So what is everyone working on this month? I went back to work 2 weeks ago after being on furlough for 3 months and I'm not happy about it.  I feel like things are going to get really bad again soon. I have been restocking up on the items we used while in quarantine. 

I was home for a little over a week helping my mother out and getting her squared away with restocking up preps. They are definitely buying up TP at the Costco's in my home county. They entirely ran out while we were there so I am glad I told her to get that prior to me coming. While I was home, I got her good with water and dog food. As for me, I need to do some restocking too.

Finished with the strawberry preserves (although I think one batch turned into strawberry and ant preserve  ).  

The next will be forest-blueberries, if I can find enough although recent rain might help swell the berries.  These I will blanch and bottle which keeps them semi-fresh. [This system also depends on regularly turning the jars upside down - first week every day, then less frequently - something in this process stops bacteria growing, like running vs still water.]  Some I will freeze as well.  

Oh that sounds neat. I've wanted to try out canning fruits, but I think for now, I'm going to look up sales on in season fruits and give my dehydrator a whirl. I've only ever used it for meat, and I've been wanting to use it for fruit since I'm kind of tired of seeing food coloring in the dried papaya 🙃.

The general atmosphere I am seeing in certain facebook groups and other places is - folks are stocking up for the fall/winter.

I myself look for things that in the past have been in short supply- lysol spray, tp, paper towels, yeast, etc. and buy a little more each time for my pantry.

I have 4 sacks of flour and 1 huge bag of sugar in my frig stocked up.

Another thing is - I am going to get my second shingles vaccine this week as the pharmacist told me to get in before the flu season. Might be good to get all that kind of thing out of the way.

I am starting over.  Stocked really well in January, gone through a majority of my preps and now back to square one.  I need it all again.  So I will make a trip to costco, walmart and both local grocery stores because they each have things I want.  Plus I shop the sales to keep cost down.  At each place I will buy a case of water and a thing of TP.  then the specifics. I will spend around $600 which is what I did last times.  Worried a lot about start of school and what will happen and then what happens in November.  our family may bug out to a mountain condo for the election.  Even though we do not live in the city, there has been some crazy posts on our local forum about a "revolution" so I am not taking any chances!  Good times!  

I've got medium stock levels of everything and am increasing them gradually. I do need more candles. One thing I've been doing this week is to cut up old clothes into rags. I had about 3 bin liners full of old sheets, old childrens clothes etc, all clean and needing to be sorted for the charity shops. I went through them and the good condition clothes I gave away but all the rest, I have been systematically cutting up into squares, removing seams and buttons. When I've finished I'll pack these away in a suitcase and they will become my "all else fails" loo roll alternative. Obviously disposable!!!

You made a small mistake in your post which I am correcting below: 

KiwiMum wrote: . Obviously disposable washable and reuseable like cloth nappies !!!

I decided I need to invest in another box of KN95's.  I have 12 (using one about once a week), but I'm thinking with the news about lack of immunity and messaging from this administration, I think perhaps another 10 or 20 is in order.  I think some face shields might also be in order. 

WitchMisspelled wrote: I decided I need to invest in another box of KN95's.  I have 12 (using one about once a week), but I'm thinking with the news about lack of immunity and messaging from this administration, I think perhaps another 10 or 20 is in order.  I think some face shields might also be in order.

I *just* ordered face shields about an hour ago!  From a company in Michigan that has been advertising on Facebook for months, and has great reviews.  I also ordered some cheap ones to pick up at Sam's Club on Thursday, since I need them Thursday night.  

I now have a dozen ads for other face shields on my Facebook timeline.. so there are definitely a lot out there.  

Where did you get your KN95's?  I ordered a couple of boxes for my Dad from my asthma products company, but haven't gotten any for myself yet.  

Link for face shields you ordered?

These are not cheap, but I bought my last box of 10 from https://www.cov.care/ - https://www.cov.care/ .  Since each mask seems to last  6 or so wearings (keeping in mind it's humid summer and I get very sweaty under the mask), I think maybe I should order 10 more to take me into the new year.  The face shields I was going to order from Amazon unless someone suggests otherwise.   

WitchMisspelled wrote: These are not cheap, but I bought my last box of 10 from https://www.cov.care/ - https://www.cov.care/ .  Since each mask seems to last  6 or so wearings (keeping in mind it's humid summer and I get very sweaty under the mask), I think maybe I should order 10 more to take me into the new year.  The face shields I was going to order from Amazon unless someone suggests otherwise.

