# Has stockpiling daily essentials suddenly become a smart move? Are you going to do it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597 "2020-03-29T17:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/61 "2020-04-25T20:14:51Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > I live in Queens, NYC. The Epicenter of the Epicenter. > > We started this +/- 6 weeks ago. Freezer filled with double-wrapped meats, all cut down to single or double dinner sized portions. > > We’ve got roughly 40 bags of various dried beans and combos of beans. > > Two large ( 25 lb ) bags of rice. One Basmati, one Jasmine. > > Few bags of flour and a bread making machine. Packets of yeast, which I bought the first day I started shopping with this in mind. For the last 3 weeks at least, when this comes up in Zoom visits or email chats, NOBODY can find yeast. Not in NYC. Not in Bethesda, MD. Not in Bahstahn. Not in Thousand Oaks, CA. I’ve already mailed a few packets to friends. > > Painkillers ( Advil, etc. ) > > Paper goods. Not insane hoarding numbers, but enough to know that if our supermarket closes, we’re good to go for a few weeks. > > Why would I think the supermarket would close if those workers are “essential workers” ? Because when enough workers call out sick at once, they can not safely open the doors. Simple. Because when enough delivery route drivers call out sick there won’t be much on the shelves of any use. > > Because the second waves is going to make this first wave look like a small inconvenience. > > What game do we play in our house? "How Long Can We Make The Toilet Paper Roll Last?? " > > So far we’re hovering at 7-8 days. 🙂 So how do you make the TP last so long? Just turn it over and wipe again? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/62 "2020-04-25T20:19:15Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > So how do you make the TP last so long? Just turn it over and wipe again? 😉 It’s this perverse scatological self-challenge. There are…techniques… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/63 "2020-04-26T02:26:05Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > If I get an apartment with more storage, I think I could see myself squirrelling away one or two 50 pound bags of rice, 20+ pounds of sugar and/or flour, and a gallon or two of vegetable oil to prepare for bad times. It’ll last years, cost less than $75 to set up and provide calories for months in a survival situation. > > The toilet paper thing is more of an annoyance than a need. Even if a person runs out of TP I could see a homemade bidet, showers, kleenex, wet wipes, paper towels, etc doing the job. > > But so far, in every ‘emergency’ situation I’ve been in, I’ve always been able to get to the store. Ice storms, coronavirus, blizzards, etc. But having a few months of cheap food with a long shelf life would make me feel better. A propane stove may be a good idea too in that situation though. Hope you like weevils … one needs to hard freeze many pantry staples because they come issues with bug eggs already there. [as a practice we pop anything grain other than pasta, legumes, nuts, seeds in the freezer for 3 days minimum to a week or so to kill off the eggs then vacuum seal if it is going to be stored for more than a few weeks. Or you could buy the stuff that has been nitrogen packed … they will still hatch but die immediately.] I am so freaking glad this is happening now rather than back when I was doing chemo and radiation - while I was really doing a lot with a sitz bath, intractable diarhhea meant that I was spending more time on the john and still using TP in addition to cleanser and water … at one point it was bad enough that I didn’t even bother with TP or the sitz bath, I just jumped into the shower. I will note that a good basic paper towel when moistened with plain water is worlds better than any baby wipe made - no harsh chemicals and just as soft. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/64 "2020-04-26T02:42:14Z")
Yes, this would be horrible in a variety of ways while in active cancer treatment. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/65 "2020-04-26T07:25:04Z")
We;re used to descending from our mountain homestead weekly for fresh dairy and produce, and to stock up at distant big box stores every few months. We habitually keep the pantry and freezer pretty loaded. I’m not up to strangling and skinning deer infesting our meadow - no fresh venison, sorry - and growing food here isn’t feasible without a greenhouse, so staying stocked makes sense. The food chain seems a bit _iffy_ now so we’re stocking a bit more. But not hoarding. Gotta eat the stuff SOME day. What are our essential consumables? Medications first. Sanitation supplies next. Then canned or cooled animal proteins including dairy. A supply of grains and legumes. Fresh, frozen, and canned veggies and fruits. Alcohol, cannabis, coffee, and teas. We’re loaded with herbs and spices. All else is optional - nice to have but we won’t starve or flip out. And if we run low, well, the deer here are not very cautious. Broiled Bambi, coming up! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/66 "2020-04-26T15:07:54Z")
