Author Topic: Pandemic hoarding  (Read 262148 times)

RetiredAt63

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #550 on: November 27, 2020, 02:26:50 PM »
Holy crap.

How long is your driveway that you need 550 lbs of salt?

That is very Torontonian.  ;-)   I can think of years when that would not have lasted the winter.  11 bags = 11 snowfalls, if you have a long walkway to your garage or the street.  I used to buy the bags of sand with just a bit of salt in them, for the sake of my plants.  The township would plow and salt several times during a good storm.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2020, 02:28:44 PM by RetiredAt63 »

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #551 on: November 27, 2020, 02:30:39 PM »
Holy crap.

How long is your driveway that you need 550 lbs of salt?

We won't need all the salt with one storm! It will be used over the course of the winter and it isn't just our long driveway, it is sidewalks too. Some winters we have half our stash left over, other winters we have only a few bags left. We mostly salt the top flat portion of our driveway because the incline melts with the sun. We have it plowed but it ices up. It approximately 80 feet long and there is a second smaller driveway that can fit about 3 pick up trucks behind each other. The top of the driveway could fit 5 cars easily. We only have a pick up truck and a car.

GuitarStv

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #552 on: November 27, 2020, 04:42:06 PM »
Holy crap.

How long is your driveway that you need 550 lbs of salt?

That is very Torontonian.  ;-)   I can think of years when that would not have lasted the winter.  11 bags = 11 snowfalls, if you have a long walkway to your garage or the street.  I used to buy the bags of sand with just a bit of salt in them, for the sake of my plants.  The township would plow and salt several times during a good storm.

I lived for most of my childhood in a small community about an 8 hr drive north of Timmins.  Ice doesn't work well to melt snow when it's below -30C.  We used these newfangled devices called 'shovels' for the snow and gravel for the ice.  Our driveway was about 100 ft long with a much shorter.

The idea of dumping hundreds of lbs of salt on the ground every year strikes me as pretty hard on the environment.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #553 on: November 27, 2020, 04:56:53 PM »
Holy crap.

How long is your driveway that you need 550 lbs of salt?

That is very Torontonian.  ;-)   I can think of years when that would not have lasted the winter.  11 bags = 11 snowfalls, if you have a long walkway to your garage or the street.  I used to buy the bags of sand with just a bit of salt in them, for the sake of my plants.  The township would plow and salt several times during a good storm.

I lived for most of my childhood in a small community about an 8 hr drive north of Timmins.  Ice doesn't work well to melt snow when it's below -30C.  We used these newfangled devices called 'shovels' for the snow and gravel for the ice.  Our driveway was about 100 ft long with a much shorter.

The idea of dumping hundreds of lbs of salt on the ground every year strikes me as pretty hard on the environment.

Yeah at -30C sand is definitely the preferred choice.  I guess OP lives in an area that is the right temp for salt.  I know my Canadian Tire near last-house sold more salt than sand, but I prefered sand since it gave so much better traction after clearing snow.  The straight salt was better when we had freezing rain though, since salt on a cm or 2 of solid ice isn't much help.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #554 on: November 27, 2020, 05:32:00 PM »
From what I've read, right now most of the so-called shortages aren't shortages because of supply, but rather it is retailers purposely holding stock back.  They say it's in order to help avoid empty shelves, but I can't help but think the practice increases store traffic, which benefits them.  Once we returned to stores in June we never saw a packed store.  Even packed Costco parking lots didn't equal a packed store.  People changed how they are shopping and less foot traffic means fewer impulse purchases.  I also think holding back stock spurs people to buy more because they perceive a shortage.

The way I'm stocking up now is how I've stocked up for decades.  When I find a good price of something we use regularly, I stock up for a certain amount of time -- 3 months is usually good for many items, as the sales cycle around.  For meats I buy what I have room for.  I've purchased toilet paper in bulk from Amazon for years now -- my order history shows my first bulk purchase of TP in 2007.  I always buy grains, flours, and legumes in bulk, mostly using Azure Standard and Costco.  I always buy butter in bulk, and the big jugs of olive oil from Costco.  If anything right now, I'm stocking up more carefully and with far more regard to the shopper who may come after me, since we're still well stocked on most things.

The only thing I've done differently is purchase more canned/jarred food than usual.  Most stores have had limits in place since March, so I'm never wiping a store out.  There are some items I purchase cases of, such as canned peaches, canned pineapple, and jarred salsa, but I would do that anyway, pandemic or not (and I can't even buy cases of peaches or pineapple right now).  This fall I haven't stocked up on any canned food other than applesauce, peanut butter, and salsa, and by stocked up I mean I bought 10 jars of applesauce (of which my son has eaten 4 jars in the past two weeks), 4 jars of peanut butter, and 4 jars of salsa.  I haven't ordered any more TP because we're fine on that.  I did order paper towels (I never used paper towels when we didn't eat meat).

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #555 on: November 28, 2020, 03:53:04 AM »
The ice melt I bought in August was $17.98 per 50# bag. Right now the same bag is $29.98 per bag. $12.00 more per bag!

