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COVID19: What are you stocking up on?

MissCygne

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Jan 12, 2020
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I hope for deep wellness for all.
I have been reading the “Are You Concerned about the Corona Virus?” thread, and filled with gratitude for the kindness of the community here.
I hope that having a separate “Provisions” thread, with quick to find list of things may be helpful.
My daughters and I have been in contact every day, letting each other know where and when paper goods, gloves, alcohol, cleaning supplies etc. are in stock. Or when they will be back in stock.
We are also reminding one another to be sure to stock up on specific necessities, and sending links to things that may be needed in the very near future.
I would be thankful to know what you are stocking up on. I hope we can help one another in these difficult times.
I am on my way to a doctor’s appointment, and will post my own list as soon as possible.
~Roxanne
 

MakingTheGrade

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I basically have enough things to get through a 14 day self quarantine if needed if I develop symptoms.

In general my spouse who is a little bit of a prepper has about 2 months of canned/dried foods and emergency items in the basement. But this is all the time and not covid specific lol.

I’m hoping for the best but the worst case scenario isn’t so much apocalyptic deaths so much as supply chain disruption. If schools and businesses close etc will there be enough workers who will still show up for boxing and shipping and all the logistics involved in getting things to places in the timely way people have come to expect.

As bad as things are in Italy I’m not hearing stories of people starving to death or wiping their butts with leaves so I’m not too worried about food and paper goods.

But if you rely on meds I’d have an extra month supply at hand. And id make plans for how to get care to any loved ones who may depend on you for food and assistance. Some of the saddest stories from China are folks who died because their care takers were locked down in wuhan and couldn’t get to them :(

I recommend this site for reasonable preparedness:
 

YadaYadaYada

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We haven't stocked up on anything. I keep asking DH if we are doing this whole pandemic wrong but I'm just trying to keep the stress levels low and not go down the rabbit hole. Also we have two kids so trying to keep things as normal as possible, maybe if they saw us buying in bulk it might scare them? Our older son is very anxious so keeping things business as usual as much as possible is important.
 

Bron357

Ideal_Rock
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It’s not “the end of the world” but I figure you should have enough basic food / medical supplies in your house to last you 14 days at least, a month would be better.
I think everyone should be planning on staying home as much as possible, except to go out and get supplies.
Long term I believe we will all contract it, like we do other viruses, but given the potential for serious complications, it is very important to keep the numbers sick at any one point in time as low as possible. Hospitals have limited resources and equipment so if there’s a huge demand, not everyone is going to be able to get appropriate treatment. That’s the real risk, overwhelming our medical system.
If you have elderly relatives or family members with compromised immune systems or existing chronic medical conditions, make sure they stay home and way from possible sources of infection. And I would say if you aren’t really sick and in need of hospital treatment, stay home. If your symptoms are mild, take Panadol, drink fluids, rest and stay away from others. There’s no need to go and queue with a bunch of others with a runny nose and sore throat, you don’t need treatment for that at a hospital. Besides you’ll be exposing yourself directly to a possible real infection.
Do you need to “know” if you have it? I’d say just assume yes, stay home, isolate yourself especially from anyone of higher risk, look after yourself and wait to get better. If you aren’t getting better, if you develop breathing difficulties, then go to the hospital.
 

kenny

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Actually nothing.

It's business as usual at this house.
I've not even bothered to shop for masks or move funds out of the stock market.

I am careful in all the prudent ways like hand washing etc., but if CV gets me, it gets me.
Shit just happens.

I'm honestly not fearful.
My headspace is, So be it, yada yada yada. :yawn:

I've had a great life.
 

diamondseeker2006

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I am not in a panic by any means, but considering the stores may not be restocked as often, or they may be understaffed and open less, and crazy panicked people buy up essential items, I do have a nice supply of things in my pantry and freezer that I imagine would last a month or more if necessary. I am over 60 so I do not particularly want to be making frequent trips to the store seeing that people have the virus before they have symptoms.

I have chicken and ground beef in the freezer and items to make soups with them which will make more than one meal. I have sealed deli meats with exp dates in mid April and whole wheat tortillas that will last much longer than bread. I have other canned (and frozen) foods such as soups, vegetables, and fruit. Pasta and sauces, cheese, canned evaporated milk, coffee. I didn't buy a lot since I keep my pantry fairly well stocked anyway. The main thing was that I buy fresh meat normally, so I had to buy extra to freeze some.

