Toilet Paper - Again? Stocking Up?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Oct 31, 2020 16:03:21 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Oct 31, 2020 15:15:42 GMT -5 Tiny said:

LOL!  I'm using my Y2K plan in case of the Apocalypse-  I've got two cats.  I'll eat them if the world ends.   

I did a routine winter stock up - I didn't really buy anything out of panic or "just in case".   I DID do the stock up earlier than normal - I usually start after Halloween. 

I really don't want to thinking about TP, paper towels, kitty litter, cat food, dish soap, trash bags, etc  from mid November thru the end of January.   The weather can be bad and I usually have a packed calendar - so a 3 or 4 hour shopping run is difficult and stressful to fit in - and even worse if I have to keep doing it every weekend or other weekend.    Yes, I live in densely populated area with tons of close by stores - but when it takes 30 minutes to get to the store and then an hour in the store and then having to go to the store (or errand) and another one - and then another 30 minute drive home.... well, it sucks up alot of time.  Aldi and a Jewel are a 30 to 40 minute door to door thing - I will be shopping there november thru Feb for stuff like Milk and bread and fresh veggies/fruit.  Or when I find I need something I don't have at home.  

I'm not all that worried about there being no food or TP.  I just imagine not being able to find something when I need it to be super annoying especially when I could have easily prepared to avoid the "drama". 

Holy crap. Your post can kind of explain why we go so often. 1 mile away from Aldi, Meijer, or Walmart. About 5 minutes from the house by car. We could walk to any of them in 30 minutes, if we were so inclined. Bigger shopping runs might take up to an hour and a half at Meijer, but usually an hour or under, including the drive. I can totally do a quick run to Aldi in 15. Meijer just takes longer in the store, between the larger footprint, and possibly having to wait to check out. We rarely go to Walmart.
Going twice a week is cutting back a lot. My husband is constantly running out or stopping on the way home for something.

Anyway, we're really not accustomed to stocking up much, though we did in the spring. My husband is slowly building up our tp stash again, because I do tend to go through it.

I’m not as bad as Tiny, but we are 20 min to the closest grocery store without traffic.  The first time I went after SIP orders, I was home in 70 minutes and that was with no traffic, a list and I was shopping less than 30 min.  Most of m6 time was waiting in line to pay.  

We normally go every 7-10 days.  I just hit Costco today, but think I’ll hit the regular grocery store tomorrow for the few things I need.  I am planning on not being out and about this week.  

[Lizard Queen]

My DH found a killer deal at Meijer on our favorite cut of steak. He bought a ton of it, so food gets scarce, we'll be feasting on steaks. For a few weeks, anyway.

[Blonde Granny]

I went to Sams yesterday afternoon. When coming to the end of an aisle I discovered that there was no TP. All they had was cases of commercial TP with an unknown number of rolls in the box. I forgot to look for paper towels however. There was also very little milk in that area.

By the time I was able to get done my total was $260.00. Due to how high the virus count is now in Arkansas I decided I was going to get what could need for the next 6 months.

[Deleted]

Nov 1, 2020 8:27:34 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

I went to Sams yesterday afternoon. When coming to the end of an aisle I discovered that there was no TP. All they had was cases of commercial TP with an unknown number of rolls in the box. I forgot to look for paper towels however. There was also very little milk in that area.

By the time I was able to get done my total was $260.00. Due to how high the virus count is now in Arkansas I decided I was going to get what could need for the next 6 months.

Yabbut...what good will all that do you without TP? In the olden days, there was always the Sears catalog in an emergency, but all good things must come to an end, and there is no more Sears catalog. Not even a Wishbook at Christmastime

[Blonde Granny]

Missy...I didn't say I needed TP, simply that they didn't have any. The cases of water were also being grabbed like crazy (didn't need those either..).mainly because I can't lift them and have no one around here who could help. Thank goodness there was a young man employee who loaded everything into the back of my SUV. The 2- 24 pack of Boost was the real issue and I was barely able to get it out of the car and onto the garage floor.

[Deleted]

Blonde Granny I see. DD and I solved the problem of heavy cases of stuff. We find somebody to load it for us, then break the case open and carry some of it in and go back for the rest. It sometimes takes more than two trips, but keeps us from getting hernias.

I can't imagine ordering stuff by the pallet and figuring out how (and often where) to store it. Give up garage space? Build a pole barn?