This is what the ice melt says:

Product Overview
MELT Environmentally-Friendly Blend Ice Melter ("MELT EB") provides a greener, yet equally effective, deicing alternative to more harmful melting agents. When used as directed, MELT EB will not harm grass, wood, concrete, metals or other vegetation and is safer for pets, children and the environment. MELT EB exhibits the following properties: ANTI-CORROSION FORMULA: Enhanced with CMA (calcium magnesium acetate), an environmentally benign deicing agent, MELT EB ice melter delivers fast and effective results without damaging metal surfaces, such as the exteriors of cars, trucks and other equipment. FAST ACTING: MELT EB goes to work immediately upon contact with snow and ice to accelerate the deicing and melting process. Pre-treating surfaces with MELT EB will also prevent ice and snow from accumulating. LONG LASTING: MELT EB time-relaxed formula stays on the surface area longer for added protection and better control of the freeze/thaw cycle. SAFER TO HANDLE: When used as directed, MELT EB will not dry out or irritate the skin and can be safely and easily dispensed without requiring the use of protective clothing. NON-TRACKING: When properly dispensed, MELT EB will not track onto your home’s floors or carpets, so you can safely tread your footwear onto any treated surface without worry of damage to your shoes or your home.
Eco, pet and kid-friendly
Enhanced with CMA (calcium magnesium acetate) for safe, fast and effective results
Color-coated crystals help to visually measure and dispense the right amount
Convenient re-sealable bag for easy storage and extended shelf-life
Long lasting, time-relaxed formula provides superior traction control, will not harm grass, wood, concrete, metals or other vegetation
Easy to disperse

GuitarStv

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #556 on: November 28, 2020, 07:24:33 AM »
Cool!  I was unaware that there were benign chemical de-icers for sale.  The city of Toronto uses ass tons of salt every winter . . . leading to the streams and rivers in the GTA measuring higher salinity than sea water from most of Dec-Feb.  Does nothing good for my bike, but it's tough thinking what it's doing to the animals that live around and in the water.  :(

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #557 on: November 28, 2020, 07:47:34 AM »
From what I've read, right now most of the so-called shortages aren't shortages because of supply, but rather it is retailers purposely holding stock back.  They say it's in order to help avoid empty shelves, but I can't help but think the practice increases store traffic, which benefits them.  Once we returned to stores in June we never saw a packed store.  Even packed Costco parking lots didn't equal a packed store.  People changed how they are shopping and less foot traffic means fewer impulse purchases.  I also think holding back stock spurs people to buy more because they perceive a shortage.

The way I'm stocking up now is how I've stocked up for decades.  When I find a good price of something we use regularly, I stock up for a certain amount of time -- 3 months is usually good for many items, as the sales cycle around.  For meats I buy what I have room for.  I've purchased toilet paper in bulk from Amazon for years now -- my order history shows my first bulk purchase of TP in 2007.  I always buy grains, flours, and legumes in bulk, mostly using Azure Standard and Costco.  I always buy butter in bulk, and the big jugs of olive oil from Costco.  If anything right now, I'm stocking up more carefully and with far more regard to the shopper who may come after me, since we're still well stocked on most things.

The only thing I've done differently is purchase more canned/jarred food than usual.  Most stores have had limits in place since March, so I'm never wiping a store out.  There are some items I purchase cases of, such as canned peaches, canned pineapple, and jarred salsa, but I would do that anyway, pandemic or not (and I can't even buy cases of peaches or pineapple right now).  This fall I haven't stocked up on any canned food other than applesauce, peanut butter, and salsa, and by stocked up I mean I bought 10 jars of applesauce (of which my son has eaten 4 jars in the past two weeks), 4 jars of peanut butter, and 4 jars of salsa.  I haven't ordered any more TP because we're fine on that.  I did order paper towels (I never used paper towels when we didn't eat meat).

K in the kitchen, thanks for that tip on Azure Standard. I just checked them out and it is a great website!

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #558 on: November 28, 2020, 08:00:59 AM »
Cool!  I was unaware that there were benign chemical de-icers for sale.  The city of Toronto uses ass tons of salt every winter . . . leading to the streams and rivers in the GTA measuring higher salinity than sea water from most of Dec-Feb.  Does nothing good for my bike, but it's tough thinking what it's doing to the animals that live around and in the water.  :(

Correction, I did not buy 11 bags of ice melt, I have a total of 11 bags now with what we had and what I bought. That should last the entire winter...we hope! We have pets so the type of ice melt was important to us.

Poundwise

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #559 on: November 28, 2020, 08:32:43 AM »
To my frustration, the more I stock up, the more my family eats!  We really cannot go more than ten days without a grocery run. I bought 6 gallons of milk a week ago and we are down to 1.5 gallons, which will take us to Monday or Tuesday at the latest.  The eating schedule goes something like this:
- days 1-3, eat all the snack food
- days 4-6, turn up nose at leftovers, eat all frozen entrees
- days 7-9, cereal and milk, bread and Nutella
- day 10: We're out of milk! We're out of bread! There's nothing good to eat-- Moooooooooommm!

Cranky

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #560 on: November 28, 2020, 09:34:37 AM »
Hey, I generally order groceries when the wine gets low...

TomTX

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #561 on: November 28, 2020, 09:53:06 AM »
@Imma 
 This is how humans managed to create a toilet paper shortage. 

No. The primary cause of the TP shortage was the shutdowns/WFH. There was plenty of commercial/industrial TP available because people weren't using bathrooms at work/school/restaurants nearly as much.

Quote
This is how we drove up the price of rubbing alcohol & sanitizing wipes.  None of which does anything to protect a person from Covid as it turns out. 

Fomite transfer seems to be a small chance compared to airborne - but that's WITH all the washing hands and sterilize all the things all the time.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #562 on: November 28, 2020, 10:01:11 AM »
To my frustration, the more I stock up, the more my family eats!  We really cannot go more than ten days without a grocery run. I bought 6 gallons of milk a week ago and we are down to 1.5 gallons, which will take us to Monday or Tuesday at the latest.  The eating schedule goes something like this:
- days 1-3, eat all the snack food
- days 4-6, turn up nose at leftovers, eat all frozen entrees
- days 7-9, cereal and milk, bread and Nutella
- day 10: We're out of milk! We're out of bread! There's nothing good to eat-- Moooooooooommm!

How many kids are you feeding! Time to suggest good old water or have a giant container of ice tea on hand. As far as leftovers go, maybe if you could reinvent the use of the leftovers. When I have meatloaf and there are a few slices left, I throw it into spaghetti sauce to make meat chunks or meaty sauce and put over spaghetti. If you have leftover chicken pieces, maybe you could throw together a hodge podge of chicken rice, mixed veggies with some cream of chicken soup and a splash of milk and some cheese to make a casserole. If you have some kind of hamburger meat you could make poor mans beef stroganoff. make a creamy sauce like cream of mushroom soup, the ground beef with some sautéed onions, chopped up carrots then add some sour cream. Add mixture to egg noodles or noodles of your choice.

