Critique my stockpile please

[ziggiestardust]

Hi all, I’ve been slowly amassing a stockpile based on what we use and when there’s an offer on, I’ll buy 2 or 3 of said item and store the rest.
Can you please critique what I have, and give me areas for improvement? Also; if I’m missing a vital category, please tell me! We’ve been using our garage and storing in large plastic bins so far, it actually hasn’t taken up any room, it doesn’t look like much compared to what some people on this board have! Obviously I have at least 2 weeks worth of food in at any one time; my freezer & cupboards are always full because we are very fortunate. So obviously this list doesn’t include freezer stuff.

Tins

Macaroni cheese x5
Spaghetti strands x10
Baked beans x10
Soup (Heinz mixed) x20
Mixed spicy beans x10
Butter beans x5
Kidney beans x5

Sauces

Cheese sauce x5
Tomato pasta sauce x5
Madras sauce
Thai red curry sauce
Coconut milk

Packets

Stuffing balls mix
Bread sauce mix

Pasta & pulses (dried)

1kg Red lentils
1kg spaghetti x2
Super noodles x20
250g fine egg noodles

Sweets

Marmalade
Lemon curd
Marmite
Jam
Caramel
Red cherry pie filling x2
Peach slices x5
Sponge pudding x5
Custard x5
Rice pudding x5

Flavourings/seasonings

Salt
Goose fat
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Chicken oxo
Beef oxo
Wholegrain mustard
Jalapeños

Odds and ends

Breadsticks
Teabags
20L water
1L whiskey
Cat food (pouches meat) x40
Cat food (dried) 1kg
Cat flea medicine 3 months worth

Cleaning products

Bleach 1L
Washing up liquid
Anti bacterial spray 1L

Toiletries

Nail brush
Toothpaste
Shower gel
Children’s toothpaste
Kids mouthwash
Kids shampoo
Sanitary towels x40
Tampons x60
Toilet rolls x16

Medicines

Migraleve
Diarrhoea capsules
Lemsip x10
Savlon
Compeed
Dulcolax
Kool n soothe strips
Vicks vaporub
Pregnancy tests x2
Nurofen Plus
After sun
Sun cream stick
Vicks first defence
Dioralyte
EMLA cream
Small pair scissors
Extra inhaler prescriptions x3

What are you prepping for specifically?

(Starts panicking that I have stockpiled nothing and have a garage full of old furniture and Christmas decorations...)

You are all carbs. Unless you are vegetarian, where is your tinned fish or meat ?

I’m no expert but the first thing I noticed was that you had no flour, yeast, sugar etc. Also no tinned veg and not much tinned fruit. I would also add some tinned soups and some tinned meat.

How many of you are in the house? A tin of macaroni cheese would feed one of my teenagers for one meal.

I’m prepping in case of supply line disruption; the last winter we had was quite concerning how quickly shops ran out of items, and I know I my DC or cat went hungry that I’d never forgive myself. Also, if we crash out of the EU with no deal then supply lines might get choked for a few weeks while they come to terms with the new customs checks.

Good point RE: tinned meat/fish/veg! It’s always in my freezer, so I had not considered it! How silly! I am growing vegetables in my garden and plan to preserve in the autumn, however I have only had experience with jams and chutneys thus far, rather than veg sauces.

I have a DH, 1 DC (7) and an enormous cat.

I have popped 1kg of granulated sugar in the box, and 10 sachets of yeast in just now.

I’m concerned about storing flour in the garage. Does anyone do this?

You have more in your stock pile than I have in my cupboards on a day to day basis

I would add tinned veg, meat, fish. If you drink hot drinks; coffe, sugar, hot choc powder , tea, UHT milk etc. Snacks so crisps, treats, chocolate etc. Also second flour, yeast and other basics so you can make bread if necessary.

Also washpowder, batteries, candles, cleaning products, assuming children are in the house plenty of toys and activities that don't require electricity, so colouring in books, crafts.

Get yourself down to Poundland (the one that's closing, everything is about 30p, and they have loads of craft bits)

How many of you are in the house? A tin of macaroni cheese would feed one of my teenagers for one meal.