[countrygirl2]

I did a stock up at Sam's about half is being mailed and I got part of it the next day. Then also on Amazon.

For us to go to the city, shop, and come home takes either the whole morning or the whole afternoon. 
I too don't want to be hauling this stuff in the snow, rain, or cold. Hubs will  unload but I still have to go. And yes, I will need more but basics should be covered for 6 months. It's over an hour up and back in good weather. And then to get through the city, shop, and get everything more hours. I started ordering again, will see how that goes.

I took his truck and got 6 bags of salt for the softener. Ordered shrimp, more dishwasher and laundry detergent to put back. Sodas, and oil.  I also ordered a case of TP, its recycled paper 80 rolls in it. The prices are high for everything. Once I can spaghetti sauce and get all the tomatoes out of the freezer and sort through the meats, we can make a run over to stock on that too. I ordered cat food from Chewy, the kind they like is expensive. They are not crazy about the canned Friskies, I also bought a big bag of dry food and they like it. I will make a list and likely have to make one more run for things like a 4 pack of butter.


From Amazon, stocked up on hubs shampoo, some OTC meds. I'm not sure what all I did get now, but between them almost $500. But I'm going through eggs, so will have to buy eggs, milk, and those items from local stores.  But their laundry products are just to high here. I also bought 100
pounds of kitty litter at Rural King the other day. I'm going to go back down and try some of the horse bedding that the clerk said lots of folks are using now for kitty litter as its cheap.  Will see if it works.

I'm getting to where the city doesn't have much allure, there is nothing up there to do. We aren't eating in restaurants yet. 

We hear a casino is being built up there. If there is, DD and I like to play slots sometimes and hopefully they will have good food where we can go to eat.

[wvugurl26]

I'm getting extras as I shop. I have to be careful with the freezer though. The cow went to processing this week that we are splitting with my dad.

I have always tried to keep at least 1 replacement in the pantry in normal times.

[countrygirl2]

And they are shipping the TP.

[Deleted]

I remember the first time my late-DH saw "recycled" on toilet paper and thought it was recycled toilet paper from the sewer system.  lol

One of my go-to-the-store-everyday neighbors stopped by yesterday. I saw him eyeing my Amazon Pantry boxes from the porch.

After he left, I realized sticking up in view was 3 packages of cookies and 2 bags of Doritos. He probably thinks I order my junk food by the case.

Amazon's stock level seems to be pretty steady. However, nearly every single thing I ordered is either out of stock now or costs more.

I've been buying the big box of Life cereal for $2.20 for months. (It's $5+ in stores!) Today it's $2.67. Not a big increase, but everything seems to be going up.

The best alternative to toilet paper is either a bidet, a self-made bidet out of a dish soap bottle, or plain ole washcloths.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

I got a HUGE grocery order delivered at 7:30 this morning — meat and produce and some frozen fruits and veggies. I have an order from a different store coming tonight with dry goods (crackers, etc.). I have TP and Kleenex on its way from Amazon, and laundry detergent coming from Target. I also have an order of dried fruits and seeds coming from Gerbs. We just needs some beer and maybe a couple more cases of dog food and we’re good for whatever (blizzards, hurricanes, lockdowns, civil unrest, boredom, kids come home, etc.).

I feel better prepared than I did in March because I’ve been expecting a second wave/misbehavior, etc. so I’m definitely less stressed. Just want to stay healthy. 🤞🙏

[Wisconsin Beth]

DH finally left to go grocery shopping.  I told him about this thread and he said that last weekend, paper towel was the issue he noticed.  Woodmans' only had an off brand in multi-packs.  He's hoping for better luck today but we've got a few rolls in the trailer we still need to unpack for winter so it's not an issue, in either of our minds.  

[crazycat]

I need mason jars . I use them for my “moonshine” every year . But apparently, there’s a shortage cuz of all the doomsday preppers out there . Everyone has taken up canning I guess . 

[Wisconsin Beth]

check resale shops?

And DH says paprt towel and tp were fine.

[Deleted]

This is an interesting thread- I had assumed that much of the hoarding in the TP crisis earlier in the year was a selfish, "There's a run on this stuff and I better grab all I can before everyone else does"- and that just makes it worse. I'm also concerned about food waste- dried beans, for example, require some patience to cook unless you've got an InstaPot. I soak mine overnight. How many bags of dried beans will get thrown out if canned ones are easily available? I know they don't go bad but can't rats or bugs get into them? And all the yeast people scooped up- that really does become inactive after the expiration date.

