Toilet Paper - Again? Stocking Up?

[Iggy aka IG]

I found lessons learned during/after the recession helped with store supply shortages earlier this year.  (The recession hit me hard, both personally and professionally, and included bankruptcy and a trip to the food bank.)  In March/April, when our local grocery store and WM shelves were empty, it was calming to know we had a freezer full of locally raised beef and pork, a canned food stockpile purchased at Sam's Club and on sale, and mega packets of TP and PT.

The other lesson learned was to make having a cash on hand EF a priority.

[Artemis Windsong]

I try to stock up on staples we use in a lot of recipes.

TP and paper towels I try to keep well stocked.

There are some shelves that are partially empty at Walmart. I think that is from needing employees.

Dollar Tree here has openings for most positions. I'm sure minimum wage.

[Deleted]

My son was going to get laid off from Walmart a few weeks ago. He went to another grocery store and got a job. They are paying him the same and he said his quality of life just went up a whole lot. Glad he got away from Walmart. 

[debthaven]

I did decide early on that I will stock up but won't start storing food outside of the kitchen. If it doesn't fit in the kitchen, we certainly don't need it.

Personally I'd rather have less stuff in my kitchen and keep the doubles or triples in the basement, but that's just me.   We have two neat "pantry shelves" in the basement ... one for food and one for household goods. 

or make friends with my dungeon of a basement.

Sounds like that might be a good idea anyway! With winter coming, maybe you could set up a workshop there? What would it take? Maybe some cheap good lighting? A coat of paint? It could be a good project for winter. 

 

[alabamagal]

During the great toilet paper shortage I bought a 20 pack of Aldi single ply TP. It was horrible. We only used 1 roll and put the rest in the basement. It is now our emergency supply.

[debthaven]

May it last forever alabamagal LOL. 

[mollyanna58]

I bought 2 20-packs of toilet paper today, on sale and with a $2. coupon for one.  I bought yeast before it disappears again. I only have my refrigerator's freezer, and it is almost full already.  I should get some more shelves for the basement for non-perishables.

[Deleted]

Oct 22, 2020 18:39:40 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I did decide early on that I will stock up but won't start storing food outside of the kitchen. If it doesn't fit in the kitchen, we certainly don't need it.

Personally I'd rather have less stuff in my kitchen and keep the doubles or triples in the basement, but that's just me.   We have two neat "pantry shelves" in the basement ... one for food and one for household goods. 

or make friends with my dungeon of a basement.

Sounds like that might be a good idea anyway! With winter coming, maybe you could set up a workshop there? What would it take? Maybe some cheap good lighting? A coat of paint? It could be a good project for winter. 

 

My basement isn't finished and has a steep, crumbling, concrete staircase. (It's repair is on my To Do list.)

The last owner had concrete block walls put in, but they only go up about 5' and then it's bare dirt. It has exposed plumbing, etc...

I am going to buy a shop light for down there, because one bulb just doesn't cut it. But, I can't imagine ever using it as a workshop. The stairs are a hazard and I just hate being down there.

I have a nice big shed and the electrical work it will need in my budget but I've been waiting to see if we get more stimulus and how my budget looks next year to write the checks for that project.

My neighbor and I have to tear out the existing shed and the area will need to be prepped. We've talked about doing that next spring.

Since we all have no idea how long the 'rona will drag on, I've been trying not to make any big purchases. I'd also love a camper of some sort and have to decide what I want more.

[debthaven]

Sorry I didn't realize the stairs were so bad ... I thought maybe you could find a cheap way to stop hating being down there, but it sounds like that's not an option. 

As Covid continues, I would guess you will eventually find a good deal on a camper, because people will inevitably start selling their "toys" as the economy gets worse.

[Deleted]

Oct 22, 2020 19:52:19 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Sorry I didn't realize the stairs were so bad ... I thought maybe you could find a cheap way to stop hating being down there, but it sounds like that's not an option. 

As Covid continues, I would guess you will eventually find a good deal on a camper, because people will inevitably start selling their "toys" as the economy gets worse.

I thought so on the campers, but there is a constant stream of them going down the highway here, day after day after day. They seem to get snatched up pretty quickly.

