Stocking the cupboards in the event of a pandemic in the USA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what foods are you mostly buying now? I was very stocked 10 days ago but obviously a lot has been eaten. Should I try to buy more meat? Potatoes?

Try to buy food that will last you as long as possible between trips. So fresh fruits and veg, and frozen and canned and dried. Beans, rice, stuff that will last a while.
Think about meat etc options that you could store for 2+ weeks... eggs, cheese, beans, canned soups. It may not be gourmet.m but the fewer times you go to the store the better

We are trying to go to the store as little as possible - 10-14 days is our current target. Mostly to pick up meats & fresh foods. Also replenish any non-perishables you have eaten. We are eating less and wasting less and generally buying less than normal though for the same time period.

Is anyone thinking that the food supply issues could get worse in a month? I'm not sure if to use our frozen/dried stash now, or to keep buying fresh and maintain that store for a time when stores shut down due to worker illness.

Yes, it is likely.
Estimates see the peak of illnesses and deaths in the US at May, don't they?

I can't make up my mind about how much to get started on the non-perishable stocks rather than buying more fresh food. Had another grocery delivery yesterday, all perishables. Emptied a quart-size spray bottle's worth of diluted hydrogen peroxide on every box, bag, carton, thick skin fruit (mangoes, oranges, apples). Still not sure I did it right. Should we be eating definitely virus-free canned fruit and powdered milk now instead, and not be spending money we don't have (all went into stocking the pantry 6 weeks ago)? Or should we eat produce and fresh dairy while it's still available/affordable and learn decon as we go? Or should we eat the pantry food while we wait until supply goes back up once everyone's done stocking up? I don't know.

Our pediatrician suggested feeding DD as much fresh food especially high nutrient foods now as we can manage. Then frozen. And to save canned or reconstituted for last. It does require extra sanitizing for me and my hands are sandpaper, but I remember that I had nutritional diseases as a poor teen who rarely saw produce. We have almost zero food waste right now. I threw away salmon skin, egg shells, tea bags, the green and white parts of strawberries, and a bone.

Oh girl; I'm a former poor too. Isn't it amazing how out skills come back? I'm like a roach. I'm not going to die. My snowflakes might but Im also going to do my roach best to keep that from happening.

[Anonymous]

Salmon skin has the highest concentration of omega 3s, matter of taste whether you like it. I think it's tasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Salmon skin has the highest concentration of omega 3s, matter of taste whether you like it. I think it's tasty.

I was just thinking the same thing.. and mmmmmmmm. .. so delicious when you can make it bit crispy...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salmon skin has the highest concentration of omega 3s, matter of taste whether you like it. I think it's tasty.

I was just thinking the same thing.. and mmmmmmmm. .. so delicious when you can make it bit crispy...

+100 Yum!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what foods are you mostly buying now? I was very stocked 10 days ago but obviously a lot has been eaten. Should I try to buy more meat? Potatoes?

Try to buy food that will last you as long as possible between trips. So fresh fruits and veg, and frozen and canned and dried. Beans, rice, stuff that will last a while.
Think about meat etc options that you could store for 2+ weeks... eggs, cheese, beans, canned soups. It may not be gourmet.m but the fewer times you go to the store the better

We are trying to go to the store as little as possible - 10-14 days is our current target. Mostly to pick up meats & fresh foods. Also replenish any non-perishables you have eaten. We are eating less and wasting less and generally buying less than normal though for the same time period.

Is anyone thinking that the food supply issues could get worse in a month? I'm not sure if to use our frozen/dried stash now, or to keep buying fresh and maintain that store for a time when stores shut down due to worker illness.

Yes, it is likely.
Estimates see the peak of illnesses and deaths in the US at May, don't they?

I can't make up my mind about how much to get started on the non-perishable stocks rather than buying more fresh food. Had another grocery delivery yesterday, all perishables. Emptied a quart-size spray bottle's worth of diluted hydrogen peroxide on every box, bag, carton, thick skin fruit (mangoes, oranges, apples). Still not sure I did it right. Should we be eating definitely virus-free canned fruit and powdered milk now instead, and not be spending money we don't have (all went into stocking the pantry 6 weeks ago)? Or should we eat produce and fresh dairy while it's still available/affordable and learn decon as we go? Or should we eat the pantry food while we wait until supply goes back up once everyone's done stocking up? I don't know.

Our pediatrician suggested feeding DD as much fresh food especially high nutrient foods now as we can manage. Then frozen. And to save canned or reconstituted for last. It does require extra sanitizing for me and my hands are sandpaper, but I remember that I had nutritional diseases as a poor teen who rarely saw produce. We have almost zero food waste right now. I threw away salmon skin, egg shells, tea bags, the green and white parts of strawberries, and a bone.

OK, thank you. Will get produce again in about 10 days then, before digging into the cans.
God, who knows what our hospitals will look like in 10 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are stocking up.

Most people in the world will get this within the year. Symptoms will be like most seasonal respiratory viruses, with corresponding severity for elderly and immunocompromised. It has been shown to be mild in children.

The only thing I can think is that they will close schools and other public places of gathering to slow the spread by a few days so resources can be better allocated. But that just means you should stock some stuff for your kids so they won’t be bored. I will start with basic scientific books about germs, books about working together with other people to solve problems, and books like Chicken Little about not believing anything and everything you hear.

We now have more cases than anyone else. We have over 1k deaths. Looks like it wasn’t “chicken little” after all. Are you ready to apologize? Don’t you wish you had taken our advice and stocked up last month?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are stocking up.

Most people in the world will get this within the year. Symptoms will be like most seasonal respiratory viruses, with corresponding severity for elderly and immunocompromised. It has been shown to be mild in children.