Still, I can see the need to stock up if you're facing the possibility of snow or multi-day power failures, and I can see that people who are more vulnerable to COVID want to keep their outings to a bare minimum. A huge part of my diet is fresh vegetables so I cant stock up on those very far ahead. Frozen just isn't the same. I suppose I could deal with curbside pickup if I had to stay out of stores.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Nov 1, 2020 16:30:00 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

This is an interesting thread- I had assumed that much of the hoarding in the TP crisis earlier in the year was a selfish, "There's a run on this stuff and I better grab all I can before everyone else does"- and that just makes it worse. I'm also concerned about food waste- dried beans, for example, require some patience to cook unless you've got an InstaPot. I soak mine overnight. How many bags of dried beans will get thrown out if canned ones are easily available? I know they don't go bad but can't rats or bugs get into them? And all the yeast people scooped up- that really does become inactive after the expiration date.

Still, I can see the need to stock up if you're facing the possibility of snow or multi-day power failures, and I can see that people who are more vulnerable to COVID want to keep their outings to a bare minimum. A huge part of my diet is fresh vegetables so I cant stock up on those very far ahead. Frozen just isn't the same. I suppose I could deal with curbside pickup if I had to stay out of stores.

Whatever did people do about dried beans before an instant pot became available?  They really aren't hard to cook.   I have cooked dried beans without an instant pot my entire life, and in reality since no one was going anyplace last spring you were home all day to simmer a pot of beans on the stove, I went through most of the bags I bought last fall (in fact, I need to check to see if I have a remaining bag to make chili this week).  I used the yeast I had, until I ran out then made a sourdough starter.  I bought a jar of yeast when it finally became available and it has a 2022 expiration date on it.  I still make another sourdough starter though, but killed Audrey off last summer.  Audrey II will live on.

We restocked TP this week from Costco.  I also bought 2 more cases of chicken stock.  This, along with the containers I have in the freezer will be the base of a lot of meals for me.  I had one case of 12 left, and I use 2-4 cans, depending upon what I make.  We have also restocked tomatoes and canned beans.  No need to restock rice as we still have it left.  

In the case of fresh fruits and veggies, I'll try to stick to the more hardy ones that last longer so we don't need to go to the store more than once every 7-10 days.  Leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, squashes tend to last longer.  The more perishable veggies (and fruits) I buy get eaten first and try not to over buy the more perishable - but I have been known to blanch green beans or asparagus to use for later.   I always have potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots and celery and they last longer than 10 days.  It's all a matter of planning and you can still eat fresh without going to the store every couple days.

[Blonde Granny]

Yesterday at Sams there was no TP, today at Neighborhood Market there was a decent supply. I bought some for my neighbor who was worrying about getting some tomorrow. She didn't need to worry. After the $260 trip yesterday to Sams, it was another $172 trip to Neighborhood. I was really able to fill in the empty spaces and some itemsI had forgotten.

The month has just started and I'm whirling in spending. Tomorrow I have the service appt. @ the Cadillac dealer, and I'm fairly certainly they will have that red Escalade in the service drive "just in case". Good grief my son would faint if I did that, but it's my wishes not his. He's the one with the big barn on 6 acres + a pond in back. He and DIL both drive expensive cars so why not me? Barn cats, house cats, 3 dogs and they just went to Sanibel yesterday with youngest son too for the next 3-4 weeks. The older kids are flying down in a week or so. Must be nice to be a private consultant and only work when he wants.

OH, well, I also paid 2 little boys from next door to carry the groceries in today. Their eyes were gleaming when I handed them both a $1 bill for their help.

And my new dishwasher will be here in the morning, and the new fridge is about # 8 on the list ....hoping it will be here earlier.

[NoNamePerson]

Nov 1, 2020 16:30:00 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

This is an interesting thread- I had assumed that much of the hoarding in the TP crisis earlier in the year was a selfish, "There's a run on this stuff and I better grab all I can before everyone else does"- and that just makes it worse. I'm also concerned about food waste- dried beans, for example, require some patience to cook unless you've got an InstaPot. I soak mine overnight. How many bags of dried beans will get thrown out if canned ones are easily available? I know they don't go bad but can't rats or bugs get into them? And all the yeast people scooped up- that really does become inactive after the expiration date.