If you have a bread machine, consider making bread but even if you don't, there are some simple recipes to make great bread. I have made this recipe (without my bread maker) in this video and it is really easy and good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUO4BWNeR_8  You might be able to find a bread machine at a local thrift store, craigslist, ebay.

Maybe you can get your kids to put Nutella on apples, pears, graham crackers or only let them have it as a special treat. I have never eaten it myself but hear it is very delish! One more addiction I don't need!


mm1970

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #563 on: November 28, 2020, 03:12:24 PM »
To my frustration, the more I stock up, the more my family eats!  We really cannot go more than ten days without a grocery run. I bought 6 gallons of milk a week ago and we are down to 1.5 gallons, which will take us to Monday or Tuesday at the latest.  The eating schedule goes something like this:
- days 1-3, eat all the snack food
- days 4-6, turn up nose at leftovers, eat all frozen entrees
- days 7-9, cereal and milk, bread and Nutella
- day 10: We're out of milk! We're out of bread! There's nothing good to eat-- Moooooooooommm!
Sigh.  I feel you.

Quote
No. The primary cause of the TP shortage was the shutdowns/WFH. There was plenty of commercial/industrial TP available because people weren't using bathrooms at work/school/restaurants nearly as much.

Yep.  I still have the industrial TP I bought in April.  Also, this gem, purchased for my teenager for his birthday.  I'm saving it.


Poundwise

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #564 on: November 28, 2020, 05:16:33 PM »
To my frustration, the more I stock up, the more my family eats!  We really cannot go more than ten days without a grocery run. I bought 6 gallons of milk a week ago and we are down to 1.5 gallons, which will take us to Monday or Tuesday at the latest.  The eating schedule goes something like this:
- days 1-3, eat all the snack food
- days 4-6, turn up nose at leftovers, eat all frozen entrees
- days 7-9, cereal and milk, bread and Nutella
- day 10: We're out of milk! We're out of bread! There's nothing good to eat-- Moooooooooommm!

How many kids are you feeding! Time to suggest good old water or have a giant container of ice tea on hand. As far as leftovers go, maybe if you could reinvent the use of the leftovers. When I have meatloaf and there are a few slices left, I throw it into spaghetti sauce to make meat chunks or meaty sauce and put over spaghetti. If you have leftover chicken pieces, maybe you could throw together a hodge podge of chicken rice, mixed veggies with some cream of chicken soup and a splash of milk and some cheese to make a casserole. If you have some kind of hamburger meat you could make poor mans beef stroganoff. make a creamy sauce like cream of mushroom soup, the ground beef with some sautéed onions, chopped up carrots then add some sour cream. Add mixture to egg noodles or noodles of your choice.

If you have a bread machine, consider making bread but even if you don't, there are some simple recipes to make great bread. I have made this recipe (without my bread maker) in this video and it is really easy and good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUO4BWNeR_8  You might be able to find a bread machine at a local thrift store, craigslist, ebay.

Maybe you can get your kids to put Nutella on apples, pears, graham crackers or only let them have it as a special treat. I have never eaten it myself but hear it is very delish! One more addiction I don't need!

Thanks for the excellent advice, @Roadrunner53! (as usual)

Just three kids, but they're all big eaters and growing like weeds.  Plus I will admit that Mr. Poundwise and I are not completely blameless either, idly grazing all day.

I actually do try to recycle food a bit... today's dinner is leftover pork loin made into fried rice... but somehow the kids find fault with food that is not at the peak of perfection. I am usually a good cook so they have gotten spoiled. Well, they will just have to get by! Also I did quite a bit of bread baking earlier this year (use my Kitchenaid mixer to knead) but I grew fatigued. Fresh baked bread vanishes even faster than storebought! :D

I will probably encourage more water drinking. Since we aren't sending them to school with packed lunches any more, I can save the single serve milk boxes for morning coffee, which is the only "emergency" which requires a milk run.




couponvan

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #565 on: November 28, 2020, 05:52:43 PM »
Pound wise-I have three too, and it’s the same deal. Amazingly the cucumbers and celery are the last to go. LOL. We have shelf stable milk I pour into the gallons....if I show them the shelf stable box they don’t like it and it tastes funny. In the gallons-it passes. Sometimes presentation counts.

Villanelle

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #566 on: November 28, 2020, 06:13:48 PM »
To my frustration, the more I stock up, the more my family eats!  We really cannot go more than ten days without a grocery run. I bought 6 gallons of milk a week ago and we are down to 1.5 gallons, which will take us to Monday or Tuesday at the latest.  The eating schedule goes something like this:
- days 1-3, eat all the snack food
- days 4-6, turn up nose at leftovers, eat all frozen entrees
- days 7-9, cereal and milk, bread and Nutella
- day 10: We're out of milk! We're out of bread! There's nothing good to eat-- Moooooooooommm!

Shelf stable and/or powered milk?  Freeze some bread? 

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #567 on: November 29, 2020, 03:49:59 AM »
Poundwise, you sound like a good cook and the kids are used to very good foods. I have a few more suggestions. First of all, maybe you could get your kids involved in cooking the original meal and then get them to help you reinvent the leftovers. If they are involved and challenged, they may take an interest in eating 'their' invention. You could make suggestions for them to look up recipes on the internet and maybe keep a 3 ring binder of the 'new' foods. Maybe even make a game of it and have them decide if it was a 1-5 star dinner. Ask them if they would like that meal again and flag it as a winner if they like it. Plus, if they get involved in making a dinner, they may see that it is time consuming and thought has to go into it.

Then there could be a 'kids make dinner night'. Where they could make dinner for the family. I have no idea on what simple meals your kids would be capable of but there must be lots of things they could do with a little supervision. Look for children's cook books, there are lots and lots of them out there.

