Ever said “I sure wish I had a candy bar right now”? (or fill in the blank with whatever sweet item you are craving).  I know I have and it's usually at a time when I can't get my hands one one. Which usually makes the urge even stronger.  Ugh! I got to thinking, we may want to consider what our options for "sweets" are BEFORE the poo-hits-the-fan and those cravings begin.

Think about it.  There are things – comfort food –  that just may make life a little easier should you have them in our future 'unknown' times. Sure, we have our wheat, flour, sugar, beans and all of that prep food stocked up.  But, who’s to say we can’t have some goodies stocked up as well?  Granted there may be some of those good ol favorites that you can’t have, like say, cotton candy.  But then, unless you go to a circus, a fair or to Walmart … you couldn't have it anyway, right? So no loss there.  But there are some suggestions for goodies that keep for an extended period of time.  Do a little research and see what’s out there.

For me, I like chocolate and I know there are are lot of you who like it too, some even love it!  So, I decided to see if chocolate keeps and what the shelf life was on it. Score!  Looks like chocolate has a year shelf life. Yea me!!!!  M&Ms may be your best bet. So buy them in bulk and put them in a good storage container. Viola! Instant comfort food.

I decided to dig further.

For you healthy gals, apples (although not a sweet in my book), if stored in a cool, dry area can last anywhere between 3 to 6 months. 

Twinkies? Contrary to popular belief, do not defy all the laws of food storage (sorry zombie hunters). They have a shelf life of about one month; which is better than most, because they contains no dairy products.

For you grazers (again not a sweet to me), cereal will usually keep 6-12 months.

If chewy is what you crave, you will be pleased to know that tootsie rolls, starbursts, skittles, and laffy taffy stays good up to 6 months (and if the truth be known probably stay stuck in your teeth for that long as well  - so keep your dental hygiene in mind when making choices.)

Gum smackers; (‘warning’ this could be grounds for being booted out of camp if your gum popping becomes annoying) - bubble gum is good for 4 to 6 months. This also applies to regular gum such as Chiclets, Dentyne, Trident as well.

If crunchy is your thing, Necco Wafers, Smarties or Nerds can last a good while due to their consistency.  But, if it's jelly, gummi candy are good for up to 6 months.  And Good ol’ fashioned jelly beans have a shelf life of up to 8 months.

For you nuts out there. I mean for those nuts who are nuts about nuts, depending on the type you choice, the shelf life is 4 up to 12 months (although freshness diminishes).

Then there's the ol’ stand by lollipops. These little suckers can last up to 6 months if stored in cool environments (these would be great to help kick a nasty nicotine habit a la Telly Savalis.)

M&M's as stated above, are great for chocolate lovers and last up to 13 months if sealed properly and not exposed to heat.

Now, for you not so adventurous ones, unwrapped hard tack candy will remains fresh for 5 to 6 months. Runts, Rock Candy, Strings and Candy Blocks will last longer, again due to their consistency.  Wrapped bulk candy such as butterscotch disks, starlight mints and root beer barrels remain fresh for 5 to 6 months.

Tug-of-war candy such as Good & Plenty, Licorice, Mexican Hats or Red Dollars will store up to 2 months.

And the best news of all? Candies such as Anise Squares, Brach's Ice Blue Mints, Jolly Ranchers or Sour Balls have a much longer shelf life and are ideal for long term use. 

These are just a few of the hundreds, maybe thousands of choices you have for sweets. I would suggest you make a list of the candies that you like, then like other preps, begin to store them. This way when the ol' sweet tooth strikes - you won’t be without!

Now hand over those M&Ms.

- Survivor Jane
 

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