Great questions,
@Tillicum
Questions for everyone.
1
) Did you stock up early before the shut down?
I was reading regularly on Websleuths, and kept trying to find time to stock up, made lists, etc. but kept putting it off due to work schedule as I was working lots of overtime as I planned to work remotely and was trying to get everything done that I could, if it needed to be done at the office. As soon as the President announced the national emergency on Friday, March 19th, I rushed to the grocery store and have stayed in lockdown mode since. I bought as much as I could that one trip - hoped it would last two weeks, which it did. But not more. I only had enough cat food, litter, and people food for two weeks. But did make sure we had a thermometer, prescription medications, oximeter, gloves, some masks, bleach, lysol wipes and spray. It was too late to get rice and I didn't buy enough paper towels to use for all the disinfecting. Didn't take the toilet paper scare seriously enough, and wish I had.
2) Do you plan to stock up again before fall?
Yes, am already stocking up slowly, each time I make an online grocery store order for pickup, or order from other sources. We are trying to buy a 7.0 (or about that size) chest freezer, but so far no luck in the price range of chest freezers we are interested in. We plan to keep stocked up for the fall, and for beyond this pandemic. Don't want to be in this situation again, and in future will be able to stock up when items we want are on sale. This has been a costly time, shopping online and at grocery store that has pick up but is more expensive than other in-person options.
3) What will you do differently if you stock up again?
We won't do everything at the last minute, and we hopefully will have a chest freezer by then. Also we will buy rice if it is available, and other staples that we normally keep on hand. Also a better thermometer. And cat food and litter. We weren't able to get three month prescription refills, but we are still working on that. Also will get extra toilet paper for next time, and more paper towels, probably some cloth rags to use for the extraordinary amount of cleaning/disinfecting that is involved. I also would buy more soft soap/pump dispensers for all the hand washing, and more hand sanitizer for the car. And maybe some napkins to keep in the car for using to open the car door, and to keep handy in the house to open the mailbox every two days. Also bring more office supplies home if working remotely, as I have run out of work-related printer paper, toner, and other office supplies. I also would have brought my office plants home, I gave them a good watering, and they could have lasted for 2 weeks. But not this long.
4) Will necessities even be available to stock up again?
I think there will be a shortage of lysol products, hand sanitizers, soft soap/pump dispensers, and some other supplies. And depending on how things go with items manufactured in China, some medicines won't be available immediately, as well as masks, and some other items.
5
) What have you learned from this shut down that will help you to navigate another possible shut down in the fall?
Most important lesson is to stay stocked up on food and medicine and good working thermometer, and cat food and litter. Also batteries for smoke alarms. And other staples for home, like toilet paper, paper towels, lysol, bleach, etc. Learned that you can learn to giver your husband a haircut, learned I can color my own hair (with ESalon). Learned how to get cat food and even litter from chewy.com which I had never heard of. Also learned how to order groceries online and use pick up or delivery.
And more important than all of this, on the first day of lockdown I vowed to get my weight under control so that if I do get this virus, I will have a better chance of beating it. So far have lost 22 pounds, and am working on 2.5 lb weight loss per week. On a keto diet, so need protein.
Plan to keep going. Would like to get off blood pressure medication if possible, those are the goals.
Also learned that working at home has a lot of distractions, and everything takes a little longer.
Learned that routines make a big difference, now they are established, and will make another lockdown easier to cope with (bringing in groceries, wearing masks, getting mail, disinfecting goods, ordering online, etc.).
(I know I could do a starter but prefer packaged yeast for convenience.) I bake a lot.
but I did buy some extra flour and lentils.