I am no expert but I’m simply sharing what has worked for us. It was March 8 that we decided things were getting to the point where we should make one last run to the grocery store. Then on April 1, we used curbside pickup to pick up a few groceries I had ordered online so as of today, it’s been 36 days since we have left the hose, other than that one grocery order pickup.
Obviously, most of us are not stocking up on anything now . . just buying what we can find that we need for the present. But, when the day comes that we can begin stocking up again, we need a plan. We need to know what we need and we need to know where we’re going to put it. Some of us, with smaller homes, will have to get creative. Some of us will have to prioritize. We may not be able to buy everything we want to have, either because of not having the funds or not having the space to put it . . or both!
There’s probably a fine line between prepping and hoarding. Even though people have joked and made fun of preppers through the years, we are the people who have not had to buy toilet paper. We are the people who have not been to six stores in one day trying to find toilet paper. For those of us who buy toilet paper and paper towels when we find them on sale and then have what we need for months, we’re not the ones causing the run on grocery stores. You may not want to keep 140 rolls of toilet paper but you may want to keep 12 rolls. The right thing for YOU is what (1) fits your budget (2) has a place to be stored and (3) knowing you have it keeps your stress level down. If having 140 rolls of toilet paper stacked in a spare bedroom stresses you out, then this is not something you should do.
My advice is to have things stored together. Have a few rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom but for the most part, having it all stacked in a corner somewhere so when you’re getting down to having 6 rolls left, or whatever your magic number is, you know it’s time to buy more. If you have a 6 pack in one room and a 6 pack in the garage and a 6 pack in the laundry room, it’s hard to track and know when you need to buy more. Also, look for coupons and sales. We buy toilet paper and paper towels once a year and we order online and get all the same thing so it stacks nicely. Sometimes we order from Target, sometimes from Walmart, sometimes from some odd place that has the cheapest price. Then we’re done buying toilet paper and paper towels for a year. It gets delivered to the house and we don’t have to take up much needed space in the car when we make our trips to town for groceries.
I call it a prepper’s mentality because if you’re new to prepping, you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed, especially in light of what we’re going through now. If you start now and think about the things you use every day – some of those things you could do without (for me, it’s a lot of makeup and hair gel). Some things I wouldn’t want to do without (hand cream, emery boards, face cream). When I first started prepping, I made index cards. I made one for toiletries, one for kitchen items (but not food), one for first aid/medications, one for cleaning supplies, etc. I kept the toiletries card in the bathroom with a pen, I kept the cleaning supplies card taped to the dryer because my cleaning supplies are in the laundry room. Every time I’d think of something to add to that card, I’d add it. I also kept a notebook by my chair and when I’d think of anything, I’d write it in the notebook, then when it was convenient, I’d copy it to the appropriate card and scratch through it in the notebook. As I bought the things on the cards, not all at once, but over time, I’d write down how many I bought next to the item. Then, a month later, when I wondered if I had added Lysol spray to the list, I’d go to the cleaning supplies card, look to see if Lysol was on there and if I had purchased any, the number was written down.
Before you even realize you’re doing it, you’ll be thinking about everything you use every day and planning how much you need to have on hand. It will become second nature and will not feel like a chore.
This is a journey . . not something you’re going to start today and then get it all done and get to where you want to be in a short time. There are still things I wish I had that I don’t have.
Carolyn says
I appreciate your thoughts. I like the idea of the handy dandy notecards. I love being organized. Last week I sent hubby to Walmart with a list while I went to United with my list. He even brought home things that weren’t on the list. Storage is another hurdle to jump.
Anne Greene says
I really like the idea of a notebook. I’ve never written things down, just knew that I wanted to have enough food and such just in case. I will buy more of the 25 year stuff, when this is all over and it’s more available again.
The only thing I am short on is powdered milk, and that won’t happen again!! Also, I would like to have more canned meats and veggies and fruits.
It’s been 30 days since we’ve been to the store. I’d say we can easily go another 8 weeks before we “have” to go to the store. I feel as though we are in a pretty good place, but that can change quickly, so we are being very careful!
Another great resource out there is The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-Day Saints, you can order food storage items online even if you are not a member of the church,. Also they have stores called Family Home Storage Centers where you can walk in and buy home storage items. Again, you don’t have to be a member. I believe the prices are pretty good. You might want to check them out. Right now, both are pretty much depleted, but they will have more stuff soon I’m sure.
Judy Laquidara says
The LDS Church is great! I ordered a few things just before the panic buying started, then I went back and was going to buy more for Chad and they had stopped taking orders. Not sure if they’re back up and running or not. No matter what you buy, the shipping is (or was!) $3.00 total.