The only thing I can think is that they will close schools and other public places of gathering to slow the spread by a few days so resources can be better allocated. But that just means you should stock some stuff for your kids so they won’t be bored. I will start with basic scientific books about germs, books about working together with other people to solve problems, and books like Chicken Little about not believing anything and everything you hear.

We now have more cases than anyone else. We have over 1k deaths. Looks like it wasn’t “chicken little” after all. Are you ready to apologize? Don’t you wish you had taken our advice and stocked up last month?

No, all of you hoarder are part of the problem. Don’t you get it? You don’t need a years worth of TP and various other stockpiles of food and essentials. Grocery stores aren’t closing. Despite your insanity, they remain reasonably stocked and you can go in when you need to. Sure, buy more and buy smarter so you can make infrequent trips, but to stockpile and hoard and behave like you can’t leave your house for months isn’t necessary. If you hoarded, I truly hope you don’t show your face in a single store for months. If you stop in to get more “fresh produce” after 2 weeks. your hoarding efforts were for nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are stocking up.

Most people in the world will get this within the year. Symptoms will be like most seasonal respiratory viruses, with corresponding severity for elderly and immunocompromised. It has been shown to be mild in children.

The only thing I can think is that they will close schools and other public places of gathering to slow the spread by a few days so resources can be better allocated. But that just means you should stock some stuff for your kids so they won’t be bored. I will start with basic scientific books about germs, books about working together with other people to solve problems, and books like Chicken Little about not believing anything and everything you hear.

We now have more cases than anyone else. We have over 1k deaths. Looks like it wasn’t “chicken little” after all. Are you ready to apologize? Don’t you wish you had taken our advice and stocked up last month?

No, all of you hoarder are part of the problem. Don’t you get it? You don’t need a years worth of TP and various other stockpiles of food and essentials. Grocery stores aren’t closing. Despite your insanity, they remain reasonably stocked and you can go in when you need to. Sure, buy more and buy smarter so you can make infrequent trips, but to stockpile and hoard and behave like you can’t leave your house for months isn’t necessary. If you hoarded, I truly hope you don’t show your face in a single store for months. If you stop in to get more “fresh produce” after 2 weeks. your hoarding efforts were for nothing.

I did not hoard. I bought stuff back before they ran out so the stores were able to restock. I bout zero bottles of water because I was confident the utilities would continue to operate. I bought two weeks extra food and TP in case everyone is sick at once and we couldn’t make it to the store. I’m keeping it for that same reason. Some people were basically preppers. I’m not a prepper.

[Anonymous]

It is preparedness planning when the goal is long period of physical isolation. Eating well, both healthy and tasty between my fridge, freezer and pantry. Will need to restock soon, but I think restocking in the next week is good timing to get us through the peak in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are stocking up.

Most people in the world will get this within the year. Symptoms will be like most seasonal respiratory viruses, with corresponding severity for elderly and immunocompromised. It has been shown to be mild in children.

The only thing I can think is that they will close schools and other public places of gathering to slow the spread by a few days so resources can be better allocated. But that just means you should stock some stuff for your kids so they won’t be bored. I will start with basic scientific books about germs, books about working together with other people to solve problems, and books like Chicken Little about not believing anything and everything you hear.

We now have more cases than anyone else. We have over 1k deaths. Looks like it wasn’t “chicken little” after all. Are you ready to apologize? Don’t you wish you had taken our advice and stocked up last month?

Who knew that Trump would have responded to horribly to this crisis? I honestly thought he’d do much better and I hate him to the core. He fcked up. Big time.

[Anonymous]

I knew Trump would be a disaster but I thought the rest of the federal government would be able to swoop in and save us. Turns out the appointees at the top do more damage to competency than I thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are stocking up.

Most people in the world will get this within the year. Symptoms will be like most seasonal respiratory viruses, with corresponding severity for elderly and immunocompromised. It has been shown to be mild in children.

The only thing I can think is that they will close schools and other public places of gathering to slow the spread by a few days so resources can be better allocated. But that just means you should stock some stuff for your kids so they won’t be bored. I will start with basic scientific books about germs, books about working together with other people to solve problems, and books like Chicken Little about not believing anything and everything you hear.

We now have more cases than anyone else. We have over 1k deaths. Looks like it wasn’t “chicken little” after all. Are you ready to apologize? Don’t you wish you had taken our advice and stocked up last month?

1k deaths is NOT a big deal. It really isn’t.

Over 7k people die each day in the US. 7 thousand a day. The 1k from covid is over how many days?

[Anonymous]

WATER MAIN BREAK in my town.

Glad I have a case of water in case there are any delays getting the water back on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WATER MAIN BREAK in my town.

Glad I have a case of water in case there are any delays getting the water back on.

OMG I was just about to say the same thing. So glad I got water too- as long as they fix within two weeks we are ok. Although I hope I will then be able to restock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are stocking up.

Most people in the world will get this within the year. Symptoms will be like most seasonal respiratory viruses, with corresponding severity for elderly and immunocompromised. It has been shown to be mild in children.

The only thing I can think is that they will close schools and other public places of gathering to slow the spread by a few days so resources can be better allocated. But that just means you should stock some stuff for your kids so they won’t be bored. I will start with basic scientific books about germs, books about working together with other people to solve problems, and books like Chicken Little about not believing anything and everything you hear.

We now have more cases than anyone else. We have over 1k deaths. Looks like it wasn’t “chicken little” after all. Are you ready to apologize? Don’t you wish you had taken our advice and stocked up last month?

1k deaths is NOT a big deal. It really isn’t.

Over 7k people die each day in the US. 7 thousand a day. The 1k from covid is over how many days?

Exactly. Wear masks and behave responsibly.