Another idea as far as reinventing foods, is pizza. Maybe you could save some of the more valuable leftovers such as meat and freeze till you have enough to put on a pizza or calzone. Sauce and cheese 'hide' things and also enhance flavors. Throw in some Italian spices.

Another option is to take a ride sometime to see cars lined up for people receiving donations of food. Seeing how desperate people are, should shame your kids and be glad they have food on the table.

Lastly, in the olden days kids were told they had two choices for dinner. (1) Take it or (2) leave it. An empty growling stomach makes option (1) a winner!

Cranky

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #568 on: November 29, 2020, 04:12:34 AM »
I learned to bake bread in 4H when I was 10, so that is not a job that is out of reach for kids.

Dicey

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #569 on: November 29, 2020, 09:58:32 AM »
I was thinking I was going to need some TP in the next few weeks. Alas, when I did my Thanksgiving shop at Costco, they were completely out.

Yesterday, i was purging some things from the garage and noticed a whole Costco pack of Charmin on the shelf, hooray! It seems June or July Dicey had the same thought. I was pretty sure I had moved that bundle into the indoor storage places and that's what we were currently using. I'm so happy to be wrong. I think we're set until spring! I also love having you guys to share this happy news with, lol!

GuitarStv

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #570 on: November 29, 2020, 10:09:25 AM »
I was thinking I was going to need some TP in the next few weeks. Alas, when I did my Thanksgiving shop at Costco, they were completely out.

Yesterday, i was purging some things from the garage and noticed a whole Costco pack of Charmin on the shelf, hooray! It seems June or July Dicey had the same thought. I was pretty sure I had moved that bundle into the indoor storage places and that's what we were currently using. I'm so happy to be wrong. I think we're set until spring! I also love having you guys to share this happy news with, lol!

Like the old saying goes, a roll in the hand is worth ten in the store.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #571 on: November 29, 2020, 11:57:53 AM »
To my frustration, the more I stock up, the more my family eats!  We really cannot go more than ten days without a grocery run. I bought 6 gallons of milk a week ago and we are down to 1.5 gallons, which will take us to Monday or Tuesday at the latest.  The eating schedule goes something like this:
- days 1-3, eat all the snack food
- days 4-6, turn up nose at leftovers, eat all frozen entrees
- days 7-9, cereal and milk, bread and Nutella
- day 10: We're out of milk! We're out of bread! There's nothing good to eat-- Moooooooooommm!

Maybe you could show our kids what rationing looked like during WWII?  We watched The 1940s House with our boys years ago, and they really got a sense of how limited food was.  Not that food is limited now, so much as we all need to do our part to prevent the spread of Covid, which means staying away from stores as much as possible.

I suppose I'll come across as a mean mom, but at some point in the past I decided I wasn't going to let the kids control the food situation.  The strategy has served me well during the pandemic, because they're already used to the rules.

I buy very little that would count as snacks.  Pretty much fresh fruit and vegetables, tortilla chips (eaten with Aldi salsa at $1.18 per jar), and granola bars for taking to school or work (back when they could take their classes in person).  I knew from the beginning of the pandemic that we'd need to figure out the fruit situation, since my oldest would easily eat 5+ servings of fresh fruit daily (competitive athlete).  I decided to bring in canned peaches, canned pineapple (for the youngest), and jarred applesauce.  They don't love these things as much as fresh fruit, but they're making do.  The oldest has also had to stop eating raw vegetables as a snack, but we do our best to make sure there is a big salad everyday, which we've managed even when getting produce every 2-3 weeks.  Romaine lettuce is surprisingly hardy, often lasting 2 weeks, and we also make cabbage salads, carrot salads, etc.  I buy a reasonable amount of tortillas chips and when they're gone, they're gone.  The boys can make popcorn if they want, and if they say it's too much work then I figure they aren't really hungry.  In the past, when they were ravenous adolescents, I also used a "fill them with carbs" strategy, which basically meant since I knew I was serving plenty of nutritious food with more than adequate produce and protein, I would offer cheap carbs to fill the constantly hungry bellies.  Most of the time this was as simple as making rice in the rice cooker and keeping it available all day.  My boys douse rice in olive oil and can eat it in huge quantities (which is why I use cheap white rice, since they eat so much rice the arsenic content would be a big concern if it was all brown rice).

We've had to work on the leftovers situation, as my youngest is fussy about them.  Not all leftovers, but he doesn't care for leftover vegetables and he often refuses leftover soup, which makes zero sense since most soups tastes better the next day.  He does fine with leftover meat and leftover rice.  I do reinvent leftovers on a regular basis -- just yesterday I used the leftover sautéed cabbage and bacon to make an egg casserole, adding in plain frozen hashbrowns.  But my youngest wouldn't eat this meal even if it was made fresh, so I saved it for a meal he wasn't home for.  Once or twice a week we have a leftovers night and pretty much indulge him by giving him the leftovers he likes best.  I've never purchased frozen entrees, so that's not an option if they don't like leftovers.  If they really don't want what we're having they have to do the work to make something else, including clean up.  Now that they are young adults, DH has more than once pointed out to them that they're free to pick up fast food, using their own cash and riding their bikes.  Not surprisingly, the've never made that choice.  Food they don't love but which has been paid for and prepared by someone else is preferable to paying for their own food or washing extra dishes.

I don't allow unlimited cereal and milk.  I buy enough to last and that's it.  I had to make a rule they can't have cereal as a snack or for more than one meal.  My youngest can't drink milk as a beverage unless it's clear we have enough to not run out.  Kids who are getting plenty of good food don't need milk as a beverage (or any caloric beverages).  If they run out of cereal, they make do until the next time we get groceries.  There are other breakfast options such as eggs or oatmeal.  As for bread, both boys eat gluten free bread, and there were issues with wasted bread, so I won't buy it anymore.  They can use corn tortillas.  (I bake regular bread when DH and I eat it, but it's rare now.)