I am trying to be sure I have things like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, kleenex, TP, paper towels, etc. for at least a month.

I have plenty of Vit C, D3, elderberry, cough medicine, sore throat lozenges, ibuprophen.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'll be interested to read other lists to see things I might be missing!
 

Karl_K

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nada
My Dad lived through the great depression so he always taught us to have stuff on hand so im good on most things.
Would probably run out of bread fairly guick but have rice and other alternatives.
Meds im limited by what the insurance will cover but most of them im good on or I can go a short time without.
 

kenny

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...
Would probably run out of bread fairly guickly but have rice and other alternatives.
...

I bake bread, and mill my own flour from wheat kernels.
The kernels last for decades so end-times groups, mormons, hippies etc,/whatev stock them sealed in cans just in case of .... whatevs.

My flour mill is electric, but there are hand crank mills too that need no power these people buy.
Bread made from whole wheat kernels that were milled right before use makes the BEEEEEST wheat bread ... super soft, hearty, and healthy!!!!!!!!
If you store it, it goes rancid within days.
So-called whole wheat flour you can buy has stuff removed to prevent this ... meaning it is not really "whole" wheat. :nono:

After you buy (only once) all the gadgets for bread making, and get the hang of it, it's cheap and easy.

I compare its flavor-superiority to real orange juice you personally squeeze from actual real oranges moments before enjoying it vs. any other type of orange juice.
 
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nala

Ideal_Rock
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7,045
Nothing. Went out to dinner today like I always do. I also got a lot of emails from many restaurants and target addressing the issue and reassuring customers that they will practice more safety measures. My take away is that they plan to stay open so no need to stockpile. I will continue to support restaurants that are open and shop for groceries as I always do. I pray for sanity so that people can practice common sense before we destroy our economy.
 

MarionC

Ideal_Rock
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I am not in a panic by any means, but considering the stores may not be restocked as often, or they may be understaffed and open less, and crazy panicked people buy up essential items, I do have a nice supply of things in my pantry and freezer that I imagine would last a month or more if necessary. I am over 60 so I do not particularly want to be making frequent trips to the store seeing that people have the virus before they have symptoms.

I have chicken and ground beef in the freezer and items to make soups with them which will make more than one meal. I have sealed deli meats with exp dates in mid April and whole wheat tortillas that will last much longer than bread. I have other canned (and frozen) foods such as soups, vegetables, and fruit. Pasta and sauces, cheese, canned evaporated milk, coffee. I didn't buy a lot since I keep my pantry fairly well stocked anyway. The main thing was that I buy fresh meat normally, so I had to buy extra to freeze some.

I am trying to be sure I have things like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, kleenex, TP, paper towels, etc. for at least a month.

I have plenty of Vit C, D3, elderberry, cough medicine, sore throat lozenges, ibuprophen.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'll be interested to read other lists to see things I might be missing!

Smart, diamond seeker. I never thought of it that way but what good idea to be insured against empty shelves should there be a supply problem for a bit longer than anticipated.

I am buying an extra few days of non-perishables like soup, canned foods and chocolate! each time I go to the store, and making sure the use-by date Is far in the future, because there’ll always be a need for a little extra in the cupboard. And of course extra TP LOL
I was surprised yesterday to see that the TP shelves were almost empty in an otherwise well-stocked grocery store.
 

MissCygne

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 12, 2020
Messages
32
symptoms.

I have chicken and ground beef in the freezer and items to make soups with them which will make more than one meal. I have sealed deli meats with exp dates in mid April and whole wheat tortillas that will last much longer than bread. I have other canned (and frozen) foods such as soups, vegetables, and fruit. Pasta and sauces, cheese, canned evaporated milk, coffee. I didn't buy a lot since I keep my pantry fairly well stocked anyway. The main thing was that I buy fresh meat normally, so I had to buy extra to freeze some.

I am trying to be sure I have things like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, kleenex, TP, paper towels, etc. for at least a month.

I have plenty of Vit C, D3, elderberry, cough medicine, sore throat lozenges, ibuprophen.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I'll be interested to read other lists to see things I might be missing!
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your list of provisions.
It is my hope that our preparations and lists of provisions, will help others.
As the COVID19 situation continues to unfold, I am hoping for a place that people can come to, to help them to prepare as well.

