Panic and buying

My stash of "preps" keeps going off. You need to rotate them into your life regularly.

I've got five packets of plain chocolate hobnobs that taste really weird one year after their expiry date... I thought those would keep really well. Old jelly babies are quite nice though. (I long ago figured out that unless you can afford MRE's prepping with groceries was a waste of time, but if you are the only man around with sweets, you should be able to make a trade for useable calories...

A few of my collections

I did my latest sorting last Sunday.  My most recent date on the long term food is August 2022.  Most are 2023/4

Today i bought a box of 240 tea bags.

I think this instinct to stock up is not in essence a bad thing. We also have more stocks of things like this since the pandemic began. We started shopping online and when things are on offer we tend to buy multiples of them (especially things like soap, toothpaste etc as they don’t go off. I wouldn’t be too critical of yourself for this - it’s fairly sensible. Maybe have a limit though on each item (eg no more that 6 tubes of toothpaste) as it takes up space to store things. Don’t feel bad about it though, be kind to yourself about this. 

Hi.

I understand your logic I felt panic at the start of Covid if we could run short of things which were essential and I get the logic too if things are cheap.

Re the toiletries we have had a good supply since pre Covid as we tended to buy things when on offer. Then after the stockpiling I made sure we had enough to cover if we couldn't shop for a week or two at least. I have a set of shelves and if they are getting full I cut down on the buying.

Regarding the food, I would sort the cupboards so the oldest are near the front. Can you have a week where you avoid the shops except a trip for essentials like milk? 

I cannot really offer any useful suggestions, as the closest I've ever got to panic-buying was during the height of the Covid pandemic, when my son and I were keen to avoid frequent shopping excursions. I found myself bulk-buying a 1-to-2 month supply of toilet rolls and long life milk (things that we tend to get through quite quickly in this house). Other stuff would be bought as and when it was needed, and at most we would probably only buy 2 or 3 of.

I'm traditionalist, and like local shops. We're losing our sense of community; at the behest of the Empire. 

I agree with GuybrushThreepwood

A brilliant idea. Make a chart! Become proactive with what you find yourself being drawn toward. 

Stockpiling is normal in the US where buying in bulk is encouraged with financial rewards. Everyone has a closet for their stock or it's piled onto shelves in the garage. Some individuals live an hour away (by car only) from the nearest shop - or even further. Shops are not allowed to be in operation in Suburb housing areas, so there is no 'popping to the shop' as nothing is with in walking distance. 

I personally think having a few extras around is good in a pinch. But it can create an overwhelming feeling. And even diminish finances. However, it can be useful if getting to the shop is difficult or the need to keep an order for fluidity if work is demanding. Every office has a supply cabinet with extras so in a pinch, labour continues unaffected. 

In order to examine a thing, one needs to be accepting of what's happening. Covid essentially ins't over. Suppose I catch it and cannot get help? Then perhaps having back up on hand until there is a normalisation isn't such a bad thing? 

I re-ordered my life to simply have one of each type of a thing. (It's only recent I've allowed myself to have more than 4 of each cutlery.) But the lure of consumerism can be a web. Perhaps going through this pocket in time will allow you to sift out what is useful and what excess isn't helpful?

Are you able to set yourself a minimum and maximum stock level?  At work we tell the ordering department the minimum and maximum amount of each item we need in stock and they only order the exact amount needed when we need it. Do you know how often you use each item and then you can work out whether it’s something you need to buy weekly or fortnightly or monthly so you’re not going shopping unnecessarily in between. Or do online grocery shopping with the specific items in mind. I have issues with impulsive buying. I spend at least £30 more on the weekly shop if I do it myself in comparison to when I do Tescos click and collect, it’s harder to browse the websites outside of what’s on your list

I'm really sorry you are struggling with this. My sister is the exact same, comes back with a car full of different items from the shops. I'm not sure what to suggest, sorry I'm a bit useless at helping others. But I wanted to reply to let you know that I care Xx 

Hopefully someone else will be able to better advise you with this. I'm sorry I can't help more.

Sending hugs Xx