For us, being out of certain foods isn't a reason to go shopping.  When my boys were younger I would make sure we could stretch the shopping time.  If we were out of cereal I would make cornmeal mush, bake muffins, make granola, etc. for breakfasts.  A common meal as we approached needing to get groceries was lentil casserole, sweet potatoes, and cabbage salad, because it combined pantry staples like lentils and rice with long lasting produce like onions, sweet potatoes, and cabbage.  I've tried to teach them that there's plenty of food in the house even if it isn't their favorite foods.  We talk about it, too -- they know DH and I eat foods that aren't our favorites, too.

I'm not saying my kids don't have food preferences or get fussy and sulky about food -- they do.  And maybe it's easier for us in that they never got used to seeing other kids with snack foods because they were homeschooled throughout.  I'm not unwilling to make easy accommodations for them (youngest doesn't like tomato sauce on pasta, so I serve them separately, things like that), but I won't cook entirely different meals.  They get the snacks we have and if they can't ration themselves they can make popcorn.  They've never had frozen entrees, so that's not something they default to. 

Cranky

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #572 on: November 29, 2020, 12:09:49 PM »
When my kids were school aged, I bought one snack food/week and it was divided up in baggies with their names on them. They could eat it all at once or make it last, but woe unto she who dipped into her sister’s share!

There was always popcorn, and I baked an awful lot of muffins.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #573 on: November 29, 2020, 04:47:15 PM »
This doesn't have anything to do with food but if any of you are interested in subscribing to Hulu they have a great deal going on and I think it is only for one more day. You can get the basic service, unfortunately with commercials (limited) for $1.99 a month for one year. The commercials irk me to no end but you don't get 75 of them in a row. There are a few and then they return you to the show. For $1.99, it is a pretty good deal. I just signed up. I am a former subscriber and was eligible to get this price as well as newbies. Don't forget, this is only good for maybe one more day. I think it is a Black Friday deal thing.

I am not selling this and not affiliate with Hulu!

Since we are cooped up and winter is upon us, it might be something to enjoy.

OtherJen

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #574 on: November 29, 2020, 04:49:41 PM »
This doesn't have anything to do with food but if any of you are interested in subscribing to Hulu they have a great deal going on and I think it is only for one more day. You can get the basic service, unfortunately with commercials (limited) for $1.99 a month for one year. The commercials irk me to no end but you don't get 75 of them in a row. There are a few and then they return you to the show. For $1.99, it is a pretty good deal. I just signed up. I am a former subscriber and was eligible to get this price as well as newbies. Don't forget, this is only good for maybe one more day. I think it is a Black Friday deal thing.

I am not selling this and not affiliate with Hulu!

Since we are cooped up and winter is upon us, it might be something to enjoy.

Nice! We’re already subscribers, but this is a great deal for someone looking to try it out. We’re happy with the service.

geekette

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #575 on: November 29, 2020, 04:56:09 PM »
What does Hulu offer?  We have an OTA DVR (with auto commercial skip), and Netflix.  Is there a lot on Hulu that's not stuff you can get OTA?

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #576 on: November 30, 2020, 04:32:50 AM »
Ugh, yes.  I don't order a lot of groceries from Target, but there were a few things that I liked to get from there.  Now they are all unavailable for shipping to my zip code.  Irritating.  Some of the things I got from there because they don't carry them in the stores around here either, so it was my only way to get it.  I will survive.  Just not as happily.

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #577 on: November 30, 2020, 04:44:30 AM »
hooplady, if you are a Costco member you can buy chickpeas on line for $7.49 an 8 pack. They will charge you $3 shipping unless you meet the minimum order. I am not sure, but I think $75 might be the minimum. Walmart has lots of dried garbanzo beans and some canned varieties. Be prepared for dented up cans from Walmart.

Dicey

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #578 on: November 30, 2020, 05:53:19 AM »
hooplady, if you are a Costco member you can buy chickpeas on line for $7.49 an 8 pack. They will charge you $3 shipping unless you meet the minimum order. I am not sure, but I think $75 might be the minimum. Walmart has lots of dried garbanzo beans and some canned varieties. Be prepared for dented up cans from Walmart.
Ha! Last Costco trip, I grabbed a shrink wrapped 8-pack of black beans on (lazy) impulse. Every damn can is dented. Meh, we'll use them up fast enough and it's a bigger waste of resources to return them, but grrrr.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #579 on: November 30, 2020, 06:07:15 AM »
Anytime I order cans from Walmart or Target they come dented. Walmart is number one the worst when it comes to securely packaging items. Target is a close second. Heaven forbid if you order something like spaghetti sauce in a glass jar! I have had total glass shards and goopy sauce at the bottom of the box. I now load up when I do curbside to avoid disaster.


couponvan

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #580 on: November 30, 2020, 07:06:03 AM »
DH became vegan a couple months ago. I still have a huge amount of meats in my freezer. DS went away to college and did Nutrisystem 2 months ago and lost 23 pounds while away. He ordered another month last night.

I need to get rid of some meat to make room for the frozen Nutrisystem that is coming this month. My neighbors are almost all vegetarians. Upper crust first world pandemic problems for sure.

I’m about ready to post on my local Choose FI group to get rid of the extra meats.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #581 on: November 30, 2020, 07:37:24 AM »
couponvan, you may already be aware of this but if not, you can buy Nutrisystem gift cards for $79.99 and the value is $100.

I personally have never bought them but have seen them offered.

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #582 on: November 30, 2020, 10:40:55 AM »
Sunhat,
According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, beets need to be pressure canned.  Bummer about your loss. 

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beets.html

OtherJen

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #583 on: November 30, 2020, 11:12:07 AM »
This fall, I tried water-bath canning beets without pickling them when a friend told me that they did it all the time when she was a kid, but unfortunately they've all gone off. Most of the seals are still intact, but they've gone murky and I'm not interested in risking botulism. I'll be throwing out all 30l today.  Pity.