Many of our family, friends, and acquaintances are in communication, and whilst each of our lists vary according to individual need, there is some overlap.
So far, our family is preparing with:
_Prescription Medication
_Oximeter
_UV Light Sanitizer
_Thermometers
_Supplements and holistic medicines
_Rehydration packets
_Bottled Water
_Juice crystals
_Teas
_Canned Soups and Chili
_Jars of marinara sauce, salsa
_Dried Beans
_Canned Vegetables
_Dried Vegetables
_Dried Fruit
_Rice
_Crackers
_Frozen Meats
_Dried Meats
_Nuts, Nut Butters, and Seeds
_Olive Oil
_Personal Care Items
_Food, Medicine for our 2 cats

We continue to prepare as best we can.

We live in a place where most of our goods are imported, shelves empty quickly, and for many items there is no ‘expected delivery date’.
 

Austina

Ideal_Rock
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7,555
We are not stock piling anything, doing that just leads to shortages.
 

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Apr 30, 2019
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22,521
just as normal
i don't have the funds to stock up anyway
we shop fortnightly
i have a few extra packets of frozen veg in the beer fridge freezer but that's normal
since we have been doing online grocery shopping we shop much healthier and if we run out of something, well we just run out and make do

so long as we have plenty of cat food we'll be ok
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jul 7, 2013
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12,492
Nothing, enough food and drink and loo rolls to last at least 14 days.

DK :))
 

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Nothing!. Crazy Chinese people are stocking up on rice. This is not the end of the world.
 

mellowyellowgirl

Ideal_Rock
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May 17, 2014
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I'm still super picky about what I eat and have no desire to survive an apocalypse by eating beans and tuna. I hate beans and tuna!

Hehe I was in the supermarket and a lady who saw me turn my nose at penne (I hate penne) was trying to convince me not to be fussy

We are operating as usual here. Kid is still going to swim lessons and karate every week.

I've got a freezer full of food but that's just me. I always have a freezer full of food because I like to buy meat that's on special.

Got kilos of seasons end peaches to make cobbler but I do that every year (hubs likes a peach cobbler in winter).

ETA: I did hoard 9 months worth of incontinence medication for my dog but that's it. I just don't want her to suffer that's all.
 

VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Apr 2, 2006
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11,210
My cupboards are pretty bare for various reasons, but my big pasta and dried beans drawer is very full, so tonight’s grocery basket had several cartons of stock, and cans of tomato products. That, a few Prepared meals and sausages already in the freezer, eggs and an assortment of nuts and cheeses should hold me for awhile. I’m heading out of town for a few days, but I’ll pick up some perishables when I return, just in case. am planning to pick up some milk -just in case - a six-pack of ginger ale. I’m ok on cleaning supplies and *ahem* paper goods. In terms of medicines, I have a supply of decongestants thanks to a recent, short-lived cold, and I usually just ride it out where other flu-ish symptoms are concerned.

I live across the street from a nice cafe, and that has been my alternate kitchen for the past few years since I’ve been out of my own homes so much. It just didn’t make sense to stock my own kitchen with perishables because I was never at home long enough do use them and they just spoil. So I got into the habit of eating out for about half of my meals when at home. I have to admit I’m questioning the wisdom of that right now. I’m in pretty good health and I'm not that concerned about getting (or more accurately, surviving) COVID19 myself. But I do want to be very careful not to contribute to it spreading.

In the past few years, I lost both parents and a brother whose immune system was severely compromised. weirdly, I’ve found myself being grateful that we’re not having to worry about protecting them from the virus. Is that strange, or selfish?

My boyfriend’s 90-year mother broke a femur about a month ago, and she’s bedridden while the bone heals... and after that, until she learns to walk again. We visit her at least weekly to give her companion (also elderly) a break and cook both of them a good meal. Because my BF is the only one of his siblings who seems to care about such things, it’s very important that we stay healthy do we can continue these visits. So I am being very careful about hand washing and other common-sense hygiene, and I probably will steer clear of crowds and large events for awhile.
 

missy

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I think it is smart of those who have risk factors and can stay home as much as possible and away from crowds to do so. However, my dh and are still going out every day to PT appointments, doctor appointments as necessary and taking long walks when possible. And tending to our feral cats at the beach house too. I tend to go stir crazy if stuck inside for more than a day so as long as my dh and I stay well we are living our lives albeit more aware of things-as in staying clear of anyone who seems not well (ie coughing, sneezing etc) and washing our hands often and trying to stay away from close talkers (hello Dan my 84 year old neighbor yes I am talking about you lol).

