Stockpiling food

TheBanker

I've always built up my stocks over the winter. It's useful to have things in if there's bad weather, and over the last few winters we've also had the threat of Brexit disruption, Covid restrictions etc. 

This does not mean stripping the supermarket of loo roll etc! I tend to replace non-perishables (loo roll, pasta etc) a few weeks earlier than I normally would as part of my normal shopping, so gradually I build up a stock. This year the benefits will be bigger given the effect of inflation. 

I try to combine the above with special offers, although there seem to be fewer of those these days. Tesco sometimes send 'save £xx when you spend £yy' vouchers, where £yy is always more than I spend in a normal week. These can be helpful e.g. getting a  box of laundry powder to reach the total.

On energy specifically, I am planning to make sure I have a supply of spare batteries for torches and radios. I do not think blackouts are likely, but I think the possibility is more than remote, so I want to be prepared. 

fatbelly

sevenhills said:

It makes sense to fill your cupboards, with 13.4% RPI inflation.
I have stocked up on tuna, beans and toilet rolls. It beats my money being kept in the bank.

Exactly.

And supermarkets realise this. 

On offer recently at Lidl was 48 cans of tuna for £17

Farm Foods do a good price (though going up) on 54 loo rolls

Makes sense to keep your freezer stocked too so Iceland will do e.g. 3 x £4.50 packs of frozen fish for £10, with 10% off for the over-60s on a Tuesday.

YoungBlueEyes

Re: moving this thread. It’s good to hear different voices on a subject. I don’t think I’ve seen TheBanker or fatbelly on the Old School boards, so a wider audience may be helpful. 

Edit - yep I keep my stores well stocked. I’ve spares of most things and add to it with my weekly shop. It’s not a covid/brexit/COL crisis thing, I’ve always done it because there’s always something you know? My wee car’s in the garage and Himself is out of action having mangled his hand in a saw at work the other day. I can nip to the newsagent for bread + milk etc, but not having to do a proper shop is very welcome right now. 

pochase

We always have bought non perishables in bigger numbers when we got them at a very good price. Some things we haven't bought for years now, because we still have stock. Even the dreaded toilet paper was still enough in stock two years ago when people started to panic.

For us same with frozen food which is on special. I know that many are getting rid of second freezers and some even want to switch off the freezer completely.

I have done my calculations for us, and I easily save the electricity cost for the other freezers by what I save buying specials in bulk. I am not saying that works for everybody, but it works for us.

Yes there is also the possibility of working your meal plan around the current supermarket offers. We have done that for years while we were less financially comfortable. And it worked well not to eat what you wanted, but what was currently on offer, and the offers changed so it also did not get boring. It was just that you would like some fish, but would eat meat that week, and fish would be on special the next week. We also always did the shopping in at least two supermarkets, and just bought the specials.

Sapindus

VohnnyJegas said:

Eat more fibre, you'll use fewer toilet rolls.

No I think you have that the wrong way round...

TheBanker

YoungBlueEyes said:

Re: moving this thread. It’s good to hear different voices on a subject. I don’t think I’ve seen TheBanker or fatbelly on the Old School boards, so a wider audience may be helpful. 

My posting is a bit hit and miss across all the broads

But I'll be honest, I don't think keeping a stock of essentials at home is especially 'old school'. I think it's simply common sense. The current motive is rising prices, but there's always been something whether it's snow and flooding, Brexit, Covid, etc. I've never really thought of it as a way of protecting against inflation although it's always been a good way to take advantage of special offers and bulk buy discounts.

I grew up in a South Yorkshire mining town in the 1980s, so I know what hard times look like and despite having a good income now nothing is certain in life. When I was a young man in a low wage job, there were times I was grateful I had a few tins in the cupboard because if I didn't I'd have gone without food that day. And to link to energy, I remember family members searching for lumps of usable coal on the slag heap in winter so they could heat their homes for a few hours, or bath their children. I thought we'd moved on from those times, now I am not so sure we have.

YoungBlueEyes

I don't think of it as Old School either tbh, we've always done it.  Growing up on a farm in NI there was always certain items available (milk, eggs, meat etc) but when the bread man came in his van he brought us a few weeks supplies of basically everything else. It was just how it was/common sense. Now it's A Thing. 

Father was military, so mum liked to have stuff to hand while she found her feet in whichever new place we'd been posted to. I did the same when I first married because other than a (usually very expensive NAAFI) the only way to shop was to get in a car to the nearest town - and I didn't have a car at first. 

Having good stocks is just wise. "You're better looking at it than for it" as my father used to say. 

maisie_cat

There is a level of preparedness that is always sensible. I have had a store cupboard for some years that I originally had as a buffer for skint months. In the last couple of years it has also helped in times of shortage and price rises. I do tend to "invest" in shelf stable items when I have extra money.  

pochase

maisie_cat said:

There is a level of preparedness that is always sensible. I have had a store cupboard for some years that I originally had as a buffer for skint months. In the last couple of years it has also helped in times of shortage and price rises. I do tend to "invest" in shelf stable items when I have extra money.  

That was always my impression, that those of us who are able to invest a bit of money into some stockpiling can save money easier, than those who cannot afford it and have to buy only what they need now.

NeverendingDMP

Sapindus said:

VohnnyJegas said:

Eat more fibre, you'll use fewer toilet rolls.

No I think you have that the wrong way round...

Either way it made me giggle!