I do love the extra-light pop-ups but thankfully the builder has a long back order...  lol  

Yeah, my stairs need to be fixed. I think I've finally figured out how to do it. But, it's never been at the top of the list. 

[chiver78]

Oct 22, 2020 19:04:09 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

During the great toilet paper shortage I bought a 20 pack of Aldi single ply TP. It was horrible. We only used 1 roll and put the rest in the basement. It is now our emergency supply.

that's the stuff we used to bring to the beach, for the ladies to pee off the running boards in between the truck doors. use what you have to, and bury it. 

[Iggy aka IG]

I second debthaven's comment of storing extra supplies elsewhere.  We use the kitchen pantry, what I call the back hall pantry, a few shelves in the garage, and under the powder room sink.  I've heard people who live in small, urban apartments use under the bed space, and other creative ideas.

LOL, re: one-ply TP!  It sounds similar to the rapidly dissolving, sandpapery stuff DH has bought in the past for our camper.  Nope.  Just nope.  Let's just say my hindquarters knows we are camping within a day or two. 

Re:  people selling their recreational vehicles.  We saw a lot of that during and after the recession.  So far this year, it's been the opposite with people buying campers and UTVs so they can head up the hills.  With people not working, working from home, and generally wanting to remove themselves from the goofy that is known as 2020, it was difficult for shops to keep UTVs in stock. 

[Deleted]

Oct 23, 2020 10:46:07 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

I second debthaven 's comment of storing extra supplies elsewhere.  We use the kitchen pantry, what I call the back hall pantry, a few shelves in the garage, and under the powder room sink.  I've heard people who live in small, urban apartments use under the bed space, and other creative ideas.

Re:  people selling their recreational vehicles.  We saw a lot of that during and after the recession.  So far this year, it's been the opposite with people buying campers and UTVs so they can head up the hills.  With people not working, working from home, and generally wanting to remove themselves from the goofy that is known as 2020, it was difficult for shops to keep UTVs in stock. 

Yes, people are gobbling up campers and RVs so they can get out of the house and adventure during the pandemic. The ones I see for sale tend to be in the 20-100K range. I assume people are trying to get out of payments.

At this point, I'm leaning towards a used, high-top camper shell that I can build a slideout for to accommodate my truck's short bed. Many of the places I go, I couldn't haul a trailer even if I wanted to.

My issue with storing groceries outside of the kitchen is that my only option would be in the attic or basement. And, I'm using full cupboards as a backstop to know it's well past time to stop shopping.

At this point, I probably have enough food for 3 months in the house. I'm actually done shopping and DS and I are hunkering down.

We have 8 cases here this week and 1 is community spread. There's only 3K people here and we all shop at the same stores, go to the post office, etc... so now's the time to avoid the public to see if there are more cases out there.


 

[Iggy aka IG]

@shastasnewlife, in 2015 or so, when DH and I were um, "done" with tent camping, our first was a 1973 Tilton Hilton, LOL!  I nicknamed it Tilty.  They are so much fun.  Please do let us know if you end up buying one.

[Deleted]

Oct 23, 2020 11:22:22 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

@shastasnewlife , in 2015 or so, when DH and I were um, "done" with tent camping, our first was a 1973 Tilton Hilton, LOL!  I nicknamed it Tilty.  They are so much fun.  Please do let us know if you end up buying one.

Is that a camper?  (Google wasn't any help, I did try...)

I love the vintage campers. I've considered buying vintage and redoing the inside. But, they tend to be heavy and I decided I don't really want to work on a camper, I want to go camping. 

If I ever decide to rent out my house and travel, then I may re-do a trailer or build out something for that.

My truck being lifted and smaller limits what I can tow and what I can put on the bed. Lifting halves the towing capacity from 7K# to 3.5K# because I have to use a drop hitch. I'm already out-of-whack when it comes to center of gravity so adding a drop-in isn't advised.

If I could afford an ultralight pop-top or a trailer designed for going offroad I might opt for one of those. But at $15K+ I might as well just stay in motels...  lol 

I don't really mind tent camping, but moving from place to place is a drag and I want the security of being able to lock up my gear.

