Is it time to start stockpiling essential supplies?

[totodeinhere]

If a coronavirus pandemic hits us we may have to quarantine ourselves in our homes to avoid getting exposed to the virus. But to do that we would need enough supplies to able to survive without going outside where we might be exposed.

[yesphan]

1. TP

lots of canned soup and LOTS of liquor and wine.

[Thyla]

2. +1 Liquor and wine

[GumboYaYa]

63. Like getting ready for a hurricane....need at least two weeks

worth of booze.

[catrose]

77. The top sellers at Walmart before a hurricane are

beer, Poptarts, masking tape, and tarps.

We don't need the last two, so put the money toward more beer and Poptarts.

I really don't have do this, do I?

[dewsgirl]

83. Water, candles and batteries have to be near the top

of the hurricane supply list, they seem run out of these first.

[Demonaut]

86. weird, I eschewed the Costco big AA blister pack for years, until just after Xmas

most of my stuff is lith ion powered

[MontanaMama]

16. Boy howdy.

Don't forget the wine.

[Joinfortmill]

31. Agree

[Squinch]

35. I have all the ingredients for Manhattans in quantity, but NO MARASCHINO CHERRIES!

Gotta get maraschino cherries!!!!!

[Pachamama]

51. +100000

[redwitch]

76. Trader Joe's has the best cherries!

I love a good Manhattan!

[OhioChick]

57. Alcohol is an immunosuppressant n/t

[Coventina]

3. If you live in any area that is subject to a natural disaster,

(which is just about everywhere), you should really have enough supplies for three days at any given time.

I don't think going beyond that is warranted at this time, though.

[totodeinhere]

5. But couldn't we need more than just a three day supply? n/t

[Coventina]

6. Maybe, but I wouldn't run out and do it yet, unless it would help YOU feel better. n/t

[defacto7]

13. That's reasonable, a step at a time watching ahead.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. It's always time to prepare for the unexpected.

[Kaleva]

7. I maintain about a 45 day supply of food & other essentials plus 30 days of water

With snow on the ground, water isn't a concern.

I have the materials to quickly put together a waterless toilet in the basement along side the 24" bathroom vanity with sink that down there already. The sink will be supplied by a 5 gallon bucket of water hanging from the ceiling. In case village water is shut off.

I can go a long time without electricity if that's shut off.

[Old Terp]

66. I always include flashlights among the options for my Holiday Party parting gifts.

[Kaleva]

67. I need to get more taper candles and candle holders

Plus some 22 ounce jar candles which have a burn time of 110 to 150 hours

[Flaleftist]

8. It's always a good idea to have a stockpile

Because by the time everyone starts to stockpile, the stores will be chaos.

[Leghorn21]

41. Exactly, F! I saw pictures of grocery stores in Italy with nothing left on the shelves after a day

of panic (poor things) - so today I got me some canned tuna and chicken and a big ole jar of peanut butter and...I’m kinda ready already! I’ll just be feeding myself, so it’s no big deal, and if I don’t have to use the stuff in the next few months, well then, I’ll still have plenty to eat, which is a beautiful thing! -

Why wait, really? - I guess some folks feel that stocking up NOW is like, “giving in” to fear or panic, but honestly, after reading about poor China for the last couple of months, I have zero doubt this could happen in America, so - I’m not hesitant at all -

Oops, long-winded reply, sorry about this!!

ps and don’t fergit the terlit paper!!

[hurple]

9. And gold

You need to stockpile gold because money will be worthless too. Or so I hear... 🤣

[defacto7]

15. It's not nuclear winter you know.

[Ilsa]

10. Stockpiling prescription meds is a little harder,

but sometimes you can get ahead if they aren't typically used for suicide or abused.

[totodeinhere]

12. I try to put my meds on a 90 day supply if possible. Less trips to the pharmacy. n/t

[Ilsa]

14. If someone is on Medicaid, they cannot always

do that. All all Medicaid drugs are available as 90 day scripts.

[totodeinhere]

17. Oh I didn't know that. n/t

[meow2u3]

49. I do put my meds on a 90-day supply

Only two of my meds are on a 30-day supply, one of them being a legally prescribed controlled substance, which has a 30-day supply max.

[defacto7]

11. There's nothing wrong with being prepared.

Forward thinking is one of the better human traits. There's plenty wrong with being stuck without.

Pet owners may not want to forget animal food. It's not likely to be a high priority production and distribution item.

[braddy]

18. I haven't been able to buy groceries for 4 months, I guess preparedness is just part of my nature.

I am looking for a ride now so that I can refresh my supplies before the public gets all excited and clean out some of the items on my preferred grocery list.

My last grocery run was October 28, 2019.

[avebury]

25. OK, would you like to share what types

of things are on your preferred shopping list. I have to admit I am really curious about what you buy and how much to be be able to go so long between shopping trips.

