What will you be stocking up on 'Just in case ' ?

GaleSF63

atrixa said:

I have been thinking more about what I would do if we had no electricity for an extended period. Maybe some kind of camping stove is a good idea?

As I have a reasonable cupboard full, I'm only stocking up by buying the odd couple of cans extra at the moment. But I tend to concentrate on things that can be eaten cold, eg sweetcorn, tuna, spam (!), beans, tinned fruit. There's quite a choice when you look.  The result may be some funny meals but the protein and fibre will be there.   

LadOnTheHill

 We're already well stocked, so we won't be stocking up, as such, just doing our usual rotation of stuff on hand. We have lots of essentials like toilet rolls, caloric staples like rice/beans/lentils/flour/sugar, etc, already on the shelves. We've not had to panic buy because we already have enough.

I did wonder what sort of effect panic buying has further up the supply chain. If a manufacturer of toilet rolls gets a sudden influx of cash because lots of people are suddenly buying a lot, then what happens? 🤔

Floss

I run my stores the same way my mum taught me - one in use & one in the store cupboard/ pantry, apart from little-used things like coffee, lime leaves, harissa, saffron or stuffed olives. This came in handy during the lockdowns especially as I was still working full time for the NHS, and I will do the same now without going mad stocking up.

euronorris

Floss said:

euronorris said:

maisie_cat said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Siebrie said:

...

The one thing I will pick up from my pharmacy are the free iodine (?) tablets, 'just in case'.

Imodium (loperamide) and supply w/o charge is only for active illness, not the store cupboard.

I read that Siebre lives in Belgium so possibly different there

I'm also wondering if Siebre was referring to potassium iodine which is for a very different 'just in case' scenario, that many are worried may happen with the current situation.

More likely for this:

https://www.brusselstimes.com/208833/belgians-rush-for-free-iodine-tablets-after-nuclear-threat

Yes, the tablets in that article are potassium iodide (I said potassium iodine earlier by mistake) and are being handed out for exactly the reason I was getting at.

London_1

Sounds like we all have our sensible hats on and won't 'panic buy' but like a lot of you I tend to think more about the basic stuff I use most of the time.

 Like YorksLass I too use white vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice for cleaning anf I always have a spare bottle of bleach and disinfectant in the cupboard under the wash hand basin in the bathroom..

I think if we stick to a few extra basic bits and bobs its possible to get through short term shortages I too remember the sugar shortage of the 1970s.didn't bother me too much as I only use sugar for baking and usually have a decent stock of light, dark and demerara in store.I will be glad to work my freezer down at the moment though as I keep finding all sorts of odds and ends in there that I had forgotten about I do keep a stock of Birds custard powder i store though as a dollop of custard can brighten up any left over sponge cake for a pudding or tinned fruit

Medicine wise I have three tablets I have to take daily that I can never be without ,but aart from that I only keep a pack of paracetamol in store and never bother with cold or cough remedies as some lemon and honey in hot water is good enough for me and I always have bth of those in the cupboard. soda bicarb is ok for indigestion and at a pinch I can always use some salt to clean my teeth.My late Ma-in-law used salt all her life for cleaning her teeth and died at 86 with all her gnashers intact

One can alway search for a substitute on the 'net if you get stuck. I have a wind-up torch and a stack of batteries in the cupboard for my radio if the electric goes off ,plus goodness knows how many candles and tea light.

purpleivy

Rosa_Damascena said:

Nothing! Stocking up might save money in the short-term but is a supremely selfish act. We all need to buy enough and no more.

There is going to be a lot of craziness in the world this year and I think it will probably do some of us good to do without for a bit.

Noone needs to go out and purchase the contents of the supermarket shelves immediately, but I find it is wise to add a few things every now and then above what is needed that week/month in case of need, whether job loss/income change, circumstances requiring extra expenditure, not being able to leave the house due to ill health/lockdown or whatever.  

sillyvixen

I keep a supply of tinned tomatoes, kidney beans, chickpeas, sweetcorn and dried lentils as sometimes (when I know I have room in the freezer) I take a late lunch on market day and can get a carrier bag of assorted veg for £1 - £1.50 just before they pack away. This will make 9 portions of either veg curry, veg chilli or pasta bolgnase in the slow cooker plus 6 portions of spicy veg and lentil soup in my big pan on the hob. So I need enough in my cupboard to allow this to happen before the veg goes to waste!! I also keep a spare bag of pasta and rice to go with these meals. 

carrotstick_2

We're moving in the very near future and so have eaten most of the usual supply. When we are in the new house, I will be stocking up on my usual tinned tomatoes, pasta, rice, flour, tinned chickpeas / beans. We go through a lot of these so I like to keep a well stocked supply. 

Doom_and_Gloom

Rosa_Damascena said:

Nothing! Stocking up might save money in the short-term but is a supremely selfish act. We all need to buy enough and no more.

There is going to be a lot of craziness in the world this year and I think it will probably do some of us good to do without for a bit.

We've kept a stockpile for 16+years as a couple, adding to it slowly, while rotating the stock, over time just incase something happens. This is something my parents and my both sets of my parents parents did.
We have a few holes or are low in some areas of our stock right now due to stock issues in stores over time. During the start of the problems I told the OH when shopping to leave them to people in need of them.  How is that selfish?
We put items aside when there were no issues with the supply. Now though the holes need to be filled when possible and some of the low items are in need of re-filling also.

We are not people on a huge income. I no longer work due to my disability (just over a year now that has been the case). If our stock had not been there our savings would be getting depleted at best and at worst we would be needing help from somewhere. We buy alot of things in bulk on offer. We store items in odd places as we have a small 1 bed flat (not even 450sq feet and that has to accommodate my wheelchair etc so you can imagine it feels even smaller even if the wheelchair can fold when not in use). However selfishness is not the reason we have a stockpile and keep it stocked the best we can. It is making sure we can get by when things like this happen! We take the burden out of the system. However even we need to replenish the stock we have eventually. 

TheAble

Agree that there's nothing wrong with adding a few extra bits to your shopping each time. Puts no strain on the supply chain and doesn't take from others.

What happened during COVID, where the morons stripped the shelves clean, clearly was selfish and wrong, but stocking up gradually in a sustainable manner is not the same thing.