shinester
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Post by shinester on Aug 21, 2020 3:27:27 GMT 10
I'm pretty sorted with food and seeing this pandemic in Feb, I got an extra 90 days well before shortages. I'm curious though, if you were new to prepping today and wanted to stock up what would you do?
2 bags of 5kg rice is about 20 days for one person. So it's doable. Thoughts?
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Aug 21, 2020 5:30:58 GMT 10
Shops are full of food. Business almost as usual everywhere except the greater Melbourne Gulag.
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bug
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Post by bug on Aug 21, 2020 8:52:31 GMT 10
There are no food shortages in Melbourne.
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blueshoes
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Post by blueshoes on Aug 21, 2020 12:50:58 GMT 10
Interesting question.
If I was new to prepping and there were purchase restrictions in place, I would...
> do two or three times the normal trips (e.g. do a weekly shop three days in a row) > visit multiple supermarkets - some tins from coles, some from woolies, some from IGA, some from ALDI > plan, plan, plan - plan a week of meals we actually eat and work on collecting everything for that, rather than just whatever's around... then add further weeks > if we were near an Indian or Chinese supermarket (we aren't) I would go there, they are more likely to ignore restrictions and also have lots of random preserved food as well as dry grains/beans > possibly try a catering place or order bulk bag/s of something through a friend with a food service business > If we haven't got a tank or anything, the 10L/$3 boxes of water from the supermarket are a good starting point, would get a week or two of those
Also replace worn out shoes with a good pair, get a couple spare pairs of jeans, a good warm woolen jumper, extra socks and undies, and replace anything else that's worn out (you never know how long you'll be stuck using it for)
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Aug 21, 2020 13:48:54 GMT 10
Yes full of food and I ought to have explained, there's restrictions on staples, such as two packets of pasta, two of rice and so on. You're also limited to 5km diameter or nearest if further here in Vic. Hence the curiosity. How do you not draw attention to your local, yet build a supply of a few months whilst maintaining security. Have different members of the household buy to the limits and get various cans, liquids and so on I would suppose. Looking at the numbers the staple supplies of 2x5kg bags of rice and 2x 500g pasta, unlimited rolled oats [lets say 5 bags], give you 15kg of food and a really basic rule of thumb for staples [1500kj/100g] is 1kg = 2 days for one person, so each shop gives you 30 days/person. So it's quite doable of course.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Aug 21, 2020 14:12:58 GMT 10
If there is a quantity "limit" on a product I want more of... I've been known to shop half my list and buy one limit of product..
Go back in, shop the balance of my list and another limit of product with a different check out person..
Only once did I get a grump of a cashier who said --you got a limit of this.. I said --do you want to make a sale or not--
Problem solved..
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Post by Stealth on Aug 21, 2020 18:11:44 GMT 10
I'm onboard with blueshoes.
Our local indian grocer is GREAT for dried produce. Beans, rice, and spices are all easily purchased in bulk for much cheaper than the regular stores. Generally fresher too as the turnover is higher. Asian grocer is better for bulk dried wheat and buckwheat noodles, and comfort foods like ramen and soup bases.
Edit: I didn't really say what I'd buy if I was going to be stocking up on food now!
So, given that I have access to an Indian and Asian Grocers;
Per person in the house (absolute minimum, obviously you'd get more if you could afford more); 1x 5kg bag of rice 1X 5kg dried black beans 1x 5kg dried chick peas 1x 5kg red lentils 1x 5kg green lentils 1x largest tub of ghee I could get my hands on (1kg can at my local) Spices of choice Large bag of salt Dried milk powder Approximate price (again, at my local) $90ish dollars per person.
If all I had access to was Coles/Woolworths; 1x 5kg bag of rice 2x 500g dried black beans/turtle beans 2x 1kg dried chick peas 2x 1kg red lentils 2x 500g green lentils 2x canned chic peas 2x canned black beans 1x largest jar of ghee I could get my hands on (380g jar at my local) Spices of choice Large bag of salt Dried milk powder Again, approximate price $100ish per person.
Either one would possibly require a multivitamin including B12 if you were going to make those foods a long term solution which would bump the price up. But this is the basic list I would get for myself and my family without any other considerations beyond nutrition and length of time (ie. ensuring all nutritional needs are met). Having greens and the like can be mitigated for a shorter period of a few months by having a multivit but I'd be hesitant to go longer than that without them if this is the ONLY food options you had. I'd also buy a minimum 20kg bag of bread flour for either option which would bump the price up. It's also not strictly a necessity as you can make a semi-decent riceflour bread if you have a manual grain grinder (which I do) but you can live without bread for a while if you need to. Life is just sad without it lmao.