[Blue_true]

34. Some people are much better than me in this area.

Not shopping since October sounds interesting. I doubt that I could do that due to flavor fatigue that plagues me (I can't stand to eat the same thing unless it is really good, food that I would stockpile isn't the type that I could eat even every five days and not become sick of it).

[braddy]

62. I have plenty of staples of course, rice, beans flour, sugar, seasonings etc. which means I always

have basic foods and desserts, can make bread or biscuits, pancakes, cake mix, etc. but I also know that canned foods don't really expire so I have a lot of canned meats, tuna, spam, sardines, smoked oysters and such, and lots of canned vegetables and canned spaghetti, chili, fruit, peppers, hot sauces, etc., plenty of dry pastas, powdered milk, instant potatoes, tea, coffee, flavored powder drinks.

Once you learn the true shelf life of the foods we buy you start buying on sale, in bulk, and you accumulate food stocks naturally, while saving money and being frugal, I enjoy the game and saving so much money on routine foods, not to mention the good feeling as I can ignore the fears of whatever the newest (but never ending) news stories of the latest thing that is going to kill us all.

Once you have plenty of the before mentioned foods there is still the issue of how one can go months without shopping for milk, bread, eggs, butter, grated cheese, frozen pizza, fresh blueberries, broccoli, chicken and ground beef, cream cheese, and so on, you need a freezer for that.

Most stuff freezes well and many people without freezers already freeze milk and bread for example. Get a freezer and start looking up how to freeze things that you aren't used to freezing, and you will be amazed, but even without a freezer I didn't like shopping more than every 6 or 8 weeks because eggs and fresh milk last a long time in the fridge.

Go online to your local Walmart and look at their frozen foods section and you can see how one can adopt a lot of frozen vegetables, potatoes, and other foods into your menus, and google some of your questions about things that you think may not be freezable, which will help you realize that a freezer is still a largely untapped modern convenience in most homes.

[avebury]

64. How do you find out what the true

shelf life is for canned items?

[braddy]

65. I have much personal experience in that area and know that those dates are useless in almost all

cases, for one thing they aren't 'expiration' dates, they are 'best by' dates and if you notice they are almost all about 2 years. Personal experience means that I jump at the chance to take people's 10 year past date cans of food, for most foods no one can tell any difference, I just finished the last of my 2004 dated tuna about 3 years ago, last year someone gave me a huge batch of canned goods and dry pasta that went back to 2013 and 2014, I have almost finished all of it.

Rotate your foods and if you find a can of pork and beans that got shoved to the back with a 'best by' date 2 or 3 years ago, know that you can ignore the date,

You can google "shelf life" of ........... and get information, but pick the sites that make sense, some of them will simply do that baby talk that is so common today, where they don't actually give any useful information, survivalist oriented sites have lots of practical real life information by users and manufacturer contact and research.

[maxsolomon]

19. Be my guest.

IMHO, you're probably overreacting.

[dewsgirl]

28. I don't, I've been watching this whole situation very closely.

I don't think it's an overreaction at all.

[maxsolomon]

30. I live in a soup of germs

I work in an open office with >100 people and clients through every day. I travel to and from work in the downtown of a major metropolis. It throngs with Chinese tourists, as well.

There's no way I can isolate myself.

[dewsgirl]

36. I thought it was scary living with a Kindergartener,

as far as germs go. I hope you stay safe and we'll.

[Blue_true]

39. Using commonsense is the best isolation.

If you see someone cough where you are headed, move over a number of steps. Wash hands after touching stuff in public. Like you, I have no idea how I can isolate myself from strangers or people that have had contact with strangers.

[a la izquierda]

48. Exactly.

I’m a professor. My students are always sick with something. I had a quickie flu in January. I’m traveling in two weeks. I can’t be overly worried.
🤷🏻?♀️

[USALiberal]

70. Based on what? nt

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

20. Wedding gowns

Of course there's no need to stockpile them, but last night local news did a story that there will be a shortage of gowns because China makes a large percentage of them and factories that make them have shut down.

[Johnny2X2X]

21. Honey, flour, beans, and canned fruit

Honey keeps literally indefinitely, thousands and thousands of years. You can survive on a spoon full of honey, a spoon full of flour, of beans, and canned fruit daily for months as long as you also have clean water to drink.

[Blue_true]

43. So you will stockpile the honey so that some being in 22020 has something to eat.

If it's that bad, hell, I want to be one of the first to go.

[USALiberal]

71. one spoon full a day? really?

[GoneOffShore]

22. Perhaps you should remember the advice on the cover of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy:

Don't Panic!

Written in big friendly letters.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/21/who-is-most-at-risk-of-contracting-coronavirus

I have friends who live in the Scilly Isles and some weeks in the winter the supply boat from the mainland can't leave Penzance.

