Who doesn't have a stock cupboard

Popperwell

Remember the storing of bottled water? Was there any point? I have said elsewhere a letter has arrived saying the water company are doing work between Mon-Fri(they cannot narrow it down further than that)but we may get discoloured water. So the bottled water may be very useful,I guess I better fill the bath today.

I suppose that means I better avoid baths:p, I can imagine being in the middle of having one and suddenly finding the water is horrible and also if I use all the water if goes strange, then I won't have water for making tea, coffee etc...

GreyQueen

Popperwell wrote: »

If I can stay here the passage alongside the house(doors on both ends)gets lovely and cold in winter as does the outhouse, it stays quite cold all the year round to be honest...and thankfully as most things in the store are tinned/boxed they should be ok...I know people use under the beds but I cannot imagine you'd get much under there...

Pops, I am the queen of underbed storage and the answer to your question is a lot more than you think!

My pine bedstead (double) has only 10 inches of clearance from the floor but that hasn't proved an impediment thus far. I have 2 Arg0s steel grid and wood rolling storage trollies (£3 the pair at a boot fair) and they hold a single layer of standard tins, about 60 each I think. I also have a homemade trolley which is a bit of repurposed plywood, with a bead of thin wood around the edge to stop the tins falling off, and some cheapy casters (discount store £1 for 4). Works a treat. There's still room under there for luggage and other bits and bobs. It's a tile floor in a room where the window is nearly always ajar and they keep nice and cool. You can use those heavy duty banana boxes as well. I have tinned goods under there, and tomato puree in tubes, but I wouldn't use if for dried goods. Since the trollies can sometimes wander out of reach (and my room is so small that you can't get around the bed) I have a bit of wood with a large cup-hook in the end which lives under the bed and is used to retrieve any trolley which wanders across the fllor.

As I have a valance on the bed, all this eccentricity is hidden from view...........:rotfl:

butterfly2001 wrote: »

hello thinking about stock cupboards ive seen this https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4059901 do roll ons or deodorants keep?

My experience is that roll-ons go acohol-ly and sting and smell funny if kept too long (1 year +) so I only have one or two spare. I don't know how well stick-type deodorants store.

joedenise

I can't use my underbed food storage as I have a waterbed and it is very warm under the bed!

Denise

Butterfly_Brain

I have tried PMing my list but it is too long so I have decided to post it on here

FLOUR Bread flour, plain flour, self raising flour, cornflour

RAISING AGENTS Dried yeast, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda

SUGAR Granulated, caster, brown, demerara, icing

MILK Dried, evaporated, long life, condensed

OIL/FATS Sunflower , olive, vegetable etc) butter (whichever you use normally)
freezes well so does lard, suet and dumpling mix are handy for making suet pastry or dumplings, eggs at least a dozen

PASTA Spaghetti, lasagne sheets, pasta shapes of choice (my lot prefer fuselli) tinned raviolli

RICE Long grain, basmati, risotto, short grain, golden vegetable rice, chicken rice etc (whichever you use normally)

DRIED FRUIT Mixed dried fruit, sultanas, currants, raisins, apricots, prunes, apples, bananas, glace cherries, stem ginger etc

DRIED VEG Onion, mixed veg, mushrooms, instant mash, couscous etc

PULSES
(TIN OR DRY) Lentils, split peas, butterbeans, kidney beans, black eyed beans, broth mix, mixed beans,

TIN OR DRY SOUP OF CHOICE

NUTS/SEEDS Walnuts, almonds, mixed nuts, pecans, macadamia, peanuts (salted and plain) sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, popping corn, coconut, etc (whichever you use normally)

HERBS/SPICES Sea salt, pepper, mixed herbs, basil, five spice, oregano, cumin, mustard seeds, curry powder, paprika, pickling spice, garlic salt, all purpose seasoning etc mixed spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, caraway seeds, cloves etc I also have a jar of lazy garlic and lazy ginger, tomato puree and garlic puree (whichever you use normally)

GRAVIES ETC Bisto, chicken oxo, beef oxo, vegetable oxo, (Or stock cubes of choice) packet stuffing, cheese sauce, white sauce, mushroom sauce etc (whichever you use normally) I always keep a box of hard cheese to hand as well.

