Anyone starting to stock up in case of closings?

[HollyDay]

Our local news said the Red Cross and Health Dept were advising people to have 2 weeks worth of food, medicines, disposables, and clothing on hand in case of closures.

 

This bothers me. That would be a chunk of change right now to spend at the grocery store. They dont know when, or if, the stores will be closed. There are no cases of swine flu in our community so far.

 

So, would you go to the market and stock your freezer??

[OnTheBrink]

I'm confused. Why are places closing? Because of the flu?

[4kiddies]

I'm not necessarily stocking up I'm just making sure I don't get too low between trips. For instance, I have young kids so rather than waiting until the milk is completely gone I have been picking it up when out even if I still have some left. Same with diapers.

[Irene Lynn]

Our local news said the Red Cross and Health Dept were advising people to have 2 weeks worth of food, medicines, disposables, and clothing on hand in case of closures.

 

This bothers me. That would be a chunk of change right now to spend at the grocery store. They dont know when, or if, the stores will be closed. There are no cases of swine flu in our community so far.

 

So, would you go to the market and stock your freezer??

 

I went out to stock up last night. I have been trying to be more prepared in general, so that I am in charge of when I purchase rather than having to run out to the store at the last minute any more. I have started buying more in bulk and storing it better, so I can keep the price down and not have to purchase certain items as often. So I bought up some basics and stocked up on milk and bread. I have one more trip to another store today to be just about all done for the month. I could make it for a month without shopping, but we do like fresh produce, too.

 

I decided that, since the flu is already in our town, I wanted to go shopping now before the flu could spread any more. I just want to keep my trips to a minimum, especially since I can. Why run around more than I have to and use up gas and possibly expose myself to the flu. I am sure it won't last long.

 

As of yesterday the two cases in our area were 2 elementary aged children, each in a different school. They hadn't traveled lately and as far as I could tell, they didn't have a clue how they had contracted the virus. I am not really scared, but I do think that caution is warranted, just to get the "thing" the stop spreading as early as possible.

[Irene Lynn]

I'm confused. Why are places closing? Because of the flu?

 

Yes. In our area, 2 children, each in different elementary schools, were found with n1h1. Both schools are closing for a week and the kids are encouraged to stay home. That involves around 1,100 kids.

[Julie in AZ]

Yes, I've been stocking up following the guidelines of this flu manual. In Appendix C is a list and D and E have suggested medications to have on hand.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Karen sn]

Our local news said the Red Cross and Health Dept were advising people to have 2 weeks worth of food, medicines, disposables, and clothing on hand in case of closures.

 

This bothers me. That would be a chunk of change right now to spend at the grocery store. They dont know when, or if, the stores will be closed. There are no cases of swine flu in our community so far.

 

So, would you go to the market and stock your freezer??

 

Having lived in Hurricane Land most of my life, I believe you should always have a store on hand. It also allows for stocking up when food is on sale.

 

I never worried whether or not a big storm was coming - instead I was able to enjoy the weather because I didn't have to compete with the crowds. I believe all mothers should have 3 months worth of cans, jars, rice, cereal, etc.... because you just never know.

 

I write the best by date, the price, and where I got it on the can, jar, or box. This enables me to be the most bargain finding mom ever. I know what to get where, I can stock up on sales, rotate the food.....

[fshinkevich]

No plans out of the ordinary. IMHO 'stocking up' fuels the media-driven frenzy.

 

Is the media in a frenzy? I see organizations acting urgently, closing things down and what not. That makes me pay attention.

 

Things are looking pretty good, but I trust they know more than I do so I will be stocking up a bit and if we don't need it, awesome - I'll be all set for an earthquake :) Knock on wood!

[Peek a Boo]

I have been trying to be more prepared in general,

 

This is us.

 

There's a social group about food storage. Lots of good links.

[SapphireStitch]

We are getting more fully stocked-up at the recommendation of my husband's employer. (We almost always have a good stock of food and supplies on hand, because I hate to run errands and like to have a well-stocked pantry.)

 

He works for a big medical school which is part of a larger medical center that will be greatly impacted if flu cases hit our area in a big way. They aren't in panic mode or anything, but they have to do everything they can to ensure that they have enough well employees to handle the patient load in an emergency.