[maxsolomon]

32. Towels

bring one; you never know.

[smirkymonkey]

44. Don't forget to bring a towel!

[GoneOffShore]

50. If you're a hoopy frood you always know where your towel is.

[icymist]

23. If it's a Covid-19 pandemic you're afraid of check the countries that already have it.

See what they're running out of. When I check, I see hand sanitizer, alcohol, and masks. Personally, the masks aren't going to stop the virus, but they will prevent touching the mouth and nose. I wouldn't worry so much about food and water past three days supply just yet. Still, it never hurts to pick up extra cans of soup or beans and put them in the pantry.

[smirkymonkey]

24. It's kind of hard to stockpile things when you live in 550 sq. foot studio.

I suppose I could if I didn't want any space to move around in, but I am using all the available storage space that I have. I'm not panicking yet.

[SammyWinstonJack]

85. I live in a 34 ft motorhome. Really hard to stockpile much.

[brokephibroke]

26. Amazon

Can ship just about anything you need, Walmart too...

[Blue_true]

45. And you get it in two days.

Actually, I am more worried about a zombie apocalypse than I am about COVID-19. My parents taught me how and when to wash my hands.

[spin]

56. That Amazon or Walmart supply chain might break down ...

if the employees at the warehouses are infected with the virus.

[CentralMass]

27. It couldn't hurt.

[rwheeler31]

29. It would be a good idea to set up an exercise

area along with your workspace if you have to work from home.

[zeusdogmom]

33. Let's see, plenty of wine, chocolate, yarn (I like to knit when stressed)

Yep, I'm good.

Seriously folks, we should always to the best of our abilities have a good 30 day supply of food, meds, etc. I am well stocked, replenishing when items go on sale. And not only for natural disaster, etc. Case in point - A couple of years ago I injured my knee - driving, grocery store, etc. on crutches is no fun. But I didn't need to go to the store because my pantry was well stocked. I live alone - except of Zeus Dog of course - so I feel an extra need to be some what self reliant. Yes, friends and neighbors would have done a grocery run, but they didn't have to because I had planned for the unforeseen.

I'm not a weird prepper, etc. Just an older person who has lived thru lots of stuff. And yes I have a rotating extra supply of food, treats, new toys, et. for my loyal canine buddy.

[MyNameGoesHere]

37. I'm not worried, I got it covered

Rolling around in my Damnation Alley ride.

[lastlib]

42. Nice UAV! Where can I get one?

[Blue_true]

46. How does a person parallel park that? Also, what is the gas mileage and how does it corner? nt

[eleny]

73. It parks wherever it wants and corners jump out of the way

[Blue_true]

74. My guess is, if you need that thing, parallel parking AND corners would be irrelevant, there won't

be any.

That is a serious beyond Mad Max machine.

[eleny]

75. It is

[dustyscamp]

38. Those Doomsday preppers may have been right

[mahina]

52. Or they may have been suckers and spent money they'd have been better off saving for food that's not

Edible anymore if it ever was


I was thinking rice, beans, peanut butter and canned veggies in a airtight bin.

Last time I was worried I got an extra bag of dog food and hid it in my closet and forgot about it.

First the brown dog started pooping four times a day. Then a few days later the white dog did too, for three days.

Then I found the remaining dog food. Now I know how much they’ll eat if left to themselves. An immense amount.

I thought they had a rare pooping disease. So lolo. Hindsight, etc.

[dewsgirl]

81. I'm beginning to think so.

We've always thought they were the crazy ones. It feels like in 2016 we entered some kind of alternate universe, the chaos has been accelerating in the last few months.

[lastlib]

40. I've got enough chess books to tide me over......

All I need is food and water. And Coffee--can't have too much coffee..........

[Sea Turtle]

47. Always try to be prepared and have some to share

I keep on hand at all times the things I think I might need in a disaster. Several years ago, we had an ice storm and lost power for over a week. Within 15 minutes of the lower going out, I had my gas logs and kerosene heaters going and was brewing tea on them. I also had battery lanterns. I checked on the neighbors and was able to help a couple with extra heaters and 5 gallon cans of fuel.

I can get anything I want today. In an emergency not so much. I think of my supplies as cheap reasonable insurance. I pay home, car, health, life, and several other types of insurance. At least with my emergency supplies, I actually get benefit from them at some point even if there isn’t an emergency.

If I lived on the coast, I would have plywood precut to board up each window. I am always amazed at the people scrambling when hurricanes come.

Anyway, I think the most compassionate thing I can do for my community is to prepare so that I am not a burden, as well as, to have extra to bless those in need nearby. It is my own little social program. And since I control the program, there is always chocolate and other things that I like.

