How to Buy Food for a 14-Day Quarantine (and How Not To)

Know beforehand what you want to buy, both to make sure you don’t forget anything and to minimize time spent at the market, and thus possible exposure to the virus from others.

Just because something’s in plentiful supply, if it isn’t on your list and you don’t really need it, leave it on the shelf for others.

Just because others are stocking up on something, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need it too.

Pay attention to use-by dates and don’t buy more than you think you’ll be able to use in the allotted time period.

Dried pasta, rice, dried legumes, grains, and UHT milk are among the foods that are long-lasting — two to four weeks for UHT milk, almost indefinitely for pasta, rice, legumes, and grains if stored away from moisture.

When possible, buy foods not just that will last a long time but that you enjoy eating — so that if they don’t get consumed during your quarantine period, you’ll still eat them.

You’re not buying for a year in a bunker, just for a 14-day period. Make sure you have everything you need — toothpaste and soap as well as prescription drugs and a first-aid kit, for instance — but don’t overdo it.

It’s all too easy to binge on chips and ice cream and the like if you’re stuck at home and feeling down.

Even if you’re lucky enough to find a supply of surgical masks, leave them for health care professionals or others for whom they’re essential. According to the World Health Organization, that means people who are coughing or sneezing or people who are taking care of someone with a suspected COVID-19 infection.

Having plenty of soap at home is essential these days, and hand-sanitizers are good to have around, too — though the CDC says that soap and water are more efficient at removing germs than anything in a bottle. In both cases, though, don’t buy more than you need. Be considerate of others who might need to stock up, too.

We should all have the basics at home, whether or not we’re under quarantine, but again, be considerate of the needs of others and just buy what you can imagine needing in the near future.

Toilet paper has become emblematic of panic-buying — there are photos of market baskets overloaded with the stuff all over the internet — for reasons nobody quite understands, since there isn’t a shortage. A four-person household with average use will need only 16 rolls over a 14-day period — or 23 rolls if usage is apt to be heavy.

Almost everywhere in the United States, tap water is safe to drink, and on-faucet filter mechanisms or filter pitchers make it even safer. Save money, help the environment, and lighten your grocery bags by turning on the tap instead of reaching for the Poland Spring or Evian.

Having plenty of long-lasting staples on hand is important, but don’t forget the fruits and vegetables that add flavor, color, and nutrients to your diet. According to Omni Calculator, a family of four (two adults, two children under 10) would probably need about 12 pounds of apples, almost two pounds of onions and five of carrots, six-and-a-half pounds of bell peppers, and just over a pound of potatoes for a 14-day period.

That same family of four would likely consume 56 eggs, three sticks of butter, two pounds of cheese, five loaves of bread, five cartons of milk, and six pounds of ground meat in two weeks’ time.