Who doesn't have a stock cupboard

prepareathome

Saver0811 wrote: »

And none of the neighbours thought to check on other neighbours, including the old & infirm ?

No not for a few days after local reporters started to knock on doors that was what made it even worse, but water company still saying they did their best. Local supermarkets all over the area did a roaring trade in bottled water when this happened - not just ones where it happened but whole area as people were scared it could happen to them, but doubt most of them have kept up their supplies.

We have had one supermarket at the time the water came out brown and they sold out of water within the hour - now we have 3 within a couple of miles - from me that is, in all different directions or so but they cover a very, very big area, I doubt they would hold enough water even if every family only took 1 500ml bottle as none carry that much water, so I will stick to keeping my supplies in.

la_farfallina

This thread has made very interesting reading.

In the past I didn't see the point of having a store cupboard, what with having Asda, Tesco, Lidl and the Co op all within walking distance.

And then came the riots of last year. All the shops closed....I mean all of them. The roads were closed and there were no buses or trains running in my area. Even if anything had have been open I would have been too afraid to go out.

So now I have a stock cupboard, just in case. I am trying to add to it at the moment in view of the fact that I live close to the Olympic park. I don't want to be unable to get supplies if there are road/station/shop closures due security issues.

Apart from the usual tins/packets/jars etc. I shall make sure that I have plenty of fags and gin in stock.

Farf x

Popperwell

La Farfallina,:)
I always had the usual "stuff" to feed the two of us and to hopefully offer choice but now with a tight budget and being alone, I decided to do an official stock cupboard and I love it, even wondering why I decided to wait until now.

Whether you have a large or small SC and whether you do it to save on shopping trips, to be ready for civil unrest, in case money becomes tight because of illness, loss of a job, price rises, I think its worth doing.

In the case of tinned, boxed or bottled goods, many of the dates go far beyond a few months and most are best before so can be eaten safely after the suggested date. Most of us rotate stock and use items, then just have replace what we have used.

Many items can be stored for ages in the freezer on the same principle but it's the fresh food that can sneak up on you and you find unless you have a family sometimes dates mean some items are unused. You may throw out some goods(not that much)but with common sense if stored correctly and cold enough I still occasionally risk eating slightly passed the date.

After all when they say use within two days of opening if you store it in a container, it's usually ok and I could never get through it all on my own that quick. It's mainly dairy stuff I'd be most careful over.

Some household items can be stored for a little while and some even have a camping stove...just in case.

And why not have some fun stuff stuff in your SC?:rotfl:

Good luck if you go ahead...

happytails

ruby_eskimo wrote: »

I was going to say we didn't but then thinking about it we do have a 3kg bag of pasta, lots of passata and herbs, tins of beans and soup and always a loaf of bread in the freezer. No where near the levels of some people but it does mean we have stuff just in case.

That's what we have, along with enough stuff to bake, we always have tonnes Of butter, though that can easily be changed for oil if necessary. We've 8 tins of tuna, loads of frozen peas (about 3kg), we have quite a bit of cereal so must get some longlife milk for emergencies! I've also got 18 loo rolls under my bed I do worry about the pets though as I only buy enough for the month for them (7 chickens/ducks and a dog) - oh yeah I have loads of eggs too!

vanoonoo

la_farfallina wrote: »

I shall make sure that I have plenty of fags and gin in stock.

heehee! this would defo have been me 10 years ago!

I work for a large company who supplies to organisations around the UK and most of our customers within the ORN will be affected during aug and sept as a minimum and unable to take deliveries during normal operating hours, most being forced to pay a premium to accept goods only between midnight and 6am, so although most stores will be able to stock up, it might not be at their usual times of day - defo make sure you have enough to keep you going until the next delivery!

GreyQueen

Yesterday, I found a good deal on Princes tuna chunks and bought a 4-pack for my storecupboard, extracting another 4 pack from it to add to the kitchen for immediate use.

I'd written on the earlier one ADSA 20.07.11 £3 (they were reduced from £4.50 at the time) and are now much higher in most places, even up to £6.99. My Co-Op replacements were reduced to £3.74 a 4-pack, which I think is enough.

