As I'm expecting the state to shut down again, I'm stocking up on food and supplies

[Kaleva]

I was pretty well stocked prior to the last state shut down but the supplies took a hit and it's taken me awhile to replenish the stock as I'm on SSDI and don't have a lot of extra money to go out and buy.

The local Dollar General often gives out coupons for $5 off if you spend at least $25 and they are good for the coming Saturday. I have two such coupons for this Saturday and later today, I'll be doing a whole house inventory to check to make sure I have enough food and supplies on hand for my wife and I for about 45 days. This includes items like personal hygiene products, over the counter medications, dog food and the like.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. Rachel Maddow had a virus expert on tonight who predicted back on April 3rd

That we'd be in real trouble now unless we had a national response, all states on the same page and shutting down comparably at once and following the same protocol. He was on again tonight because his prediction was correct, and he said that in order to get this under control - like in other countries - we need to work together starting today. But we know that's never going to happen so we're all in trouble.

I'm so sorry that you're going through this - yet again - but you must know that you're not alone...

[Lady_Chat]

11. Stay safe!

[Rhiannon12866]

12. Thanks! And you, as well!

These really are scary times and it didn't have to be this bad. Here's the segments from Rachel Maddow tonight that I was referring to - I don't know if it makes me more scared or angry:

Why Trump's Failure To Lead National Response Prolongs Coronavirus Crisis - Rachel Maddow - MSNBC
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017594884

[Jamastiene]

2. I need to get on the ball and check school return dates in my area.

I ran late on my taxes and took a big hit, because I could not go to my regular tax person. Even the cost of paying someone to do my taxes was almost as much as I owed. I took a huge hit on those.

Now, with school getting ready to hit the ground running, while ignoring Covid, I see spikes coming like none we have seen before. If they thought what we have had over the summer were "spikes" in cases, since reopening the state way too soon, wait until they see what the kids do when they start spreading it like wildfire.

I am stocked up on quite a few things, but I will buy one extra pack of TP and PT and at least ketchup just to be sure. Sometimes, I think I live on ketchup. If I got a pet chicken and instructions on how to get her to lay an egg a day. I'd be set, as long as I make sure to have ketchup and TP and PT too.

Great idea about the Dollar General coupons. Coupons have become by buddies lately.

[marybourg]

3. Instructions on how to get a hen to lay

an egg: get a rooster too.

[Hekate]

5. DU has a group for backyard chicken flocks & they're full of info...

I was given four laying hens once (the owner was evacuating in the path of a fire, and they just ended up staying with me). They turned out to be pretty easy to keep, all things considered, and they were really prolific for quite a few years. We gave away cartons and cartons of extra eggs to the neighbors.

They are sociable, and will be happiest if you have more than one. They also stop laying for part of the year, from sometime in the autumn to about mid February.

My hens pretty much died of old age, eventually. I was thinking of getting some more when I moved, but like my other arrangements for domestic animals, I had to reconsider based on the pack of coyotes in my new area. (Elsewhere I’ve mentioned that my small dog goes everywhere on a leash now, and that I will never bother getting another cat.)

Anyway, if this is not TMI, look around for DU’s chicken group. It’s in the general vicinity of gardening and such.

[Totally Tunsie]

4. As I watch the national map turn redder by the day,

I too started re-stocking. We never fully recovered from the first round, as many groceries are still scarce, specifically t.p., rice, and canned meats/items for long term storage. Produce has been spotty, at best.

So I've picked up an extra cube of t.p., family-size pkg of chicken breasts, and 2 large bags of coffee beans at BJs, and ordered Minute Rice and hand sanitizer online b/c there's none on the shelves. Everything else is at the ready for Round 2, which I really believe will be coming soon.

I think you'll be glad you were ahead of the crowd in preparation. What's the worse that can happen by buying ahead? The items will be used eventually; the only downside is finding a place to keep the stock in the meantime.

Good luck with whatever comes your way.

