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How stocked is your store cupboard

(84 Posts)
Nannykay Sun 10-Jun-18 23:23:38

I have always kept a well stocked cupboard and freezer, it’s just something my mum did so I do. I decided today was a good day to have a sort out, check use by dates rotate etc , I was happy to find one tin of peaches that was one month out of date, everything else was more than ok. So shelves cleaned and contents resorted, with the help of my daughter. It all looks very neat and tidy.

Whilst working dd teased me and said she doesn’t know anyone else who has a well stocked larder, and most of her friends parents just bought what they want as and when, and not a weekly shop like me. They certainly don’t hold extra supplies.

So the question is, if you were shut in your home, no gas/water/electric or visits to the shops, how long could you last.

Water would be our problem, I always have plenty, but if it was all we had to drink, maybe a couple of weeks if we were careful, food, perhaps a month to five weeks. Have some candles and torches not many, heating is oil tank and we normally have enough for about five or six months.

Stocked we might be, but not what you call preppers are we !

hildajenniJ Sun 10-Jun-18 23:56:07

Well, we have enough wood for the log burner to last about a month, I would guess. As for kitchen supplies. We have loo paper and paper towels for a month to six weeks, probably longer because DH brought home a catering size pack of kitchen roll!
Foodwise, plenty of canned goods for a good two weeks, although they might make strange meals ?. I've got rice and pasta that would last about two weeks too. Not many candles, and DGS 2 has used up all our spare batteries so no torches.

ninathenana Mon 11-Jun-18 00:03:50

You say no gas or electric therefore no means of cooking, and no fridge or freezer so once I'd eaten the soup and beans cold from the can, not long !
In those circumstances it wouldn't matter what I had in the store cupboard, which is actually quiet well stocked as is the chest freezer.

ninathenana Mon 11-Jun-18 00:06:26

How would you cook the rice or pasta Hilda ?

Ailsa43 Mon 11-Jun-18 01:03:41

At least a couple of months. I bulk buy toilet rolls toothpaste and soap etc which last me around 6 months, and for food, I have a store cupboard full of tinned and dried foods, and 2 full chest freezers, so we could easily have enough food for a couple of months..
I went hungry as a child, so as an adult I've always ensured there's plenty food in the house!!

muffinthemoo Mon 11-Jun-18 01:11:03

Assuming I could cook and the freezers didn’t go off, about six months.

I hold and rotate a supply of enough water for two weeks usage, plus additional bottled water.

Have about six months basic sanitation stuff - toilet roll, bags, bleach, soap etc etc.

I’m ready for Brexit day (tongue only half in cheek, disruption to just-in-time delivery chains is a thing...)

suzied Mon 11-Jun-18 05:40:18

What about the wine cellar?

NfkDumpling Mon 11-Jun-18 06:59:05

We have all the shops we need to keep us supplied within a few minutes stroll. We don’t actually need to keep much in the house. But DH (who does the cooking and therefore the shopping) cannot stop himself. If coffee is on offer, he buys it. We have six large jars. Domestos is often reduced. We have eight in the cupboard. And so on. It’s the same with perishables. We have a pantry stocked to the ceiling which means most of time our menu is determined by sell by dates!

NfkDumpling Mon 11-Jun-18 06:59:40

(The bottom of the pantry is fitted out with wine racks. All full!)

Marydoll Mon 11-Jun-18 07:12:18

My cupboards are bursting at the seams.
Just like Ailsa,, we had little food in the house when I was a child. and I have this thing about storing food in case we run out.
Our garage is also full of toilet and kitchen rolls, cleaning materials etc.

tanith Mon 11-Jun-18 07:12:28

Good grief I stand back in awe of all of you and your storecupboards. I have a very small store cupboard but I could probably manage for a week or two. Interested to know why you all store water?

