Who doesn't have a stock cupboard

Fruball

flippin36 wrote: »

Ok I've read this thread and you guys have [STRIKE]scared the [STRIKE]!!!! out of me[/STRIKE][/STRIKE] convinced me to get stocking up. I already do stock up when things are on offer but I've never had a doomsday cupboard.

We are lucky enough to have a utility room thats quite a big space. We left all the old kitchen cupboards (it used to be a kitchen) which are pretty much empty. I'm also thinking of buying an extra freezer for in there. I have already a years worth of oil and tin toms to start me off. I want to get a years worth of tinned and frozen goods, rice and pasta. I have a credit card which is 0% purchases for 9 months which I was going to use to stooze. I'm thinking of using that for my stockpile and spread the cost until March. Is this madness? Am I panicking or being sensible? :eek:

LOL! Don't panic! Taking a few precautionary steps now means there is no need to panic!

Personally, I have no intention of keeping a years worth of stock - for me, keeping us fed for a few months should be plenty. I would expect that for the first couple of months we would eat fairly well and after that it would be brown rice (more vits) and beans! Not particularly pleasant but better than being hungry. Plus beans and rice don't take up too much space and last for years.

Right, I am off to Mr T to fill a trolley with what I expect to rise in price over the next few weeks :mad:

la_farfallina

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

A Stock cupboard doesn't have to cost a lot if you buy a few extra tins or pkts every week, even on a fixed budget (I know I have done it) your stock will soon mount up.
In Asda for £5 you can get:
2 tins rice pudding @12p = 24p
500g spaghetti = 24p
dried mixed herbs 19p
2pks instant custard @ 6p = 12p
3kg bag Bread flour 60p
3kg bag plain flour 52p
3kg bag SR flour 52p
14g yeast 28p
A jif lemon 20p
Long grain rice 40p
tin tomatoes 31p
vinegar 13p
A tin mushy peas 6p
4 tins baked beans £1
smart price curry sauce 17p
Total £4.98 or split into 2 weeks that is £2.49 or 4 weeks £1.25
Shop around for the best deals, use the internet to check prices on the supermarkets web sites and write a list before you go.[/QUOTE


Hey, thanks for posting and costing this list for us.
I bought 2 packs of spaghetti today for 50p in Mr T and two tins potatoes....it came to 88p.

I didn't even know you could get spaghetti for 25p.

Have just realized that I don't have any spare lightbulbs so will get some today.

Popperwell

And seriously much of what is in the low price own Tesco brand if you read the information on the packet the ratings are the same as the more expensive items...well done la farfallina:)

I'll probably go in later and find the shelves bare or they will not have what I am looking for...

You can get their own Every day spaghetti, baked beans and baked beans and sausages even cheaper than that! And probably double the size...

Possession

Tesco Everyday Value spaghetti is 24p (at the moment!).

Popperwell

Possession wrote: »

Tesco Everyday Value spaghetti is 24p (at the moment!).

Thanks I now have to add more text otherwise this won't post, that should do the trick...

sonastin

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

I heard on the news that the farmers are to strike during the olympics in protest at prices.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fa5db596-c78d-11e1-a850-00144feab49a.html#axzz207Bq92Io

What a load of twaddle!!

Not saying the story isn't true - can't access it - but if it is it represents a humongous failure of common sense. Milk production won't stop just because farmers want to go on strike. Cows won't just cross their udders and hold on till the olympics have finished. And farmers will have to pay for the disposal of milk if they aren't selling it. What struggling business man would prefer to pay someone else to take away his product than receive some degree of payment for it, however small.

And if Joe public reacts by stockpiling and freezing ahead of time then the strike will have no effect anyway.

Popperwell

sonastin wrote: »

What a load of twaddle!!

Not saying the story isn't true - can't access it - but if it is it represents a humongous failure of common sense. Milk production won't stop just because farmers want to go on strike. Cows won't just cross their udders and hold on till the olympics have finished. And farmers will have to pay for the disposal of milk if they aren't selling it. What struggling business man would prefer to pay someone else to take away his product than receive some degree of payment for it, however small.

And if Joe public reacts by stockpiling and freezing ahead of time then the strike will have no effect anyway.

Most of us are doing this because our own circumstances are tough and future income are likely to get worse. If a strike happens and does not have any effect...fine. And if by stockpiling etc...the effect of the strike is not as great, it's done some good.