Yes, I was thinking this doesn't sound like a stockpile so much as a normal amount of stuff for a family-sized house to have as routine after a big shop. (Only the soup, water and catfood pouches sound like larger quantities.)

Do you rotate stuff out of your stockpile into the cupboards to use generally? Or will it just stay in the garage waiting?

I think I am not organised enough to be a prepper.

This is all stuff that I have in my garage in containers, in addition to what I have in my cupboards. I don’t want to go mad because I already have to go out every so often and rotate the stock so none of it goes off or what have you.

I’ve not long started (6 months maybe?) so it’s not loads, I know.

Milk & treats, great suggestion I had not thought of that. Cereal perhaps as well, I’ll check the shelf life. Rather than storing a heap of water, what are people’s opinions on purification tablets?

That was the best laugh I have had all day, OP! Don't forget masses of cash because even if there is food to buy, you may not be able to use your cards!

nosquirrels with each box I have packed, there is a list attached to the outside listing what’s in it (they’re big boxes!) and their expiry dates. My first expiry date is March 2019 (mustard, pasta sauce) but I go out there regularly to add items, and check the condition of the boxes and make sure there’s been no leaks etc.

Surely you wouldn't have to look at it that often. Just get out stuff that is due to expire within 3/6 months or however often is realistic for you to check, and stick it in areas of the kitchen where you keep food you cook regularly.

I think that many people who have always been well off wouldn't have got into the habit of choosing what to cook and eat according to when it'll go off rather than what they felt like at the time. It was something I actively had to learn and I now find it absurd that I didn't always do it.

milktray if you don’t want to prep, that’s fine. I feel better doing this. If it’s not your bag; feel free to walk on by ¯\(ツ)/¯

penny you don’t. Most canned foods have a huuuge sell by date which is fab. We also had an unemployment scare at the beginning of this year. It felt horrible, really out of control for a while. It makes me feel better knowing I can always feed my family whatever happens.

I mean, if you’re in a secure job that you’re never going to lose and that’s not a worry for you then that’s brilliant, and I’m jealous of you! Unfortunately I can’t guarantee that.

Hi - some meat/fish protein if you are not a vegetarian would be good. Tins are the easiest non-freezer short cut to that. It's my mantra but ask what the family actually eat. I have a 70s baby passion for Campbell's meatballs but my dh hates them. He and dd love jars of hot dogs and beans with sausages. Me? Not so much.
You can get tins of steak pie filling or chicken curry. Might not be your first choice but, hey ...
Did you say you have a cat? Make sure you have some stuff in for them.
Also, sneak in some rubbish and totally lacking in value treats to cheer people up - choc, haribo, bikkies. That kind of thing.

bellinisurge they have loads of cat stuff lower down the list

Oops, you have got cat food and treats. Nice one. Did I see powdered milk?

Prepping for what though? A nuclear attack?

@ourkidmolly - prepping strikes a lot of people as a dirty word or some kind of mad right wing Christian fundamentalist shit. Until they get snowed in. Or everyone in the house has flu. Or any number of perfectly feasible hiccups to normal service. Then, it's a bit of forethought and common sense.
You may never need it. The stuff around March 2019 looks like you might need it then. Or you might get snowed in next winter before Brexit.
Or you might not. So you get stuff in. Just in case.

bellini Thanks, your pointers are where I shall aim for next, I appreciate it 😘

You're welcome @ziggiestardust - I'm nicking some of your ideas too!

I’m concerned about storing flour in the garage. Does anyone do this?

Somewhere else I read you should freeze flour before long term storage anyway. For stuff like this (i.e. anything that might attract rodents or be degraded by moisture e.g. sugar), I'd recommend double ziplock bags (I use sealpro and they're great).

If you stock up onto flour then keep it in the freezer. Beasties hatch in the stuff if you keep it too long.
Make sure you have some cash in the house, cards might not work. Keep your car fuel tank as full as you can in case of disruptions at petrol stations.
Stuff like almond milk has a long shelf life as well but powdered milk does.
Vitamins might come in handy.

Have you got cat litter? Can be used for humans and cats!

Make sure you have either ring pull cans or a few tin openers just in case.

Peanut Butter
Sweetcorn
Pesto
Porridge oats

...all have very long shelf life and might be nice additions to your stocks