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Post by Stealth on Aug 21, 2020 20:32:46 GMT 10
Yes full of food and I ought to have explained, there's restrictions on staples, such as two packets of pasta, two of rice and so on. You're also limited to 5km diameter or nearest if further here in Vic. Hence the curiosity. How do you not draw attention to your local, yet build a supply of a few months whilst maintaining security. Have different members of the household buy to the limits and get various cans, liquids and so on I would suppose. Looking at the numbers the staple supplies of 2x5kg bags of rice and 2x 500g pasta, unlimited rolled oats [lets say 5 bags], give you 15kg of food and a really basic rule of thumb for staples [1500kj/100g] is 1kg = 2 days for one person, so each shop gives you 30 days/person. So it's quite doable of course. If I needed to get around it quite easily because we have a Coles, Woolies, IGA, and several grocers all within the 5km range of us. I'd go in, get what I wanted, tag-team with the other half and get him to get the same. Head to the next shop, do the same thing. But we didn't need to do that (thankfully!) and I would feel very uncomfortable with the idea and I'm not sure I could actually do it unless desperate as it would feel like I might be disadvantaging others like pensioners etc. around us. That's why we prep, so that we don't impact on society at a time when even coughing is risky! lol
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Aug 22, 2020 0:33:00 GMT 10
I did it in late Feb, got a family member onto it, gave an elderly member 14 days worth and my advice of 90 days with another turned into about 6 months for them... was good to know as it was my emergency bug out location too. I went from store to store in the local area and filled the car a few times. Was hilarious to me when I saw an Asian couple doing the same, filled their car more than me really. Some other people getting in on it. I already had supplies though they are 5-10 years old so I'm looking at them as less nutritious. I really don't worry about cycling food other than the stuff I eat all the time, it's too much of a pain in the bum, time/fun sink. It looks to me like with a few brain cells anybody could stealth build a supply of 90 days. Tag-team, multiple stores. It's interesting to see how the news/media effect supplies, how runs on types of food occur. The obvious is Toilet Paper [why?] though seeing it at various times with staples, spices , sugar, flour, even milk. What are people doing with so much milk? Tastes like crap if it's frozen. Funnier since the long life didn't seem to go except with the initial panic. I was looking to getting a chest freezer, more out of necessity than for prepping and sure enough second hand their in short supply. [elevated prices]
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Post by spinifex on Aug 22, 2020 8:05:43 GMT 10
It looks to me like with a few brain cells anybody could stealth build a supply of 90 days. Tag-team, multiple stores.
It's fortunate a lot of people don't have brain cells. As more people try stockpiling ... the shelves go empty. When the shelves go empty ... more people want to stockpile. It's a lovely self-reinforcing loop. We've now seen it in action here in Oz for the first time ever. Let us all praise the inattentive and the dull witted ... for they make our lives easier!
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Aug 22, 2020 12:57:54 GMT 10
As more people try stockpiling ... the shelves go empty. When the shelves go empty ... more people want to stockpile. It's a lovely self-reinforcing loop. We've now seen it in action here in Oz for the first time ever. Let us all praise the inattentive and the dull witted ... for they make our lives easier! Yeah, I'm infinitely impressed with people simultaneously complaining about shortages, being afraid of a less secure future and also not wanting to change behavior and just stocking up enough for a few weeks until 'after' there's a run on this or that item. Follow the herd, don't make waves I guess. If this C' thing was actually a major issue [instead of the x10 cold it is] then there would be a great number of dead people. Then there's the guilt trips and false morality of not stocking up because it's 'hording', not fair and so on, when everyone has the same ability to purchase, it's mostly a free country. The lack of adopting of social distancing [took months] ignoring of other good info early [it might well have been worst] and sticking to status quo despite it's potential fatal results. I've been reassured that cognitive dissidence is quite rife. I suppose I might too have cognitive dissidence had I not contemplated situations previously.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Aug 22, 2020 20:37:50 GMT 10
When the lock down was on I found it pretty easy to find a couple of suppliers who normally deliver to restaurants/canteens, who offered to deliver to households. I didn’t need much but I could have ordered almost anything standard from them - flour, sugar, etc. No beans. Lots of possibilities if I had a spare empty freezer. I ordered bulk cheese (which I repackaged and froze) and tetra packs of milk. (I hadn’t planned for needing cheese as we normally use very little of it but we started using heaps in lockdown as we tried to make the best pizza possible with a normal oven.)
So if we get lockdown again and you need supplies, keep your eyes and ears open for alternative sources. This was very easy and they delivered.
And it was nice to be able to recommend them to others who were finding it hard to source flour.
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pugs
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Post by pugs on Aug 23, 2020 13:25:46 GMT 10
We usually just drop by the 2 supermarkets in town and buy our limit , fresh foods we go twice a week anyway and just buy the extras up the limit and I go to the local IGA near work where she doesn’t give a crap how much you buy and prefers cash too . We’ve also done a run to SPC at Shepparton on 2 occasions and filled the car . We now have a strict 1 out 2 in on food buying so we’re adding all the time and the wife is well on board now which makes life easier for prepping up ..
