Preparing for Winter V

Si_Clist

fionaandphil said:

Milk would be our first thing to go, we use lots of it every week! We have some UHT but it still wouldn't be enough to last long

As I never tire of saying, two words - Nestlé Nido

Wraithlady

Si_Clist said:

If the shops shut at 4pm today (Sunday) and stay shut indefinitely, how long can you last on what you have in the house now? 

What's the first thing you'd be stuck for?

First question - do we still have milk and veg box deliveries?

If so, then meals are not going to be a problem for quite a while - 4 months at least (just started a freezer audit and I've almost filled 2 pages of A4 and I haven't done the freezer drawers or the outside freezer yet). Also have a rather well-filled pantry cupboard for things like beans, pasta, bread flour etc.

Think the first thing to run out would be dairy-free spread after maybe 2 months (if I ration it), followed by coffee.

Si_Clist

Wraithlady said:

First question - do we still have milk and veg box deliveries?

 Sorry, not a hope ...

greenbee

Si_Clist said:

So OK then ...

If the shops shut at 4pm today (Sunday) and stay shut indefinitely, how long can you last on what you have in the house now? 

What's the first thing you'd be stuck for?

Based on my experience of the first lockdown, when I came straight back from the airport, was isolating and then we went into lockdown ... forever. I did make it to the bottom of the chest freezer, but still had three drawers of food in the F/F and full cupboards. I also ate sensibly as every item and every calorie was carefully considered based on not knowing how long I'd have to last. It made me a lot more creative too. 

Si_Clist

So OK then, a supplementary question ...

Do you know how long stuff actually lasts you, as opposed to your guess how long it lasts you?  How long 100gm of instant coffee lasts?  500gm of butter/marg?  12 eggs? ...

MrsCD

Had to think hard @Si_Clist! Too much work for a Sunday!
I have enough of basics, i.e. teabags- one a day to last me over a year
flour - enough to make bread, cakes for maybe 6 months if I'm careful
pasta, noodles, tins of soups, tins of vegetables, packets of single meals, beans, mash, sugar, - probably last at least 6 months
I would run out of marg to bake with after 1 or 2 months, same with 'butter' spread. Have some oil in stores but trying not to use as much these days.
Long life and dried milk, could last 3 or 4 months if careful.
Don't use a lot of bread but have some in freezer.
Meats in freezer would last 3 or 4 months if we only have meat once or twice a week.
Lots of frozen veg should last a few months.
Oats - 6 months plus almost 200 Weetabix!!!
Could do without biscuits and cakes, jam, spreads etc.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, and eggs would be the first that I would run out of.

Thanks for the inspiration to check/stocktake my stores.

greenbee

Si_Clist said:

So OK then, a supplementary question ...

Do you know how long stuff actually lasts you, as opposed to your guess how long it lasts you?  How long 100gm of instant coffee lasts?  500gm of butter/marg?  12 eggs? ...

It doesn't really matter. If things run out, it's always possible to be creative. If I run out of coffee, then I'll drink tea, or herbal tea, or use spices. I would be more careful about considering when I use butter, or olive oil, or coconut oil or rapeseed oil. While I like milk in coffee, I'll happily drink it black. 

Anyone who can cook (or indeed, follow a recipe) can be creative. While some people may be reluctant to switch their breakfast options from toast/cereal/yogurt etc, there is no rule as to what you eat when. Or indeed, no rule that says you have to eat breakfast. I've generally had two meals a day for the last few years, and after discussion with the chronic fatigue service a couple of weeks ago, I'm now down to one on weekdays as it saves time and effort. And anyone with stored calories can get away with reducing intake until they're used up  

PipneyJane

Si_Clist said:

So OK then ...

If the shops shut at 4pm today (Sunday) and stay shut indefinitely, how long can you last on what you have in the house now? 

What's the first thing you'd be stuck for?

All other things being equal - power still on, etc - we'd easily go for 2-3 weeks before running out of anything.  First thing to go would be fresh veg, probably the mushrooms and broccoli.  I have enough onions to last for a couple of weeks, ditto carrots.  We have quite a lot of long-life skimmed milk, as well as a litre of milk in the freezer.  There's plenty of meat in the freezer, about 20 cans of tomatoes in the cupboard and lots of dried pulses, rice and flour.

- Pip 

PipneyJane

Si_Clist said:

So OK then, a supplementary question ...

Do you know how long stuff actually lasts you, as opposed to your guess how long it lasts you?  How long 100gm of instant coffee lasts?  500gm of butter/marg?  12 eggs? ...

One 200g sized jar of freeze-dried instant coffee lasts us about 6 weeks.   Butter lasts a couple of months - I usually have 3 or 4 in reserve. 15 eggs last us about a month.  (I get packets of 15 free-range from L!dl for £1.79.)

The thing is... you need to understand how I run my stores.  If I have a container of xx in the pantry - say dried kidney beans - I will also have a backup packet in the store cupboard.  Once I transfer the store cupboard item to the pantry, I write it on the shopping list and replace it. 

The other thing I do is to write the date on something when I open it.  For example, yesterday we finished our big, 140-wash packet of washing powder.  It was started on 11th March 2020.  On the new box, I wrote the date and 18/12 to indicate that the previous packet had lasted 18 months.  I do this on everything, so I know a bottle of shampoo lasts 2 months, talc 4, 10kg of rice 11 months, etc.  (I stick labels on my Tupperware containers and storage jars, and write on those, rather than use permanent marker.)

HTH

- Pip

greenbee

PipneyJane said:

Si_Clist said:

So OK then, a supplementary question ...

Do you know how long stuff actually lasts you, as opposed to your guess how long it lasts you?  How long 100gm of instant coffee lasts?  500gm of butter/marg?  12 eggs? ...

One 200g sized jar of freeze-dried instant coffee lasts us about 6 weeks.   Butter lasts a couple of months - I usually have 3 or 4 in reserve. 15 eggs last us about a month.  (I get packets of 15 free-range from L!dl for £1.79.)

The thing is... you need to understand how I run my stores.  If I have a container of xx in the pantry - say dried kidney beans - I will also have a backup packet in the store cupboard.  Once I transfer the store cupboard item to the pantry, I write it on the shopping list and replace it. 

The other thing I do is to write the date on something when I open it.  For example, yesterday we finished our big, 140-wash packet of washing powder.  It was started on 11th March 2020.  On the new box, I wrote the date and 18/12 to indicate that the previous packet had lasted 18 months.  I do this on everything, so I know a bottle of shampoo lasts 2 months, talc 4, 10kg of rice 11 months, etc.  (I stick labels on my Tupperware containers and storage jars, and write on those, rather than use permanent marker.)

HTH

- Pip

Wow! That's incredibly organised! I've never bothered doing this as until lockdown I worked away so much there was no routine. I guess I could start doing it, but then it isn't straightforward - I don't have a regular menu, and I use washing powder, washing soda, soapnuts and laundry liquid depending on what I'm washing. I'm not sure it would be worth the effort. What I do know, is that I'm pretty flexible.