[totodeinhere]

60. I'm thinking along the same lines as you. n/t

[RockRaven]

53. This isn't like a post-earthquake or post-hurricane situation. It will be a months-long thing.

And that's just the first spreading of the virus throughout the country. Once it's pandemic, it will circulate perpetually, seasonally, like the various influenzas and other cold type viruses.

Almost nobody can sequester themselves in their home without outside human contact for months on end. Most people have to work just to eat and pay their housing and utility costs. Plus consider resupplying, even if you don't have to leave the house for work or education.

Once it is pandemic, fatalism is probably the route most people will have to adopt, because anything else just isn't feasible.

[Lady_Chat]

54. Most importantly make sure you have gotten a flu shot, especially if you

have any condition that might compromise your immune system. I have that problem, so if you do, it's not to late to get a flu shot.
After Sandy, we always have made sure we have a sufficient food and water supply. We also donate to local food pantries so they don't run out either. Also make sure you have a decent supply of medicines you take. My husband works in a hospital, and right now, they are concerned about running out of masks, and other essential equipment. The greatest worry, of course, is that Trump is in charge! Otherwise chocolate, wine, good books and movies sound like good ideas too.

[totodeinhere]

61. I have got my flu shot but I'm not sure if it will help with the coronavirus.

But it's good to have since the common flu can also be a killer.

[Recursion]

55. That's pretty much a good idea any time

I'm not saying be a doomsday prepper, but keep a few days' worth of water and shelf-stable food around, just in general.

[OhioChick]

58. Elderberry Extract (Sambucus nigra)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15080016

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190423133644.htm

Granted, these studies were in relation to influenza A&B but you can find a lot of reputable studies out there on Elderberry Extract and their anti-viral properties. (I don't have time now)

I know of many physicians now that are using elderberry extract due to their anti-viral effects to combat influenza A&B which are prevalent right now and are hoping it might help their chances of a mild version of COVID-19 by boosting their immune systems.

[beachbumbob]

59. americans are always late to plan. You should have 1-2 months of food

on your shelves as a safe guard always. Mormons have a year of stores as its required.

[USALiberal]

68. Based on what? nt

[beachbumbob]

69. based on things like natural disasters, fires, floods, earthquakes and little things like pandemics

[USALiberal]

72. A week I get, not 2 months. nt

[braddy]

79. The federal govt is finally suggesting 2 weeks food and water. I think that most people who are

formally and totally prepared for 2 weeks can easily expand on that and would do so almost naturally.

Just my frugal shopping habits makes having lots of food unavoidable.

I bought a 100 (or 200?) cans of tuna once because it was 3 for a dollar, and I did it another time (100 cans) because it was expensive Wild Planet Albacore tuna with an expiring date, for 50 cents a can.

[Frustratedlady]

82. I will definitely confine myself to home. As an elder, I believe I wouldn't make it thru this virus.

Until then, I will limit any trips to the grocery or beauty shop to reduce the chance of catching it. Once I hear there are cases in town, I will stay home. I have plenty of food and am about to inventory what few meds I don't get on a 90 day basis and have them refilled. I don't have a problem with getting bored, so maybe I can make a huge dent in the family history or get out the oil paint and see if I've become a Grandma Moses in my old age.

It will be a project. I'm not trying to be rude, just survive and that's already becoming a challenge. Onward and upward.

[OkSustainAg]

78. My families sustainable living practices

Will always keep us virtually recession and disaster proof. I try my hardest to help others live more sustainable lives

[apcalc]

80. Yes. So you don't have to go out and wait in lines with sick people.

Get parmaceutical- cough syrup, acetominophen, aspirin, etc

Any Rx drugs you can stockpile

Toilet paper, beans, nuts, honey, canned fruit, oatmeal, rice ,pasta , tom sauce, and the like

Perhaps bottled water

It can’t hurt

[Raftergirl]

84. I have a lot of basic food stuff on hand already

but usually have more except my laundry room/pantry is getting gutted next month so I stopped buying large purchase of stuff.

Doing my regular marketing next week so maybe I’ll buy more non perishable stuff and just put it in boxes in the basement.

I also have a 10 pound turkey in the freezer my husband won in a raffle at the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. That’ll be good for at least a week of meals.

We always have a stocked liquor cabinet.

And I just picked up my 90 day prescription refills last week.

[NickB79]

87. I've purchased $300 of supplies this week, and will buy more

I typically keep a 2-month food supply on hand; now I'm up to 3 months. My hens are laying again after the dreary winter, and I'm about to start a few hundred vegetable seedlings under growlights for planting in May.

Lots of TP, batteries, some gasoline, cold medicines, pet and chicken feed, cleaning supplies, a few new board games, a few new books.

And a few extra boxes of shotgun shells. Just to be safe.