Spinoff: What is your emergency stockpile?

[Coffee66]

of course you watch tv!!!! that's why a good stockpile always includes my favorite binge worthy shows ready to go on the dvr (otherwise i may have to be subjected to dh's old sci-fi tv shows which is enough to drive me to clean out every closet, drawer and space in the entire house).

No toilet paper stash

 

[barkley]

Laugh out loud. 60 rolls of toilet paper.

i've currently got 96 rolls (8-12 packs) in my garage. it's not for stockpiling-it's b/c i'm cheap but i want the good quality stuff so i figured out if i buy it only twice a year and time it for when target gives out $10 gift cards with every 2 or 3 purchased i can apply the cards to the next round and beat any price elsewhere (plus the fed ex driver carries it vs. me).

 

[barkley]

No toilet paper stash

i didn't suggest anything on cleaning products and such b/c i honestly don't know anyone that only buys it a week out so if they do then they know how long it lasts and can figure out their needs accordingly.

 

[RamblingMad]

I bought toilet paper and paper towels from Costco yesterday. I haven’t stocked up on more food yet.

 

[Wendy31]

I too have decided we need a better ”stock-pile”.

I typically buy groceries for one week at at time. While we usually have some basics on hand, we don’t usually have any extra meat since I buy fresh what we need for the week. While I may keep an extra box or 2 of pasta & some canned tomatoes, our pantry is small & isn’t built for “stock-piling”. Additionally, while we have 2 refrigerators, we don’t have a separate freezer.

However, we probably need to be more prepared anyway - regardless of the virus.

We are a family of 5 - 2 adults, 2 adult-kids, & 1 kid - w/ no real health issues. (Older DS had childhood asthma & sometimes still has issues, & DH has high BP. )

Over the past few days, I’ve purchased the following to “have on hand” in addition to what we already had:

Cans of Soup - 8 smaller cans of basic chicken noodle & 8 cans of tomato & 6 larger cans of variety soups (vegetable, steak & potato, chicken noodle, etc.); I already had 6 cans of cream of chicken soup

2 cans each of Pinto Beans, Black Beans, & Tomatoes

8 cans of tuna & 4 cans of chicken

1 bag of dried pinto beans, 1 bag of dried mixed beans, & 1 bag of white rice

1 box of white rice & 1 box of brown rice

2 boxes of pasta & 2 cans of pasta sauce

2 boxes of Velveeta shells & cheese, 1 pkg of refrigerated individual Mac & cheese cups, & 1 pkg of individual Kraft Mac & cheese cups - Mac & cheese is a staple for our younger DS who doesn’t like potatoes or rice...

2 cartons of chicken stock

2 cartons of shelf-stable milk

1 carton of regular oatmeal

2 boxes of oatmeal packets

2 boxes of individual tea packets, 1 box of hot chocolate packets, 1 pound of coffee, & 1 jar of lemonade mix

1 bottle of ketchup

1 box of granola bars

1 box each of cheese cracker & peanut butter individual packets

1 pkg each of individual fruit cups & applesauce cups

2 boxes of plain crackers

2 boxes of microwave popcorn

2 pkgs each of frozen green beans & white corn

1 frozen pizza, family-size & 5 individual pizzas

1 box of frozen fish sticks & 1 box of frozen corn dogs

1 bag each of frozen French fries & frozen tator tots

1 bag of frozen chicken breasts & 2 pounds of hamburger meat to be frozen

1 small refrigerated ham - ham has a longer refrigerated life than other proteins, so, while it won’t last forever, it’s good through some time in April

4 2-liters of ginger ale

2 packs of Gatorade

4 tubes of toothpaste

2 bottles of Tylenol, 1 each of Advil, Aleve, & Zyrtec, & 1 each of children’s chewable Tylenol & Advil - we already had 1 bottle of each already opened.

I large bottle of hand sanitizer - I already had 1 large unopened bottle plus multiple bottles of open

3 containers of Lysol wipes & 2 containers of Clorox WIpes - I already had some

1 container of bleach

1 container/box/bottle each of laundry detergent, fabric softener, dish soap, dishwashing detergent. & Clorox spray cleaner

Toilet Paper

That was all purchased on Saturday. Yesterday, I meal-planned & then went & got what we needed for this week through Saturday.

So I’ve spent a bunch of $$$ this week! LOL!

