I was going to mention Nido also. I got a big can about six weeks back for about $14.50. Evap. milk, condensed milk, and shelf stable milk. Nido is WHOLE fat powdered milk as opposed to the non-fat powdered like Carnation.
I suggest canned butter for real SHTF stock. It’s expensive though -Red Feather brand. One can = approx. 3 sticks @ approx. $7.50. I’ve heard that some Asian food stores carry canned butter.
Dried powdered whole eggs. Last a long time and are supposed to be very decent nowadays.
Coupons are getting super scarce too. And even the online ones are lousy now.
Stock up on vitamins - ladies, trust me and buy “pregnancy” vitamins (shelf) cause they are more complete than any of the others in the same price range. Plus, if SHTF, it would be nice to share w/pregnant family member.
You may be intimidated to try, I know I was, but Mylar/oxygen absorber food storage is CRAZY easy and quite affordable. So, you get a 25 lb. bad of rice, split it into a bunch of 4 cup batches, put it into Mylar bags, each w/ an oxygen absorber, seal and label. Will last safely for years.
Honey last literally forever. Very valuable to have.
Buy HEIRLOOM seeds. Heirloom seeds are important for several reasons, mainly that the seeds can be harvested from what you grow and used to grow next years food. Commercial seeds (from hybrid foods) cannot reproduce the same as parent plants, if they will grow at all.
Learn to grow something even if it’s just potatoes in a big pot on the sunny back porch.
Yes, for the home canners: lay in big stock of lids. Also sure gel.
Sugar in my area just went to a FOUR LB. bag for the same price of a five lb. bag the month before. Good thing we brought six bags awhile back w/coupons. We don’t consume a lot of sugar - but I’m glad I listened to my gut.
Something I just thought of that some of the younger group here might not have is an old cookbook. Knowing how to cook from scratch is becoming a lost art. Having an older cookbook (one of the old White Houses or the 1950s Betty Crocker, or the Williamsburg if you already have a good grasp of cooking from scratch) will help them learn to cook with basic foodstuffs.
Also, have a list of substitutions. Such as if you don’t have veg oil you can use apple sauce (or a mashed apple) in a cake. Use water instead of broth. When to use baking powder vs. baking soda. Make cream cheese from yogurt or how to make yogurt. Make a “noodle” from cream and egg. Or that finely ground nuts can sub for flour (yes, normally more expensive unless you have a nut source or you’re out of flour), etc.
If you are near an Aldi’s, they have always had 5# bags and the price has been fairly stable. I did my monthly shopping about a week ago and IIRC, sugar was $2.60/5#...up about a dime over the past few months.
A FReeper told me true: if the sugar hardens, just place in the microwave for a minute or so and it will soften. This summer heat and humidity does a number on it. I found the same trick works for powdered drink mix...about 30 seconds will loosen it up.
I am on the mailing list at several storage food sites. Occasionally, they will offer butter and the process cheese at $6/can &/or free shipping. That is when I buy it and since there is no need to rotate it, it adds up.
Organic food stores carry canned ghee. Smaller size than the food storage places and not cheap (I think I paid $9 for 8oz), but will last forever if not opened and is great for cooking in place of stick or canned butter. People from tropical places w/o standard electric service have always relied on canned butter, cheese, cream and milk, as do cruisers. You will see it all through the islands around the world. I have thought folks still crave the flavor even when they are in more modern places.
I think I have rotated through my canned food stores at least 3x since 2008, mostly due to slow cash flow and when my husband had an accident that put him out of work for 7 weeks. Given the financial markets, it has been a great investment.