(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



What Are You Stocking Up On? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-01-26

In the wake of the stupidity to come (and who knows how long it'll last), it's probably occurred to more than just me to start stocking up on a few things. Today's Colombia tariff was quickly followed by an equal and opposite tariff from Colombia, for example.

So, just to see what people are considering stocking up on, I'll share what I am stocking up on this week. Even if it ends up not being needed, non-perishables will eventually be used, and they will stay fresh for quite some time, so it may actually save a bit of money to do it now and have a few months of things when the prices spike.

So, as alluded to in my intro, I intentionally bought another five pounds of whole bean coffee today. You can get five pounds of it for $28 off Amazon. (I know, I know...) It's called Eight O'Clock Coffee if you're interested.

I also make some decent soups where a use different mixes of water and bouillon, and then add in veggies and meats as necessary. An instant pot (doesn't have to be the one literally named InstantPot -- can be any brand) is very good at this. The bouillon I prefer is a product called Better Than Bouillon, which is more of a paste where a teaspoon of it will make an 8oz. serving. They are jarred and don't need to be refrigerated until used, and they are often on sale at two for $7 or so. I'll probably get ten of them.

Easy choices are grains. 20 pound bags of rice are around $12, and well, it'll keep for quite a bit. Oatmeal is similar. Pastas usually aren't sold in such quantities, but bags of various shapes (spaghetti, fettucine, penne, elbow, etc.) are often on sale for a $1 for a pound box/bag.

With veggies, you can go a few ways. The canned way is probably easiest for storage purposes, but the frozen variety usually taste better, according to me. If you have the freezer space (or an extra freezer), getting 10-20 10-12oz bags of veggies (your favorites, mixed veggies in one bag, whatever) may be a good idea. Where I shop, the store brand of frozen veggies is often on sale at 10 bags for $10. I'll probably go for 20-30 bags. I honestly cannot really tell a difference between store and name brand on some things, especially veggies.

Breads can also be frozen for quite some time, so it's probably a good idea to have your favorites frozen if those are important to you and your family.

Meats are in the same category. In this case, I would go with staples that have multiple uses (various pork and chicken) and not specific steaks or other cuts of meat. Of course, vegetarians don't have to sweat that part, but they will freeze well for a bit, and way longer if you have a vacuum sealer.

Finally, there's the things kids snack on and use a lot. Grapes, cheeses, various dips and dressings (ranch, BBQ, honey mustard, etc.) that will mostly stay good if unopened, but have a week or two shelf life afterward. Cheese can actually be frozen, but in my experience, defrosting it presents a bit of a different product.

These are just my thoughts on what to potentially get and stockpile at least a little. I don't want a survival bunker, but at the same time, I will pay what it costs now to avoid what it may cost later. That later might not come, but in that case, my grocery list will be really light for a few months.

I'm not counting on that though. Dumbass 2.0 has already levied useless tariffs against Colombia, and more are coming against Canada and Mexico, supposedly February 1st. That's going to get worse if the deportation shit actually happens at scale.

So, anyone else making any sort of similar preparations? I left off obvious things like water (use a filter!) and paper goods, although those will probably be affected too. I am most concerned with sustenance for now.

EDIT:

I just realized I left off one other thing that may be important, depending on your needs. Soft drink prices have gone weird a long time ago. Luckily, we don’t really drink soft drinks here, but my son likes ginger ale and orange soda. While the store brand on fake coke or fake dr. pepper and such are really noticeable, there’s pretty much no difference with store brand ginger ale or orange soda compared to Canada Dry (or Seagram’s or Schweppes) or Fanta, Sunkist, etc. for example. And they are usually a third of the price.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/26/2299414/-What-Are-You-Stocking-Up-On?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/