Right now, when I travel with my dog, most of my gear is in the bed of my truck. It makes it far too easy for someone to steal it while I am in a gas station bathroom or whatever. And, I feel really uneasy about leaving my stuff at a boondock campsite unattended. 

I also bat around the idea of buying an older long-bed truck and putting a shell on that, or even better an older 4WD SUV I could sleep in the back of. I still like the idea of being able to drive off if there were ever some sort of safety or security issue without having to get out of a camper/shell. 

[Iggy aka IG]

Oct 23, 2020 12:24:45 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

Oct 23, 2020 11:22:22 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

@shastasnewlife , in 2015 or so, when DH and I were um, "done" with tent camping, our first was a 1973 Tilton Hilton, LOL!  I nicknamed it Tilty.  They are so much fun.  Please do let us know if you end up buying one.

Is that a camper?  (Google wasn't any help, I did try...)

I love the vintage campers. I've considered buying vintage and redoing the inside. But, they tend to be heavy and I decided I don't really want to work on a camper, I want to go camping. 

If I ever decide to rent out my house and travel, then I may re-do a trailer or build out something for that.

My truck being lifted and smaller limits what I can tow and what I can put on the bed. Lifting halves the towing capacity from 7K# to 3.5K# because I have to use a drop hitch. I'm already out-of-whack when it comes to center of gravity so adding a drop-in isn't advised.

If I could afford an ultralight pop-top or a trailer designed for going offroad I might opt for one of those. But at $15K+ I might as well just stay in motels...  lol 

I don't really mind tent camping, but moving from place to place is a drag and I want the security of being able to lock up my gear.

Right now, when I travel with my dog, most of my gear is in the bed of my truck. It makes it far too easy for someone to steal it while I am in a gas station bathroom or whatever. And, I feel really uneasy about leaving my stuff at a boondock campsite unattended. 

I also bat around the idea of buying an older long-bed truck and putting a shell on that, or even better an older 4WD SUV I could sleep in the back of. I still like the idea of being able to drive off if there were ever some sort of safety or security issue without having to get out of a camper/shell. 

Yes, it's a slide in.

The thing that got old for us is sleeping on a cold air mattress, and diggng a latrine. 

[Deleted]

Oct 23, 2020 12:34:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Oct 23, 2020 12:24:45 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

Yes, it's a slide in.

The thing that got old for us is sleeping on a cold air mattress, and diggng a latrine. 

DS laughs every time he sees my buck-o-let. Bucket, pool noodle, and some plastic bags. 

Last trip I tried out some of his kitten's clumping litter because I was afraid of my dog knocking over said buckolet in the middle of the night. Worked well, actually.  lol  

Ya do what you gotta do. I think the behind a sage bush events are what's causing my knee problems. Buckolet to the rescue. 

I hear one can attach a PVC pipe and hang a shower curtain around it to make an outdoor potty... 

[Iggy aka IG]

Oct 23, 2020 12:39:10 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

Oct 23, 2020 12:34:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Yes, it's a slide in.

The thing that got old for us is sleeping on a cold air mattress, and diggng a latrine. 

DS laughs every time he sees my buck-o-let. Bucket, pool noodle, and some plastic bags. 

Last trip I tried out some of his kitten's clumping litter because I was afraid of my dog knocking over said buckolet in the middle of the night. Worked well, actually.  lol  

Ya do what you gotta do. I think the behind a sage bush events are what's causing my knee problems. Buckolet to the rescue. 

I hear one can attach a PVC pipe and hang a shower curtain around it to make an outdoor potty... 

Awesome!

[tskeeter]

Just got back from Costco.  Kirkland brand TP is limited to one package.  No limit on Charmin, which costs about 50% more than Kirkland.

[Deleted]

I had sort of backed off on stockpiling but will be ramping up again just in case.  I reorganized our stash about a month ago so the front entry closet is for non-alcoholic beverages, the hall closet is for alcoholic beverages, the TV room closet is for groceries, and my office closet is for spillover.  

[Deleted]

Oct 23, 2020 12:39:10 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

Oct 23, 2020 12:34:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Yes, it's a slide in.

The thing that got old for us is sleeping on a cold air mattress, and diggng a latrine. 

DS laughs every time he sees my buck-o-let. Bucket, pool noodle, and some plastic bags. 

