Stocking Up For Quarantine

I live in Michigan where, as of March 17th, there are nearly 70 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (or coronavirus) and schools, large gatherings, and businesses have all been shut down by the Governor in the last week.

Thursday of last week was when the Governor shut down schools for at least the next 3 weeks. Immediately after that there was a run on grocery stores for the next 3 days. Many staple items for individuals and families began running out at stores like the one that I work at, most notably toilet paper. Other things were affected too though including pasta, poultry, eggs, milk, bread, fresh produce, and more. Aisles in stores across the state had empty shelves.

After going back to work this weekend I decided to stock up on some things once I clocked out. For the most part I just wanted to make sure that my roommate and I would have enough food for the two of us for two or more weeks should we become sick and need to self quarantine. We had already bought toilet paper, so it was just food I was after.

I didn’t really have anything specific in mind, I was just looking to get things that weren’t already sold out that could be used to make easy meals. I also didn’t want things that would go bad — this food was for *if* we got sick and had to quarantine, not our normal groceries — so I avoided things like milk and produce. Below is what I ended up getting, how much it cost, and what I had in mind when I grabbed it:

3 cans of diced tomatoes $3 (chili, various meals)
2 cans of tomato paste $2.18 (chili, various meals)
3 boxes of dry pasta $3.87 (self explanatory)
2 lbs of dry black beans $2.98 (chili, rice and beans)
2 jars of tomato sauce $3.50 (pasta, pizzas)
1 bag of sugar $1.89 (coffee, baking)
2 large cans of tuna fish $4.78 (sandwiches)
2 packs of tortillas $4.78 (quesadillas, tacos, pizzas)
5 lb back of russet potatoes $2.79 (breakfast skillets)
2 packs of butter $5.98 (baking, toast)
1 pack of ham sandwich meat $4.29 (sandwiches)
1 large bag of shredded mozzarella cheese $6.89 (pizzas, quesadillas, pasta)
1 family pack of chicken breasts $9.63 (quesadillas, various meals)
3 lbs of ground turkey $10.99 (chili, various meals)
2 frozen pizzas $3.98 (easy)
1 cooking spray $2.50 (staple)
2 large bottles of orange juice $6 (for breakfast)

Related posts:

I would want to start with thanking Prof. Mitesh and Prof. Pratyush from Computer Science Department, IIT Madras. I thank them for starting OneFourthLabs for providing excellent and affordable online…

Spring is on its way! Much like your home, trees require care and maintenance around this time of year. Luckily, we offer all the tree services you’ll need, including pruning, planting…

Interesting question. Too often the truth behind this is assumed in the fitness community. The common knowledge goes as such: Somewhere back in the 60s some flawed observational studies reported an…