We have a wild turkey option as well as Bambi. Or possums. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/67 "2020-04-26T15:28:34Z")
Went to CostCo this week and, while the bottled water supply has been rectified (and how), paper goods were still being rationed _and_ there were signs warning that there would be no refunds for returning them. Besides the usual suspects there were also signs by the 25 and 50 pound sacks of rice and beans warning the same thing. Personally I was buying rice ten pounds at a whack availing the WinCo bulk short-grain stuff because it was the type we prefer and the only place you could buy it in bulk. It would last a year or more just fine (no bugs). Dry beans, OTOH, I buy in the one-pound bags. If you keep them too long they can dry out to the point of never being soft enough, and virtually all of the recipes for my slow cooker call for a pound. ---
**Author:** ![Happytree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happytree/32/3555_2.png) [@Happytree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happytree)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/68 "2020-04-26T16:44:03Z")
Hypothetically, i don’t see any drawback in keeping a well stocked pantry, if you rotate the stock properly. As to The Current Situation, it would be nice to have already HAD a stockpile. It might be selfish to start one now. I’m one of those “shop everyday” guys. I catch a bus home from work outside a grocery store. It just works out that way. I can only carry a few bags on the bus. I’m keeping it to one trip a week and supplementing with a trip to dollar store store once a week. Bisquick mix goes a long way for the amount of real estate it takes up in my backpack. Normal stuff i would buy like yogurts and fresh fruits aren’t making the cut right now. Those big sacks of generic breakfast cereal are great right now. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/69 "2020-04-27T02:32:04Z")
When this thing started I got caught with an unusually low supply of TP. I have rectified that situation, have a really good supply now. As soon as it becomes available I plan to replenish my stocks of isopropyl alcohol and disinfecting cleaners such as Lysol. I happened to have an abundance of bleach and disinfecting wipes before this started and haven’t depleted my stash much since. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/70 "2020-04-27T03:56:18Z")
> [@susan](#): > > We have a wild turkey option as well as Bambi. Or possums. [Wild Turkey](https://www.wine.com/product/wild-turkey-101-kentucky-straight-bourbon-whiskey/530085?state=CA&s=GoogleBase_CSE_530085_type_Spirits_Whiskey_10335&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Google_Shopping_CA_Smart_Spirits&showpromo=true&promo=PSCASE10&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqo_q_dqH6QIVj8BkCh0J8AhTEAQYBCABEgJWYvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#) should always be an option! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/71 "2020-04-27T21:13:29Z")
> [@](#): > > unusually low supply of tp…rectified iswydt ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/72 "2020-04-27T22:10:25Z")
I do want to point out that dry grains do requite you have water and utilities. You have to cook them in water, of course. If we assume the USA is gonna run out of food- then why assume the utilities are gonna be on? And this goes doubly for disaster supplies- dry grains are not a good choice. I have suggested Matzo crackers and peanut butter, and of course canned goods. Hardtack is maybe better than matzo, but they are quite similar. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/73 "2020-04-27T22:40:38Z")
I was out shopping at Trader Joe’s last weekend, and I noticed they had one 12 pack of toilet paper left on the shelf. I had several rolls in my cabinet at home, so I didn’t really _need_ more TP right then. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t buy more until I had one or two rolls left in reserve. But this time I thought “What if I’m not able to find it when I _do_ need more?” So I grabbed it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/74 "2020-04-27T22:55:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Hardtack is maybe better than matzo, but they are quite similar. Right now a lot of stores have the leftover Passover matzo on clearance… just sayin’. It’s cheap right now. Keep it dry it lasts for years. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/75 "2020-04-27T23:55:31Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Right now a lot of stores have the leftover Passover matzo on clearance… just sayin’. It’s cheap right now. Keep it dry it lasts for years. Yep, I buy two of the sealed five packs each year around this time. Or sometimes it is a loss leader. Good advice, Broomstick. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/76 "2020-05-02T08:58:53Z")