 

Supposedly if it gets bad enough, govt agencies may impose mandatory "social distancing" measures and those could affect our ability to get groceries and supplies. If, hypothetically, a nurse can't get food to feed her kids or doesn't have anyone to care for them and can't get to work because of that, then patient care could be compromised. Child care was also addressed and employees were strongly urged to plan ahead for alternate child care arrangements in case schools or day cares had to close.

 

So, yes, we are stocking up a bit more than usual. It's almost all things we would normally buy and things we will use. If this all turns out to be nothing big in our area and blows over quickly we will just use the stuff up as usual.

[FlockOfSillies]

I believe all mothers should have 3 months worth of cans, jars, rice, cereal, etc.... because you just never know.

 

And where, oh where, would I store such a treasure trove of food for 7 people? Cereal? Three months of cereal? In my house, that would be 90 BOXES of cereal. Gimme a break. :glare:

[HappyGrace]

Okay, I'm lost-I thought things were quieting down, blowing over some?:confused:

 

Are you maybe in an area where there are lots of cases of the virus? Or are they still really worried about the whole country and just downplaying it?

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[JFSinIL]

Oh, just the usual Kleenex, chicken soup sort of stuff I'd want on hand in case we get it...and BOTH adults get sick at once. Happened last year. :glare:

[Peek a Boo]

And where, oh where, would I store such a treasure trove of food for 7 people? Cereal? Three months of cereal? In my house, that would be 90 BOXES of cereal. Gimme a break. :glare:

 

Mine too. The people that actually store food for 7 people for a year don't advise storing THAT kind of food-- a 3 month supply of oatmeal or flour/ingredients for pancakes/ muffins is much easier to store. ;)

 

Once you get into discussing REAL food storage, you explore dietary/ cooking changes. If you are seriously asking "where would I store...." then they've got your answer, lol......

[EKS]

I think that the media is behaving very irresponsibly.

[FO4UR]

No - I'm not stocking up.

 

I'm pretty sure I have the sw flu - I know there is a case in my co. and I have all the symptoms - but I'm not going to get tested and feed this crazy frenzy. It's a NORMAL flu! fever, headache, sore throat, etc... I felt like crud for 3 days and have a lingering cough.

 

There is really no reason to worry beyond the normal concerns over plain 'ole flu and cold stuff. :chillpill::001_smile:

[Pammy]

of the WHO and CDC who says that this isn't as bad as initially feared. This after VP Biden said he would advise his family not to get on a plane or other public transportation at all. Then yesterday the media reporting that the national guard is being called to guard the tamiflu stock. And now this. It is just nuts.

[Prairie~Phlox]

I coupon, so my pantry and cabinets are already full. Kind of staying out of the stores for now if I can.

[Julie in Austin]

And where, oh where, would I store such a treasure trove of food for 7 people? Cereal? Three months of cereal? In my house, that would be 90 BOXES of cereal. Gimme a break. :glare:

 

There's no need to be sarcastic. People who put a priority on food storage find a way to make it work--even with large families. For example, we do not have a regular bed frame or box spring on any of our beds. Instead we have 18 gallon rubbermaid totes with a mattress on top. It is the same height as a regular bed, so with the dust ruffle on, there is no way to tell that it is anything unusual.

 

I think it borders on irresponsible for a parent to not have at least one week's worth of supplies on hand. Anything could happen: depending on your part of the country, a hurricane, dam break, earthquake, blizzard, terrorist attack, trucker's strike, pandemic, whatever.

[mom4him]

I only go to the Sam's every 2 wks and I purchase most of my other groc. from our food club once a month. I buy my meat by the whole or 1/2 and get 20 or so chickens at once from a Hutterite colony. If I ran out from any one of these I would have others to carry us through. It is just the way we live.

[6packofun]

As far as I know, there has been ONE case here in Ohio, so no. I always stock up as much as I can, when I can, so that will have to do. I try to keep a few weeks' worth of food on hand, but living below the poverty level makes that difficult lately. :glare:

[Melinda in VT]

And where, oh where, would I store such a treasure trove of food for 7 people? Cereal? Three months of cereal? In my house, that would be 90 BOXES of cereal. Gimme a break. :glare:

 

I could be wrong, but I thought Karen was talking about baby cereal. A three-week supply of that wouldn't take up that much room.

 

For older kids, cold breakfast cereal is not a very space-conscious choice for food storage. Oats or cream of wheat, pancake mix, etc., is far better.

[Tammyla]

I'm in the process of restocking my winter pantry early this year and beginning to plant my own squarefoot garden out back. I'm blessed with a large basement and an extra freezer making storage pretty easy. If I had the chance to choose again, I would have opted for the full size extra freezer.

