Welp. COVID-19 is now a global pandemic and there are more and more cases being reported every single day. There are probably a ton more people with the virus given lack of test kits across the US, and in all likelihood, COVID-19 may be coming to your state, county, city, and even your home. This is just where we’re at.

I happen to live just outside Washington, DC and work in the District. I’m also a healthcare professional. Match Day has been canceled and graduation is still “up in the air.” Our local public schools are closed for part of next week so they can figure out a way to transition to virtual learning. At a meeting today, one of our deans told us that, as clinicians, we can expect to get sick. Good times.

In a previous post, I mentioned that we would be picking up some extra things in case of quarantine or illness that kept us at home for a couple weeks. In case you were wondering, here’s a pretty exhaustive list of everything we bought. I split my shopping between Costco (the vast majority), Trader Joe’s, and my local Harris Teeter.

A word on quantities…all I’ll say is that we got as much as we felt like we needed for 2-4 weeks for 2 adults and a toddler. If you’re interested in stocking up for yourself, adjust as you see fit.

Food

• Canned and Dry Goods
  • Beans (I got black and garbanzo)
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Coconut milk
  • Corn
  • Green beans
  • Condensed chicken soup
  • Canned soup (lentil and vegetable beef, in case you were wondering)
  • Oatmeal
  • Pasta (assorted types)
  • Canned tuna
  • Canned chicken
  • Canned salmon
  • Canned mushrooms
  • Rice
  • Whey protein
  • Mixed nuts
• Freezer
  • Frozen veggies
  • Frozen fruit
  • Frozen meals (I got a few from Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Freshly)
  • Cauliflower gnocchi (seriously, I got like 15 packages)
  • Liquid eggs in a carton
  • Cheese (see notes)
  • Milk (see notes)
  • Fresh herbs
  • Bread
  • Bacon
  • Ground meat
• Fresh foods (that keep a little while)
  • Potatoes
  • Onions
  • Eggs
  • Minced garlic (the kind in a big-ass jar from Costco)
• Other
  • Olive oil
  • Vinegar – balsamic and apple cider
  • Shelf stable almond milk
  • Peanut butter
  • Jam
  • Pickled veggies (olives, pickles, artichokes, etc)
  • Pasta sauce
  • Tea
  • Cereal bars
  • Seltzer water
  • Chicken broth
• Sweet stuff
  • Chocolate (I get Guittard baking bars and chips)
  • Cake mix
  • Brownie mix
  • Frosting
  • TJ’s beer bread mix
• The Absolutely Most Important Things
  • Coffee
  • Wine

Personal Care

• Toilet paper
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Body wash
• Baby shampoo/wash
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Period products
• Anything and everything you need for your personal routine (aka skin care is my religion)

Baby/Pets

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Toddler formula
• Baby food
• Snacks – ie granola bars, yogurt, rice cereal, etc
• Dog food
• Cat food
• Cat litter
• Pet treats

Cleaning Supplies

• Paper towels
• Bleach
• Antibacterial wipes
• Swiffer pads – wet and dry
• All-purpose cleaning spray – bleach based
• Dishwasher tabs
• Laundry detergent
• Hand soap refills
• White vinegar

Medical Supplies**

• Ibuprofen – adult and toddler formulations
• Sudafed
• Theraflu packets
• Pedialyte
• Pepto-Bismol
• Benadryl
• Afrin Nasal Spray

And there you have it! I spent the better part of a day over the weekend de-junking the house and making room for all of this stuff, but in the event that one or all of us is cooped up at home, we’re good to go. Obviously, it’s a lot, but there’s nothing listed here that we don’t buy on the regular already, so it WILL get used up eventually…if we never end up having to stay home for a long period of time, I comfort myself knowing I won’t have to buy much at all for weeks or even months!

In the meantime, here’s a great article on how to stay sane during extended periods at home, here’s what to do if you think you’re sick, and here’s a guide to all the latest facts and figures.

Notes

Freezing milk: Milk can be frozen for a few months. When you buy a gallon of milk, you can open it, empty a small amount, then re-seal and freeze for up to a few months.

Freezing cheese: Many cheeses can be wrapped tightly and frozen for 4-6 months (I happened to buy vacuum sealed blocks from Costco, so I just tossed them all in the freezer).

**A note on medical supplies: COVID-19 is a viral illness, meaning that treatment is only symptommatic (antibiotics are useless for viruses and there are no targeted treatments). The vast majority of cases are mild enough to be managed at home, so you ought to stock up on anything you would use for treating colds and flu. I find that most people have personal preferences when it comes to favorite cold/flu meds, so these are simply my favorites. Feel free to personalize this list.

ALSO! You may notice that there are some items that treat symptoms NOT associated with COVID-19, like runny nose and congestion, upset stomach, or diarrhea. Keep in mind that it is still a time of year when people are susceptible to plain old colds and flu…I keep these in handy just in case I dodge COVID-19 but still manage to come down with a cold while on quarantine.