Journal de writingwyo, 11 mars 23

Writing - I am stocking up on pet food. Bought large bags of dog and cat food at the end of the year. I have large plastic storage containers that can hold a 25 or 40 pound bag of pet food. I also buy cases of canned cat food. Don't buy as much canned dog food since my dog is fine with the dry food (but also loves the canned food). I have always been someone who stocks up on things - partly because of living in a rural area where it isn't always easy or economical to just shop at the local stores. Before Covid I would drive the hour plus to Costco and/or Winco to keep the cupboards full. I had over a year's supply of toilet paper when Covid hit just because I always bought a pack on my trips to Winco. Unlike Kenna, I like things I can just eat as a meal, since I am not much of a cook. So I have plenty of cans of tuna, beans, other canned vegetables and fruit. I used to keep the freezer in the garage full of meat and frozen meals and vegetables until we started getting regular power outages during fire "season". It's easier to have things in the cupboard that you don't have to worry about going bad if the power is out for several days or weeks. I have a stove that runs on propane, so even if the electricity goes out, I can cook. But recently the propane deliveries haven't been as regular as usual so I started wondering what to have in the pantry if the power is out and I run out of propane. So many things can happen and I like to be prepared. I had heard a few months ago there could be a shortage of tomatoes or tomato products, like ketchup because the tomato crops in California weren't doing so good because of the weather - don't remember if it was because of the hot summer and drought or all the rain we've had since late December. Like Kccarrot Top I have seen on the news that so many people adopted pets during Covid because they were spending so much time at home and then gave the pets up once they went back to work. That is so sad - I've never given up a pet. Once I adopt them, they have always had a home with me for the rest o their lives. 

great, everyone's hoarding pet food and now I can't even get what's needed for the next month. 😩 

Finally have chicken eggs again in the grocery stores. Three weeks ago one store had a dozen eggs for $7.45 😱 

Actually the primary issue for pet food shortage is a supply chain problem. There is a shortage of ingredients that go into making pet food and a big issue is that there is a shortage of aluminum that it takes to make the cans. 

Good tip on tomatoes-- may need to get more of those. Tomatoes, beans (pintos, etc, not green), and olives are really the only veggies we buy canned because we don't care for the others. Could eat them in a pinch. Always have flour, dried beans, dried grains, nuts, and dried fruit in the house. We've always kept stocked up and have been thrifty. Another big stash for us is fish -- canned salmon, kipper snacks, and tuna pouches. That stuff lasts forever. We're pretty much pescetarian (vegetarian + fish) these days, and fish is usually only 2-3 times a week. I know it's not for everyone, but cutting out meat really does cut down on our grocery bills. I feel for parents and pet owners if this list holds true.  

And the 800 lb gorilla in the room is that not a lot of people know how to cook and are unable to look at a couple shelves of cans and boxes and create a meal of some kind. I deal with that all the time with my sister. She is INCAPABLE of doing what I just said. She eats frozen TV dinners despite having a cupboard full of ingredients. 

Kenna - so true. That's one thing I'm really grateful to my late mother for. She taught me the basics of cooking and made me feel at home in the kitchen. I've been tempted at times to start a YouTube cooking channel to try to show people that cooking doesn't have to be that hard. I think a lot of people are intimidated by it 

Time to start gardening tought 

glad I don't depend on the grocery store that much  

In my “normal life” I don’t eat much canned food either but in a pinch any of the foods we have been talking about would help provide healthy nutrition. I have been a mini prepped for many years but as soon as the pandemic hit, the war in Ukraine, the threat of A crazy Putin, I decided to stock up. Trying to keep track of expiration dates and of course eating some of the food supplies continually is a challenge. As the recent weather events have shown us, you never know. When I store stuff I always write on the lable when I bought the different items and just for fun I also wrote how much I paid for them. The insidious increase has been staggering. So,e things have doubled in price in the last 8 months and really no end in site.