Still, I can see the need to stock up if you're facing the possibility of snow or multi-day power failures, and I can see that people who are more vulnerable to COVID want to keep their outings to a bare minimum. A huge part of my diet is fresh vegetables so I cant stock up on those very far ahead. Frozen just isn't the same. I suppose I could deal with curbside pickup if I had to stay out of stores.

Same here with the fresh produce. I hope I don’t have to start curbside pickup. I’ve seen some of those snatchers and grabbers in grocery store. They grab up produce and sling it into big bucket. Really don’t look at it. They have a time frame to get groceries off shelf and outside to car. I’m picky as all get out  about my produce. 

[Deleted]

We're good with the paper products, although I do add a little each week as we use some up.  Lots of proteins in the freezer and I'll add more when I go to Aldi Tuesday morning.  We are certainly better situated than we were in March/April.  

[TheOtherMe]

DN3 is a manager at DQ.  He says they are starting to have supply chain issues again.  The worst has been straws in plastic wrappings, which isn't what they used pre-covid.

He says on the food, if it doesn't come in, they are just out.  In the case of the straws, that is a health issue and they call around until they find some and he runs and gets them.

[stillmovingforward]

30 minutes one-way for me to a grocery store. I go as little as possible. Even before covid, dinner revolved around what was in the cupboard , not what we wanted. I'm pretty food with ingredients 👌

[Deleted]

Nov 1, 2020 17:26:07 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

Yesterday at Sams there was no TP, today at Neighborhood Market there was a decent supply. I bought some for my neighbor who was worrying about getting some tomorrow. She didn't need to worry. After the $260 trip yesterday to Sams, it was another $172 trip to Neighborhood. I was really able to fill in the empty spaces and some itemsI had forgotten.

The month has just started and I'm whirling in spending. Tomorrow I have the service appt. @ the Cadillac dealer, and I'm fairly certainly they will have that red Escalade in the service drive "just in case". Good grief my son would faint if I did that, but it's my wishes not his. He's the one with the big barn on 6 acres + a pond in back. He and DIL both drive expensive cars so why not me? Barn cats, house cats, 3 dogs and they just went to Sanibel yesterday with youngest son too for the next 3-4 weeks. The older kids are flying down in a week or so. Must be nice to be a private consultant and only work when he wants.

OH, well, I also paid 2 little boys from next door to carry the groceries in today. Their eyes were gleaming when I handed them both a $1 bill for their help.

And my new dishwasher will be here in the morning, and the new fridge is about # 8 on the list ....hoping it will be here earlier.

Good that you found all the rest of your needs at the Neighborhood Market and helped out a neighbor as well.

I say if you want that Escalade, you should just get that Escalade. I've seen that car in red and it's a gorgeous shade. Go ahead and spend your son's inheritance! After all, you don't have to support the place on six acres with a pond, barn cats, house cats, three dogs, and you're not spending 3-4 weeks on Sanibel.

And furthermore, years ago NHSTA did a study about car colors and the incidence of accidents. They determined that the safest car color is...red! All the more reason to get it. If your son faints, there's always this marvelous thing called smelling salts. He'll be fine.

I hope they haven't sold it before you get there. If that happens, either have them get you one just like it or buy yourself a McMansion with a pool, schedule a retreat for a couple of weeks on Kiawah Island or the Outer Banks, and when you get home rescue a couple of dogs and at least one cat. Or do all of the above.

[Deleted]

I don't own an Instapot. I soak my beans over night and then cook them in a regular pot on the stove. They last forever in the cupboard and don't go to waste.

I also use a lot of fresh produce. In rural America we don't have curbside pickup or grocery delivery. So, when limiting shopping, I buy a variety of fresh things and use them up in the order they will spoil so nothing gets tossed and I have fresh items as long as possible between shopping trips.

Then if there's nothing fresh, I open a can of green beans, etc...

No, yeast doesn't "expire" and neither does most other food in a package or can.

Those dates are arbitrary and not even regulated.