Next week, I’ll add to our frozen meat, add some more refrigerated & pantry staples (like jellies, peanut butter, canned milk), & get more toiletries & medicine back-ups.

We already have flour, corn meal, white sugar, & brown sugar, but I think I need to add back-ups for those & some spices.

Weirdly, we have tons of different pickles.

 

[littlejimmy]

only thing I will ever stockpile.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Why shelf-stable? You'll have electricity.

To make my life easier. The more things have an expiration date, the more I need to check.

Also depends on how long it takes for you to finish 1/2 gallon or gallon of milk. In this household and at this time I only use milk for baking/cooking on a regular basis and not much for drinking thus I bought powdered milk but stable milk would have been fine too plus neither needs to take up refrigerator space until made or opened.

@tcufrog - weekly fresh vegetable shopping mostly here too and that presented a small problem that the freezer and changing eating habits solved. I always keep flash frozen chopped and sliced onions, and green peppers on hand, for making stews and soups so that's no biggie for me but the side vegetables and fruits required making adjustments. Bought strawberries, flash froze them and into a Ziploc bag they went; also pureed some. Did the same with mangoes and the rest of the fruits will be apples, pears and citrus which hold for a nice bit of time in the fruit bowl. For veggies, I bought fresh asparagus, pea pods, blanched, cut up some broccoli and froze everything in separate bags. A bit of a bore as far as variety is concerned but everyone will eat them this way. Plus I can still find other produce at the local supermarkets for the moment as my local farmers' market have closed down until further notice and I've no intention of traveling to any of the other ones (too lazy). I always keep jars of marinated artichokes, baby corn, and home canned tomatoes on hand ( my elder sister and I have a marathon session mason jarring every August) so no need to buy more. As well there are a few types of dried mushrooms in the pantry. I grow basil and parsley on my window sill (use them frequently and despise paying the price for commercial grown) year round. Also bought frozen juices which is not a norm for me.

Since I'm a perimeter supermarket shopper and cook in bulk there is not much excess packing material (cardboard boxes) in my freezer and everything fits fine. If I had to estimate how long my current food stores would last it would certainly be for more than for a few months to feed 4.
Oh and thank you, WDW, for all those nightly chocolate packets you put on the pillow, LOL. I take 'em home and make chocolate ganache in the nuker for dessert toppings. Equal parts heavy cream to chocolate, microwave until it melts, stir and top on ...cake, fruit, ice cream, etc. Only shows up when somebody gets good grades on this end though. Fruit preserves and jams with a little water can make a nice dessert topping too.

 

[lovin'fl]

1. Who you're stockpiling for and their ages:
DH and I aged 46. No health issues.

2. How long do you hope your stockpile will last:
I could manage 2 weeks (though we are already 2 days in). Prob will make another run next week. Not too worried, yet. More stocking enough in case we get sick and have to lay low for a week or so.

3. What's in your stockpile and how you plan to store it:
I did not go big. I have soups, bread (we don't usually buy bread as we low carb it, but I have stuff for PB&J or grilled cheese or tuna fish or chicken salad), water (a case of bottles and then a big jug with spout), box of wine and a lot of snacks. Got stuff to make a few dinners which last us 2-3 meals each since it's just 2 of us. Got some frozen stuff too. Then paper products, laundry soap, body soap, toiletries (to have a 2nd set in case we are stuck when current set runs out), dog food, big thing of Tylenol, box of NyQuil (always good to have), big box of Kuerig coffee and 2 things of Clorox wipes. And I have stuff in case we get sick like Popsicles, jello mix, chicken noodle soup, rice. Was going to get diet Sprite too but didn't. Have plenty of TP and tissues.

4. Any unique issues you have:
Nope except that our 2 DDs are in college 8+ hours drive from us and our parents (who do have health issues) are about 6 hours drive from us. So if they get sick it will be tough.

 

[Coffee66]

i've currently got 96 rolls (8-12 packs) in my garage. it's not for stockpiling-it's b/c i'm cheap but i want the good quality stuff so i figured out if i buy it only twice a year and time it for when target gives out $10 gift cards with every 2 or 3 purchased i can apply the cards to the next round and beat any price elsewhere (plus the fed ex driver carries it vs. me).

Just did a re count

View attachment 478505 only thing I will ever stockpile.

Irish whisky better choice

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Laugh out loud. 60 rolls of toilet paper.

