So it’s been a pretty wild winter. I just heard Portland got over a foot of snow last week which is unheard of and Idaho had more snow than they’ve has since they began keeping records! Our weather in the Pacific Northwest {and across the country in general} has been nuts. There is snow on the ground in every single state except Florida. 49 states have snow on the ground. Wow. That’s a lot of snow. And with that unprecedented snow came a lot of storm warnings. And when people hear storm, they apparently clear shelves of milk, bread, eggs and toilet paper.
But why is that our go-to? Why is there a mad dash to stock up on such specific items? Seems like some odd choices given that many storms knock out power for an extended period of time. Why are we grabbing things that have to be refrigerated? Why not apples, chips and Oreos?
All across the country, the shelves are bare down the same aisles. But it might be a certain part of the country that kicked off the hoarding of those random items.
That is awesome! So now I’m curious as to what YOU stock up on before a big storm? If the weatherman gave a warning, what would you clear the shelves of? Do you have an emergency kit? Have you ever survived a super storm?
I’m off to weather the storm of life,
~Mavis
Alice says
why do you need to worry about refrigeration if you are stocking up for the snow storm. Snow outside- natural refrigerator-incase the power goes out..
Emily E. says
Absolutely! We routinely use our deck and enclosed, unheated porch to store things that need refridgerated. It’s one of the “perks” of the cold weather!
Susan says
Today is the 9th day of No School in the Portland/Vancouver area- and that doesn’t include Christmas break or MLK Day.
We have had ice or snow and below 32 degrees for a little over a month. The roads and sidewalks are terrible everywhere.
Today it’s freezing rain. Supposed to FINALLY thaw tonight…but not before a dangerous commute in east count.
Then it’s on to rain and flooding…..
Looking forward to normal weather. We still have at least 6″ of snow on the ground.
DH and I went to Fred Meyer yesterday for a few things…Ribeye for $4.99 lb. this week… and their shelves were bare of milk and a few other things.
Fortunately we could live a while around here without stocking up on anything. This whole time we never “needed” to go to the store.
Karin Carsin says
Gas for generators, propane for trailer and bbq for cooking etc. I have a large pantry full of my canning from fruits,veggies, soups and sauces, we have 3 freezers full of basically everything we would need and pantry items as well. Medication if needed is important especially daily needed ones. Maybe a few 20# bags of potatoes and some bottled water .
Gayle says
Here in the Ohio valley we usually have snow snow snow but this year next to nothing. Today it was 55 degrees. This is very unusual . I don’t stick up on anything! We are so used to snow the roads are usually clear in a day !
Tracy says
Heck, party at Karen’s!
Suzanne says
Toilet paper, coffee, bread, eggs and milk.
erin in ia says
I always laugh when I hear others going out to stock up for the storm. Most Americans have enough food in their house to last week’s if not months.
Tracy T says
I live close to the Gulf Coast in Texas. We have to prepare for hurricanes. Nothing is sacred at the grocery store – these people take it all. It will look like the hurricane hit “inside” the store before the outside looks bad. I would say generators are the hardest thing to find. No one wants to live in 95+ heat with 100% humidity for 7-10 days without any power.
Brianna says
We were suppose to get a big storm in GA about two weekends ago and I just happen to run to Costco for my monthly trip at the same time. People were clearing generators, batteries, bottled water, toilet paper, eggs, milk, bread, and……ramen noodles! I don’t bother because I have been through many winter storms and as long as I have hot tea and fixings for a soup or stew, I’m happy waiting it out.
Jessica says
I generally have plenty of basics on hand to keep everyone well fed and snacked on during any decent NE Ohio Storm… The only thing I will check on is our gallons of water.. Our spoiled fish require this in their tank and we keep enough extra on hand for when our reverse osmosis filter cannot keep up with our consumption. We are on a well so if we lose power we need it on hand also.. for the beloved coffee, cocoa and tea! lol
Tracy says
I’m in your neck of the woods Mavis! When severe weather comes in I’m usually getting prepared to lose power so I cook up soup, beans and bake bread. We don’t eat meat around here so I don’t worry so much about freezer spoilage. We also use the outdoors for refrigeration since it’s usually winter when we have weather issues.
