered milk, tea, peanut butter granola bars
  • Water needs: 1 gallon per person for drinking plus 2 gallons for cooking and cleaning
• Saturday –
  • Breakfast: Egg muffins
  • Lunch: Spam tortillas
  • Dinner: Pizza
  • Snacks and drinks: coffee, water, powdered milk, tea, canned fruit
  • Water needs: 1 gallon per person for drinking plus 2 gallons for cooking and cleaning

If you’re thinking, wow, she stores all the stuff to make all that? Yes, yes I do. Because I’ve made this plan, I figure out exactly what I’m going to need in order to make it work. I know what my family eats and I make a meal plan to reflect that.

You may also notice that I added in water needs. For days that I’m using any excess water for oatmeal or pancakes or any other cooking item, I’ll add an extra gallon, or more, if needed.

Make things as simple or complicated as you want, just make sure you have the ingredients needed.

Example prepper grocery list:

I’m going to take the above menu plan and create a grocery list from it:

• 1 box just add water pancake mix
• 4 tuna cans
• Powdered or freeze dried eggs (we have chickens, but I still store egg powder)
• 4 boxes mac and cheese
• 2 16oz bags powdered milk
• 40 gallons of water
• Powdered butter
• Big bag of flour
• Yeast (1-5 instant packs)
• 1 can of spam
• 1 can beans
• 1 bag of dried beans
• 3 cans of vegetables
• 1 jar peanut butter
• 1 bag of coffee
• 1 box of tea
• 1 bag of popcorn
• 3 cans of fruit
• 1 box of oats
• 1 bag of cereal
• 1 can salmon
• 1 can pork
• 1 box instant potato flakes
• 1 jar of jelly
• 2 cans of tomato sauce
• 2 cans of tomatoes
• 1 can soup
• 1 bag of white rice
• 2 large cans of chicken
• 1 can vienna sausages
• Cinnamon
• Other spices of choice
• 1 bag of pasta

This prepper grocery list sure puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?

In addition, since I have kids, I’ll probably be getting a little extra snack type foods.

You do not have to get all of this at once. This grocery list will help you on your way to getting a full weeks worth of food and water for your household. Purchase as much or as little as you’re able to based on your budget.

And of course some of these things you won’t be able to get from the grocery store, you may need to get online, such as the powdered, dehydrated or freeze dried items.

Lastly, sometimes I’ll put a little extra on the list just because I know how my family eats and it never hurts to have extra food on hand.

Don’t forget to inventory all of this as you add or take away. Inventorying can be the key to food and water storage success.

Print out your prepper food meal plan as well as the grocery list and keep it handy. Once you’ve finished stocking up for that weeks worth of food, create a new week and keep it going!

Feel free to print out this page to give you some ideas. If you’re having trouble coming up with meal ideas, look at your everyday meals and see how you can adapt those using food storage foods.

You can also take a look at my prepper pantry list and the best canned food list.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Conquer tomorrow, by preparing today!