milk: any store with a large Hispanic section has dried Nido whole milk. It has a 10 year shelf life. Drawback: it only is available in my area in 10# cans. When it is opened, I will parcel it out and vacuum pack smaller portions.
I also buy gallons of whole milk when they are on sale and repackage them in 8 oz portions and freeze them in double bags. There are only two of us and we don’t drink a lot of milk, so it lasts a long time.
I also buy evaporated whole milk and, again at the Hispanic stores, Nestle’s Media Crema, which is close to heavy cream. It can be diluted to taste. Both have 2-3 year posted shelf life.
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.