Marydoll Mon 11-Jun-18 07:12:52

Oh and of course, plenty of wine?

ginny Mon 11-Jun-18 07:21:37

I think we could survive for a couple of weeks quite easily given that we would have fuel.
I am interested in the fact some of you say you have stored water. Do you mean bottled water ?

PECS Mon 11-Jun-18 07:24:29

Hello... I would get thirdty first if tap water not available as I don't use bottled water. Otherwise for food 2 to 3 weeks.
p.s. anyone know how I can change the format of my name..I did not mean it to be shouty!

Marydoll Mon 11-Jun-18 07:28:31

You will have to ask GN HQ.
Don't worry it doesn't come across as SHOUTY.?

Iam64 Mon 11-Jun-18 07:33:33

We always have pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, beans and lentils (dried and canned) along with plenty of vegetables. So we can always rustle up a meal no matter how many of the adult children drop in.

NanKate Mon 11-Jun-18 07:49:29

We are bursting at the seems as DH is a food hoarder as well as everything else. When we were in a Supermarket recently the assistant asked DH if he was running a small hotel ?

If the electricity was off I would go loopy without my technology such IPad, IPhone, TV etc. however our many battery operated radios would be in full use.

jusnoneed Mon 11-Jun-18 08:17:58

We could probably last 5 or 6 weeks food wise, being from country village folk I was always used to well stocked larders/cupboards. My Nan always kept in a good supply.
I like to know that if I want to make a dish the stuff is likely to be in the cupboard.

Greyduster Mon 11-Jun-18 08:27:13

Not long I should imagine. I have the usual range of canned goods, and, like Nfk’s DH, mine can’t resist an offer or a BOGOF!! I was in the garage the other day and found a box of candles and some pillar candles so we would have light for a bit. Water would be the big problem. We keep a dozen bottles of water in the car, but if it was to be pressed into service for cooking pasta - which I seem to have rather a lot of - it wouldn’t last long! We have a side burner on our barbecue, but I’ve no idea how long the gas bottle would last if carefully used. No matter what you have in your store cupboards or freezers, unless it can be eaten cold, it will avail you nothing if you have no fuel. Sobering stuff!

Nannykay Mon 11-Jun-18 08:44:17

Hadn’t thought of paper goods, I never seem to have enough loo roll, I think they eat it !. We have lpg gas for cooking, but there are times that runs down and we panic and cook on fumes, we order twice a year, so timing could be an issue, we a have a charcoal bbq if got desperate!. We drink a lot of bottled water, I buy two cases a week and try to keep a couple spare, not much when you think about it. Rice and pasta I bulk buy the 10k bags, but again timing an issue here, eggs good as we have chickens. Hadn’t thought about freezer going off, well stocked, but once electric off wouldn’t keep long. DH just pointed out it wouldn’t matter to me anyway not for long, medication runs out and that’s me.....

I wish I hadn’t started this, to think a gentle chore of cleaning the larder could turn out to be so depressing.

Teetime Mon 11-Jun-18 09:01:24

I have a siege mentality when it comes to food cupboards and a Toilet Duck mountain.

GrandmaMoira Mon 11-Jun-18 09:34:07

I have plenty of food in store cupboard, fridge and freezer, as well as cleaning items and toiletries. I do however use a lot of milk for tea and only ever have enough for one week (and bread). I would hate to have to go without tea and no bread would mean a change of menus.

kittylester Mon 11-Jun-18 09:50:20

I try to keep a spare of things we use a lot Eg mayo, salad cream etc. I always have tins of soup, beans and tomatoes and my freezers are currently fairly full so for the first three days we'd have to stuff ourselves and then live off our internal supplies!

hildajenniJ Mon 11-Jun-18 10:06:20

I never thought about the freezer, (well it was after midnight)! A pan on the fire to cook rice or pasta Nina.

annodomini Mon 11-Jun-18 10:08:12

My house is too small to have much storage room, so come the emergency, I will just have to live on my fat - and starve!