 

Shopping in bulk or when items are on sale saves plenty to make it worthwhile. There are plenty of items that never go bad like TP, soaps and deodorant. During the height of winter I can go three weeks easily without grocery shopping, but we do miss the fresh veggies and fruit.

[Tree House Academy]

We have actually been "storing" and "stocking up" for the last year or so. Our goal is to ALWAYS have at least a year's supply of canned goods/meats in the freezer, etc. We do this to prepare, in general, for anything that could happen (i.e. dh loses his job, etc. or even things like war or pandemic disease spread). I am not sure I would run out and do anything different right now just because of the flu...but I think it is a good idea, in general, to have enough food to last awhile and be overall prepared for any hard times that could come. :)

 

We also grow our own veggies in the summer and can/freeze accordingly.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[OneRoomSchoolHouse]

My parents have always advocated that my family stock up. I always thought of my mom as a little paranoid, until this year. With the economy changing and all the natural disasters close to here, I have finally taken the plunge and stocked up on salt, sugar, canned goods, rice, dried beans, oatmeal, paper goods, etc. I do feel soooooo mcuh better now. I know that if my dh loses his job we can at least eat.

[Perry]

My comments in red.

 

I can't believe this. Makes me wonder what the intent is of the WHO and CDC who says that this isn't as bad as initially feared.

 

Their intent is to communicate the information they have. It takes awhile to gather data and figure out what is going on. I just read a report that said the R0 (basic reproductive rate) is estimated to be 1.16. The R0 is "number of secondary infections caused by the introduction of a single infectious case into a completely susceptible population." IOW, each infected person will spread the disease, on average, to 1.16 other people. It's a measure of how easily the bug is transmitted to others. A disease needs an R0 of >1 to spread. If the R0 is less than 1 it will die out. This current estimate is just barely above 1, which is enough to keep it going, but just barely.

 

The lower it is, and the closer to one, the easier it is to interrupt transmission and cause the disease to die out. So this is very good news. It's the reason we're still seeing the disease mostly in travelers. If it had a high R0, it would be spreading through the community much more quickly.

 

You have to have some data and observe the course of transmission for awhile to calculate it, so it takes a little while. This is just an estimate- it will be adjusted as time goes on and more data becomes available.

This after VP Biden said he would advise his family not to get on a plane or other public transportation at all.

 

Biden is not exactly a disease expert. He shouldn't have said that, and was quickly corrected by.... everyone.

 

Then yesterday the media reporting that the national guard is being called to guard the tamiflu stock.

 

I do not understand why this bothers you. You'd prefer it not be guarded?

 

And now this.

 

"This" is social distancing, and it's the best defense we have. Revere has a great post today. I'd encourage you to read all of it, but here's the best part:

 

 

So that's where we are at this moment. There is some evidence from 1918 that cities that acted immediately to interrupt transmission by reducing opportunities for contact ("social distancing") did better than those that didn't. We would of course expect this on common sense grounds as well. That's what Mexico has done -- and I echo Laurie Garrett's point, they have done so at great cost to everyone's benefit. That is what is behind CDC's recommendations that a school be closed as soon as a case is confirmed. There is a cost to that, too. Proms are canceled, to the deep disappointment of the prom go-ers and the economic loss of the venues and ancillary businesses. Exams are delayed. Child care needs for younger students produce a ripple effect throughout the community. And as in Mexico, these costs can produce a backlash if the public doesn't understand why they have been incurred.

 

The irony is that the overreaction backlash will be more severe the more successful the public health measures are. If, for example, the virus peters out this spring because transmission was interrupted long enough for environmental conditions (whatever they are) to tip the balance against viral spread, CDC and local health officials will be accused of over reacting. It's another example of the adage, "When public health works, nothing happens." On the other hand, if local officials do nothing and things get worse, they will be accused of being slow.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Perry

[myfunnybunch]

I would...have...but more because I checked our regular stash of emergency supplies and realized it needed to be replenished and rotated than because of the swine flu virus.

 

I did stock up on meds and disinfectant more than I normally would, I suppose.

 

Cat

[Carrie12345]

There's no need to be sarcastic. People who put a priority on food storage find a way to make it work--even with large families. For example, we do not have a regular bed frame or box spring on any of our beds. Instead we have 18 gallon rubbermaid totes with a mattress on top. It is the same height as a regular bed, so with the dust ruffle on, there is no way to tell that it is anything unusual.

