Preparedness Isn’t Just About Survival — Comfort Foods Matter Too

 

Why Comfort Foods Matter During Hard Times

Preparedness is not always about emergencies.

Sometimes it’s simply about thinking ahead and keeping the things you know you’ll use and enjoy while they’re available.

A lot of people picture preparedness as shelves of survival food and complicated gear. But real preparedness can be much simpler than that. It can mean having your favorite tea, coffee, chocolate, soups, crackers, or baking ingredients already on hand when life gets stressful.

Comfort matters too.

Old-Fashioned White Bread Made Easy in a Bread Machine

During the lockdowns, many people realized how quickly ordinary items disappeared from store shelves. Flour, yeast, soup, baking supplies, and even simple comfort foods suddenly became hard to find. A lot of families turned to baking bread, making cookies, and cooking familiar meals because those routines brought a sense of normalcy during uncertain times.

That’s something people often overlook about preparedness.

Morale is important.

There’s comfort in knowing you can still make a warm cup of coffee on a difficult morning or throw together homemade cookies on a rainy evening without needing another trip to the store.

Comfort foods also become especially important during illness or stressful seasons. Keeping simple long shelf-life foods around like:

• soup
• crackers
• applesauce
• oatmeal
• tea
• peanut butter
• cocoa
• shelf-stable milk

can make difficult days much easier.

Often it’s simply asking:

“What would we miss the most if the stores were empty for a while?”
“What foods bring comfort to our family?”
“What do we use regularly anyway?”

Crackers in the shelf about to go stale? 

A unique way to use up those crackers and create a memorable treat - SALTINE CRACKER COOKIES 

Preparedness is really just staying a little ahead, reducing stress later, and creating peace of mind at home.                                   

Growing up, popcorn was always one of those simple foods that somehow made everything feel a little better. It filled hungry stomachs on tight weeks, stretched a budget, and turned an ordinary evening into something comforting. 

A big bowl of popcorn during movie night, storms rolling outside, or quiet evenings at home felt like a treat even when money was tight. To this day, popcorn is still one of the top things I keep stocked in the pantry because it’s affordable, stores well for long periods, and can be turned into all kinds of comfort foods with just a few basic ingredients.

And if you had a sweet tooth, popcorn could easily become dessert too. With a little sugar, butter, and whatever nuts you had around, you could make homemade caramel corn or kettle corn right on the stovetop. Sometimes the simplest foods bring the biggest sense of comfort during stressful times.

For simple kettle corn, add:

• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• pinch of salt

to a large pot over medium heat, shaking often until the popping slows.

For quick caramel-style popcorn, melt:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

in a saucepan for a few minutes, then pour over popped popcorn and stir. Add peanuts or pecans if you have them on hand. Simple, filling, comforting, and made from pantry basics.

Top 10 Things That Sell Out First During a Crisis

 

One thing the last few years reminded many families is how quickly everyday necessities can disappear from store shelves.

Most people don’t think much about common household items — until suddenly everyone is looking for the exact same thing at the exact same time.

Whether it’s a winter storm, hurricane, lockdown, cyberattack, or major power outage, certain products almost always vanish first.

And interestingly, many of them aren’t luxury items at all.

They’re basic everyday supplies.

         

        No-Cook Pantry Foods That Can Help You Get Through a Power Outage

1. Toilet Paper

Toilet paper became one of the most talked-about shortages during the lockdowns. Empty aisles quickly became a symbol of panic buying and supply chain problems.

I recently wrote more about how different cultures adapted before modern toilet paper became common, and what those shortages taught many families about preparedness.

What People Used Before Toilet Paper 

2. Bottled Water

Water is usually one of the first things people grab during emergencies, especially before storms and power outages. How to Make Your Own Emergency Water Filter

3. Bread and Milk

Even during situations where refrigeration may fail, grocery shelves often empty quickly of familiar comfort foods.

4. Batteries

Flashlights, radios, and lanterns suddenly become far more important once the power goes out.

5. Canned Foods

Simple shelf-stable meals disappear quickly when people worry about losing access to grocery stores.

6. Over-the-Counter Medicines

Pain relievers, cold medicine, allergy medicine, and first aid supplies often sell out rapidly during health scares and emergencies. Top 5 Grid-Down Foods Diabetics Can Rely On

7. Cleaning Supplies

Disinfectants, bleach, soap, and paper towels became difficult to find during recent shortages.

8. Pet Food

Many people don’t realize how quickly pet supplies disappear until stores begin running low.

9. Fuel Containers

Gas cans and propane supplies often become hard to find before major storms or long power outages.

10. Baby Supplies

Formula, diapers, wipes, and baby medicine are usually among the first necessities families rush to secure.

                                Don’t Forget Comfort Foods

During stressful situations, people naturally focus on survival basics like water, batteries, and canned food. But one thing many families learned during shortages and lockdowns is that comfort matters too.

A favorite coffee, chocolate bar, soup, crackers, or familiar snack can do more for morale than people realize during difficult times. In uncertain situations, small comforts help create a sense of normalcy, especially for children and elderly family members.

Preparedness isn’t only about getting through an emergency physically. Sometimes it’s also about maintaining emotional well-being, routines, and a little peace of mind during stressful moments.

Whenever possible, it’s worth setting aside a few simple foods that not only last well — but also make you feel a little more at home.