Rebecca says
We usually have plenty in our pantry and freezer to get through a storm. I cannot remember a storm that kept me inside past 3-4 days, and that was ice, not snow.
sharon says
Toilet, water (we have a well and if we loose power, no water) cat food and cat litter.
Lynne says
I’m a city girl and my needs are few. I could probably last a week or two without supplies but I’m not picky. If I get desperate it’s because I also lost heat, so I just walk 2 blocks to the hospital for a warm meal. Otherwise it’s rice & beans, “freezer surprise” soup, whatever.
Carrie says
I don’t buy anything special but I will go ahead and plan a few meals (soup, spaghetti, fajitas) and get the items for that so I don’t have to go out for a few days. I do make sure I have firewood (for the wood stove), dog and chicken food and coffee for me. And a few books to read in case Netflix isn’t available. 🙂
I wish people would stay home during a big snow storm. I love the peacefulness that comes in the morning after a snow and would love to stay at home for 3 days.
Heather Paullus says
We usually try to have disposable diapers & wipes for baby (we use cloth normally), batteries for lanterns, water, hot dogs etc for grill, charcoal, then in case the power stays on (but we are stuck inside)….eggs, milk, etc
Maxine says
I have dried milk and dried eggs just in case. Bring in extra wood for a fire, although it’s an insert and if we lose power we lose the fan, otherwise we try to stay stocked with things
Andrea says
Definitely no snow in Louisiana! I’m wearing sandals in January (call the fashion police!) but it’s 79 degrees!
Debi says
It’s funny that while the west coast is having unbelievable snow we have none. We live in northeastern NY, about an hour from Montreal and we are used to having one to two feet of snow at this time of the year and we have none. Not a single flake! When we used to have big storms we always made sure that we had gas for the generator, bottled water and bread. Everything else I usually have well stocked.
Michele says
My husband makes me watch too much of The Walking Dead. We are always stocked up.
I know…it’s not rational.
Cheryl says
We always have milk, bread, eggs and toilet paper so I run for the essentials. I get Hershey chocolate bars, marshmallows, graham crackers to make smores over the fireplace. And buy more chips. Cheryl
jackie says
In Wisconsin, it’s not that you can’t get out, but more like you would rather not bother. Like you, I’m pretty well stocked in the pantry and freezer. I plan to stay home for a few days, so I make sure I have milk for my tea, and some fresh produce. Maybe a sweet treat, too. Hunkering down for a few days a week in the Winter definitely helps my budget. If you prepared for a storm in Wisconsin, you would see the checkout line full of customers stocking up on – BEER of course!
Lisa C says
I can confirm that there is no snow in Florida. Our high today was 75 degrees and everyone is wearing shorts and flip flops
Teresa Young says
I rarely have to run out for supplies but I will make a pot of chili or soup, things that just have to be reheated as opposed to cooked. We can reheat on the propane grill.
AmyWW says
In the Houston area (hurricanes and more rarely, ice storms) we stock up on water for drinking and cleaning/flushing, and batteries for flashlights. We have a 72-hour kit for each person in the family which includes emergency supplies (first aid kit, food, change of clothes, water purifier, tent, flashlight, hand-crank weather radio/phone charger, etc.) If we are low on canned items (we never are) I might stock up on those so that water and electricity are not required to prepare meals.
maggi says
you took the words right out of my mouth. i used to live in galveston and am now in the tampa area.much the same problems and the same preps. i just add more water, litter and cat food for the girls.
Libby says
We do all the same plus I try and get all the laundry done and the house vacuumed if there is a possibility of losing power. Make sure anything that charges is charged up. Fill gas tanks in cars and any gas storage cans. Get some cash. Make ice blocks to keep in the freezer.
After back-to-back one week power outages two years in a row in Connecticut, I now have a plastic storage bin for power outages. It includes paper plates and cups, candles, matches, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and I can’t remember what else!
HollyG says
We’ve been getting stranded at home on and off since Dec 7th. No power loss, just a really slippery, fairly treacherous hill – snow and ice. When we go out between snows, we picked up milk, a few extra batteries and bird food (seed and suet). The rest we have at home in the pantry and freezers.