 

I think it borders on irresponsible for a parent to not have at least one week's worth of supplies on hand. Anything could happen: depending on your part of the country, a hurricane, dam break, earthquake, blizzard, terrorist attack, trucker's strike, pandemic, whatever.

 

We keep a 12 week stockpile for most items. For our family of 6 (and 4 pets). In our 1200-ish sq' home. And that usually does include copious amounts of cereal! :D

 

So, no, I'm not actually stocking up for the flu. I'm maintaining a stockpile for financial reasons, and that conveniently keeps us prepared for any emergencies.;)

[Frelle]

I have a full freezer and stocked pantry. I keep it stocked. But Im not doing anything out of the ordinary at all. Im ignoring the frenzy and reading nothing about new cases, etc etc. Eat healthy, wash hands, take vitamins, wash hands, get rest, wash hands, exercise wash hands...

[HeatherInWI]

I think it borders on irresponsible for a parent to not have at least one week's worth of supplies on hand. Anything could happen: depending on your part of the country, a hurricane, dam break, earthquake, blizzard, terrorist attack, trucker's strike, pandemic, whatever.

 

:iagree:

 

We can have blizzards and ice storms here, so I think that most people who aren't flat broke ought to have at least two weeks food, hygiene, and medical supplies on hand, plus a supplemental way to heat their homes (wood, LP tank, etc.). Granted, we'd be drinking powdered milk and eating dried fruits rather than our usual fresh, but if you buy dried products that last for years at a time, you can spend $100-200 *once* and be prepared until the next disaster.

[Chelle in MO]

I live under a rock, so I haven't kept up with this issue. Why are some people reacting differently to this flu than the "regular" cold-weather flu in regards to stocking up?

 

Chelle

[FlockOfSillies]

There's a HUGE difference between storing a week or two's worth of food and three MONTHS' worth. Sleeping on beds of Rubbermaid containers sounds a little... extreme.

[FlockOfSillies]

Who needs the media for a frenzy? All you need to do is read all 30+ swine flu threads HERE. And I made the mistake of finally reading one. Gaaah. I'm outta here.

[Ria]

There's a HUGE difference between storing a week or two's worth of food and three MONTHS' worth. Sleeping on beds of Rubbermaid containers sounds a little... extreme.

 

I agree. Extreme is the right word for this. I can understand having enough food to last a few weeks - that's a good plan just in case Mom gets hurt or sick, or if the power goes out and stores have to close for extended periods of time (happened in the summer here a few years ago after a violent series of thunderstorms). But months worth of food? Why? This sounds extremely irrational.

 

Ria (who would much rather have dust bunnies under the beds than stores of fear food)

[Vida Winter]

And where, oh where, would I store such a treasure trove of food for 7 people? Cereal? Three months of cereal? In my house, that would be 90 BOXES of cereal. Gimme a break. :glare:

 

Some hot cereals like Malt-O-Meal and Cream of Wheat are extremely condensed. A few boxes would provide many, many servings. Most big-box breakfast cereals are mostly air. I stopped getting that type of cereal other than occasionally when our son was a teen and could eat an entire box of cereal at one sitting.

[Prairie~Phlox]

I don't know if you guys can view this or not, but these gals on Hot Coupon World go to the extreme. I've heard that Mormons are taught to stockpile a years worth???

 

http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/stockpile-pictures/186939-crabtree122202s-stockpile-pictures.html

[Renai]

My parents have always advocated that my family stock up. I always thought of my mom as a little paranoid, until this year. With the economy changing and all the natural disasters close to here, I have finally taken the plunge and stocked up on salt, sugar, canned goods, rice, dried beans, oatmeal, paper goods, etc. I do feel soooooo mcuh better now. I know that if my dh loses his job we can at least eat.

 

Yep, I agree. One store in our area had a case sale back in September, and I stocked up- even had a bunch of milk in the freezer, meat, canned goods. I almost felt kind of silly getting so much food for three people. Then the next month, my husband was laid off (along with a mess of other construction workers). Didn't feel silly then. I will be getting a little more this weekend, since I no longer have a car, and my only transport is public transportation. I like being prepared, and see the importance of it since being hit.

