slo’s MONDAY 1/8 poll - Excess Food (for storms)

[Wood Nymph]

We live in the Chicago suburbs and we've had huge snowstorms in the past, but nothing the last few years. We've had more times when electricity was out for an extended period than problems with snow. I don't do panic buying because there are rarely times than I can't get to a store within 48 hours. We live one-half mile from a grocery store, so we usually don't worry about food.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

I shop once a week, but alway have a fully stocked pantry and freezer. We could go a few weeks without shopping, but I like variety and fresh fruits/vegetables. That fully stocked pantry came in handy when the covid shutdowns started. "Snowmageddon" in the MD/DC/VA happened about 2 months after DS was born. Again, I was very happy about my hoard of canned goods.

Anyway, I do tend to do a quick grocery run when big storms are forecasted. Yes, an extra jug of milk, eggs, maybe a loaf of bread and fixings to make a stew or soup. There's a small co-op grocery store near my house, that's the place to go to avoid lines.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Here with you in Chicagoland, @slo.

Generally, I have a pretty well-stocked pantry. For storms, I do make sure we have some staples - coffee, creamer, eggs, bread.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We're well stocked, but for us food wouldn't be the issue. If we lost heat, DW would stay in our house about 3 hours before she started packing and heading for someplace that had it.

 

[jo-jo]

We're well stocked, but for us food wouldn't be the issue. If we lost heat, DW would stay in our house about 3 hours before she started packing and heading for someplace that had it.

and there is Slo's next poll, how long can you cope without heat? LOL

 

[lovesmurfs]

and there is Slo's next poll, how long can you cope without heat? LOL

LOL. We're in Chicagoland. Our upstairs (our bedroom in a 28 X 32-foot room) is unheated except for a wood-burning stove. When we bought the house (over 25 years ago) we thought it would be so romantic, going to sleep with the fire burning.

Until the fire burns out. We've moved on to a space heater. Less romantic, but more practical.

 

[amcnj]

I can’t say that I stock up, but may move up a regular shopping trip to avoid the storm.

 

[MIGrandma]

We are in Michigan and we do get snow/ice storms. Yes, I do stock up before a storm as we live in the country and it could be a few days before we see a snowplow.

We keep our freezer and pantry well stocked most of the time. But I do like to make sure we have perishable food on hand. We are expecting a snowy week so I went shopping yesterday, and bought a few extra things (milk, bread, eggs, etc.).

 

[princesscinderella]

We stock up a bit more in the summer with water and non perishables because of hurricanes. We use up the excess in the winter months as there’s never a snow storm in south Florida.

 

[jimmymc]

The worst we'll get is a big snowstorm. I can figure out 3-4 days' worth of food from just what's in the pantry and fridge.

 

[mjkacmom]

Yes, but not just for storms, I always have pantry staples because I cook and stock up at sales. I remember reading a piece after Sandy that folks were finally going to have to open those cans.

 

[design_mom]

We get snow that occasionally messes stuff up for a day or two. I do not stock up before a storm. I generally do my grocery shopping on the weekends. But I'm confident that we have enough food in this house that we could feed ourselves for at least a week. It might not be appetizing meals, but we wouldn't starve. The bigger issue would be with how to cook it all. (All of our appliances are electric. If the electic goes out, then all we have left is the outdoor grill which is also likely snowed in, or whatever.)

 

[MICKIMINI]

We got about 18" of snow yesterday which is typical of the lakes region of NH so we keep a freezer full. The pantry is well stocked. I too shop once a week at the store for fresh items and sale items. It is much easier for me to *shop* from the freezer and it is one less thing to worry about when we start getting these back to back storms.

 

[loves to dive]

Wasn't sure how to answer that. Yes, I have plenty of food right now to survive more than 2 days. Hubby went grocery shopping yesterday, we have a grill if power goes off, we also have a generator and a propane heater. The generator is actually for the RV but it stays in the bed of hubby's truck.

I live in Georgia so we don't get what other people would think are bad storms, but sometimes we do get some snow and ice that will shut down the roads since most counties here don't have snow plows or salt trucks. The power will also go down if there is enough ice. Our neighborhood has underground power lines but the road leading up to it doesn't. Oddly enough, our rural county actually does have a snow plow so the roads in our county tend to be o.k. but if you need go into Athens, your out of luck.

 

[Dan Murphy]

We're always thankfully fine. No need to storm shop. Generally the same storms as you, Sandy, but if you're close enough to the Lake for lake effect, generally no lake effect here for us, unless super east wind to blow inland. And even in the worst of blizzards (3 super ones I can recall, over 20 inches), thoroughfares are generally well cleaned up in no more than 48 hours.

 

[1420Elexismc]

We tend to shop for at least a week at a time(more if there are good sales going on) so we're usually pretty prepared if we are down a few days...I also tend to make bigger batches of soups or sauce at a time and freeze portions so that's usually an option too. I don't do it purposely ( so I don't stockpile or anything) it's just kind of how I've always done things

 

[fla4fun]

Floridian here. At the beginning of hurricane season, I stock up on non perishables and keep extra bread in the freezer. So when a storm is announced, I typically have at least 2-3 weeks of food on hand. It may not be what I would prefer to eat day after day, but it will be healthy and I won’t go hungry if I am without power. When Hurricane season ends, that food is gradually eaten and I stock up fresh in the spring.

On an everyday basis, I usually have about 1 1/2 weeks of food in the house, not counting any hurricane supplies. I go to the grocery once a week, so right after a grocery run I might have a little more than that and right before a grocery run I might have a little less, but on average that’s about right. I think it makes a difference that I only have to feed myself. I can see storage being a problem if you have a big family to feed.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Being storm ready is a year-round concern. We do not live in a snow prone region, so we're normally thinking of tropical systems, bands of severe storms, and flooding. Although, the February 2021 winter storm exposed our area's vulnerability to winter weather. We always have extra food handy and things like camping gear and vehicle outlets equate to less food loss, but I do hit the stores pre-storm to stock up on a few things and always fill up the gas tank. Honestly, while I know we need to eat, I get these awful thoughts of "will we have a livable home to even eat this food" whenever I do my storm prep shopping. We've also had a few storms where it took weeks for things to get back to normal, so prep gets modified each time we have longer term disruptions.

 

[firefly_ris]

Winter storms take out our crappy above-ground power lines easily. It doesn't happen too often, but in times like November 2014 when we got 6 feet of snow in one day and it was not possible for plows to really keep up on that, I like to make sure I have plenty of food on hand. I keep stocked up on food and multiple gasoline cans for the generator. I have a garage fridge/freezer combo, a basement upright freezer, pantry in the kitchen and overflow pantry in the basement. I keep about 6 decent size gas containers filled. The generator can run the furnace but without that I can run the natural gas fireplaces as they do not require power to operate and there are two of them -- house would still be pretty cold but they can keep the edge off and prevent freezing pipes. I'm hoping to swap the basement fireplace into a wood burning stove at some point.

 

[Micca]

There's a storm just starting here, there's a bunch of food here but I didn't want to eat the same thing several days in a row so I went to the grocery store this morning. The store wasn't especially busy, maybe my timing was good? I also needed some food for the grandkids in the event school is cancelled tomorrow,