JC says
French toast placates the frost giants that come with the storm. 🙂
For the recent NC potential disaster, I picked up emergency water (in case the pipes froze), restocked the charcoal for the grill, and filled the gas tank. As for food I make sure I have eggs, soup, sandwich fixings, instant noodles, apples, peanut butter, carrots, and oatmeal to survive about a week’s worth of a power outage. I also pick up brie, olives, hard salami, and good chocolate because if I’m going to end up out of power, I want to be able to indulge myself at least once.
I usually don’t need any of it, but I remember the ice storm that knocked power out for 9 days, so I like to be prepared.
Linda Sand says
Toilet paper, paper towels, hand wipes, canned tuna/salmon/chicken, baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, fresh fruit, bottled beverages, paper plates and plastic silverware, heavy duty trash bags, basically anything you can store in the pantry then eat when the electricity is out which means the water pumps may not be working and we can’t cook, can’t wash dishes, and we don’t want to open the fridge anymore than necessary. No BBQ grills allowed on the tiny balcony of our 4th floor apartment and the electric stove and microwave won’t work. If we think the power will be out multiple days we might pre-cook a batch of meat and store it in a cooler on that balcony as well as hard boil any eggs we have on hand. We also have a bucket toilet in case we can’t flush. In Minnesota you either prepare for blizzards or you evacuate.
Elizabeth says
Storms always used to mean power outages for several days or weeks… So it was always a lot of shelf stable foods. However, as grains and dairy don’t agree with me, and two of our kids are allergic to corn, we can’t buy most packaged products. We end up with a lot of fruit and veggies.
Jane says
We live in the mountains in western Wyoming. I have 3 ft of snow in my back yard from last week. When I saw how much we were getting, I made sure I had plenty of espresso!! That’s all 🙂
Deborah says
We live in north central Illinois. We get lots of snow, flooding, and tornadoes. But we don’t run to the store to stock up on anything. We always fill our cars up when they get to half tank. I buy my eggs from a friend at 4 doz at a time so I always have eggs. We make our own bread products. And we don’t use milk.
But we do have that conversation when there is a storm, and wonder why people don’t keep more food stuffs in their homes. It doesn’t make sense when you live in an area of the country that has major stores every season.
Deborah says
We don’t “stock up” before a storm. If we did, it would be crackers. We usually have everything we’d need if a storm hit. The last tornado that came through East Texas, we were sitting on the front screened in porch eating supper when it hit. We had just lost the electricity and it was dark inside. The tornado went in front of us, and behind us. We were really blessed not to have gotten any damage.
gina says
South Floridian in 81 degrees here today.
We have no problems in winter, spring, or fall, but we prepare for hurricanes some summers. We’ve been in the clear for over 10 years, but last year one came close.
A couple of times we lost power for up to two weeks 15 years ago. Worst part is the heat (summer), but many have generators. We don’t. We just go to relatives in the area whose electricity is up. You need three days worth of food. Water, batteries, canned food, ice for coolers, powdered milk, fruit, peanut butter, tuna, paper plates and cups, etc. After two, at the most three days, stores get going again. Supplies get diverted to areas in need.
Sara says
I have a pretty stocked pantry/extra freezer, and I can fruit, salsa, jams, pickled veggies quite a bit, so we’re not going to starve. However, if I’m home all day with family I tend to bake/cook relatively big breakfasts and make more-than-normal desserts. I also have dry milk (which normally I use for bread-machine baking) and dried eggs, but I’m not a big fan of either if I have a choice. We usually go through 3-4 gallons of milk a week, and I can’t store more than that, so I do stock up on milk and other perishables if I think I’m not going to be able to get a store for a while.
I haven’t had the power go out where I am (outside Portland) for more than a few hours in the 13+ years we’ve lived in this house, so I can’t say that’s a major consideration, but I do have coolers that I could easily put outside in the freezing weather. Right now I am out of real milk, butter (I went through much of my butter freezer stockpile over the holidays), eggs and maple syrup.
When I think stores are going to be busy, I’m using the Fred Meyer clicklist thingy so I don’t have to leave my car and face the craziness. They still take coupons, at your car, and they have a very generous substitution policy.