On the plus side, the various vegetables that I dried for the first time have stored very well and have been making a great addition to soups.

You win some, you lose some! I count myself s fortunate to have a full enough pantry and bank account that the loss of the beets is more of an experiment gone wrong than a hardship.

Yeah, for most vegetables you either have to pickle them to bring down the pH or pressure-can them because the natural acid level isn't high enough to prevent microbial growth. That's a sad loss!

couponvan

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #584 on: November 30, 2020, 11:54:18 AM »
couponvan, you may already be aware of this but if not, you can buy Nutrisystem gift cards for $79.99 and the value is $100.

I personally have never bought them but have seen them offered.
Yes, they come from Costco this way.  It works out to about $300/month, which is cheaper than the college meal plan that was offered, but still more than what a reasonable cost/self control would be.  It was nice he didn't really have to go to the grocery store other than for some minor fresh produce of which they have an open air market to buy from.  It reduced his temptation. 

At home, we have way to many crap snacks around that make it hard to control.  I know I should do better - but we went through the whole if we die from COVID routine.  LOL. Now we're more on the we need to be healthier in case we catch it fence, but we have two really skinny teenagers in the house who don't need low calorie.

OK - back to pandemic hoarding....

mm1970

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #585 on: November 30, 2020, 02:56:42 PM »
Quote
I lived for most of my childhood in a small community about an 8 hr drive north of Timmins.

I'm a bit of a map nerd, so I looked that up.  Holy cow, that's...um...north.

Our challenge is the amount the teenaged boy can eat...and the fact that he's the only one who can eat that way.  We noticed a few weeks ago that DS2 was getting a tiny bit chubby.  Didn't really think anything of it, because our kids basically would "chub up" for a week or two right before sprouting up.

Then he didn't sprout up like we expected...we came to realize that every time the teenager wanted a snack, he also wanted a snack.  Our snacks are generally less healthy now than 6 years ago when DS1 was this age...I was a lot stricter and we weren't all stuck together 24-7 in COVID-land.  Neither kid is getting as much exercise as normal (though we do stuff as a family and make them get exercise every day.)  I mean, on a normal school day, DS2 would play before school, morning recess, lunch recess, and after school program.  School lunches and snacks are super healthy.

So, we reverted back a bit to our old ways of ... you know, dessert night is Tuesday and Friday.  Yes, you can have nutella on toast for breakfast, but only 3 days a week.  Thirsty?  Have some water.

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #586 on: November 30, 2020, 05:22:51 PM »
Quote
I lived for most of my childhood in a small community about an 8 hr drive north of Timmins.

I'm a bit of a map nerd, so I looked that up.  Holy cow, that's...um...north.

Our challenge is the amount the teenaged boy can eat...and the fact that he's the only one who can eat that way.  We noticed a few weeks ago that DS2 was getting a tiny bit chubby.  Didn't really think anything of it, because our kids basically would "chub up" for a week or two right before sprouting up.

Then he didn't sprout up like we expected...we came to realize that every time the teenager wanted a snack, he also wanted a snack.  Our snacks are generally less healthy now than 6 years ago when DS1 was this age...I was a lot stricter and we weren't all stuck together 24-7 in COVID-land.  Neither kid is getting as much exercise as normal (though we do stuff as a family and make them get exercise every day.)  I mean, on a normal school day, DS2 would play before school, morning recess, lunch recess, and after school program.  School lunches and snacks are super healthy.

So, we reverted back a bit to our old ways of ... you know, dessert night is Tuesday and Friday.  Yes, you can have nutella on toast for breakfast, but only 3 days a week.  Thirsty?  Have some water.

Covid has seen us develop a significat flavored water habit.  I'm okay with this because it's still essentially healthy, though it does cost more than tap water.  But I'm much happier drinking something with flavor.  Might this help satisfy the thirsty kids?

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #587 on: December 01, 2020, 02:47:22 AM »
Chickpea crisis averted, may have strayed slightly into the realm of hoarding. Target pickup went smoothly, so much so that I needed to kill time and ended up making a quick stop at Aldi (was trying to avoid visiting a store at all but oh well). Four cans at Target for $.59, and since there are currently no limits at Aldi (had been 4 per customer for a while), got a full dozen for $.50 each. Stocked up on garlic too.

Already flush with tahini so my hummus habit should be handled for several weeks.

hooplady, can you post your recipe for hummus? I buy chickpeas with that intention and then just don't. It is a bit out of my element but would like to try because when I buy it, already made, I do like it!

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #588 on: December 01, 2020, 02:58:06 AM »
@birdie55  , @OtherJen
I knew the guidance but still took a chance when a friend said that her parents just boiled the heck out of them when water-bath canning them plain when she was a kid. I'm normally a fervent rule-follower, but got a nerd's rush trying to see if I could boil my way around the guidelines. I won't be making that mistake again! Fastidious rule-following may not be adventurous, but it would have saved me a really gross afternoon of draining beet sludge!

(That friend is something of a superhero, but I'm not willing to get food poisoning to try to get her botulism-induced superpowers!)

Sun Hat, my Mom was an avid canner and she canned everything you can imagine and never had issues. She had a Ball canning book and followed the instructions to the letter. That was her bible. She would be in the kitchen, in August, with boiling pots of water and would can late into the evening hours. It was her pride and joy. She also won about 10 different ribbons at a local country fair for various canned items one summer. My advice is to pick up a Ball canning book! No shame in what you did because you learned from it...we all learn the hard way it seems! Buy your friend a copy of the Ball book too before she kills someone!

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #589 on: December 01, 2020, 09:32:17 AM »
Thanks hooplady, I wrote it down and would make it asap but alas, I have no tahini. So, that is on my list to buy! Thank you!

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #590 on: December 01, 2020, 12:25:21 PM »
I make hummus from dried beans regularly.  I haven’t noticed them taking more time than other dried beans. Usually I cook up 1.5-2.5 pounds and process it all in to hummus then I freeze it in 8-16 ounce containers. Easy to pull out the day before a long day and have lunch to go.

