6. Choose products that you can use up later
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.
7. Do an inventory of toiletries and medications before you shop
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.
8. Don’t buy a lot of unhealthy snacks and sweets
It’s all too easy to binge on chips and ice cream and the like if you’re stuck at home and feeling down.
9. Don’t buy masks unless you need them
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.
10. Don’t buy all the soap and hand-sanitizers in sight
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.