As far as stocking up not doing anything too differently there. I was a depression era baby in another life and I like having things plentiful and have done this most of my adult life. Nothing to do with Covid-19. So we do have a month of TP/Paper Towels and tissues. We do have an unopened bottle of cough medicine, throat lozenges and Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen. We have lots of pasta and rice (for my dh) and frozen salmon for me plus canned sardines. I would estimate we have enough food to last a month. But fresh produce we get every few days so if the stores close or run out of supplies or we get ill we will not be able to continue enjoying fresh produce. That is not something we can stock.

Cleaning supplies- well living through RW we do have a few bottles of Rescue left from this past summer and autumn which is supposed to be effective against Covid-19 so that is good. We have some Lysol wipes left and we do have Lysol disinfecting spray. However I have used that well before Covid-19 and what I have left is from my previous supply. We have not bought any since the pandemic started. I tried purchasing Purell but it is nowhere. We have a small bottle left since my dh always carried Purell with him before this and he's always conscientious about using it after touching anything outside the house. So nothing has changed there either. Except that we will soon run out of Purell. But soap and water will have to do and when we are out we will use a small spray bottle of alcohol (90%) that we have despite it being drying. Better safe and dried out hands than sorry.

We get cat litter delivered and have a few months supply. We have at least a month or more of wet cat food and dried cat food. But I have to double check that.

One thing I started doing differently (since my dh had TKR in January) is we have water delivered now vs picking it up ourselves. So once a month we get water delivered and hopefully that service won't be interrupted due to Covid-19. I have noticed Instacart is no longer same day in all cases and as more and more people get ill we might not have those services offered to us so there is a lot of uncertainty.

What I am sure about...we will all be OK as long as the masses remain calm. Do not panic. For most people it ranges from a bad cold to a bad flu and most of us can and will survive it. Even those of us with underlying conditions which many of us have. I think remaining hopeful and calm is critical.
I am concerned about our parents who are in their 80s (dad 86 in April MIL 85 and my mom in her late 70s and not in great health) and all my loved ones who are immune compromised or have underlying medical conditions making them susceptible. But again I am remaining hopeful we will all be OK.
 

missy

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In the past few years, I lost both parents and a brother whose immune system was severely compromised. weirdly, I’ve found myself being grateful that we’re not having to worry about protecting them from the virus. Is that strange, or selfish?

I am so sorry for your loss @VRBeauty and no I understand how you might be feeling. Not selfish and not strange.
 

missy

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I'm still super picky about what I eat and have no desire to survive an apocalypse by eating beans and tuna. I hate beans and tuna!

LOL this is me. My mom said to me the other day that I better start getting less picky if food supplies start getting less and just eat what is available. I think in that case I might not survive. ::) I really am super picky about food and that might become an issue.
 

missy

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ETA: I did get an extra supply of one of my most critical meds. I don't know how (because generally they deny everything) but my insurance company gave me an extra few months of my generic Cytomel that I take every 4 hours during the day so whew re that med. I also have an extra month of my NDT should I need it but I had that extra before Covid-19. I do not have (nor did I try to get) an extra supply of my other meds as they are not as critical as my Cytomel and I didn't want to be greedy. I am relieved I have extra Cytomel and that is enough for me.
 

Arcadian

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Hurricane Season starts June1 here. So I always keep an eye on sales to stock up that stash, and rotate that stash as needed

Soup was on sale 2 for 1 a few weeks ago. I grabbed 24 cans because it makes sense it will not sit and rot thats for sure.

Tuna was 69 cents a pak. I eat lots of fish anyway so, I grabbed 40 different types. I actually went through my last hurricane stash.

Toilet paper. I think people think I'm nuts but I do buy 6 months at a time. Its usually only 2 of us. that means I buy a pack of 48...lol

I buy oatmeal twice a year. I didn't buy it in particular to this reason, bought it back in December because the cashback was so good! 13 2lb packages. We eat oatmeal every day (so does the dog)

I did purchase dog food. I don't like to purchase dog food because I make hers at home. However, the logistics of doing so if I get sick? not gonna happen. I do it for Hurricane season as well, not a giant bag, just one that if we had to use it will get her through. They get donated if not used.