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #591 on: December 01, 2020, 01:30:52 PM »
Thanks hooplady, I wrote it down and would make it asap but alas, I have no tahini. So, that is on my list to buy! Thank you!

If you have a food processor and some sesame seeds (or if sesame seeds are easier to get than tahini), toss the sesame seeds into the food processor, blend them till smooth, and now you have tahini! Just like making nut butter. It could take several minutes and some pausing to scrape down the sides, depending on your machine, but it's an easy one-ingredient food!

Bonus: No need to clean the food processor after making sticky, gooey tahini if you're just going to make hummus right away!

mm1970

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #592 on: December 01, 2020, 02:25:49 PM »
Chickpea crisis averted, may have strayed slightly into the realm of hoarding. Target pickup went smoothly, so much so that I needed to kill time and ended up making a quick stop at Aldi (was trying to avoid visiting a store at all but oh well). Four cans at Target for $.59, and since there are currently no limits at Aldi (had been 4 per customer for a while), got a full dozen for $.50 each. Stocked up on garlic too.

Already flush with tahini so my hummus habit should be handled for several weeks.

hooplady, can you post your recipe for hummus? I buy chickpeas with that intention and then just don't. It is a bit out of my element but would like to try because when I buy it, already made, I do like it!
@Roadrunner53

https://www.food.com/amp/recipe/cooks-illustrated-restaurant-style-hummus-380146

This is my favorite hummus recipe.  Easily can use dried chickpeas that you cook first.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #593 on: December 04, 2020, 01:09:12 PM »
Still searching for Prime rib roasts. All I can find is PR roasts that are $12.99 a lb! Last year they were $5.99-$7.99 a lb.

Anyone having any luck finding sales?

The virus is really ramping up, anyone finding empty shelves in the stores? I am planning on a curbside grocery run maybe next week. I could put it off longer though.

I had an eye doc appointment yesterday but I cancelled it a few days before hand. I am just not comfortable to have the doc so close to my face doing the exam. Put it off till February. UGH, who knows how bad the virus will be by then.

Here is a good one! My shelf stable 8 oz. milks were on the verge of expiring so I froze them. Worked out perfectly. Last night I decided I needed two of them to make a sauce. I didn't plan this till the last minute and wanted the milk defrosted. So, I threw them in the microwave and set it for one minute. Well, that was a bad idea! Within a few seconds, the microwave was sparking and the containers were had charred edges then a fire started on the parchment paper I had in the microwave! I am shrieking a little hearing the popping then the fire. I opened the door and took out the milks then the parchment that was on fire and threw it in the sink! DUH to me, the containers are made of layers of some kind of plastic and aluminum material.  I knew this but totally forgot. So, lesson learned! Take it from me, defrost in warm water or take out to thaw earlier! Hahahaha! Thank goodness the microwave didn't conk out and I am even more thankful that I didn't leave the room like I have done a thousand times before when I start the microwave!

Michael in ABQ

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #594 on: December 04, 2020, 02:30:36 PM »
My wife went grocery shopping this morning. She stopped at Costco to get gas (no line for a change). At 8:15 there was already a line of 100ish people lined up for what I believe is their early opening at 9:00 for seniors - regular opening is 10:00.

She went to another grocery store and there were some limits on things like 2 milks (we normally go through 4-5 gallons a week). She noted that almost all the frozen vegetables were sold out. Some of the more expensive organic brands were still in stock and a few less desirable things like collard greens. But regular peans, corn, green beans, etc. were basically all gone.

Our state (New Mexico) has been on a new lockdown for about two weeks as cases and deaths have increased about 5-8x in the last month or so. This despite having some of the most restrictive public health measures in the country since March. Grocery stores, even huge ones like Costco or a Walmart Supercenter, are now limited to 75 people max. And if more than 4 employees test positive for COVID they shut the store down for two weeks. Obviously with hundreds of employees that doesn't take much and in some cities where there are only 4-5 grocery stores to begin with, having 1-2 shut down and limiting the rest to 75 means lines out the door for an hour or more. My last trip to a Costco to stock-up two weeks ago was an hour and 15 minutes in line and they were only allowing one person per household - i.e. no parents with kids, no couples, just one per household so they could get a full 75 paying customers in at a time.

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #595 on: December 04, 2020, 03:11:56 PM »
My wife went grocery shopping this morning. She stopped at Costco to get gas (no line for a change). At 8:15 there was already a line of 100ish people lined up for what I believe is their early opening at 9:00 for seniors - regular opening is 10:00.

She went to another grocery store and there were some limits on things like 2 milks (we normally go through 4-5 gallons a week). She noted that almost all the frozen vegetables were sold out. Some of the more expensive organic brands were still in stock and a few less desirable things like collard greens. But regular peans, corn, green beans, etc. were basically all gone.

Our state (New Mexico) has been on a new lockdown for about two weeks as cases and deaths have increased about 5-8x in the last month or so. This despite having some of the most restrictive public health measures in the country since March. Grocery stores, even huge ones like Costco or a Walmart Supercenter, are now limited to 75 people max. And if more than 4 employees test positive for COVID they shut the store down for two weeks. Obviously with hundreds of employees that doesn't take much and in some cities where there are only 4-5 grocery stores to begin with, having 1-2 shut down and limiting the rest to 75 means lines out the door for an hour or more. My last trip to a Costco to stock-up two weeks ago was an hour and 15 minutes in line and they were only allowing one person per household - i.e. no parents with kids, no couples, just one per household so they could get a full 75 paying customers in at a time.


Do you have Amazon Fresh available in your area?  It seems like it would be well worth it to avoid all that.  In my HCOL area, my very unscientific research with a very small sample size showed Fresh is actually cheaper for me than my local grocery store, or probably about the same once I add the tip in Fresh. 

