I have a friend who works for a rather large aerospace company and his union happens to be on strike at the current time. When I asked how he was doing, he said fine. Being one of the old timers, he knows well that strikes happen with surprising regularity so being prepared, especially for a financial crisis, is just a way of life for him and his family. One thing that he does, in addition to stocking up on food and keeping lots of cash in savings, is to buy enough disposable goods to last for a year at a time. Not surprisingly, his garage looks like a section of Costco! Although I have a good supply of the basics such as toilet paper and laundry soap, I thought this was a great idea so I recently made a "shopping list" of things that I need to buy in order to stock up for an entire year. Here's my list:
- Laundry room: laundry soap (10), dryer sheets (6), Spray and Wash (4), bleach (4).
- Family room: boxes of Kleenex (6).
- Bathrooms: shampoo (18), packages of bar soap (8), razors (10 packages), toothpaste (20), toothbrushes (24), floss (6), frilly bathroom hand soap (16), toilet paper (18-12 packs), lotion (5), hair gel (12), feminine hygiene supplies (14 boxes), rarely used items (Vaseline, peroxide, alcohol, cotton balls, q tips, suntan lotion, handi wipes: about three of each), deodorant (16). basic first aid supplies (band aids, antiseptic, aspirin, Motrin, TheraFlu: about six boxes of each).
- Kitchen: 13 gallon garbage bags (4-100 piece boxes), dish soap (12 bottles), dishwasher soap (4), scouring powder (16), Pinesol (8), sponges (30), mop heads (10), paper towels (18-6packs), Windex (6), furniture polish (4), ziploc bags (25 of each size), aluminum foil (industrial sized roll from Costco), plastic wrap (industrial-sized roll from Costco), picnic supplies (paper plates, paper cups, plastic utensils: enough for 200 settings), 32 gallon garbage bags (4-100 piece boxes), batteries (9v-6, D-25, C-16, AA-100, AAA-100).
- Office: printer ink (6 color, 10 black), stamps (roll of 100), DVDs (100 pack), printer paper (1 case).
I think that's about it. Of course I will have to refine the amount of each product but I think that will give me a good start. On a side note, not having to shop for all of these items for an entire year will be great!
Trust me on this one. Bar soap gets nasty if there is humidity at all, and is NO FUN when you are working in a bare situation (i.e. not having a shower to let it sit in to dry after use) I highly recommend getting some body wash an a loofa. It sounds a bit fruity I know, but in Afghanistan and Iraq, loofa, liquid soap. You use less soap, don't need to keep the water running (which is good because often you can't) and it's simple to clean, pack, and travel with.
ReplyDeleteAs for batteries, I'd consider Sanyo Eneloops and a charger - they are environmentally more friendly, can be bought in financially favorable 8-packs, pre-charged, combine advantages of alkaline and rechargeable batteries ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input!
ReplyDeleteThat is great but.....
ReplyDeleteI have a sister in Law that comes to my house and tells my wife .....Oh lend me, a case of toilet paper, a package of carboard plates and cups and then she stills pockets some tooth paste and other items...My wife unable to say anything to her 'cause she might get offended..
I secretly been stockpilling all of the items you have mentioned in my trailer. I'm the only one with the keys and an inventory list.
Plain and simple.. YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS BUT NOT YOUR RELATIVES.
I like to stockpile products that are easy to store and can do double or triple duty. For example some kinds of soap can be used for laundry, doing dishes, and washing your body.
ReplyDeleteFor backup soap, you should get Dr. Bronner's liquid soap. All natural and you can use it for body wash, shampoo, laundry, brushing your teeth, and more.
ReplyDeleteI personal use it for a body wash and shampoo. I have a small container in the shower and fill that up when needed with the jug I keep in storage.
Honestly, I would suggest a hybrid method. Keep 2 months of your normal supplies, and 10 months worth of Dr. Bronner's soap as the backup for beyond 2 months. This way, you have a backup that is a multi-tasker.
There are 8 different kinds:
http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/LS.htm