Noticed there was a pallet of no-name TP at the store. Never seen that brand before, or in that area, which is normally reserved for seasonal items, but didn’t investigate since I still have more than 20 rolls at home. I guess in this situation, TP is the seasonal item, since stores are still not permitted to sell toys and other non-essential items. Those can be bought on-line. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/77 "2020-05-02T10:18:54Z")
I’m housebound and on disability. I order groceries online from Walmart every couple of weeks (since the quarantine) and my sister picks them up curbside and brings them to me. It’s always been a bit of a problem anyway, since not everything at the store is listed online. This week, I tried to order six pounds of ground beef, 85% (two of those big rolls called, “chubs”). They substituted one pound, 80%. Gonna have trouble stretching that beef. I’ve been ordering different “meats” (for some uses of the term) in the past couple months to bypass the shortages. I had a lot of that brown & serve sausage. Quite tired of that. I ordered Steak-umms, which LOOK like pink slime given paper-like form, but doesn’t taste bad when fried up with melted american cheese. This week, I could only order one package of Steak-umms. My BIL went to the base, and he could only buy $40 of meat. I might call up Krogers and do delivery, see if I can get some meat. Problem there is, I can’t use my SNAP card, so I’ll have to pay cash, which is of course in short supply. Might be worth it. I can’t get out on my own, and I’d like to have a few weeks of food for safety’s sake. I have about 1/4 box of Minute Rice. I started this quarantine with about 1/2 box - one of my miscalculations. I’m been trying to buy more since this started, but the only kinds they’ve had is those heat & eat pouches, and the kinds you have to boil forever. The former is pricey per serving, and the latter, well, I hope I don’t have to ever do that. Never tried that kind in my life. I suppose it wouldn’t be that much of a hardship if I followed directions. It’s just boiling longer. I got my first box of kleenex in two months today, but I had ordered two. Still haven’t seen TP for sale online since I bought a big package when this started. Figure I’ve got two weeks left, \*maybe \*three. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/78 "2020-05-02T11:33:27Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > I’m housebound and on disability. I order groceries online from Walmart every couple of weeks (since the quarantine) and my sister picks them up curbside and brings them to me. It’s always been a bit of a problem anyway, since not everything at the store is listed online. This week, I tried to order six pounds of ground beef, 85% (two of those big rolls called, “chubs”). They substituted one pound, 80%. Gonna have trouble stretching that beef. That’s because, between the media’s hyperventilating, actually supply line issues, and a new round of panic buying ALL the grocery stores are starting to limit how much meat you can buy. Even if you showed up in person you probably couldn’t have gotten more than you did. Several days ago I had a customer flip out because of the new meat limits. I mean totally (verbally) lost her shit, yelling, swearing, insulting, threatening… I’m sorry - everyone is going to be facing limited meat supplies for awhile. We’re all going to have to “stretch that beef” (and pork, and chicken, and…) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/79 "2020-05-02T14:45:08Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > I have about 1/4 box of Minute Rice. I started this quarantine with about 1/2 box - one of my miscalculations. I’m been trying to buy more since this started, but the only kinds they’ve had is those heat & eat pouches, and the kinds you have to boil forever. The former is pricey per serving, and the latter, well, I hope I don’t have to ever do that. Never tried that kind in my life. I suppose it wouldn’t be that much of a hardship if I followed directions. It’s just boiling longer. It’s not that complicated. Take a pot that has a lid. Put a measured amount of rice in the pot. Add about twice that amount of water, or a little more. Put lid on pot, put pot on stove, bring to a boil. When it boils, turn the heat down to almost nothing. Leave the lid on (you can take it off briefly to check.) When it’s absorbed the water (30- 40 minutes for brown rice, less for white rice), it’s ready. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597/80 "2020-05-02T16:55:05Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It’s not that complicated. Take a pot that has a lid. Put a measured amount of rice in the pot. Add about twice that amount of water, or a little more. Put lid on pot, put pot on stove, bring to a boil. When it boils, turn the heat down to almost nothing. Leave the lid on (you can take it off briefly to check.) When it’s absorbed the water (30- 40 minutes for brown rice, less for white rice), it’s ready. Exactly. It’s dead-easy to cook rice. Only takes 20 minutes to simmer white rice. It’s so much cheaper than Minute Rice, you’ll wish you’d tried cooking it years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-stockpiling-daily-essentials-suddenly-become-a-smart-move-are-you-going-to-do-it/850597.md?page=5)