There are very rarely limits on items.  I'm regularly buying produce and meat with no issues.  There were a few weeks in the very early days that meat was hard to come buy (random items, and often the expensive organic varieties were pretty much always available).  Mine even has toilet paper and paper towels currently available, several options. 

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #596 on: December 04, 2020, 03:24:33 PM »
Still searching for Prime rib roasts. All I can find is PR roasts that are $12.99 a lb! Last year they were $5.99-$7.99 a lb.

Anyone having any luck finding sales?

The virus is really ramping up, anyone finding empty shelves in the stores? I am planning on a curbside grocery run maybe next week. I could put it off longer though.

I had an eye doc appointment yesterday but I cancelled it a few days before hand. I am just not comfortable to have the doc so close to my face doing the exam. Put it off till February. UGH, who knows how bad the virus will be by then.

Here is a good one! My shelf stable 8 oz. milks were on the verge of expiring so I froze them. Worked out perfectly. Last night I decided I needed two of them to make a sauce. I didn't plan this till the last minute and wanted the milk defrosted. So, I threw them in the microwave and set it for one minute. Well, that was a bad idea! Within a few seconds, the microwave was sparking and the containers were had charred edges then a fire started on the parchment paper I had in the microwave! I am shrieking a little hearing the popping then the fire. I opened the door and took out the milks then the parchment that was on fire and threw it in the sink! DUH to me, the containers are made of layers of some kind of plastic and aluminum material.  I knew this but totally forgot. So, lesson learned! Take it from me, defrost in warm water or take out to thaw earlier! Hahahaha! Thank goodness the microwave didn't conk out and I am even more thankful that I didn't leave the room like I have done a thousand times before when I start the microwave!

I haven't seen prime rib roasts as low as I found them before Thanksgiving, which was $4.99/#.  I bought 4 but never made it back for more.  Thanks for the tip on the Paula Dean cooking method -- we had a perfectly medium rare roast.  This week our Sprouts has the prime rib roasts for $8.99/#, which is more than I'm willing to pay since I still have 3 in the freezer.

Same grocer who had the $4.99 prime rib roast has choice beef chuck shoulder roasts for $2.99/# this week, another "lowest price of the year" and one I don't see often.  I'd have to go into the store to get that price, however -- it's $5.19/# using Instacart.  And I can't be sure they'll actually have it in stock.

I was planning a curbside pickup for mid-week, but Sprouts sent out a $10 coupon so I might do it Sunday (last day of coupon).  I'd need to place the order soon though -- usually I can get a slot within a couple of hours and already the earliest is middle of the day tomorrow.  I could easily wait though, and see if they send out another coupon.

DH managed to get his eye exam in October.  Mine isn't due until February, but I probably won't go until I've been vaccinated.  Out of the 4 of us, I'm the only one who managed to get to the dentist this year.  My 6 month exam was cancelled in March, and I went sometime this summer (time is lost on me right now).  All 3 guys decided not to go in May, then procrastinated over the summer and now they don't feel safe going.  DH had a coworker exposed at a different dentist last week.  He'd overheard them talking about a potluck, and sure enough this week he got the call that he'd been exposed and needs to quarantine.

I'm glad the microwaved milk fire wasn't any worse!

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #597 on: December 04, 2020, 03:27:06 PM »
I am reaping the benefits of my previous pandemic hoarding. ;-)

I went into Aldi towards the end of October, and I’m not going into the grocery store again until I’ve been vaccinated. We do pick up from Giant Eagle, and a produce box from the local coop.

GE was out of a lot of weird things last week but had reasonable substitutions. Scott tp was on sale and I ordered a 12 pack because we’d just finished one off, and they did have that.

When I buy a rib roast I get it from my neighborhood IGA. Alas, I’m not going in there (or anywhere else - they’ve been very good, really.)

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #598 on: December 04, 2020, 04:16:19 PM »
I'm battling anxiety regarding locks downs, safety, and food/paper goods shortages.  I keep telling myself we're fine, we have plenty of food, enough toilet paper and paper towels, etc. and I still find myself wanting to stock up.  I guess mostly I want that $2.99/# chuck roast, as I can see a long winter season (not in weather, just in how we feel) and beef stew sounds incredibly comforting.  But we don't have to have it.  Chances are our area of the state will go into a major lockdown Sunday, limiting all retail to 20% capacity, even the "essential businesses" like grocery stores.  I imagine the grocery stores are crazy busy today.

(I think the anxiety will abate some once we do get the order to go into a stay at home order, as I'll know for 3 weeks there's no reason to obsessively doom-scroll about it.)

I did a Costco order Wednesday, and they were still out of heavy cream.  I'm displeased about this, as I use it in our holiday cooking, and they have the Horizon brand which only has added gellan gum instead of polysorbate whatever and carrageenan.  I'd prefer Trader Joe's heavy cream most of all (no additives at all), but that store is far too crowded even with them supposedly adhering to reduced occupancy.  Aldi is also out of cream.

Target just cancelled a paper towel order I made two weeks ago.  I'm hoping they don't cancel my toilet paper order -- we really need to use the septic/sewer safe TP that dissolves easily and won't clog pipes.

K_in_the_kitchen

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Re: Pandemic hoarding
« Reply #599 on: December 04, 2020, 04:17:33 PM »
I am reaping the benefits of my previous pandemic hoarding. ;-)

I went into Aldi towards the end of October, and I’m not going into the grocery store again until I’ve been vaccinated. We do pick up from Giant Eagle, and a produce box from the local coop.

GE was out of a lot of weird things last week but had reasonable substitutions. Scott tp was on sale and I ordered a 12 pack because we’d just finished one off, and they did have that.

When I buy a rib roast I get it from my neighborhood IGA. Alas, I’m not going in there (or anywhere else - they’ve been very good, really.)

It's good to read this, Cranky, because I know I shouldn't go into a grocery store again until I've been vaccinated as well.  No sale is really worth getting Covid for.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!