TINNED MEATS Ham, corned beef, meatballs, hot dogs, mince, stewed steak, chicken in white sauce, chopped ham and pork, luncheon meat, meat pies (whichever you use normally)

TINNED FISH Tuna, salmon (red or pink), mackerel fillets, anchovies, crab meat, sardines, pilchards (whichever you use normally)

TINNED VEG Mixed veg, peas, carrots, potatoes, sweet corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, creamed mushrooms, green beans, baked beans, baked beans and sausages etc

TINNED FRUIT Fruit cocktail, pears, peaches, apples, mangos, cherries, mandarins, pineapple etc (whichever you use normally) I always have a tin of chestnut puree because we like it

CUSTARD ETC Tinned, instant, dream topping, jelly, carmelle mix, semolina, tapioca, blancmange, coconut milk, lemon juice, lime juice

JARS/ BOTTLE Malt vinegar, white vinegar, ketchup, brown sauce, redcurrant sauce Worcester sauce, mayonnaise, salad cream, mustards, cranberry sauce, apple sauce, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, bolognaise, sweet and sour, curry, chilli, sweet chilli, pasta sauce

DRINKS Tea, coffee, instant coffee (The one's with milk added), instant hot chocolate, cocoa, squashes, bottled water, lemonade, etc

PICKLES Branston, chutneys, pickled onions, red cabbage, gherkins, olives, mixed peppers, sun dried tomatoes etc

JAMS ETC Jam of choice, marmalade, honey, golden syrup, treacle, maple syrup, chocolate spread, peanut butter, marmite, Bovril, fish paste, sandwich spread etc

CEREALS Porridge oats, rice krispies, weetabix, bran flakes are all useful in baking and for breakfasts, you could store your favourites as well but those are the main ones that I store

CRACKERS Crispbread of choice (handy when there is no bread in) cream crackers, bread sticks
AND BISCUITS choc digestives, digestives, rich tea, ginger nuts, bourbons custard creams or whatever your favourites are

SWEETS
AND CHOCOLATES Bars of chocolate, boiled sweets such as cola drops, strawberries and cream, rhubarb and custard etc, chewing gum anything you like ( so that you always have a little treat when times get tough) things don’t seem quite so bad then

PET FOOD AND BEDDING ETC

SUNDRY ITEMS Toilet rolls, soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash, deodorant, sanitary wear, baby wipes, bottle sterilising tablets, cotton buds, nappies (if you have small children) prescription medicines, non prescription such as cough linctus, paracetamol, calpol, plasters, savlon, bandages, steri strips, vitamin tablets, vinyl gloves etc, foil, cling film, bin bags, soap powder, softener, stardrops, bleach, disinfectant, soda crystals, washing up liquid, washing up gloves, bin bags, kitchen towel, dish cloths, brillo pads, rubber gloves, shoe polish plus a good scrubbing brush, at least two can openers. For when there is no power, a camping stove and gas is handy, so is a barbecue or fire pit. You will also need a good source of heating your home such as a wood burning stove or opening up your old fireplace, in the case of new builds a calor gas fire would be useful, wind up torch and lantern, candles, batteries etc. Plenty of warm clothes and blankets, battery fans, charcoal, firelighters, wood and a bag or two of coal.

MONEY Try and have enough savings to cover your mortgage and bills for at least three months, preferably six. It takes time to get benefits or a new job, and even if you are lucky enough to get a new job, it can be four or five weeks before you can get any wages. Nat West was a wakeup call to many when they could not access their money for over a week. Always keep a little petty cash in the house say £100, more if you want to take the risk so you can get things if the ATM’S go down, don’t forget if they go down so do the supermarkets and shops so your card will not be of any use. It is scary how reliant on debit card banking we have become.

SEEDS Another handy thing to have is seeds, so that you can grow some fresh vegetables, if you are lucky enough to have a garden you can add fruit bushes and trees as well. If you just have a balcony, you can still grow things in pots or on a windowsill. Foraging is a fun way to add to your stores as well. A sack of potatoes and some onions hanging in the shed are a must as well. If need be you can always let a few go to seed and grow your own from them.

BOOZE AND CIGGIES If you really need these items then store them too by all means

DO NOT FORGET TO ALLOW FOR VEGETARIANS AND PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY WHO HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES!

THIS IS NOT A DEFINITIVE LIST AND I HAVE PROBABLY MISSED SOMETHING, IT IS JUST AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU COULD STORE UP ON. I HAVE LEFT OUT FREEZER GOODS BECAUSE IF THERE IS LOSS OF POWER YOU WILL HAVE TO USE ALL OF THAT FIRST AND YOU WILL LOSE ALL OF THE FOOD STORED IN THEM.