We live on a hill perfect for sledding, and this is now the second time this Winter we’ve gone about a week with no mail, garbage pickup, any other kind of delivery service. The kids are going to be going to school waaay late this Summer.
Tracy says
I’m in New York and very occasionally lose power after some of the very atypical storms we’ve had over the last few years. I have a very full freestanding freezer of proteins and prepared meals, stock, etc. Because we have natural gas in my area, I can still cook on my gas stove even with no power. I do stock up on tea, coffee, and half and half. (Running out of half and half is a def con 5 emergency here.). I always have plenty of toilet paper, and staples. I always try to make sure I have plenty of firewood so I can heat even without power. My biggest concern is keeping the fridge, freezers going and in warm weather, the sump pump powered. My wonderful next door neighbor is on a different power grid than my house, so in advance of a big storm, we will run hundreds of feet of power cords in both directions so if one of us loses power, we can hook into the others power and keep everything going without having to tend to generators. If we lose all power, we just keep the generator going, four hours on, four hours off. Dirty little secret….I love a good power outage!
Sally says
WINE lots of WINE…
Denise B says
Yes, I totally agree!
Jamie says
We typically don’t have to “stock up” because our fridge is ALWAYS stocked with eggs, bread, potatoes, and dinosaur chicken nuggets to last a week. We also have a local bakery right on our block that runs in all weather so we can always survive 🙂
Earlene says
I live in northern Wisconsin where we have below zero days and lots of snow, but today it was 42 degrees. I also work at the local grocery store , so I see a lot of strange behavior when a storm is coming. People stock up on milk, bread, eggs and of course cheese( we are the cheese state). Also pop, beer, toilet paper, movies, cereal( if the power goes out), granola bars, and coffee! I have 2 freezers filled with meat, produce and coffee. We have a generator and gas for it on stand by all year long. Heat with wood, so we won’t get cold! So I think we are set if the weather gets crappy!!
DebbieB says
I once heard a local DJ say that people bought milk, bread, eggs and toilet paper when snow is coming so they could make it into a paste to spread on their sidewalks and driveway to keep from slipping. Maybe you had to be there but it was pretty funny when I heard it!
Nancy says
Okay, here’s one for you…..when my daughter went to university in the Maritimes in Canada she encountered a local custom that occurred whenever a snow storm was predicted…..everyone she knew headed out to buy bags of potato chips! Her friends couldn’t believe that she had never done this before. Buying chips before a storm is such a “thing” down east that the Covered Bridge Potato Chip Company in New Brunswick now makes a flavour called “Storm Chips”! Hmmm……Excuse me, I think I spot some snow clouds on the horizon!
Denise B says
That is an interesting story; I’ll have to keep an eye out for those!
Emily E. says
I’m in Northern Ohio and this winter has been more wet than anything but we get at least one good snow each winter. We always have dried beans, rice, pasta, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, and cans of soup and veggies available. It’s just nice to relax at home where it’s warm and cozy instead of running around at a crazy, crowded grocery store.
Practical Parsimony says
I live in north central Alabama and there is no snow in the state. It was 75 F degrees today. I only go out for “emergency supplies” if I am out or about out. I get milk, bananas, and Diet Coke. The rest I have. Or, I can just eat something else from my large store of food. I don’t even need to get bread as I can just do without bread. It is just me here, no one else to feed, no children.
In 1993 the year of the blizzard that covered most of the US, this area lost power for a week. However, I live very close to a hospital, fire dept, Red Cross, and all sorts of medical and city services. Due to luck we never lost power in my area of town. My friends who lost power in town and those in the country would not talk to me during the storm because they were so cold with no heat. However, when we do lose power, it is on very soon, within hours. The roads were too bad to drive for a week.
In 2011, an F5 tornado ripped the town apart and my power was out for five days. I bought a generator immediately and saved freezer and refrigerator. I also had one lamp plugged into the power from the generator. Luckily, this was the end of April, so the weather did not demand heat or air. I had no computer or tv but listened to the radio.
This was strange because the radio stations here lost their antennas due to a direct hit. I could find out what happened elsewhere but not here. There were all sorts of food available due to people setting up to feed us. I was one of the lucky ones who had a tank of gas and could drive to eat. I don’t think I ate anything at home except what was in the refrigerator. I had a gas grill but did not cook on it even though I could not cook on the electric stove.
