Will you be stocking up on anything 'just in case', this winter?

Nathalia

We started to build up a small cupboard just before Brexit, of tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, pasta, olives and olive oil as we didn;t know if they would be harder to get after Brexit.  In fact they were no different from anything else but the cupboard then saved our bacon durin glockdown so we have kept up the habit.  Buying a few tins here and there when they are readiy available leaves more on the shelves for others when they aren't (and hopefully keeps prices down by flattening demand) and it also means we can stay in when it's icy as I'm scared of falling.  I see that as a responsible way to manage our stocks.

leftatthetrafficlights

I have enough grains/beans/lentils etc to last for months!! I always have fresh veg growing in the garden (cut and come again stuff like cavolo nero so lasts throughout the winter). During the spring, summer and autumn I cook and freeze whatever excess garden produce I have so we always have a variety of veg available. 

During the summer/autumn, I tend to stock up on household stuff as we're spending less on food due to growing our own; we buy more loo rolls, laundry products, toiletries etc so that we will be covered if we end up being unable/unwilling to venture out due to bad weather.  We're very lucky to have enough funds and the space to do this - it is also a back up for our children should they need additional support during the more expensive months for energy bills. 

MattMattMattUK

I would not say I am stocking up as such, but I always make sure I have a reasonable amount of food at home, as much to give me easy variety as anything else, so plenty of ingredients, chicken and veg in the freezer, a good supply of cheese and olives in the fridge, and then herbs, spices, various ingredients, rice, pasta etc. in the cupboards, as well as a couple of bags of different bread flour. I think on a purely calorie basis I could live for around 2-3 months if I was happy to eat rice, pasta and bread as the major component of meals, or I could eat relatively normally for 10-20 days depending on how long since the last shop. 

I think most people I know are the same, although it depends on the number of people in the home, but they generally have quite a variety of food at home, dried, and frozen, as well as multiple herbs and spices, that means that they could relatively easily sit out a short term supply issue, be it weather related or something else. 

I also make a point of trying to buy things when they are discounted rather than full price which means I probably buy some stuff, so that can result in me having a decent amount of something at any one time. 

carriebradshaw

Trying to keep a well stocked store cupboard of essentials is something we've always done and has kept us going through many difficult times in our lives. We were well stocked up before the pandemic but it ran right down to the bare bones and due to the extra high cost of living that followed, it's taking us a lot longer to get back to where we once were. We live remote -ish and only one supermarket delivers here but if we are ill or extreme bad weather comes not only would they not get through, the deliveries to the local mini markets wouldn't get here either and those tiny shops would soon empty, so it's essential for us to be pre-pared and try to stay ahead of the game. It's one less thing to stress about when you're already going through difficult times and don't have anyone else to rely on for help.
To those who want judgemental, look outside you own bubble, not everyone has endless choice of well stocked shops on their doorstep. Stocking up isn't being selfish as you build it up little by little over a long period of time. It's not the same as panic buying when people rush off and empty the shelves of everything in sight whether they want it or not only to throw it away later .Stocking up is actually a carefully considered survival strategy that also helps the household budget .

sheilavw

I like to make sure I have some long life milk, I do get a delivery mon wed and fri but handy to have some long life in, other than that just tins like most people!

Honey_Bear

Bottles of water.  We've been cut off several times over the years and having a few bottles stashed means I don't have to worry about how long it's going to be before it gets turned on again. 

If the electricty were cut off (and that happens about as often as the water gets cut off) I wouldn't want to open the freezer, so we also have enough tinned and dried food to get us through that. 

Candles, tea lights and matches in the fuse cupboard. 

We'd be stuck if the gas got cut off for any reason because we use it to cook and heat the house, so we have a few hot water bottles as well.  I've got a one ring gas stove for emergencies but the only time we've used it is to keep the mulled wine warm for communal carol singing on Christmas eve.

MattMattMattUK

carriebradshaw said:

To those who want judgemental, look outside you own bubble, not everyone has endless choice of well stocked shops on their doorstep. Stocking up isn't being selfish as you build it up little by little over a long period of time. It's not the same as panic buying when people rush off and empty the shelves of everything in sight whether they want it or not only to throw it away later .Stocking up is actually a carefully considered survival strategy that also helps the household budget .

I think only idiots complain about people stocking up in advance, but the sensible take issue with those who panic buy and create artificial shortages. When Covid hit and people started panic buying those of us with full cupboards could stay at home or only buy the minimum because we still had a core reserve. 

The toilet roll panic was interesting as an example, Clubcard and Nectar data gave an insight to that, it showed that around 20% of people bought enough toilet roll to last them more than a month and 5% bought more than six months worth. Similar things happened with rice, pasta and some other dried and canned goods. 

The artificial shortages then put pressure on those who could not afford to hold stocks in advance, the people who cannot afford to tie up a few hundred pounds in food reserves. Those are the people who really suffered, the ones who could not buy toilet roll, pasta or bread. 

otb666

i have tried to avoid stocking up this year as has taken me three years to get rid of all the tins i bought at start of covid. 

daz378

Yea I tend to buy a few extra tins of peas, stewed steak, curry's... was handy when got covid...only had to ask for bread and milk for supplies....took part in eons use  less electricity challenge...realised couple of my LEDs lights were broken batteries had leaked.. thankfully had few that worked

London_1

I'm actually working my way through my tinned stocks as I seem to have far too many at the moment so it means I won't need to go shopping for much this month I'm away from the 23rd until 4th January so I'm sure I can run down a good few bits from the freezer as well 
JackieO xx