Thanks! Those are actually cheaper and have better specs than the ones I got.  I'll probably get some from them too.  

If you can wait a bit I'll let you know about the shields when I get them... 

WitchMisspelled wrote: (using one about once a week),

I wasn't very clear with this, was I?  I use one mask that I wear about once a week when I go out for groceries and that one I've gotten six wearings out.  It's beginning to show some wear so I might get one or two more wearings. I think it will last longer when the weather gets cooler and I don't "glisten" so much.

I have three 5lb bags of flour that have gone past their best by date as of last May.  How much longer do you think it'll be good for.  The flour is still in its original packaging after I froze each sack for 48 hours.  

WitchMisspelled wrote: These are not cheap, but I bought my last box of 10 from https://www.cov.care/ - https://www.cov.care/ .  Since each mask seems to last  6 or so wearings (keeping in mind it's humid summer and I get very sweaty under the mask), I think maybe I should order 10 more to take me into the new year.  The face shields I was going to order from Amazon unless someone suggests otherwise.

I get mine here. They are in NY and usually have a good price, $1.50 each or so.

https://www.toolnut.com/bd-brand-kn95-disposable-mask-20-pack-in-stock.html - https://www.toolnut.com/bd-brand-kn95-disposable-mask-20-pack-in-stock.html

The masks from  Michigan already shipped (!!!). I'll report back as soon as I get them.  

WitchMisspelled: Sorry, no clue on the flour.  I dumped some expired flour back in February because I couldn't find a good answer.  

Hi Witchy!

Smell the flour. If it smells “right,” you’re still good to use it. Bad flour gets an odd, musty, sort of sour smell. You’d know it if you smelled it.

If they still smell okay, I would suggest keeping them in the freezer (if possible) and using them up fairly quickly. Just think of all the yummy baking in your future! (And you’ll have cute Merlin cheering you on!) 

Picked up the Sam's Club shields today. They limited me to a quantity of 1 box, which contains 4 shields.   They're very lightweight, so marketed as single use.  But with care they should last longer.  At $4.99 for 4 shields, they are definitely worth buying to have.  Not available to ship, pickup in club only.  

Seems like they are flexible enough to eat pizza while wearing it. I'll know for sure tonight. :-)

Definitely enough room to drink something with a straw. 

I've been doing some stocking up this week. My freezer and pantry is full again. I was able to find 3 packages of Lysol wipes but still no spray. Of course I got plenty of toilet paper lol. I refuse to be one of those people standing in lines for items. I took a Covid test yesterday because our work was offering them free, as one of the employees at another location tested positive. 

I've been to three different Costco's just because I'm back in the town I live in regularly and gotta replenish my own stuff. None of those Costco have TP. Target has about half the amount. They finally have Method brand antibacterial all purpose cleanser. Been months since I seen that. Yeast slowly making a reappearance if you go to the right Whole Foods or Ralph's. Lysol you have to time it right I am told to find in certain stores. They'll only restock a limited quantity. I'm looking mostly for my mother rather than myself since I use mostly natural-derived/clean products at home due to getting allergic reactions to too many things lately.

ksc - that's the best price I've seen yet!  Thanks for the link.

BeachMama - thanks for the advice on flour!

figured this would be a good spot for this....

Thanks for the reminder Tabintha - people have already posted on negative comments they have been getting in shops when stocking up, so do be careful in whom you tell.

This is why I shop online...

Ditto, Witchy!  Plus: convenience, price, choice, etc....

No posts for a while here, life has been crazy between home and work. Home now in quarantine pending test results after becoming symptomatic.
Used most preps since March. So time to restock a bit. We had a lack of fresh veggies and fruits (I hate canned) and the frozen took up lots of freezer space, that at the time, I felt meat was more important for my meat and potato lovers in the house. seemed like we ate too many carbs and breads, mainly as a side probably for comfort food eating...5lbs-10lbs later, I hope to avoid that again unless there is a calorie deficit. Becoming ill a few days ago has allowed me to be home to catch up on the news, has given me a new motivation to get prepared for winter, my job demands will increase even more (healthcare admin). Husband was onboard with a little prepping back around March-April when things were ramping up (and frankly too late, I had already prepped since January by then) but even he has made statements up until a week ago we need to “use up” shelf stable items that do not even expire for another year....how quickly the amnesia sets in 😬😳. This feels like the tip of wave 2, which was the worst wave of 1918 flu.