[PJMcK]

17. Where are you located?

We've been living in NE Pennsylvania in the Catskills since early March. For some unknown reason, I had a sinking feeling before the trouble really began and we stocked up on lots of canned and dried foods as well as cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels and various beverages. We also filled a number of 5-gallon gas cans to have some cushion if any rationing were to occur. As a result, we've been very fortunate to have more than enough for now.

Meanwhile, in the ensuing months, our local supermarket has been able to keep their shelves pretty full. The butcher has a broad selection of quality meats and fish, the produce section is usually full of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (sometimes the prices are a bit higher than normal), the dairy case is full (cheese has become expensive, for some reason) and the rest of the store's shelves are full.

The shortages and one-per-customer restrictions tend to be the obvious staples: toilet paper, paper towels, laundry & dish detergents, etc.

In short, we've been very lucky in this rural area that we haven't experienced the severe shortages others have had.

One other point: this supermarket has strongly enforced a mask rule for their customers. No mask and you have to leave the store. No exceptions or excuses. In four months, I've yet to see a confrontation. This is somewhat intriguing because this area is sharply divided between liberal Democrats (we're ten minutes away from the site of the Woodstock Festival!) and Trumpists (their yard signs are everywhere). Even the Republicans wear their masks without complaining.

Good luck with your own preparations. It's better to have and not need than need and not have!

[Totally Tunsie]

30. I'm in RI but all the stores where I shop are in MA.

Our property line is the RI/MA state line, so I end up following the rules for both states.

[ProfessorGAC]

28. Which Map?

The reason I ask is that I find the one CNN is using to be questionable.
Illinois & Michigan are shades of red, but I find it misleading.
Illinois went from a positivity of 2.2 to 2.9 in 5 weeks, then back down to 2.8.
Michigan went from 1.2 to 3.
So, they're shown as 30 % >100% increases. But, they're still under 5.
CDC, WHO, and other bodies consider under 5 to be well managed & under control.
But, the CNN map doesn't reflect that. That same time period, Florida went from 6 to 19. That map had both states the same color. But everyone would take 3% positive vs. 19%.
If you're using that map as the reference, take it with a grain of salt.
If you're using another source, make sure you know they're methods.

[Totally Tunsie]

31. I usually watch MSNBC and CNN.

The map I was referring to is the one that shows which states are rising or falling in their numbers. I'm not really analytical about the specific numbers, just more interested in the trends, especially in the northeast. RI ran green while all others were not, and did so for quite a while, but that's no longer true. The rest of New England has been bouncing upward again also. That tells me it's time to prepare for Round 2.

I appreciate your professorial analysis, Professor. At this point, numbers make my head hurt so I rely on people such as yourself to break the info down. Thanks!

[Sherman A1]

6. I would offer that

Dollar General and stored of their ilk offer low prices, but also low value on many items. Take a hard look at what you are getting before you spend your self described limited funds. You may do much better at traditional grocery stores.

[Karma13612]

18. Agree.

The dollar stores are not the place to buy your basic necessities.

They charge more for name brands so you need to have coupons to blunt that expense.

As much as we hate WalMart, in our area they are cheaper and their store brand quality is fine. Aldi is my go to store but they are letting us down around here in Northern New York. Their Potsdam store is doing a bad job with their produce. It is not refrigerated properly and spoils much faster than WalMart. They are short on many things.

Dollar stores are fine for some things but you really need to use caution or wind up spending more in the long run. In Potsdam, there is one near a housing project. The store gets a lot of business from the project because people don’t have cars to get them to the Price Chopper or SaveALot which is just a few blocks away. And walMart and Aldi are miles away. They are poor and paying much more for their “food” and household necessities shopping at the Dollar store. No fresh produce or meat. High sugar, salt and fat content foods in frozen and refrigerated cases are their selections. It is so sad.

[BigmanPigman]

7. I have a 500 sq ft apt and NO STORAGE!

I am using the trunk of my car for TP and paper towels and my oven for non-perishables. There is NO ROOM for a few month supply of anything. Normally I have to buy one roll of TP at a time and store dog food in the oven.