I heard a big feature on the Today programme on Radio 4 over a week ago...

http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Milk-price-row-sparks-London-2012-Olympic-Games/story-16505403-detail/story.html

Confuzzled

GreyQueen wrote: »

Mine is A rated (freezer) and I've had it 4.5 years. It used 175 kWh a year and it's arrival co-incided with a price hike and I didn't notice an increase in my leccy consumption. They're very thrifty. You'd be looking in the region if £150 for an A rated and £100 for a B rated.

I lucked out on Anchor butter at 45p a block (up on it's BB date) so bought about 8 packs and froze them. I only relatively-recently discovered that hard cheeses and butter and milk are all eminently freezable.

Going to be a hard winter and the burden will be unfairly-felt by the poorest, as per usual.

i bought this freezer last year http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/norfrost-c4aewc-chest-freezer-white-12371884-pdt.html when it was £122 and it's been great. built in scotland which is an extra boon, i like to support local businesses when i can. i've noticed almost no rise in energy costs since buying it, i doubt it's more than £1 a month if that

i just did a massive shop online and this little beauty is going to save me a fortune when they start hiking prices. i bought 4 things of milk, 4 butters, about 15 bags of various frozen veg, 4 bags of frozen mixed fruit and some meat and cheese to bring it back up to full again. it's impressive how much it holds, it's half empty now but that will fill it to the brim.

one tip when freezing hard cheeses, they will crumble after thawing so if you want them shredded to it beforehand, put them in whatever sized portions you like in some freezer bags (i use the cheap thin ones, cheese doesn't stay long enough to need expensive ones and i can double bag and still save money).

with milk, leave it on the counter til it's totally thawed unless you already have one in the fridge as it takes forever to thaw out in the fridge. give it a good shake before using and it's good as new. do be warned it goes a kinda yellowish colour at the top if you use semi skim or whole milk, not sure about skim, i think it's the cream that goes yellow so maybe not so much with skim.

i also stocked up on some tinned fruits, dried fruits and nuts, rice, few bags of flour (already have plenty), porridge oats, some dried pulses (already have a good stock), didn't need pasta as AF had 5kg bags for approx £1.50 some time ago so i bought a few (and then a few months later grabbed their jars of pasta sauce 3 for £1 :T) and a few loaves of bread, won't have much room left in the freezer for that BUT i have tons of tortillas from AF so we can use those instead.

gonna to a stock up from chemist direct now, then i'll kick back and feel a little relieved knowing i'm well stocked against dairy strikes,crop failures and hopefully basic illnesses

Confuzzled

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

A Stock cupboard doesn't have to cost a lot if you buy a few extra tins or pkts every week, even on a fixed budget (I know I have done it) your stock will soon mount up.
In Asda for £5 you can get:
2 tins rice pudding @12p = 24p
500g spaghetti = 24p
dried mixed herbs 19p
2pks instant custard @ 6p = 12p
3kg bag Bread flour 60p
3kg bag plain flour 52p
3kg bag SR flour 52p
14g yeast 28p
A jif lemon 20p
Long grain rice 40p
tin tomatoes 31p
vinegar 13p
A tin mushy peas 6p
4 tins baked beans £1
smart price curry sauce 17p
Total £4.98 or split into 2 weeks that is £2.49 or 4 weeks £1.25
Shop around for the best deals, use the internet to check prices on the supermarkets web sites and write a list before you go.

for anyone that really is living hand to mouth i cannot agree more, it's a good way to get a little ahead, even if it's a few tins at a time.

for those with a bit more flexible cash flow, it's also important to remember that as you stock up more and more you are further able to take advantage of special offers, sales, clearance items, whoopsies etc yes, you may then need to dip into your store cupboard occassionally BUT in the long run you will wind up with a LOWER overall cost for food as you are able to buy things you normally use when they are their very cheapest, and you'll be able to regularly shop in your own home and still have extra for emergencies.

one thing to really think about too if you're worried about having a store cupboard as a means for living off of for weeks or months at a time if need be is that you should purchase some items for it that really perk things up. some spices, maybe some dried fruit, cheese for the freezer if you have it. little extras that your family loves that can perk up even the most boring meals. these will vary from family to family but they make a huge difference to morale

when i first moved back to scotland from overseas i had to start all over again and i was living on fumes already. i bought myself some garlic granules, sage and cumin and these helped so much. i also discovered that dried sage and cumin really make a soup taste rich and lovely and i wouldn't have tried that combination if i hadn't been desperate so i guess that was a silver lining

Popperwell

Thanks for all of that Confuzzled.:)