Welcome back HoosierMom!  Like you, I despise canned veg.  Have you considered getting the gear and seeds to grow sprouts?  Great on sandwiches and with some grated or julienne carrots make a great little side salad with a vinaigrette.  

As far as hubby goes... *sigh*.  Do what you can!

Having been to 2 boarding-schools (one of which had such awful food we had a hunger-strike) I can eat anything.  The first Rambo film said he could eat things which would make a goat sick.  Well, I can eat things which would make Rambo sick.  

Yet I avoid most canned food, it is nutritionally damaged.  The delicate chelation bonds, which render the minerals in food useable, are broken during the canning process.  Like a suitcase without a handle, it's all there, but hard to take inside.

Dried, sprouted, frozen are all better.

Techno, I never would have pegged you as a Boarding School Brat!    

Thanks Witch, just received positive results 😷. Yes I have sprouting supplies, good reminder to maybe add another variety.

Oh HoosierMom!  I'm so sorry.  Keep us posted!

As an aside.. if anyone has Lupus do not use alfalfa.  Some enzyme in alfalfa sprouts exacerbates the condition and might cause a flare-up.  Broccoli makes nice sprouts and there's a bunch of mixes that are really good too!

Hoosier, I’m so sorry! Please stay safe. Keep us updated. You’re in my thoughts and prayers.   

Also thinking of you Hoosier.  

Definitely a brat, Witchy.   

I went to boarding school too and I still like scrambled eggs made with dried egg powder, but you can't get it here. I learnt never to be late to a meal or you didn't get much to eat. I still use that as a guiding principle today.  

Hoosier, sorry to hear about your symptoms. Keep us informed on your results and also what it's like having Covid 19. Get well soon.

Hoosier Mom, I might have missed it, but do you have an idea of how you were exposed?
Please take care and check in again.
I feel so awful for anyone who gets this.

I'm taking advantage of this lull, NYC is having and did some stocking up at the market.  Six pounds of coffee (Dunkin Donut full pounds) another four months of TP and a few jars of CoffeeMate mocha creme creamer.   After I got home, I realized I should have picked up a few packages of top round thin slice steaks for stir fry.  Next week.  It will still be quiet then.  I think our "event horizen" will be sometime in October, but there were an awful lot of people wearing chin straps or no mask at all when I was out and about.  

KiwiMum wrote: I went to boarding school too and I still like scrambled eggs made with dried egg powder, but you can't get it here.

Not being able to get egg powder in NZ surprises me!  The canned butter I stocked in is made in Aus.  And I have a friend in Aus who buys powdered egg as much as fresh.  So "ugly American" that I am I assumed that long term dairy items were freely available in NZ too!  

Talking about schools.... I also went to a Public School (does that count)?  

On prepping, half my onions are drying, and the other half is still to be picked...again a bit of a disappointment in size, so I am glad I don't have to depend on what I am growing.  

WitchMisspelled wrote: KiwiMum wrote: I went to boarding school too and I still like scrambled eggs made with dried egg powder, but you can't get it here. Not being able to get egg powder in NZ surprises me!  The canned butter I stocked in is made in Aus.  And I have a friend in Aus who buys powdered egg as much as fresh.  So "ugly American" that I am I assumed that long term dairy items were freely available in NZ too!

I have seen canned butter here but not in the supermarkets and it was very expensive. I also have 2 Jersey dairy cows and make fresh butter so we have so much butter I'm always looking for ways to use it up. I've never seen dried eggs here, but don't need them as I get a dozen fresh eggs a day from my chickens. But I can still taste the dried eggs and I still like them. They make very watery scrambled eggs. If you press them down on the plate with your fork, water comes out of them. It makes your toast very soggy so the trick is to eat the toast seperately and not let it touch the plate. Then it's delicious! My other hang over from boarding school is that I only eat my toast cold. I like it cold and crispy or cold and floppy, with lots of cold butter spread thickly on the top. I'm quite happy to eat day old floppy toast. It's lovely. haha

I went ahead and ordered 3 more "fashionable" Vera Bradley masks, inserts for them and one of those headbands with buttons to attach a mask to.

I figured might as well have some more cute ones to add to my ever growing collection, as I think we will be wearing them for a long time to come.