Last trip I tried out some of his kitten's clumping litter because I was afraid of my dog knocking over said buckolet in the middle of the night. Worked well, actually.  lol  

Ya do what you gotta do. I think the behind a sage bush events are what's causing my knee problems. Buckolet to the rescue. 

I hear one can attach a PVC pipe and hang a shower curtain around it to make an outdoor potty... 

We actually made a buck-o-let the door prize at a civic association meeting after Tropical Storm Harvey when so many were without water.  It was immensely popular.  Yes, cut a slit in the PVC pipe so it will slip over the edge of the bucket. Works good.

[Deleted]

During the last wave, I was watching Amazon's pantry stock level as a gauge of how the supply chain was going.

Yesterday they had 53 pages of items available, today it's a bit lower at 52. 

I'll be curious to see next Friday if it's lower.

[Deleted]

Oct 23, 2020 19:45:57 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Oct 23, 2020 12:39:10 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

We actually made a buck-o-let the door prize at a civic association meeting after Tropical Storm Harvey when so many were without water.  It was immensely popular.  Yes, cut a slit in the PVC pipe so it will slip over the edge of the bucket. Works good.

The most surprising thing about the buckolet is that it's really comfortable to sit on and I'm not a small person.

It could be used as a chair in camp.

[nittanycheme]

Oct 23, 2020 19:02:28 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Just got back from Costco.  Kirkland brand TP is limited to one package.  No limit on Charmin, which costs about 50% more than Kirkland.

I haven't seen Kirkland brand TP at my Costco in months.  I haven't seen anything but one type of TP at a time there.  Once it was charmin, right now its the single-wrapped Scott's rolls bundled into a pack of 30 or so.  I got my last giant pack of TP at BJ's.

In April, my Costco turned the paper products aisle into an indoor aisle with all of their trees and shrubs.

[Deleted]

Amazon still has toilet paper stock and for the same price as March.

However, I've been noticing prices going up.

I ordered some beef jerky a week ago for my stockpile. I wanted it in case we can't get meat this winter. I also like to take it hiking, so it won't go to waste. 

Last week, the jerky was $7.99 a bag. Yesterday, it was up to 11.99 a bag for the exact same product.

And, many of the shelf-stable items I had ordered are now out of stock.

There's been a lot of talk online about stocking up before the election. People in big cities might have unrest issues around the election and going to shop might not be safe.

Walmart pulled all their guns and ammo because of this threat.

www.cbsnews.com/news/walmart-firearms-guns-ammo-store-displays-civil-unrest-precaution/

[busymom]

I've been looking all week for large containers of liquid soap, with no luck.  Multiple stores, & everyone is out.  DD called me when she found some, so I told her to buy their limit (2).  I ordered a "Mega"-size of TP this week online, which I never do.  I spoke with an employee at our nearest Target, and he said stock on items you'd normally find in the baking aisle is down.  So, plan ahead for your holiday baking!

[Iggy aka IG]

After looking for the past several months with no luck on WM online for local pickup (out of stock!), I finally bought a mega pack of the Clorox toilet scrubber refills on Amazon.  They also have/had a 3 pack of Clorox wipes, but there's no way I was going to spend $33!

I just texted DH asking him to pick up eggs while he's at Sam's Club.

We're doing okay TP and baking supply wise.  A friend who works at the local hospital district and a retired doctor client both concur things are going to soon go back into lock down.  Which, as an essential worker, means nothing to me.

Have a relaxing weekend, everyone.  Happy Halloween!

[TheOtherMe]

I found out yesterday computer ink is in short supply, at least for personal size printers.  I'm guessing between all the WFH workers and online kids at school, there is more printing going on.

[Blonde Granny]

Unless there are items I'm just not thinking about, I think I'm good for the next few months. Walmart always has a winter tray of cookies for $19.99 and I"ll pick up one of those...mu neighbor and I like to have coffee etc. and a cookie while we chat.

My garage freezer is full, so if anyone decides to make a list of items we might need to think about....count me in.

[mollyanna58]

My sister mentioned that the supermarket she goes to has had a lot of bare spots on shelves for the past two weeks. She bought toilet paper and was limited to one package; it had previously been two packages.