If you are referring to my post...yeah, old habits die hard. I started doing that in part because 1) I can't drive and just go out whenever I want to get toilet paper if we run out, and 2) because we were originally a family of 5, three of whom were kids, so we went through a lot of toilet paper and people didn't always tell me when we were getting low. It was easy to glance at the shelf in the basement and see that we had a full "case" of it sitting there, or if someone had opened it and we were getting "low." Now, I'm not quite as fanatical about having a whole unopened bag of toilet paper sitting there. We definitely go for long stretches without buying any. Of course now, my daughter has started raiding my supply, because she is used to Kirkland brand, but doesn't want to store a huge package in her apartment.

For the record though, everything is relative. What might seem like a year's supply to a smaller family, might only be a short supply if you are from a larger family unit. You absolutely need to take into consideration how many people you are preparing for and possibly anticipate any outsiders who may come knocking and looking for help. It is also important to consider any health or medical conditions. You might LOL at 60 rolls, but if you know someone with IBS or other issues, it wouldn't be that funny.

My adult children are perfectly capable of surviving on their own, including gathering supplies ahead of time, but in a long range scenario, if they are forced to work from home for months or whatever, our home (and its storage space) might be a realistic place for them to come back to. They live close enough, that that is a possibility, either for them to replenish their supplies, or stay here for an extended stretch of time. I have no problem with that. I would rather they drive here to pick up extra food and other items than drive to a public store if things get bad enough. I don't think we are at those crisis levels yet, and I say that with a suspected case being found in our county. At least if my kids show up I know I can send them each home with a 6-pack of toilet paper so they can ride things out awhile longer.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

We are not stockpiling for Coronavirus but we do tend to have back ups in the winter due to snowstorms. I don’t want to be one of the crazies swarming the store a few days before a blizzard or power outage is expected.
In matters of importance
Coffee
Light cream (I believe this is a regional thing we use it in our coffee instead of half-and-half)
Milk
Protein powder
Diet Coke
Cat/dog food & dog meds
toilet Paper
Captain Morgan
red wine

We do Costco twice a month and the grocery store once A week for fresh foods and odds and ends. As long as we had all of the above items, we could survive on the food we have.

 

[barkley]

Irish whisky better choice

tullamore dew

 

[NYCgrrl]

If I needed to start from the beginning for 4 people for 2 weeks of stable goods I think @Wendy31 has a good start that can readily be customised to fit indiviual needs and preferences.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

There's already plenty of discussion regarding whether it's necessary to stockpile or not so this thread isn't for that.

My DH and I have decided that we want to start by stockpiling enough food, cleaning supplies, and medicine for 2 weeks. I'm having trouble though figuring out what to stockpile and for how long since I never buy groceries more than a week in advance and I usually only buy fresh fruit and vegetables. I thought that I might not be the only one trying to figure this out so I thought I'd start a discussion thread.

Here's what I think would be helpful for everyone to post:
1. Who you're stockpiling for and their ages: DH, myself (both of us older than dirt) and DS (16)

2. How long do you hope your stockpile will last: about 2-3 weeks

3. What's in your stockpile and how you plan to store it: My hurricane supply list (some of which is always in the house but up the amount I buy, some is stuff I only buy during hurricane season):

Hall closet: 2 cases of bottled water; 12 packs of sodas; disposable plates/bowls/silverware/cups; cat litter, food (dry and wet)

empty 5 gallon bottles to fill with water in case of emergencies (in the storage shed); also in the storage shed are our camping stoves and propane bottles. If we are expecting a hurricane, I'll move them up to the house, and put them in the spare bedroom, in case we need them (to be used outside on the screen enclosed porch or outside the front door on our little front porch). We won't need those if we're ill, though, so for now, they can stay in the shed.

Various cupboards or cube shelf (in fabric drawers) in the kitchen:
Easy cook stuff...canned chili; tomato soup; cup of noodles; arborio rice; jasmine rice; couscous, black beans; Zatarain's [dirty rice, jambalaya, red beans and rice]; boxes of pasta/ jars pasta sauce/ cans fire roasted tomatoes, beef and chicken Better than Bouillon
Baking supplies, including cake mixes/frosting tubs; cornmeal; ap, bread, and wheat flours; yeast, dried milk, sugar, etc
peanut butter, jelly.
Single serve snacks (including nuts, cookies, pudding, granola bars, chips)
Crackers; coffee beans; dry creamer; teabags
A few bottles of whiskey, wine, vodka, rum, beer