By stocking up when I see a sweet price, I save money throughout the year and live well on about £60/month for food and other housekeeping supplies.

prepareathome

Post this on tougher thread but not everyone on here reads it maybe so thought would mention Mr S has Finish dishwasher tabs - 39 tab box £10.50 on buy one get one free at the moment, only started yesterday ( we had bought a box just the day before as totally ran out:mad:) so handy to buy one to use and one in store cupboard at no extra cost - yes I bought them so now have one of them in kitchen and the other in store cupboard........I couldn't see a date when it was running to but should be at least till next Tuesday as their offers usually run Wed to Tues at very least.

Also if you buy Listerine mouth wash they are doing 2 for £5 and its mix and match so even though ordinary one is £3.30 a bottle and sensitive one is £4.40 a bottle you can get one each for £5 I bought them as well yesterday as do try to get them in cheaper shops but hubby only likes one particular flavour and I can only use the sensitive one so very often have to pay full price.

Just thought might be handy for anyone who wants things for their store cupboard......

Popperwell

Any help with a stockroom is welcome PAH...

GQ I got some of those Tuna chunks that were on offer today and one can of(I have never tried it before)saving of 69p(I think)Crab Meat.

Just as a one off...don't know if I'll like it.

I have discovered(and I may get some more)Tesco's Tuna fillets(£1 per tin)they seemed not a bad buy too...

Popperwell

So I have started to tidy my stock cupboard using crates and trying to put similar items together and you know what...I seem to have less space than when everything was on shelves or stacked on top of each other. So Now I may have to use the pantry area for cereals, crisps, sweets, booze, squashes and household goods.

And the tiinned dry goods may have to go into the dining room which is not really used being single, besides that room has the fridge/freezer and tumble drier in it so its more like a utility room.

That leaves the kitchen cupboards with mainly items like bread, soup, meat, pasta etc...unless I have to have another rethink...

Popperwell

This task is becoming an epic:mad:

I'm trying not to spend much as soon money will be tight thanks mainly to rules that the DWP have and utility bills/rent etc...so obviously I have been buying things I know I'll need in the future and I hope they'll last for years.

The crates have cost £25 in the end(for ten)the only good thing is thanks to tan offer, I did save £40.

With everything crated up, I seem to have less room than when everything was on shelves or tins were stacked on top of each other etc...the crates are quite big, a capacity of 30L.

When you see it all crated up I don't seem to have as much as I thought I had. Ten crates sounds like a lot but its how much is in each and the shape of the crates can restrict what you put in each one. So I may have to put some of my crates into the dining room which I don't use.

It has become more of a utility room as it has the fridge/freezer and tumble drier in there. Can't get those into the kitchen and its said the outhouse isn't good for the fridge/freezer.

The fridge/freezer has the frozen and fresh food that need replacing most quickly and those are what you need to watch the dates.

The cupboards in the kitchen have jars, tinned goods, bread, first aid items, kitchen equipment, mugs, plates etc...

The pantry will probably have to store fresh food(Fruit, vegetables)cereals, crisps, sweets, booze, coffee, teabags, squashes, olive oil and household goods(washing up liquid, fabric softeners, washing machine powder, bleach, bin bags etc...)batteries, torch, candles, tea lights, matches.

It has been mentioned elsewhere but I'll add it here, I have purchased a camp stove and some gas canisters.

Someone had said its ok having food but if it needs heating up what are you going to do.

This way I can still do a simple hot meal or boil water for a hot drink(on E-bay there is one that has 8 free canisters and with the stove comes out at around £19)Mine cost me £15 in Argos, the same one and I had to buy the canisters so that came in at around £25. So approx £6 more and I did myself out of four canisters but still not a bad buy.

Each canister can last approx 1 hour and 15 minutes.

If ever I have to downside(I don't want to)I don't care if my stock is on show, they'll only be me there to see it and if it saves money that's all that matters.

If I can get around to trying to write a list out to make it easier to keep track of what I have and when to use it at last I can say it's all sorted and I'll be very happy.

But as I am in the middle of sorting out the place is a mess...