For those that stockpiled...

[AustinTink]

I misunderstood what you meant by



It made it sound like you stockpiled in March and still had stuff leftover 8 months later. I apologize.

I apologize also. I'm not feeling great tonight. I was snippy.

 

[Imzadi]

I don't think you understand. My family also has medical reasons to limit contact. But we didn't feel like that required stockpiling 8 months worth of toilet paper.

Unless you are willing to help someone else look for toilet paper when they need it, you really don't have a right to criticize what someone else does with their toilet paper supply. This was a friendly/chatty thread. This isn't "normal" times. I wasn't aware you are down the street from any of us on this thread to be infringing on YOUR supply of TP? Now, I know who to contact when I'm out of TP.

 

[Imzadi]

I apologize also. I'm not feeling great tonight. I was snippy.

YOU have nothing to apologize for.

 

[AustinTink]

cans of disinfectant aerosol spray (Lysol and Microban)

That's the one thing we have never found. Since we don't go to the store in person, we haven't lucked upon it. And it's never available in our curbside order.

 

[AustinTink]

YOU have nothing to apologize for.

Thanks, friend. Some days are worse than others during this isolation thing. Today has been rough.

 

[Imzadi]

That's the one thing we have never found. Since we don't go to the store in person, we haven't lucked upon it. And it's never available in our curbside order.

I have one spray bottle of Fantastik cleaner. For some reason, the spray top wasn't screwed on tight. I accidentally knocked it over and spilled out a quarter bottle. It was like gold leaking out.

 

[Imzadi]

Thanks, friend. Some days are worse than others during this isolation thing. Today has been rough.

Group hug for you and your family ->

 

[AustinTink]

I have one spray bottle of Fantastik cleaner. For some reason, the spray top wasn't screwed on tight. I accidentally knocked it over and spilled out a quarter bottle. It was like gold leaking out.

Nooooo! I guess a lot of surfaces got cleaned that day with the spillage.

 

[Imzadi]

Nooooo! I guess a lot of surfaces got cleaned that day with the spillage.

Yep. The place was never so clean before.

 

[spiders]

The supply chains would be fine if it weren’t for the hoarders.

 

[TCRAIG]

That's the one thing we have never found. Since we don't go to the store in person, we haven't lucked upon it. And it's never available in our curbside order.

I really did luck out on those - I normally keep 4 cans around at all times anyway and have been able to add to my ‘collection’ by going to Walmart first thing - one time I even found a double pack - it was like winning the lottery...I’m 64, husband is 74 and we have a daughter with 2 young girls, her 70 yr old MIL who takes care of the Grands who has diabetes, parents in their 90s, sister whose husband just had a heat attack, niece just back from the Ukraine with a 5 month old who is a high school teacher and another niece who just came home from the hospital after having a double mastectomy and another niece who works in a hospital on a Covid floor - I feel like it’s my job to keep them all safe and ‘supplied’...and I take that job very seriously

 

[Imzadi]

It's actually not hoarding if one uses the stock and goes through it, then replenishing. I read the best definition on "storage" a couple months ago.

I'll see if i can find it. . .

 

[spiders]

It's actually not hoarding if one uses the stock and goes through it, then replenishing. I read the best definition on "storage" a couple months ago.

I'll see if i can find it. . .

You can call it whatever you want but the supply chains became strangled at the beginning because too many people wanted to sit on 3-6 months of toilet paper. Shortages caused others to grab what they could.

 

[barkley]

Thanks, y'all. You made it really easy for us normies to actually buy stuff we need.

We have a medical reason to still be in isolation, while all the normies are back out in the world living their lives. I don't feel bad about having extra items while we wait out the pandemic at home.

I don't think you understand. My family also has medical reasons to limit contact. But we didn't feel like that required stockpiling 8 months worth of toilet paper.

and there are some of us who for years have purchased our cleaning products/paper goods....on a quarterly or bi-annual basis so during this situation we've actually been making available, by our non frequent shopping habits, on the shelves products for the 'normies' and whomever else needs them. we are a household like this-my biannual order with target (take advantage of sale price/free gift card/coupon stacking that pre covid they offered on tp/paper towels every 3 months like clockwork to encourage multi pack buying) purchase month hit right before covid impacted shopping so i was stocked up, and yes-it got used up over it's normal (for us) period of time (even longer b/c we wanted others who bought week to week to be able to find products). the only item that didn't last was b/c of a recall-cottonelle wipes, we've done without on this b/c i'm not going to buy up baby wipes when people with actual babies or medical needs are in need.

yup, there were people that hoarded and will continue to do so but not everyone who chooses not to or cannot shop on a weekly or even bi-monthly basis does so with ill intent towards others.

 

[Imzadi]

Okay, here is the difference between two different kinds of storage and thus stocking up vs hoarders: "Easily Accessed Storage" vs "Static Storage." This concept of storage is from the book, Banish Clutter Forever. I didn't write down the name of the author.