In "RANT", roni3470 heard from a friend who was a manager at Target that Target corporate put out the directive of limiting on package of paper towels and toilet paper per customer.  

As I was filling out an online order I saw that Amazon Fresh was doing the same thing.  I checked around on a couple of other online shopping sites I use and found the same all around. All of these sites are connected to brick and mortar so I imagine the same is happening all over.  Anyone notice something while shopping at a brick and mortar?

I did notice at my big Walmart supercenter about a week ago, that the toilet paper and paper towel section had huge empty gaps in it. I did not think anything at the time, except they had not got around to restocking. Now I think there may be more to it...

Also, for the love of all that is holy....impossible to find Lysol spray or equivalent and the wipes (Clorox, Lysol, store brand, etc) That part of the shelves in every single store I go in is empty all of the time.

I resorted to putting in an order at Amazon Fresh to get 1 Lysol spray and 1 Clorox wipes.

It seemed like the only way.

Heads up:

 Everyone needs to save your spray pumps and  from sanitizer, soap and other dispensers

I  was talking about a shortage of aluminum cans awhile back on this forum , and I heard on a radio talk show on Friday that there is also a shortage of spray pumps for things like soap bottles, sanitizers, etc. 

So even if the supply of pump soap and sanitizers improves, the manufacturers won't be able to replenish the spray pumps, just refill bottles. So they are suggesting that everyone save their used containers with the spray pumps  as they are harder to produce.

Costco today- limit one toilet paper per member (I think it was limit 2 the last time I made a Costco run). Also their Kirkland brand bacon was limit one per customer. (Other varieties had no limit). Kirkland was the cheapest per pound. We used a lot of bacon during the shut down, as it’s versatile. So I’ll be adding more to the freezer soon.

Well, we might have a Cat 1 or 2 Hurricane brushing our area. ( Virginia Beach) Still not a concise track.

Went to Aldi today to get the week's groceries.

I always buy a few extra cans of this or that or napkins, etc. to put in the pantry.

Was in the produce section when two youngish (maybe late 20's) guys walked in, no masks, they headed right for me, no distance at all...I backed up and went "whoa" out loud, the guy goes "what?" I say "no masks" he starts "do you know that masks...." I cut him off "I don't want to hear it, I have a medical background so don't waste your breathe" then he says under his breath "uneducated" and walks off...of course me being me...sometimes hard for me to keep my mouth shut says "hey, I am more educated than you are" ...the end. No he didn't curse me, or come at me...but yes, I realize that these situations are not ideal. sigh.
Just call me frustrated. 
p.s masks are mandated in Virginia

Car is gassed up. Plenty of food and water in the house. Its wait and see right now.

What's your elevation above sea level, Tabitha?  

9 meters

I have lived here 19 years, used to this kind of thing.

Stay safe, Tabitha!

Okay so you don't have to worry about storm surge.  Stay safe Tabitha.  Being a nor'east coaster, I've gotten through a few myself.  I never worried much except when we started having tornadoes somewhere in the 00's.  Thank you climate change!

Go, Tabitha!! I guess we could argue that it is the onus of the educated to correct those who _think_ they are right when their fragile grasp of logic fails...right?  

It can be very hard to hold one’s tongue when people so blatantly eschew the mandates that are put into place for the protection of others. They just don’t care. 

Best of luck to you Tabitha. I lived in Norfolk for 10 years. One block from the Elizabeth River an a few blocks over from ODU. Depending on when high tide was and storm surge would depend on how close the water came. I loved Norfolk, but wouldn't want to live there now. 

My son graduated from ODU.

Yes, it floods there terribly.

I retired in this area (Hampton Roads) when my ship (USS Nimitz) pulled into the yards for an overhaul.

Small world!

FWIW, NYC is preparing for Isaias  as if it were Superstorm Sandy.  Evidently two fronts are moving east to meet up with Isaias as it enters the northeast.  Meteorologists here are warning we could have the strongest wind and rains since Sandy.  This will funnel waters in through the waterways the way it did with Sandy.  They're preparing the flood gates in the tunnels as we speak and when winds hit 49mph, train service, buses, etc... will be shut down.  

I'm fine.  I'm on top of a ridge.  Although I'm within walking distance to the harbor, my elevation is just under 100 feet.  

Definitely a small world, I've been on the Nimitz. You guys be careful.