I don't buy water really because we have a ridiculously amazing filtration system here. It was one of those buy this or jewelry type of buys.. :lol:

I did buy gatorade because it was on sale (hey 10 for 10!:dance:) I buy it anyway for the hurricane kit, they do come in handy (and they are NOT on sale during the hurricane season)

I switched to frozen fruit over fresh. I purchased a lot of fresh fruit (its strawberry season here) and froze those, same with blueberries and bananas. Dog likes fruit, what can I say. I did the same with vegetables, purchase fresh, then freeze.

bottle of Niquil, because I went through a big ass bottle when I was sick.

I have first aide drawer in my 2nd bathroom. this is for me, him, and the dog. I purchased 2 bottles of alcohol for it. Did not purchase anything else, as it wasn't needed.

I did not purchase hand soap of any kind. I am a soap fiend. I love EO shower gels and get those at Marshalls for cheap throughout the year (and Bronners too) I've got enough soap to last years. Its a compulsion...lol Plus I have giant bottles of Dawn. They don't go bad, they're on the old side though!


The one thing I did purchase more of was cleaning supplies but with both me and my husband getting flu, and I burned through about half my hurricane stash because of sheer laziness to go out and get more. Back at the end of January I was dealing with his, cleaning the house every 3 days. I continued to do it because it made sense. Then I got sick (not with the same strain pretty sure!) I'm still getting over mine and I've got "the cruds" right now (coughing lots to get this crap out of my chest!) So I picked up additional Lysol sprays and Lysol concentrate (which is in general about 3 dollars and makes 9 gallons per bottle)

I did not buy batteries, a generator (i have 2 as it is), flashlights, blah blah blah. I don't need those things.


In particular to this event I did purchase extra AC filters. I burn through a supposed 3 month filter once a month because my AC barely stops running. So anything to keep that bad boy running well is worth it.

We got our meds as well. 90 day supply. I have 2 prescriptions. He's got 10.

My parents are stocked up as well. I purchased their meds beginning of march when it was for sure going to be an issue and it was not cheap. they thankfully had docs that wrote for extra at my request so it could be covered with insurance (still wasn't cheap though, whooooo)

My main worry is my parents and how they will fare of this.
 

missy

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chrono

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Nothing yet as it's not that close to us but this weekend, we'll head out to get a couple face masks and non-perishable food. We have good running water supply and we are not concerned about toilet paper.
 

Loves Vintage

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I use Amazon Subscribe and Save, so we are fully stocked and actually overstocked on some cleaning supplies, like there is only one "eco-friendly-ish" dishwashing detergent that I like, so I have it on auto-delivery. I would not be a good inventory manager, because I have maybe 9 bottles of it in my utility cabinet, so clearly we are not using it as quickly as I'm buying it.

We have maybe two of the regular sized bottles of bleach, several bleach sprays, a refill for the bleach sprays. We do not regularly purchase things like clorox wipes.

We have tons of paper towels, due to Amazon subscription, but I am trying, trying, trying to convert to using rags instead of paper towels! I have tried to make this conversion several times prior, purchasing various cloths, that we do use, but not exclusively. I last bought 3 10 packs of teal wash cloths from Target. This feels truly brilliant to me, and I am trying my best to use them!

Ok, that was me just rambling above, this is what I've purchased recently, specifically for CV situation:

Extra pasta sauce
Rao Soup (have you all tried it? I am very picky about soup. I can't really do canned soup. This jarred Minestrone is pretty good!)
Pasta
Rice (maybe it's 10lb bag, so certainly something we'd purchase in regular course)
5 lb bag flour
Cereal (maybe 5 big boxes?)
1 almond milk, 2 soy milk (not usual purchases)
1 package granola bars
Extra almond butter
almonds, walnuts, pistachios
2 large bags apples
Frozen berries for smoothies
2 loaves of bread in freezer
Few extra cans of beans, but already had large supply
Already have frozen veggies

We are mostly vegetarian, so no meat stock, etc.
 

MakingTheGrade

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Just FYI: face masks are mostly recommended if you have symptoms and are trying not to spread anything.
As a preventative it’s fairly ineffective if not actually detrimental because it causes most people who aren’t used to wearing them to touch their faces more. :(

Granted if everyone wore one all the time it might help just because it’d probably happen to decrease people who are asymptomatic from accidentally spreading it. But evidence so far does not support that covid is airborne, more droplet/fomite. Hence all the handwashing!!
 
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