Easily Accessed Storage: is a place where one stores stuff to get to easily. It is stuff that is USED and being depleted, (even if replenished often.) So things are stored temporarily. This would include stocked up items. Also items that come out every day to be used, like kid's crayons in kindergarten. They come out, they get used, they get put away again, they get taken out and used again, etc. Rinse. Repeat.

Static Storage: is the kind of stuff that will stay in place long term. Stuff that usually goes up in the attic, the garage, a storage unit. And rarely does one go into it to get stuff back out. Maybe once seasonally.

For hoarders, stuff goes in, waaaay beyond what they need or will use, go through, or deplete. The stuff basically never comes back out. This is when their "stockpile" becomes a hoard. It's ALL static storage to the extreme.


We are all in very unusual, not normal times. Unless someone's been through World War II and the like, where they also had to stockpile and ration stuff, most of us have never been through it before. So we don't quite know how to do this. How much to get? How much to have on hand? How much to keep? will it all get used? What will the stores be like in a couple months. etc?

We all have different situations. Some of us are in highly infectious areas. Some are high risk or have family members who are high risk. Some live in areas where supplies just aren't plentiful or easy to get to during "normal" times.

Many of us are probably looking at and gathering items and wondering if one is stocking up or hoarding, even without the social media shaming and guilt tripping.

When one is looking at items wondering how much to get, it would be prudent to ask when is the next time you are planning to buy or order again? How much will you realistically need until then? How much is available for yourself and also for others?

If one is grabbing canned foods that will take them 5 years to get through, not leaving enough for others, even if they will be in the store again in 2 weeks or a month and can get more cans then, then YES, it is too much. The cans will also have actually expired before then and have to be tossed. It's hoarding.

 

[sasywtch]

After the big surge of tp, I would pick up a 6-8 pk of TP when I did my regular shopping. One day i looked and realized I had 5 months worth of TP. I have to close my eyes while walking down that aisle now as I have this weird urge to grab a pack. What this pandemic did to me???? I never did that before. I do have a lot of lysol spray. I think I have 12 cans but I do give it to my daughter's care givers and RN's to take home. (when I saw it, I didn't grab tons, just the 1 can min). I do have to stock up of papers towels as we use a lot cleaning my daughter's ostomy back and skin as we can't use wipes for that. I have some pasta, sauce, tuna in the garage pantry and some cans of soup, raviolis etc still left from before so not stocking up on food.

 

[superme80]

We blew through my stockpile in a couple of months. I live in an area where we some things are still scarce. I admit to buying tp every time I go to Target. I would rather have some in case people go crazy again, and my favorite kind is still hard to find. I finally found pumpkin, so I bought a couple cans. When I hit Trader Joe's I will buy as many as they will let me.

 

[DisneyOma]

We blew through my stockpile in a couple of months. I live in an area where we some things are still scarce. I admit to buying tp every time I go to Target. I would rather have some in case people go crazy again, and my favorite kind is still hard to find. I finally found pumpkin, so I bought a couple cans. When I hit Trader Joe's I will buy as many as they will let me.

I read this as "my favorite kind is still hard to find. I finally found pumpkin" and I was still thinking toilet paper, so I was all "what the heck is pumpkin toilet paper?"

 

[Frozen Canuck]

We have a large (likely 3+ month) rotating supply of all non-perishable items on hand all of the time--winter, spring, summer, fall, even during non-pandemic times. Our supplies actually dipped a bit when corona hit as we stayed home more and made less frequent grocery trips. Most of our supplies (there are a few things we are out of, like Clorox Anywhere Spray, that have never shown up back in the stores yet) are back at normal levels again. However, one of my tasks next week, given that it is the beginning of November, is to inventory what we have on hand and decide what supplies need to be beefed up a bit. Winter is coming, which is when I usually stock up a little extra because the weather can sometimes mess with supply trips. The holiday season this year is going to be another issue.

I was discussing with my family last night, how I want them to let me know if there is anything they need me to pick up now (anything from pickles to new underwear), as I will be dramatically reducing my trips to the store soon. We shop about once every two weeks and have done so throughout the pandemic. We sometimes make a quick trip out for fresh items like produce if needed. I know that right before Thanksgiving, the stores will likely be busier than usual, so if possible, I would like to avoid that this year. I also would like to try to avoid the stores for the two weeks following Thanksgiving if I can, just because I feel like if there is going to be a super-spreader event for the whole country, Thanksgiving is going to be it. I haven't frozen milk for later use since the pandemic first started, but I will be instituting that again for the short term, just to limit our store visits. I am fortunate enough to have a cool (not cold) storage room, where things like potatoes, onions, squash, and apples seem to fare well for 2+ weeks. We should be in good shape, for the most part. Meals may get a little repetitive or uninspired, but we shouldn't go hungry.

 

[barkley]

new underwear

i highly recommend the jockey underwear website. they have the best prices when they are running one of their frequent sales than i can find on both men's and women's items anywhere (right now men's items upwards of 50% off per pack plus free shipping).