The fucking moron should have bitten the bullet in April and closed the whole country for 6 weeks. Period. It would have saved us tons of money but he is too damn stoooooopid to see that. Of course he doesn't care about human lives, but you would think that he cares about his reelection and how the economy is attached to it. Instead, he did the opposite somehow thinking that keeping everything open and ignoring it would keep the Obama-made economy strong for his reelection. Doyuh!

[IcyPeas]

9. I also store t.p. in the trunk... along with some bottles of water

Needless to say a gallon bottle leaked all over my trunk, soaking the t.p. by the time I noticed. It was a 12 pack of t.p. from Aldi. So I hope you are not like me storing water in your trunk also.

[BigmanPigman]

16. I wouldn't have room to store a bottle...

I drink from the tap anyway, but that makes me think of the windshield wiper fluid (also in the trunk...I'll change that now).

[Karma13612]

20. I remember the days I lived

In a studio apartment.

I completely understand your frustration.

Completely!

You can only do what you can.

Trump is a dangerous ass.

[Kaleva]

22. For years I didn't have a bed and slept on the couch.

The time I spent in the Navy got me used to sleeping in a rack the size of a small couch.

The cubic feet of area a bed takes up, taking into account the space from floor to ceiling, can be used for quite a bit of storage.

Of course I was single at the time and sex was done on the living room floor that I laid several blankets on.

[duforsure]

8. Stocked up and ready but,

The more trump looks to lose the election , I think he'll lash out to hurt us by stopping pumping funds into the markets causing them to crash so he can claim its the voters fault, not his, driving us into a depression because he lost to intentionally hurt us.

[JI7]

10. What state are you in ?

[denem]

14. No doubt, the state of despair.

[raccoon]

15. I was going to ask that too. Is it texas? Nt

[NJCher]

13. I know you're just being modest, but

You have a prolific garden that frees up a decent sum of $$ to spend on various staples.

[Kaleva]

21. The garden is just starting to produce.

We've been picking sugar snap peas for fresh eating and stir fry for close to a couple of weeks now and harvested some broccoli which was used in a salad Earlier this week, we pulled enough beets to can 8 quarts of pickled beets yesterday. We could have had 9 quarts but we had some for a dinner. There's quite a few beets left and I expect we'll end up with over 20 quarts of pickled beets. The zucchini, cucumbers, brussels sprouts, cabbage, tomatoes, and peppers have a ways to go yet before they are ready.

It looks like I'll have enough cabbage to make about 5 gallons of sauerkraut and we'll be giving away tomatoes and still have enough for fresh eating and to can many quarts of chili base, spaghetti sauce and salsa. I also want to try ferment some tomatoes in a food safe 5 gallon pail.

[NJCher]

26. my idea of heaven

I hope you'll take pics of some of your canned goods and share them like you did with your garden.

My mother used to can and I have memories of the aromas from the kitchen. Tomatoes...pickles...

I have done some canning and may do some this year.

[samnsara]

19. Im also stocking up... when our County went into shelter in place it was for ONE active..

...case. We opened back up and were able to go into Phase 3 and now we have had 5 deaths in Long term care facilities..in the last week. Hubby's job is essential however so he would be able to go to work daily and forage.

[hatrack]

23. Same here - buying over time rather than in giant panic shops . . .

But this is going to get uglier, and fairly soon.

[Kaleva]

25. The panic buying and shortages of TP didn't affect me as I already had a good stock of it.

[Liberal In Texas]

24. Wife just had 3 cases of TP delivered! n/t

[USALiberal]

27. and........?????????

[Kaleva]

29. I'll be making 5 lbs. of pickled hot dogs this weekend

A 5 lb. package is on sale for $7.99 at a local store. I've already made a 5 lb. batch, which fits in a gallon glass container (a reused pickle jar), that I got in the basement fridge. It ought to be ready to eat in a couple of weeks but I usually wait closer to a month.