[Elaine]

Yes, I'd say the media is feeding the fear. Swine flu has been the lead story on every news broadcast and newspaper I've seen in the past three days. Should everyone be aware of the situation, pay attention, practice good health habits like hand washing? Yes, absolutely. But is the sky falling??? No. At least, not yet ;)

 

Thank God! Someone else who is reasonable about all of this. :001_smile:

[FlockOfSillies]

She said "all mothers." ALL. THREE MONTHS' WORTH.

 

Now, I've got memberships to Costco and Sam's like everyone else, and I'm not unfamiliar with the jumbo value box of Cheerios, or value packs of ground beef and chicken, to say the least. But I can't even keep fruit in my house for more than four days. How do people with teenagers keep enough food for three months?

 

I repeat: three months? Ninety days?

 

Gaaahh!! I'm here again! I said I was leaving! Run away! Run away! I need to find a mother's helper.

 

If I come back here, shoo me away. Seriously.

[Hillary in KS]

People who put a priority on food storage find a way to make it work--even with large families. .....Anything could happen: depending on your part of the country, a hurricane, dam break, earthquake, blizzard, terrorist attack, trucker's strike, pandemic, whatever.

 

I agree. I started storing food at the beginning of tornado season in 2007. It began with just buying double of canned goods we used a lot of. One set went in my kitchen, another in my basement. Then I found a handy "stock up slowly" checklist, and worked my way through that. (It split everything up over 20 weeks, I think, so it wasn't a large chunk of change at once.)

 

Dh lost his job the day after Christmas in 2007. He was out of work for nearly 5 months. Food was the least of my worries, because we had at least 6 mos. worth in our basement. Money we would have used for food went toward buying insurance for our family. (At 1/3 the cost of COBRA, thankyouverymuch!)

 

Once dh found another job, we began to replenish our stockpile. And, no, we don't store cereal. Oatmeal? Yes. Flour? Yes. There are other ways to do breakfast than cold cereal.

 

There are lots of good groups and lists out there. People on them can offer wonderfully creative ideas for overcoming lack of storage issues! :)

[Hillary in KS]

Now, I've got memberships to Costco and Sam's like everyone else, and I'm not unfamiliar with the jumbo value box of Cheerios, or value packs of ground beef and chicken, to say the least.

Buy canned goods. Canned meat. Canned chicken or tuna. If you're preparing for an emergency, you won't mind not eating like a gourmet. We do have an upright freezer, and store some meat in there. Much of it's already cooked, though. But most of our stored meat is canned.

 

Also, you can get a giant Rubbermaid container, and store things out of boxes in there. If you're dead set on Cheerios, for example, take them out of those giant boxes. The bags and their contents are MUCH smaller than the boxes. Toss the bags of cereal into the giant rubbermaid box, and throw the cardboard Cheerios box away.

 

How do people with teenagers keep enough food for three months?

Keep it where no one will notice it. If it's in the kitchen in my house, it will be eaten. We have an out-of-the-way storage area in our basement. When we unload the car, doubles of everything goes straight down there. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

 

Again, try not think about how it can't be done. Of course it can be done! Try thinking about how you'll get it done. Search the web for storage ideas. There's ablog called (I think ) In a Shoe. She has 8 or 9 children, and had great ideas about storage shelves they made in the crawl spaces under their Texas (basement-free) home, for example.

 

You can do this! :001_smile:

[Karen sn]

And where, oh where, would I store such a treasure trove of food for 7 people? Cereal? Three months of cereal? In my house, that would be 90 BOXES of cereal. Gimme a break. :glare:

 

Well, I suppose if anything ever happens you can run right out and get your 2 weeks worth of food that they think is all you will need.

 

In a true SHTF scenario, you would eat less and make it last.

[Karen sn]

There's a HUGE difference between storing a week or two's worth of food and three MONTHS' worth. Sleeping on beds of Rubbermaid containers sounds a little... extreme.

 

I think watching your kids starve is more extreme.

I know PLENTY of people who have 3 months or more stored.

They rotate it so new stuff gets put in the back.

It saves us quite a bit of money because I can stock up on real sales.

[Karen sn]

I don't know if you guys can view this or not, but these gals on Hot Coupon World go to the extreme. I've heard that Mormons are taught to stockpile a years worth???

 

http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/stockpile-pictures/186939-crabtree122202s-stockpile-pictures.html

 

Those pictures turn me on.

I go in our basement and see our rather long but thin shelves and their organized cans, boxes, jars.....it makes me feel good.

