OT: Quarantine supplies

[chunkyfrog]

Bullfrog: (looks in fridge) "where is (fill in the blank)?"
Me: "It was growing hair, so I threw it out."
He seems to think he can hide something and it will still be good--just because nobody else got it.

[zoocrewphoto]

I am well supplied, but mostly because I tend to stock up when there is a good sale. A couple months ago, I needed hand soap. The big refill bottles were on sale, buy two get one free. Well, I will eventually use it, so I bought 3 bottles. Pantry is well stocked with canned goods, boxed, stuff, etc. Freezer is mostly full. Dry cat food for the bog boy was just purchased a month ago (the last 30 lb bag lasted 7 months). The only thing I am concerned about is baby food for the senior kitty. She is very picky, and I try very hard never to fun out of the one type of baby food that she will eat. She goes through 2 jars a day plus canned food. Sometimes, all the stores run out at the same time, I so I try to never get below 10 jars. So, THAT is what I am stocking up on right now. I can deal with boring meals from the pantry. I don't want to look at my cat as she purrs and trusts me to serve the food she wants.

I'm not sure if it is good or bad that my job is considered essential. I work in a grocery store. I cannot stay home with pay unless I am diagnosed with the virus, or I am quarantined by a medical official. I am working with the public all day, and I live with my elderly parents. They are mostly in good health, but they are 80 and 82. My mom has other health conditions. I have already received my permission slip in case there is a curfew or shut down.

[prodigyplace]

I walked one of the kids down there to show him that worst case, we won't starve- he and his sister will just have to get a lot less picky, is all. And I'm perfectly okay with that.

I told hubby the same thing I have told him over the past months when he looks in the fridge or the pantry..."there's nothing in here to eat" and I told him that there indeed was stuff in there to eat it just might not be what he wants to eat.
Then I usually add in a not so nice tidbit about "we could both live off our fat deposits for a few days and it won't hurt us"
He got that speech long before this COVID thing hit us.
Thankfully we are past the age of having children at home that we need to please.

We won't starve. We might not have what we want right at that minute but we won't starve by a long shot.

We as a society have been spoiled for a long time. Now we are seeing just how bad we have been spoiled. It's a rather rude awakening to realize that other countries in other parts of the world have long had to deal with this sort of thing on a routine basis.

People need to start counting what they do have instead of what they don't have......and what we do have still far outnumbers what we don't have.

Hubby not on the road trucking?

[Pugsy]

Hubby not on the road trucking?

Hubby is on the road trucking for now. Freight is already slowing down though. People don't realize how the trickle down effect works in all aspects of our economy. If plant workers can't go to work they can't make goods that will need to be transported. He works for a trucking company that is probably considered a small family owned business when compared to other large trucking companies. They had 4 drivers stuck in California last week with no freight to haul out of California to get them home (back to Missouri). Supposedly something had been found today to get them out of California. When truckers don't move those wheels they don't make any money. The company helps out with some lay over pay as best they can but it still doesn't add up to what the trucker would make when those wheels are turning.

As far as his food goes....I have long been preparing meals for him to take with him so that he doesn't have to eat out. My food just tastes better for one thing and it's of course cheaper. Truck stops have primarily gone to having fast food in their stores. Restaurants in truck stops aren't all that common anymore.
So that didn't change. I just have to be more creative with what I fix because I don't have much of a choice.
He is home every weekend though and that's usually when he looks in the fridge and pantry and says "nothing to eat" and when I tell him
"yes, there is stuff to eat ..just not what you might want". I didn't hear that this past weekend though. He already knew that my choices were limited. No eggs for breakfast...shelves were empty. I bought the last package of bacon the store had. Bread was limited...I didn't get to buy my preferred brand but I did get a loaf of bread....I bought the last gallon of milk.
I know the stores will restock as they get stuff but I can't sit in the parking lot and wait for it but I will go to the store more often.

We only have the one store in the small town that I live near. It is one of the smaller WalMarts. They didn't have the greatest of choices before all the mess happened.

We won't starve but we may not have exactly what we have a yearning for. I would love to make some banana nut bread....no flour and haven't seen any in the stores for over a week now. I have everything I need except flour.

[prodigyplace]

I heard at least some trucks are permitted empty runs now but it still costs the trucking company money.

[prodigyplace]

I heard at least some trucks are permitted empty runs now but it still costs the tricking company money.

He might want to check this place when in the area.



https://landline.media/sonic-in-arkansa ... -big-rigs/

[Pugsy]

I heard at least some trucks are permitted empty runs now but it still costs the trucking company money.