Lauren says
I live in the foothills in Colorado at about 8500′, so we’re no strangers to big snow storms. We’ve only been snowed in a couple of times, but often lose power for several days, which means losing our well and heat in addition to lights.
People stock up here, too, but what they buy is pretty different (unless they’re new to the area). Our stores tend to get wiped out of bottled water, propane canisters for camp stoves, flashlight batteries, hot cocoa, and booze. Lots of folks end up firing up the BBQ during a big storm, because the stove isn’t working. Haha!
Stay warm and safe up there, and have an extra piece of French toast for me!
Julia says
Living in the city there are convenience stores almost on every corner so we don’t really need to stock up on basics. For a big storm I’d say it’s more about food for the animals and making sure all our son’s medications are filled so far no real snow here in our part of Pa. this means no sledding or snow forts yet this year:(
Karin says
I’m in Florida. For hurricane prep I make sure we have plenty of bottled water, beer, canned goods, gas and ice for coolers. Definitely don’t buy any perishables since food spoils quickly with no power and 90 degree heat.
Gina says
Make sure you have enough water. During this last long couple of weeks with nights in the 20’s and days barely reaching 34, I had a pipe outside, that was insulated, but it froze and burst. I went 48 hours with NO running water. Now, I had three cases of water for drinking and cooking. I also had a garbage can outside, that should have been filled with clean water for toilets. However, I didn’t check it after the heat of the summer, and discovered it was half empty, growing something in it and it was frozen 2 inches thick all around with ice. I discovered that my toilets use more water than I thought, and I had not taken into account CLEAN water for washing dishes.
Thankfully, It wasn’t a big disaster for the whole neighborhood, and I could go next door to my daughter’s house to shower and get fresh water for dishes.
So learned: I have plenty of canned, frozen and dehydrated food. But WATER, I need more water than I thought.
Denise B says
We stay fairly stocked up throughout the year, mainly because we live outside of town, and it’s inconvenient to run to the store very often. I always have a pretty good surplus of the following, just in case: peanut butter, bread, dry/powder eggs and milk, fire wood, propane tanks, bottle water, wine, Valley Food products, batteries, can soup, crackers, cheese, canned vegetables and fruits, medicines, dog food, cashews, almonds, peanuts. I am sure there are more things, but that’s all I can think of off hand!
Tracie H says
When my husband was stationed at Camp Lejeune in the late nineties on the coast of North Carolina it snowed a couple of times. When I went in to gather up some supplies I thought it was hilarious that there was still plenty of milk and bread on the shelves, but absolutely NO BEER. It is a Marine Corp base after all!
Jfred says
I try to keep a full pantry, so I can avoid the stores during the craziness (the hurricane seasons of 2004-2005 made me hate stores during the crazy!). The biggest one for me is coffee. I want coffee if we’re gonna be stuck at home! Lol. And I like to be filled up w the basics….milk and half n half (for my coffee), bread, fresh fruit and veggies….we have hens who lay eggs for us. We have meat in 2 freezers. I have canned veggies and dried beans and flour and sugar. Tp would be nice fo be stocked up on.
My biggest prep for bad weather: a gas stove!! I can’t use the oven, cause it needs electricity, but I can cook on the stovetop! (And make my coffee….we have a french press AND a stove-top percolater AND we know how to make cowboy coffee! Lol!) We can make foods and cook and have a semi-normal day with that stovetop! Makes me happy that I can still feed my kids and dh, even if the power is out!
Jenny Young says
I stock up on water, filling all our containers & buying bottled water. If the power goes out we have no water..none for drinking or flushing toilets. After that I stock up on medications & food. My husband has juvenile diabetes so we pack bags with medications, diabetic supplies & easy foods to help stabilize his #s.
We live in tornado alley & we always have days advance warning.
I guess the worst storms we’ve lived through have been ice storms that knocked our power out for days & even weeks at a time. We do have heat with no power & we cook outside, even in ice storms.
Evie says
I “lived” through the “blizahhd of 78”. As a kid, we thought it was the coolest thing ever. Off from school for at least a week and army trucks the only vehicles driving down the road. Even now I still compare storms to that time. 🙂