THE BASIC RULE IS STORE WHAT YOU EAT AND EAT WHAT YOU STORE

ROTATION IS A MUST AND TRY TO USE SOMETHING FROM YOUR STOCK EVERY WEEK AND REPLACE WHAT YOU USE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY EVERYTHING ON THIS LIST OR ALL AT ONCE, A COUPLE OF EXTRA BITS A WEEK SOON ADDS UP. WATCH EXPIRY DATES CLOSELY, ESPECIALLY WHEN BUYING (LOOK TO THE BACK OF THE SHELVES FOR THE FRESHEST GOODS

LIST AT LEAST 14 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHES AND MAIN MEALS THAT YOU WOULD MAKE NORMALLY AND BUY THE INGREDIENTS THAT WOULD MAKE UP THOSE MEALS, TRUST ME YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE EATING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER:eek:

IF YOU WANT TO STORE ONE MONTH’S WORTH OF FOOD THEN MULTIPLY YOUR 14 MEALS BY 2 PLUS 3 DAYS ALLOWING FOR A 31 DAY MONTH THEN USE THE SAME FORMULA FOR 2 MONTHS SO THAT WOULD BE 14 MEALS MULTIPLIED BY 5
I WOULD RECOMMEND HAVING A THREE MONTH SUPPLY, PREFERABLY LONGER, BECAUSE OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO SORT BENEFITS, OR TO FIND ANOTHER JOB, THEN HAVING TO WAIT FOR YOUR FIRST PAY DAY, WHICH IS ANOTHER MONTH WITHOUT PAY.

IT IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HAVE AS A BUFFER!

xxxxxxx

LittleCharlie

I don't store anything long term, it would only go off because I cook everything from scratch. I cook meals and freeze them in single portions which means we are never completely out of food. Obviously I keep bags of pasta, rice etc in the cupboard, but not excessive amounts.

I don't have the room to store excessive amounts of tinned goods I have no interest in eating 'just in case' something happens. In this country we're highly unlikely to get into a situation where we have to rely on food from our cupboards because it's impossible to get any outside.

Popperwell

Thanks BB,
I'll cut and paste it and send it by e-mail to myself...thanks for going to all that trouble...

Popperwell

LittleCharlie wrote: »

I don't store anything long term, it would only go off because I cook everything from scratch. I cook meals and freeze them in single portions which means we are never completely out of food. Obviously I keep bags of pasta, rice etc in the cupboard, but not excessive amounts.

I don't have the room to store excessive amounts of tinned goods I have no interest in eating 'just in case' something happens. In this country we're highly unlikely to get into a situation where we have to rely on food from our cupboards because it's impossible to get any outside.

Many are doing it because of cost and worry about the future because of losing a job, illness, cuts in benefits...but everyone does what's right for them...I don't think there will be an emergency as such...remember the panic over the Millenium Bug...that came to nothing...

Evie74_2

I can't believe I missed this thread! So I am joining a bit late in the day.

I have always had a good storecupboard. I think it's down to the way I was brought up. My grandparents were virtually self-sufficient and lived in a very remote area, so were often cut off for weeks in bad weather, so as a child I was always aware of their stocks of tinned/dried goods, and it was my grandparents who taught me how to preserve fruit and veg by making jam/chutney/bottling etc etc.

My own parents were less hardcore in the self-sufficiency stakes, but my mum always has a good supply of tins/dried goods/ingredients for baking etc in store. Therefore it seems normal to me to do the same.

I've never really thought about the reasoning behind it. I guess my main thinking has been that if DH and/or I are ill and we can't get to the shops, or if there is bad weather and we can't get out, our little family will survive for 2-3 weeks (maybe more) on what we have in stock. I hadn't really thought about it in terms of prepping for survival in doomsday terms until recently.

Having seen all that's been happening in Greece, I do wonder how quickly supplies etc would break down in the UK if there was a complete financial meltdown (OK, I know we're in the midst of something of a meltdown, but hopefully you know what I mean!). So I have been consciously making more of a mental note of what I have in stock, and making sure that nothing runs out.

The debate about water supplies has reminded me that I should get some bottled water in, as that is something that I really have taken for granted. Cooking wise, I think we would be OK, as we have a wood burning stove (and plenty of firewood stashed) and I could use the top of that as a hob if we were without power.

This is such an interesting thread - very thought-provoking.

Evie xx

Evie74_2

Butterfly Brain- thank you for sharing your list.

Evie xx

prepareathome

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

I have tried PMing my list but it is too long so I have decided to post it on here
xxxxxxx

Thank you so much, no matter how well you think you have thought about what you should have in you always miss something so seeing other peoples lists is such great help