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Morgo
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Post by Morgo on Aug 23, 2020 18:13:19 GMT 10
It would be pretty easy to get around any product limits if needed.
Monday
Online order with Coles Online order with Woolworths Go to local Coles Go to local Woolworths Go to local ALDI Go to local IGA, etc
If you want, go back to local stores again today and take a family member who starts from the the other end and does their own trolley full.
Tuesday
Online order with Coles Online order with Woolworths Go to local Coles Go to local Woolworths Go to local ALDI Go to local IGA, etc
If you want, go back to local stores again and take a family member who starts from the the other end and does their own trolley full.
Wednesday
You see where I'm going with this. Restrictions are/were just an inconvenience for those who wanted to buy up big but certainly not a show stopper as evidenced by the number of hoarders during the year even after limits were put in place.
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Post by Stealth on Aug 24, 2020 10:43:03 GMT 10
It's funny, you see stuff like this all the time on prepper forums. In recent months a few places have reported skyrocketing views on boards with people looking up foods to buy etc. but I wonder how many of them are going back now to check what they could be stocking up on? I'd guess very few.
On that note I've stocked up quite a few flybuys points over the last few months doing our general shopping. I'm about to go and stock up on canned goods that we've run low on, effectively for free. Can't argue with those numbers!
LURKERS TAKE NOTE. DO IT NOW WHILE YOU HAVE THE TIME AND THERE'S FOOD ON THE SHELVES.
Worst case scenario, you have some stuff stocked up for a rainy day. Best case scenario, you have food in your cupboards if there's another outbreak that makes everyone that hasn't got a brain cell go into a blind panic.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Aug 24, 2020 17:41:00 GMT 10
I believe that if you are someone who is considerate of others, it is the right thing to do to stock up now if you possibly can and then avoid restocking at all when there are shortages. I would rather not contribute to shortages - when supplies are limited I like that I can leave those supplies for others who have not been able to stock up or who didn’t think of it. Stocking up early and then staying away completely if you can is the responsible, considerate thing to do.
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bug
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Post by bug on Aug 24, 2020 17:43:04 GMT 10
For non-perishables I agree completely. Why fight with Karens over TP when we have 3 months supply at home already.
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Aug 24, 2020 23:25:29 GMT 10
I have a thought that the 'hoarding' and guilt trips about this. I suspect that people are simply finding an excuse to latch onto to avoid possible change, aka cognitive dissidence. Be part of the crowd is safe right... Of course then most people didn't think about the actual danger to their own lives if the C' thing was as the initial reports put it of 5% death rate. If it had been the 'big one' hundreds of millions of people would be dead right now. Obviously I'm glad it's not, though I see these accusations as a way to avoid change. Complaining usually is I suppose. An avoidance of the pain of change. Yes, it might be an inconvenience to others, people can't get their 'usual' food, .. aka they have to change this week... [more inflexibility] yet at the same time at no time were there actual shortages in food. Lack of adaptation to the situation.
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kelabar
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Post by kelabar on Aug 25, 2020 0:07:39 GMT 10
I have a thought that the 'hoarding' and guilt trips about this. I suspect that people are simply finding an excuse to latch onto to avoid possible change, aka cognitive dissidence. Be part of the crowd is safe right... Of course then most people didn't think about the actual danger to their own lives if the C' thing was as the initial reports put it of 5% death rate. If it had been the 'big one' hundreds of millions of people would be dead right now. Obviously I'm glad it's not, though I see these accusations as a way to avoid change. Complaining usually is I suppose. An avoidance of the pain of change. Yes, it might be an inconvenience to others, people can't get their 'usual' food, .. aka they have to change this week... [more inflexibility] yet at the same time at no time were there actual shortages in food. Lack of adaptation to the situation. I have no idea what you are saying, shiney. Use smaller words and type slower for me please!
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Aug 25, 2020 7:50:46 GMT 10
I have a thought that the 'hoarding' and guilt trips about this. I suspect that people are simply finding an excuse to latch onto to avoid possible change, aka cognitive dissidence. Be part of the crowd is safe right... Of course then most people didn't think about the actual danger to their own lives if the C' thing was as the initial reports put it of 5% death rate. If it had been the 'big one' hundreds of millions of people would be dead right now. Obviously I'm glad it's not, though I see these accusations as a way to avoid change. Complaining usually is I suppose. An avoidance of the pain of change. Yes, it might be an inconvenience to others, people can't get their 'usual' food, .. aka they have to change this week... [more inflexibility] yet at the same time at no time were there actual shortages in food. Lack of adaptation to the situation. I have no idea what you are saying, shiney. Use smaller words and type slower for me please! I’m thinking that you’re saying that people tried to make those who “hoarded” feel guilty because they didn’t want to be different from the crowd and gather sensible stores of supplies themselves. It wasn’t conscious but made them feel better.
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