I’ve often said that assembling your first bug out bag is something of a rite of passage for preppers and survivalists. Often, it is one of the very first steps taken on the path of disaster readiness. Where many people go wrong, though, is feeling as though they need to purchase expensive camping-style foods to keep in the bag. The fact is, you can find all the food supplies you’ll need right at your local grocery store, and probably save yourself some money in the process.

Let’s look at just a few very common grocery store staples that would work very well in a bug out bag.

While many granola bars sold today amount to not much more than candy with a bit of nuts added in, they store rather well and provide a good amount of calories in a ready-to-eat package. If you watch for sales, you can usually find a box of ten for under a couple bucks.

Rice is, of course, a staple food item for preppers. It stores well and is easy to prepare. While you probably don’t want to add a pound or two of rice to your bug out bag, you can easily transport small quantities by repurposing used juice pouches. Cut the empty juice pouch open across the top, just under where the straw hole is located. Wash and rinse well, then drape it upside down on a wooden spoon or something to dry overnight. Measure 1/2 cup of rice into the pouch. Fold the top over a few times, then use a hot iron to seal the mylar. Note: you can’t cook the rice in this pouch, you’ll need to have some type of pot to boil the water and then dump in the rice.

If you have a small cook pot in your kit, dry pasta is another possible meal. Egg noodles and such are incredibly cheap. Store them in a ziplock bag in your pack until you are ready to cook.

Protein is something of an issue for some people when it comes to deciding what to pack. I mean, starches are easy, but we can’t always count on trapping, fishing, or hunting to provide some meat to our diets when on the move. Pouch tuna is a great option. While you need to be careful about high temperatures when keeping the kit in your car, kept under reasonable conditions the tuna will stay fresh for about three years or so. Plus, if you shop around, you can usually find these pouches for about a buck each.

Raisins are a great option for adding some fruit to the diet. They store very well and are quite tasty. You might also pick up some other dried fruit mixes and roasted nuts to make your own trail mix.

A while back, I started seeing individual serving size packages of things like Hamburger Helper(c). Essentially, it is dehydrated meat, dry pasta, and seasonings in small pouches. The instructions are to mix the pouch contents with water and microwave for a bit, then let it sit to absorb the water. News flash — you don’t need a microwave to pull this off. Just heat the required amount of water, then toss in the pouch contents and cover. I’ve tried a few different varieties of these and they are actually rather filling.

When it comes to storing food in your bug out bag, you want to concentrate on three things:

1) Calories count, the more you can pack, the better. Calories are what fuels the body. Given that you’ll probably be traveling on foot, possibly over rough terrain, you want as much fuel as you can get your hands on.

2) Preparation should be simple. You aren’t looking to cobble together elaborate meals. In fact, the more foods you have that require nothing other than unwrapping before eating, the better off you’ll be. You may end up in a situation where a campfire, even a small one, is inadvisable. That said, having a few heat-n-eat types of foods can provide a great morale boost as a hot meal does wonders for the psyche.

3) Variety is the spice of life. Eating the same thing at each meal for even a couple of days can grow tiresome. Be sure to have a range of food items in your bug out bag to avoid appetite fatigue.