Anxious and stocking up...

So with the election a week away and Covid cases climbing, I am feeling apprehensive. Our family has had some "what if" conversations, and we decided to spend some money to stock up on essentials (dry goods, toilet paper, and a few treats) just in case things get rough again. We realize that we are fortunate to have the luxury of stockpiling.

If you need to stock up, but are short on money, call your city hall or county offices. They may be able to direct you to local resources for help. Food shelves, churches, even schools can help depending on your circumstances.

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Comments

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have buying a few extras each week since March. I can do that without hurting the wallet.

    Its been said that a person should have 6 months of food stocked up - just in case.

    This year I have included more dried products and food that can be made without electricity or on an outdoor stove.

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    We don't have room for 6 months worth, but 2 months maybe. We're looking into digging a root cellar next year.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    It is a good idea to be ready wherever you are. There are places that have gone into lockdowns again. I don't remember where in the world this was, but just yesterday, I heard one place was going to be in lockdown for a weekend, another was a month.

    I am not saying this to panic everyone. Far from it. Just prepare sensibly and within what you can feasibly do.

    For us up here where snowstorms can keep us holed up, we have been preparing as we usually do, with a bit extra as we move forward.

    Since spring, we "shop" at our "store" in our basement. Our basement store contains some extras that we keep circulating. We add a bit more each time we shop.

    We also have direct from neighbor/farmer/friend resources that we can fully count on for grain & meat. Our cows keep us in the dairy end.

    Where we might see issues is in the veggie dept, since our garden was a flop this summer. That, and our apple picking ended up being infested with apple maggots. I ask owners about this before picking...always...and were assured otherwise, but these were the worst I've seen yet. :(

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    New Jersey is one of the places being locked down again. For us, another lock down in Minnesota wouldn't be a huge surprise, but I want to be prepared in case of supply chain breaks, or riots, or just plain bad weather.

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I can see another COVID lockdown. What's making me nervous is possible civil unrest disrupting the supply chain. To that end, I added $25 to each grocery budget to stock up on needed items, like flour, sugar, canned veggies, extra meat for the freezer.

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    We usually do a stock up run once a month, but with moving into a new home in August, we ate down a lot of stuff so we wouldn't have to move it. And the new home is a small acreage, and in getting things ready for winter, stocking up got put on the back burner.

    I'll be glad when we know the outcome of the election. And really glad when there is a vaccine we can trust.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Our "store" has goods stashed in bug hinge top rubbermaid containers. This keeps everything free of dust & mice. They are also stackable. Our basement is unfinished.

    The kids get a kick out of it when I tell them to go shopping.

    That's so good, @torey, that you can help your daughter out in that way.

  • Thomas
    Thomas Posts: 81 ✭✭✭

    We usually add one or two meals that will keep to our shopping list. Our go to storage right now is 5 gallon buckets, which are ok, but I prefer them for things like oatmeal, wheat, rice, etc..

    And, as @LaurieLovesLearning was mentioning, it is a good idea to always be ready for your 'something'. Here in Florida, it is hurricanes.

  • Angel
    Angel Posts: 61 ✭✭✭

    @monica197 That depends on what you eat, and how many people are in your household. For us (6 of us), it includes big bags of flour, because I bake our bread, etc from scratch. I also like to have dried beans at all times, and canned tomato sauce, tuna, applesauce, salt, yeast (and/or sourdough starter), rice, oatmeal, peanut butter, and some type of fat (lard, coconut oil, olive oil, whatever you use). I usually have fresh onions, potatoes, eggs, and pumpkins on hand, too.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @monica197 As @Angel has said it depends on what you like and how you cook. If you are a baker, don't forget other basic baking supplies for your bare bones pantry list. Baking powder & baking soda, Herbs & spices. Dried fruits; apricots, dates, raisins, cranberries. Coconut. Chia seed. Cocoa (and maybe some chocolate chips) for treats. Pasta (if you don't make your own).