I really wish people who toss food due to those dates would at least read what the USDA has to say about them:

"What about the foods in your pantry? Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition (no rust, dents, or swelling). Packaged foods (cereal, pasta, cookies) will be safe past the ‘best by’ date, although they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor. You’ll know when you open the package if the food has lost quality. Many dates on foods refer to quality, not safety. See FSIS’ Shelf-Stable Food Safety fact sheet for more information."
www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/06/27/you-toss-food-wait-check-it-out

[CCL]

Nov 1, 2020 17:26:07 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

Yesterday at Sams there was no TP, today at Neighborhood Market there was a decent supply. I bought some for my neighbor who was worrying about getting some tomorrow. She didn't need to worry. After the $260 trip yesterday to Sams, it was another $172 trip to Neighborhood. I was really able to fill in the empty spaces and some itemsI had forgotten.

The month has just started and I'm whirling in spending. Tomorrow I have the service appt. @ the Cadillac dealer, and I'm fairly certainly they will have that red Escalade in the service drive "just in case". Good grief my son would faint if I did that, but it's my wishes not his. He's the one with the big barn on 6 acres + a pond in back. He and DIL both drive expensive cars so why not me? Barn cats, house cats, 3 dogs and they just went to Sanibel yesterday with youngest son too for the next 3-4 weeks. The older kids are flying down in a week or so. Must be nice to be a private consultant and only work when he wants.

OH, well, I also paid 2 little boys from next door to carry the groceries in today. Their eyes were gleaming when I handed them both a $1 bill for their help.

And my new dishwasher will be here in the morning, and the new fridge is about # 8 on the list ....hoping it will be here earlier.

I've seen and read a few stories regarding blind zones around the Escalades due to their size. Maybe be sure you've got good visibility or sensors if you decide to buy it. Just something to be aware of.

Here's a story that ran on our local tv station:

www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21065319/suv-truck-front-blindspot-children-injury-death-wthr-13

[Deleted]

Nov 1, 2020 22:10:05 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

I don't own an Instapot. I soak my beans over night and then cook them in a regular pot on the stove. They last forever in the cupboard and don't go to waste.

Same here on both counts. I've gradually gotten rid of specialized kitchen gadgets over the years because I like an un-cluttered kitchen, and pre-soaking beans isn't very labor-intensive.

No, yeast doesn't "expire" and neither does most other food in a package or can.
Those dates are arbitrary and not even regulated.

I really wish people who toss food due to those dates would at least read what the USDA has to say about them:
<snip>

My grandparents survived the Great Depression with 5 children. Grandpa always had a job but his paycheck didn't stretch very far. To them, wasting food was a sin-to the extent that they'd encourage each other to eat that last little bit of whatever was left in the serving dish at the end of the meal- "can't let it go to waste". I picked up that mentality but with a generous freezer and a microwave, very little food gets thrown out in my house.

I didn't know that about yeast but I've eaten stuff that's been in the freezer for 4 years and I lived. I'm a little more cautious with canned goods but don't take the expiration date all that seriously. The irony is that food banks won't accept it if it's past the sell-by" date. Someone donated 4 50-lb. bags of rice to our church early this year- not a member. A couple were expired although I don't know how white rice expired. I'm sure they took a generous tax deduction. We donated the unexpired ones- not sure if we were able to get them to accept the others.

Anyway- I'm a big believer in minimizing food waste so I hope the people who hoarded earlier this year are using things up or donating them.

[Deleted]

About yeast: the way to find out if yeast is good is to proof it before using. I always proof yeast. Always. I've had yeast with expiration dates out as far a six months that wasn't good. I've had yeast with expiration dates well beyond the date I was using it that was fine.

[Deleted]

Nov 2, 2020 7:55:27 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

About yeast: the way to find out if yeast is good is to proof it before using. I always proof yeast. Always. I've had yeast with expiration dates out as far a six months that wasn't good. I've had yeast with expiration dates well beyond the date I was using it that was fine.

Ah, thanks for the reminder- I know that "proofing" means putting it into the warm water and sugar and waiting to see if it bubbles.  If it doesn't, you start again with more yeast.

[Deleted]

@athena53 Yes, but after it bubbles, stir it down and wait for it to bubble a second time, then stir it down and proceed.

[azucena]

I went to walmart yesterday and seeing all the empty shelves made me nervous.  I couldn't tell if it was because it'd been a busy weekend, because people are stocking up, or because the supply chain is still messed up.  I also wonder if stores aren't holding as much inventory in an effort to prop up their balance sheets.  Either way, I hadn't been to WM in a couple months.  The combination of election and COVID second wave has me nervous.

[wvugurl26]

I went Friday night and there were some big holes at Walmart. I will say though there were pallets everywhere in the middle of the aisles for stocking and I saw some people stocking.