[Karen sn]

She said "all mothers." ALL. THREE MONTHS' WORTH.

 

Now, I've got memberships to Costco and Sam's like everyone else, and I'm not unfamiliar with the jumbo value box of Cheerios, or value packs of ground beef and chicken, to say the least. But I can't even keep fruit in my house for more than four days. How do people with teenagers keep enough food for three months?

 

I repeat: three months? Ninety days?

 

Gaaahh!! I'm here again! I said I was leaving! Run away! Run away! I need to find a mother's helper.

 

If I come back here, shoo me away. Seriously.

 

I seriously don't understand your snark.

So what if I think a certain way.

You don't have to.

I buy food at Fred's and Big Lots - cheap.

Sam's is not really a bargain place in my book.

 

 

And guess what - I don't actually have 3 months worth of cereal in my basement. But the cereal, rice, beans, canned: salmon, veggies, fruit, soups etc.... would all feed my family for 3 months IF we did not pig out.

I would lose that last 15 pounds of baby weight real fast!

 

But we would eat.

[Renai]

I agree. Extreme is the right word for this. I can understand having enough food to last a few weeks - that's a good plan just in case Mom gets hurt or sick, or if the power goes out and stores have to close for extended periods of time (happened in the summer here a few years ago after a violent series of thunderstorms). But months worth of food? Why? This sounds extremely irrational.

 

Ria (who would much rather have dust bunnies under the beds than stores of fear food)

 

I don't have food under our bed (our bed sits on the floor), but I'll tell you what: I was very glad I had stocked up almost 3 months of food during that case sale.

 

I don't predict things too well, and had no idea dh was losing his job completely after 9 years of steady work (we heard it *might* slow down a little), but be out of work for 4 months? No way. At least we ate. We will always have a good store of food from now on. Another case sale hit as we were running out of stuff last month, I stocked up again, since we had enough to cover rent and could get some cases. We were able to help another family with food. Summer is supposed to be good (he's worked for 1.5 months, but it ends next week), and we'll be storing up again for next winter.

 

I think it's just good planning. It's keeping us out of the food pantries, which were hard hit when construction stopped completely here, and a whole hunk of folks lost their jobs.

 

But to answer the question: we're stocking up, but it less to do with the flu, than it has to do with survival if dh's job situation doesn't improve soon.

[Peek a Boo]

There's a HUGE difference between storing a week or two's worth of food and three MONTHS' worth. Sleeping on beds of Rubbermaid containers sounds a little... extreme.

 

You're right --there IS a big difference. that's why plenty of people have taken the time to *learn* that difference.

 

I agree. Extreme is the right word for this. I can understand having enough food to last a few weeks - that's a good plan just in case Mom gets hurt or sick, or if the power goes out and stores have to close for extended periods of time (happened in the summer here a few years ago after a violent series of thunderstorms). But months worth of food? Why? This sounds extremely irrational.

 

Ria (who would much rather have dust bunnies under the beds than stores of fear food)

 

why call it fear food? That's about as rational as calling all homeschooling fearful of the school system ;)

 

If you are truly interested in learning or understanding why then there are plenty of rational sites out there that go into great detail about rational ways to accomplish such a system.

 

She said "all mothers." ALL. THREE MONTHS' WORTH.

 

well yeah -- like "all mothers" should be washing their hands several times a day. ALL. for the rest of their LIVES.

 

note that she also said "should" lol.

 

Now, I've got memberships to Costco and Sam's like everyone else, and I'm not unfamiliar with the jumbo value box of Cheerios, or value packs of ground beef and chicken, to say the least. But I can't even keep fruit in my house for more than four days. How do people with teenagers keep enough food for three months?

 

I repeat: three months? Ninety days?

 

 

and I'll repeat: if you're really interested in knowing HOW, look it up! You're smart enough, cool enough, and by golly, people like you :)

 

 

I seriously don't understand your snark.

So what if I think a certain way.

You don't have to.

 

 

:iagree: w/most of Karen's comments in this thread.

I certainly don't have a 3-month supply of food, but it doesn't seem impossible or irrational to be able to do so.

 

i like this idea:

http://www.kirkhams.org/rotator.htm

[Misty]

I went two days ago and stocked up. I had two shopping carts overflowing. My husband is military and away so I can't have him stop and get things for me. And I have four children at home that I have to take everywhere I go. So to limit our exposure to the public for the next few weeks (and in case of closings) I just went ahead and stocked up.