  • kfoto
    kfoto Posts: 108 ✭✭✭

    @monica197 care to share recipe for mole? Would love to have a good one.

  • Gail H
    Gail H Posts: 359 ✭✭✭✭

    @kfoto I sure would love to have some apples to work with. We had freezing weather several nights in a row after the apple trees had set fruit. The orchards here in South Jersey have 10-25% of their normal crop because of that and the apples we do have don't look like they will store well.

  • kfoto
    kfoto Posts: 108 ✭✭✭

    @Gail H we’re in California and the season has been weird. I got coastal apples which were ok. It look like they had a hot season. Then I got mountain apples which also had Washington apples they were tart but sweet. This is the first season that I’ve been able to can and dehydrate. I learn how to make sauce in the instant pot. 8 mins done and not 48 hours that my grandpa taught me. Yummy.

  • Sharie
    Sharie Posts: 276 ✭✭✭

    @Suburban Pioneer Looks like we all want a mole recipe! It's one of those things I love when done right but have never attempted myself but would like to.

  • Sharie
    Sharie Posts: 276 ✭✭✭

    My parents both lived through the big war so the tales of having only a bushel of carrots to eat or a barrel of fish were enough to make sure I always had lots of extra food stored. Now that I live in Ecuador and we have food year round it's not as much of a big deal but we still bought a freezer and planted yucca which takes quite a while to mature but it is like storage food in the ground.

    I started using a portable bidet to save on toilet paper, not that we ever had a shortage here, but it is nice to be clean. We also installed a large water storage tank as we don't have our own water source.

    Basically we've made our home a much better place to hang out and spend time at. We used to travel more and I miss the beach but until all this drama blows over I prefer to stay close to home where I'm prepared for almost anything.

  • dottile46
    dottile46 Posts: 437 ✭✭✭

    As they've gone on sale I've bought some of the 4Patriots kits. They are very compact and some even come in a tote. You can easily store 2 months supply for one person under a twin bed and have space left over. They run attractive sales periodically and offer financing on some of them.

  • MissPatricia
    MissPatricia Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    I have bought extra paper goods. The only one I use a lot of is facial tissues, Puffs if I can get them. I have extra of sugar, flour, wheat berries. Have some sardines, need to stock up on canned salmon. Need to order extra dried fruit. Have big jars of almond butter, extra coconut oil, etc. Want to get a big bag of rice and one of beans (dried). Really don't use much from cans. Have meat in the freezer. For the winter that is fine. If power goes out, it can be put in cooler and placed outdoors, usually.

  • nicksamanda11
    nicksamanda11 Posts: 755 ✭✭✭✭

    Went to salvage stores and stocked up- much more wallet friendly

  • gardneto76
    gardneto76 Posts: 528 ✭✭✭✭

    I have been more anxious lately as well. Every time I check my supplies I think I will be ok, but I still feel uneasy an hour later.

  • Paradox
    Paradox Posts: 187 ✭✭✭

    Sounds a little like the part of my book where the ladies had to hit the store. :P

  • farcnik.anja
    farcnik.anja Posts: 2 ✭✭✭

    Being completely new here and from Europe - may I ask why are you stacking up?

    We have another lockdown at the moment, red numbers everyday, but our stores are open and stacked.

    I still have a food suply for a month, but I do not know why schould I buy more?

    Did you have any issues with the food supplies? Do you expect that something will happen?

    I do not want to be rude, please do not take my questions this way, I would just like to understand, cause around here everyone is acting like everything is ok (but I am also a bit anxiuos).

  • DurwardPless
    DurwardPless Posts: 162 ✭✭✭

    A friend just posted a picture of an empty meat department in a grocery store. My mother said she is having trouble finding oatmeal.

    It is hard not to be anxious, but these things are a warning to stay well stocked.

    DDP

  • Desiree
    Desiree Posts: 255 ✭✭✭

    I have been keeping us pretty well stocked since March. I have always prepared for who knows what so it hasn't been that different. I really haven't felt like I was short on anything and still have a good stock since I replenish very consistently.