That's always been done. A lot depends on how far the truck is from the freight to pick up and the likelihood of finding something.
Running empty costs the company a lot of money. Remember that just the fuel cost adds up really quickly...these trucks do good to get 7 mpg of diesel and diesel is expensive.
100 miles back hauling empty is one thing...1,000 miles is another.
But back hauling empty has always been done...just not very often and only when no other option is out there. If many trucking companies do very much back hauling empty they won't be able to pay their bills....can't pay their bills and they shut the doors and then the driver has no job at all.

That trickle down effect that people don't think of.

Then there are the hidden costs that people don't see so quickly...cost of maintaining the insurance on a vehicle not producing income...cost of paying the company's share of any health insurance for that employee who isn't making any money for himself or the company.

My understanding as to what supposedly will happen to the 4 trucks stuck in California was that freight was found....not particularly close to where the trucks are but within a couple hundred miles or so...and it doesn't pay much but pays enough to cover the expenses of bringing the truck home. No profit or minimal loss but at least most of the cost of running the truck is covered.
California has always been a bitch to get out of unless you can haul produce...reefers..refrigerated vans. The company my husband works for doesn't have reefers. No refrigeration but they do haul food products that don't require refrigeration. My husband had a load of water just last week. Essentially under lock and key type of security....just for water.

Welcome to the new normal way of doing business and it's going to get worse before it gets better.

[prodigyplace]

My husband had a load of water just last week. Essentially under lock and key type of security....just for water.

Welcome to the new normal way of doing business and it's going to get worse before it gets better.

At least it was not a high security toilet paper run.

My wife placed an order to pickup at Walmart and they have no bread. At least we have flour and other break baking ingredients.

[Pugsy]

At least it was not a high security toilet paper run.

How true. Everywhere he goes he sees signs "no...we don't have TP"

My mom just called. She's out of TP and wanted me to bring her some. Sigh...I have 2 rolls myself.
I told her last week to send my niece to the store and see if there was some left....and she said "oh, we are fine, we got 2 or 3 rolls"...I told her it wouldn't be enough and to go to the store and keep checking stock. It gets put on the shelf but sells out quickly.
She didn't do it and now she is out of TP.
She's 87 and of course doesn't get out and I doubt if she has been watching the news much.
I told her....all paper goods, hand wipes, paper towels, tissues, TP....shelves are bare. I warned her and she didn't listen. Sigh.

So off I go to see if I can get lucky and get to WalMart and find something on the shelves.

In the meantime....there are ways of cleaning our bottoms that don't mean using toilet paper. Not what we might want to do but it can be done....and that's what I told her.

So off I go to WalMart.... I have to be as careful as possible...no masks available or I would use one.
Maybe I will get lucky and the toilet paper gods will have brought some inventory that hasn't all got snatched up.

[Wulfman...]

Don't know if anyone else saw this article, but there's probably some TP available at this Walmart store in Missouri.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/missouri ... aper-aisle


Den

.

[zoocrewphoto]

In the meantime....there are ways of cleaning our bottoms that don't mean using toilet paper. Not what we might want to do but it can be done....and that's what I told her.

I was out of town when it hit the news about toilet paper outages, fighting, etc. I had two huge packages before I left, so I knew I would be good for awhile. As we traveled back, we stopped at stores for other things, and could see that it was out in every store. I figured if it gets really bad, we can always cut up a couple towels, and wash them like old style diapers. So, I bought a spare bottle of laundry detergent. I'm good.

[palerider]

This seems as good a place as any to post this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2pMVim ... e=youtu.be

Why soap is so important.

[jimbud]

This seems as good a place as any to post this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2pMVim ... e=youtu.be

Why soap is so important.

Good one.

I like knowing why I am doing something. Even a simple something.

JPB

[prodigyplace]

In the meantime....there are ways of cleaning our bottoms that don't mean using toilet paper. Not what we might want to do but it can be done....and that's what I told her.

So off I go to WalMart.... I have to be as careful as possible...no masks available or I would use one.
Maybe I will get lucky and the toilet paper gods will have brought some inventory that hasn't all got snatched up.

Jump into the shower?

[chunkyfrog]

In the meantime....there are ways of cleaning our bottoms that don't mean using toilet paper. Not what we might want to do but it can be done....and that's what I told her.

So off I go to WalMart.... I have to be as careful as possible...no masks available or I would use one.
Maybe I will get lucky and the toilet paper gods will have brought some inventory that hasn't all got snatched up.

Jump into the shower?

In Europe, I saw bathrooms set up where the spray hose would reach the toilet, instead of a bidet.
Some people never use TP when at home.
What freedom!
For generations, rural women have made reusable/washable "granny rags" out of old flannel blankets.
Just a reminder that there are substitutes for sanitary napkins as well.