Cargo shipping - stock up on.. what??

[Anonymous]

I was one of the people totally unprepared with no toilet paper or food. I’m in LA and for 3 weeks there was literally no food in the valley. What do I need to be buying and what will run out? Please advise. Also please advise if I need to unclench and not stock up. I didn’t listen to DCUM last time when ya’ll told me to stock up. I’m one of the dcum poors and can’t afford to pay extra if things go out of stock. I had to buy my diabetes testing supplies on eBay

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Nonperishable stuff you’ll actually eat. Meat for the freezer. Frozen veg.

And paper products.

Don’t hoard. Make sure anything you buy you’ll actually use regardless of the supply chain issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was one of the people totally unprepared with no toilet paper or food. I’m in LA and for 3 weeks there was literally no food in the valley. What do I need to be buying and what will run out? Please advise. Also please advise if I need to unclench and not stock up. I didn’t listen to DCUM last time when ya’ll told me to stock up. I’m one of the dcum poors and can’t afford to pay extra if things go out of stock. I had to buy my diabetes testing supplies on eBay

Thank you!

My parents are in the Valley and throughout Covid have definitely reported more difficulty finding what they want in grocery stores than I experienced in NW DC.

Stocking up on some frozen and non-perishable food would be smart.

[Anonymous]

Diabetes testing supplies, and anything else that you know for sure you will use and won’t go bad.

[Anonymous]

Order some extra diabetes testing supplies, and slowly stock up on food and whatever you need. I usually keep about a months worth of stuff ahead of what I need in non perishables even pre Covid. Maybe some extra cooking oil you will use and extra canned food you know you will eat.

I would buy some extra masks too.

[Anonymous]

When I stock up ahead (usually one or two more than I would need normally,) it's on things I can make soups-stews-chili with, or bake with (plus one extra pack of TP.)

So--around this time of year, I'll buy a few cans of a few types of beans, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, 2-3 cans of pumpkin, 2-3 boxes of both chicken and beef broth, flour, white, brown and powdered sugars, a bag of chocolate chips, oats, rice, polenta, quinoa and that type of thing.

These are things I normally go through and would allow me to make chili or baked beans or whatever I'm in the mood for, without much advance preparation.

I also like to have a big bottle of ibuprofen, some cold medicine, an extra toothpaste, brushes laundry detergent, dish soap, and a stick of deodorant on hand as well.

[Anonymous]

Tampons

[Anonymous]

OP what I do is stock up throughout the year on sales of things I want. That way its not a big expense all at once.

I'd say buy a few extra rolls of toilet paper when you see at the store. Buy beef RIGHT NOW - its on sale because the farms in the Midwest are culling the crops and will be much more expensive come November/December.

If you want XMas toys or a nice coat (a size too big) for the kids - get things that you know will be desired regardless. Like a PS4 now on sale or on Black Friday instead of waiting until December 22nd when there are none in-store and its going to be even worse with the shipping problems we're having right now.

Beyond that - the things I'm stocking up on right now are VITAMINS. They are on sale Buy One, Get One free at CVS and I just placed an order for $112. That's a year's worth of vitamins that I got half off.

Also spices. Spices are completely out of stock in local stores and manufacturers like McCormick have announced they will not be able to re-stock for some time. That doesn't bother me because I buy a LB or more of every spice each time but thought I'd warn you. Good places to get spices in bulk in-person - Costco, Indian stores, Asian markets, Farmers Market. Online - Amazon.com or Spicespecialist.com

[Anonymous]

Op here- When do we anticipate everything is going to tun out again? Thank you for the reminder about tampons, I couldn’t find the ultra size for months!!! Omg and I love McCormick spices.

I so appreciate your help. 2020 was a real struggle for me, because when the only bread in the stores was $7 organic whatever, it meant there was no bread in my world of the poors. It was really hard in the valley to find anything and I can’t go through that again. I bought a deep freezer last summer and currently have chicken and salmon.

Grateful for the help and suggestions!!

[Anonymous]

It's a vicious cycle. They report there might be shortages so everyone runs out and over buys creating the shortage or an even worse shortage then there would of been. Unless it's medical in nature I wouldn't bother hording it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here- When do we anticipate everything is going to tun out again? Thank you for the reminder about tampons, I couldn’t find the ultra size for months!!! Omg and I love McCormick spices.

I so appreciate your help. 2020 was a real struggle for me, because when the only bread in the stores was $7 organic whatever, it meant there was no bread in my world of the poors. It was really hard in the valley to find anything and I can’t go through that again. I bought a deep freezer last summer and currently have chicken and salmon.

Grateful for the help and suggestions!!

OP, have you ever tried a menstrual cup? I literally haven’t thought about buying tampons in years. It’s amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a vicious cycle. They report there might be shortages so everyone runs out and over buys creating the shortage or an even worse shortage then there would of been. Unless it's medical in nature I wouldn't bother hording it.

People need to stop creating panics and hoarding. It’s so weird and obsessive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a vicious cycle. They report there might be shortages so everyone runs out and over buys creating the shortage or an even worse shortage then there would of been. Unless it's medical in nature I wouldn't bother hording it.

People need to stop creating panics and hoarding. It’s so weird and obsessive.

Op here- not trying to hoard. I just want to have some bread in the freezer, tampons, and other things I will use. I live alone, so two loaves of bread would last me a month. Just trying to budget ajd buy a couple extras but didn’t know what to buy. I couldn’t afford to hoard, even if I wanted to!

[Anonymous]

Another thing OP, I have looked at what I'm buying and see if there is a less wasteful, less plastic alternative, like the menstrual cup another pp mentioned.

Using more cloth towels I wash, instead of paper towels. Mixing up my own neti pot salt instead of buying packets, basically looking at what I buy and try to replace what I can with things that are reusable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a vicious cycle. They report there might be shortages so everyone runs out and over buys creating the shortage or an even worse shortage then there would of been. Unless it's medical in nature I wouldn't bother hording it.

People need to stop creating panics and hoarding. It’s so weird and obsessive.

Op here- not trying to hoard. I just want to have some bread in the freezer, tampons, and other things I will use. I live alone, so two loaves of bread would last me a month. Just trying to budget ajd buy a couple extras but didn’t know what to buy. I couldn’t afford to hoard, even if I wanted to!

Is there anything that you *absolutely* need?

The thing I leaned last year is that it's OK if we can't get some things - we just adjust what we eat/do.

My only absolute "need" is coffee. So I will buy a few emergency-use-only bags of beans and put in the freezer. But it's pretty easy to adjust if we can't get any other particular items.