Freezer: 28 meals meat, 10 pizzas, 40 bags veggies, fries/tater tots, eclairs, ice cream; cheese, butter, lunch meat

Master bathroom closet: 2 large packages TP (hit a good deal), Lysol, tissue boxes, matches (candles are around the house)

Laundry room: 3 bottles bleach, 2 large packages paper towels (another good deal)

Cube shelf in master bedroom: cube of batteries, flashlights, glow sticks; another cube with DH's meds; another cube with all the OTC meds; yet another cube with medical supplies, like bandaids, gauze pads, etc




4. Any unique issues you have: DH is diabetic and immunocompromised. DS is fairly picky.

I can make bread and buns, so that isn't a problem. As long as I can order online or hit the store once a month, we are good (provided we have power; once we hit hurricane season, I will move from doing one big shop trip once a month to 2 shopping trips a month, to cut down on potential loss from power loss. If we have a hurricane coming in, I'll go get a bunch of bags of ice to store in the deep freeze/coolers to keep as much stuff cold for as long as I can.)

I also buy stuff in bulk at BJs; like deodorant, DH's soap/shampoo, contact lens stuff, bath cleaners, laundry soap, etc. Most of which is stored under my bathroom sinks or in the master bath closet or in the laundry area.

Here's mine:

1. DH, DS9, DS13, MIL

2. We plan to start with 2 weeks and see what that looks like

3. Still making a list. I have plenty of garage space for storage. My DH thinks we have plenty of freezer space but I disagree.

4. DS13 eats as much as an adult. DH is a diabetic so can't safely survive on pasta and rice. My MIL is picky and religiously vegetarian. She's never used canned vegetables and very rarely uses frozen veggies. Not sure what to do about her.

 

[Kitty 34]

As I said in another thread.....

A bag of Hersey Chocolate Kisses (which I opened the other night-not good)......check
Diet Coke (it was 10 for 10 at Meijers a couple of weeks ago)........check
Baccardi rum........check

 

[kiddo76]

1. Canned tomatoes

 

[littlejimmy]

Irish whisky better choice

i respectfully disagree. gin made from juniper berries. super healthy and filled with antioxidants. and mixed with tonic, that is loaded with quinine, you will never get malaria either.

 

[NYCgrrl]

i respectfully disagree. gin made from juniper berries. super healthy and filled with antioxidants. and mixed with tonic, that is loaded with quinine, you will never get malaria either.

Rum.. sugar based and cures common colds too.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I'm more of a sale and cycle shopper and stock up because stocked pantry and freezer is my security blanket the way money in the bank is my husband's security. There is only two of us and I'm sure we would be good for a few weeks. We have a upright freezer with plenty meat I buy on sale and double batches I freeze for later.

Here is some things I keep in my pantry:
Broth/Stocks
Soups
Pastas/Sauces
Tuna Pouches/Canned chicken
Oatmeal/Cereal
Baking essentials
Flour or Corn tortillas, crackers, chips, pita/naan bread
Rice/lentils/beans
Canned tomatoes/rotel and variety beans
Shelf stable soy milk
Condiments/sauces
Snacks and cookies

 

[Colleen27]

1. We're down to four of us at home - me, DH, DD11 and DS22.

2. All I'm going for is enough that I don't have to run to the store every few days, as has become my habit. So 2-3 weeks of regular groceries, with maybe a little extra to account for lunches since right now, 3 of the 4 of us don't eat lunch at home most days.

3. I'm debating whether or not to resurrect our basement freezer. It works, but half our household has moved out in the last year so I've had it unplugged. But if I want to keep more than about 10-12 meals worth of meat, or pick up anything heat-and-serve like Hot Pockets for lunches, I'll probably need the extra space. Other than that, I've got a walk-in pantry and a huge kitchen, so space isn't an issue.

This week, I picked up extra cans of tomatoes and beans, stock and noodles, pasta and sauce, and peanut butter, plus two weeks worth of meal-planned ingredients for dinners. Some of our usual purchases are a bit on the stock-pile side too: a 24-pack of ramen, a dozen cans of soup, four boxes of cereal, a big canister of oatmeal, several boxes of Velveeta mac & cheese. I try to keep those around anyway and I know they won't go to waste because they're things both DS and DD will cook for themselves, but it does add to how long we could get by with the groceries that are in the house.

4. DH is allergic to fish, so all those easy, shelf-stable tuna-based meal ideas are out.