When to replenish stash?

[EveLevine]

Just wondering what everyone’s opinion is on when is the right time to replace stash items that have been used?

I’ve always been a casual prepper, but became more serious and organised a proper, much more organised stash for Brexit. I’ve been so glad of that stash! The difficulties getting slots, and the item limits on some orders, means that thanks to my stash I’ve been able to concentrate on just buying food, and not having to buy anything else has given me more cash free to buy more expensive alternatives where my usual items are not available.

We’ve just been having one shop per week from Ocado (priority ordering) and I’ve been sharing that with elderly DPs. I’ve recently started booking slots with a Tesco again, as they seem to be allowing pass holders to book 4 weeks in advance, and there’s lots of items I can’t get from Ocado. But I’ve been sticking to one delivery per week, as I feel it’s unfair to use more when so many need them.

However, I’m starting to run out of items that ASD DS will eat - I’m getting enough weekly to manage, but It’s concerning me how much the stash is going down.

So just wondering when others were planning to replace their stash? I’m concerned about not being prepared for a possible second wave. Is it selfish to use slots now? I’m seeing more available locally - checked today and there are slots available with 4 different supermarkets! But is it selfish to use these to refill stash?

What’s everyone else doing?

I've always dismissed you peppers

How dare you. Peppers are lovely, especially in a curry.

Stuffed peppers yum

Stuffed peppers yum

I’ve only had stuffed peppers when dinning our and they’ve never impressed me. What do you stuff yours with?

I've only had them dining out too, I wouldn't have a clue how to make them. But they were stuffed with a sort of parmesan-y risotto, god I could eat it right now.
I'm sick of home cooking.

I'm sick of home cooking.

As I’m a bit of a prepper and I did buy a lot of food with meals in mind, you’d think I’d never get bored of them, but I’m bored silly! I just want to go to my favourite coffee shop and enjoy some sourdough salad, with avocado, their homemade pesto and gorgeous coffee. I also want someone else to clear up and walk the fucking dishes! 😭

Well maybe washing the dishes would be enough. They probably don’t need walked.

I want to come with you, that sounds lovely.

I've found shopping through some of the catering wholesalers works well for deliveries of food in bulk. Lots of them are open to the general public for now because the rest of their supply chain has dried up but I imagine many of them will go back to selling to businesses only once the hospitality sector reopens. I couldn't justify using supermarket slots but this is convenient and I feel it is helping producers and suppliers that would otherwise be struggling. OP, this may not work for you if it's only specific brands that are acceptable, but I thought I'd mention anyway.

Oh it’s gorgeous and it has the most amazing shop that sells ‘proper’ sewing scissors, wooden chopping boards and all sorts of old world style stuff. Bloody expensive, mind. I treated myself to a pair of scissors (£55) and accidentally through them out, when I was having a clear out! 😭 I hadn’t even bloody used them!

Threw

Oh no, you must have been kicking yourself 🤦‍♀️

I still can’t bring myself to buy another pair. I keep hoping they’ll turn up, realistically I would have found them by now, if they were still in the house.

What a shame! Maybe you lent them to someone?

Oh lord no! You never lend sewing scissors. They might use them to cut later or something as equally horrendous. blesses self I’d rather lose them!

later = paper

They would be useful for a lock down haircut 😂

OH MY GAIA! You blasphemer!

Yes, as things are starting to re-open, I think now is the time to replenish the stash if possible. Liquid handsoap is finally available again, for example.

I also feel people's pain about DCs with limited diets, or changing the lists of approved foods - DD is HF ASD (Aspergers in the old criteria) and ADHD, and early teen who is sports mad to boot. So control over food was one of the few things she could manage for a long time, as emotions flew out of control - and control food she DID!! She was another who would eat the same 3/4 things for 4 weeks, and then it 3 of those went on the banned list and other things appeared as the "only" she would eat. At least now she will eat somewhat normally, but still having control issues at times, which are exacerbated with the current "out of control" health stuff. So she's looking to do a lot of the family cooking and make it very spicy (DH manages fine but I am galloping through creme fraiche to cope), and also loads of berry or mango/passionfruit smoothies (HM but finding the fruit has been an issue). And she has gone completely off red meat, accepting turkey and fish mostly, but almost no potatoes, pasta or bread. And fussy about which veg she'll eat. So managing those changes at short notice, with restrictions on stocks and limited ability to get to shops has been, well, interesting. Luckily, as she decided she wanted porridge for breakfasts rather than previous "approved" cereals, I had accidentally bought 4 bags for flapjacks (kept thinking we needed them) so that has been ok. And she has also decided that oat milk is drinkable so I will stock up on that as a longer life option to have - both DH and DD drink a LOT of milk and are both fussy that it should be organic, so that has occasionally given us problems with supply issues!

I also need to get more gloves - I had 2 different boxes (1 latex, 1 nitrile) which were both half full for doing 1st aid with Cub Scouts - but both were size "small" and no good for DH (and tight even for me but ok when you only need them about twice a year). So I need to get at least 1 box of large for family use.

And the masks I had ordered are stuck in the post since early Feb - they weren't dispatched until early March, and arrived in this country as the offices all shut down, I had ordered them to go to my office as I am never at home for delivery here and getting to the sorting office is difficult - normally. So whenever the sacks of mail in the post office warehouse get sent to my office, they will be dropped at my old desk in my old building - and I had of course also moved building the week before shut down (also not known when I ordered!).

At least I have a sewing machine, and the filters I ordered did arrive. So I have been able to make a couple of masks each for our house and DPs and DMIL. I will make a few more when I get some more dedicated sewing time, maybe next weekend.