What Many Families Learned

One thing shortages taught many people is that preparedness doesn’t necessarily mean fear or panic.

Often, it simply means keeping a small cushion of everyday necessities at home before everyone else suddenly needs them at once.

Most emergencies don’t require dramatic survival skills.

Sometimes they simply require preparation, flexibility, and staying calm while others are scrambling for basic supplies.

Worried About the Hantavirus Headlines? Here’s How to Prepare Without Panic

What People Used Before Toilet Paper — And What the Lockdowns Taught Many of Us

 

During the lockdown shortages a few years ago, one of the first items people seemed desperate to buy was toilet paper.

Shelves emptied almost overnight.

It was strange watching something most of us barely think about suddenly become one of the most sought-after household supplies in the country.

But honestly, the shortages didn’t surprise me quite as much as they did some people.

Years earlier, while traveling overseas, I had already learned an important lesson:

Never assume toilet paper will be available.

What to Do When the Toilet Won’t Flush (And No One Wants to Talk About It)

Learning to Travel Prepared

During my travels through places like Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Israel, I eventually learned to carry my own small stash of toilet paper and hand wipes everywhere I went. (coins needed to unlock toilet stalls in Europe)

There were many situations where modern restrooms simply weren’t available.

Sometimes that meant ducking behind ancient ruins during archaeological excavations. Other times it meant squatting quietly behind banana trees in remote areas where there were no facilities nearby.

In several mosques and older buildings, especially off the beaten path, the bathrooms often consisted of nothing more than a hole in the floor and a pitcher of water nearby.

No toilet paper.

In parts of Turkey and Jordan, finding what Americans would consider a typical western-style seated toilet wasn’t always common once you moved outside heavily tourist-centered areas.

Even when western bathrooms were available, toilet paper itself often wasn’t guaranteed.

Sometimes there was no running water either.

The Day I Had to Pay for Toilet Paper in the bathroom

One memory that still stands out to me happened at the Cairo museum in Egypt.

Inside one public restroom stood an older woman holding small amounts of toilet paper to hand out individually for a fee.

If you wanted paper, you paid for it.

At the time, it caught me off guard. But thankfully I had packed my own. 

One thing I quickly learned during my travels was that expecting toilet paper to be available in every restroom is largely a western expectation. In many parts of the world, water-based cleaning methods are far more common, especially in older buildings, rural areas, or public facilities.

But looking back now, especially after seeing empty store shelves during lockdowns years later, it makes a little more sense why many cultures approach sanitation differently than we do in the United States.

In many places around the world, water — not paper — has traditionally been the primary method used for cleanliness.

What People Used Before Modern Toilet Paper

Long before toilet paper became a standard household product, people simply used whatever materials were available to them locally.

Different cultures and time periods adapted in surprisingly practical ways.

Some of the more common substitutes throughout history included:

• leaves
• moss
• smooth stones
• corn cobs
• cloth rags
• newspaper
• old catalogs
• water and washing pitchers
• seashells in some coastal regions
• wool or scraps of fabric

Growing up, we even used pages from old Sears catalogs in our outhouse from time to time, so there really is truth behind those old stories people joke about.

For many rural families, people used what they had available.

Water Instead of Paper

In many parts of the world, water has traditionally been considered more sanitary and practical than paper.

During my travels, many bathrooms simply had a pitcher of water beside a floor drain or squat-style toilet.

Toilet paper often wasn’t provided at all.

That experience taught me pretty quickly to carry my own small pack of tissues and hand wipes while traveling.

Today, modern bidets are becoming more popular in western countries as well, especially after the toilet paper shortages during lockdowns.

And honestly, for normal everyday life with stable utilities, bidets and water washing can absolutely work well.

Glass sink and toilet on Nile Cruise in Cairo 

Why Bidets May Not Always Be Realistic During Emergencies

One thing many people don’t think about, however, is how heavily most modern bidets still depend on reliable infrastructure.

Many require:

• running water
• steady plumbing pressure
• electricity for heated seats or spray systems
• clean wastewater systems

During normal times, that’s no problem.

But during a prolonged grid-down situation, major drought, winter freeze, or water outage, preserving clean water often becomes far more important than comfort.

That’s one reason older generations often adapted by using whatever dry materials were available nearby when supplies became limited.

Preparedness isn’t necessarily about returning to uncomfortable living. It’s more about understanding how people adapted before modern conveniences existed — and recognizing how quickly everyday necessities can become valuable during shortages.

What the Shortages Reminded Many Families

One thing the lockdown shortages revealed was how quickly modern conveniences can disappear.

Most people never imagined toilet paper would become difficult to find until it suddenly was.

Preparedness doesn’t always mean dramatic survival scenarios. Sometimes it simply means recognizing how dependent modern life has become on supply chains, convenience, and constant availability.

Traveling overseas taught me years ago that much of the world already lives very differently when it comes to sanitation, water usage, and daily necessities.

Experiencing that firsthand changed how I think about preparedness and adaptability.

Worst Case Scenario: How a Cyber Attack Could Disrupt Power, Water, and Daily Life

A Reminder About Adaptability

One thing history teaches us is that human beings are remarkably adaptable.

Whether it was water pitchers in the Middle East, leaves gathered outdoors, old newspaper, or catalogs in rural outhouses, people found ways to make do with what they had available at the time.

And honestly, that may be one of the biggest preparedness lessons of all.