What should we do with our excess Covid supplies?

Little Pantries, food pantries, homeless shelters, red centers, etc. Any place people in need pick up supplies. I leave masks at a Little Pantry near my house.

We got our first freezer, Stacy. A small one. I kept saying we didn't need one, but I find I am loving it. Especially since a favorite thing goes on sale I can grab a handful. Say Bay's English Muffins. Off I go with an armload.
We are right now not seeing shortages on any shelves where I am shopping in the Bay Area. I think perhaps everyone stocked up the first time.

Pam, I became a prepper to I guess. I found turkey breast with a shopping card for 59 cents so I bought my limit of 3.

I also coverted a room into a greenhouse per say. I changed lighting and hardwood floors were put down this week. I bought some hydroponic indoor gardens to grow produce, each will hold 24 plants. They were delived yesterday. I can deal with frozen fruit for smoothies, I just cant figure out how to freeze bananas without them browning.

My area is getting hit pretty bad. The hospitals have once again restricted visitors and are cancelling procedures.

So question, do you wear glasses. I have tried everything online. How do you keep glasses from fogging in a mask?

I would say keep a good size stash for you(since im hearing that things are going to b hard to get again). In central Florida, most the store shelves still do not have lysol sprays, clorox cleaning products and these type items.

Donate what you can. Schools, Churches, are just a few places that would be happy to receive.

For groceries, I shop on-line and do curb-side pickup. The grocery website will let me know if a product is out of stock.

My gosh, I am seeing more and more things becoming out-of-stock with the uptick of the virus, and it is not the toilet paper, paper towels, and Lysol wipes. It's food items, even pet food. I haven't been able to get my cat his favorite cat litter, thank goodness I had stocked up during the summer but I do like to keep a lot of jugs on hand. Not easy to explain Covid to the cat =^..^=

Real,

Lots do have generators here. Lots do buy bottled water. Our water quality is crappy here.

Yes, extra food such as canned goods or other non perishables are very necessary in this area. Along with the usual stuff, batteries, flashlight, lanterns ice chest filled with ice will last for a little while, etc.

We are used to the prep work but it can be a pain in the butt too!

We have 2 freezers and 2 fridges, and a generator.

Pam, I think that having a good stock at all times is really important. I like the 1 year idea as it allows us to help others in need as well as our own household. We just never know when things will be difficult and adding food insecurity would be to much.

Need, I would be having a back up generator if I lived in your area and solar panels with inverter and batteries, not to mention a good supply of dried, canned and RTE meals. As well as a good water supply and filters that clean any water, like iodine tablets. I would have a nervous breakdown if I couldn't keep a good stock of food. I think that all the new packaged, shelf stable meats are a blessing.

The hardest thing would be no fresh foods, canned veggies and fruit just doesn't fulfill the need for veggies or fruit in my opinion. But when you are really, truly hungry I guess it would be wonderful.

Stacy, I have not seen any limits for a long time. I buy most of my shelf foods from specialty suppliers and it has been readily available but, who knows what this months order will look like.

Everyone, take care of you and your family and get what you can to be able to provide a meal. I think that we are seeing the beginning of the 2nd round of shortages.

Pam,

The family down the street from me when I was a kid belonged to LDS church. They kept a one year supply of food and supplies at all times.

We do the opposite during hurricane season. We don’t like to have much because of frequent power outages. We end up throwing food away. Otherwise it is nice to have a stash in the freezer.

Do you all have an extra freezer that you store food in? I don’t. I have a side by side fridge/freezer only.

I find the ice maker takes up a lot of my freezer space. My fridge is an older model. I bet the new designs are better.

I have noticed that it isn’t just the local stores that are running low. Some sites online have been out of certain items. So they aren’t even able to be ordered online.

Here, there is supplies like tp, antibacterial soaps and cleaners. Frozen foods, non perishables like beans, rice, pasta, canned soups are pretty much bare. Meat is low here too. There are limits on a lot of food here.

Stacy, I have noticed that shelves are getting thin.

The news keeps encouraging people to stock up and then they say that supplies will be stable, so I think that the changing story has people worried.

I have stayed stocked up because I knew that they didn't know enough about this virus to give us any information that we could really depend on.

So, better safe than sorry, is a rule of thumb that we live by.

Are you seeing food shortages?

Some items are still hard to find but some people have posted which ingredients are needed and instructions to make our own products.

I like Scott toilet tissue because it seems to last the longest on the roll! LOL

I do shop for sales when I can get them on products. In the beginning people were taking advantage of others with selling online at inflated prices.

I am blessed to have good neighbors. We have shared with one another.

I haven't been able to find a can of Lysol spray since December 2019 when I first heard about the virus.

pamzimmrrt, I have some of those material masks. An out-of-state relative sent them to us. I tried on one mask and it just sprung from my face. Oops, we have a problem :P Darn, with the cold weather I was looking forward to using those material masks.

I did stock up on the disposable masks because I had a gut feeling this pandemic was going to be like 1918 where the virus went into Spring of 1920. History repeating itself.... [sigh]

Isthisreallyreal, if you are still looking for rubbing alcohol, Sams has it right now in store and online. I saw it during my weekly Sunday morning fruit shopping. There is no limit on purchases.

When I think of the number of hospital nurses who have to reuse the same N95 masks over and over and over again - honestly, this post turns my stomach.

Giving it away, huh? Try a little harder.

I think that you should keep all of your supplies because you will run into people that will not have stocked up when they had the chance. You will be able to help them out when they are in dire straits.

I don't think that you are a hoarder. I think that you purchased items as they were available and it caught up with you.

We are able to find everything that we need for months now and I still catch myself buying toilet paper when I know that I have enough to be secure in the event of a shortage. I don't think that we should be flippant about protecting our family and ourselves during this uncertain time in the world, we never know what tomorrow holds. So keep your supplies and share with your friends and family as needed. Stay safe and I know you will stay sanitized 😁

There’s still a shortage here on certain items. At least here most stores place a limit on the number of items that can be purchased.

People were panicking in the beginning of the pandemic before limits were in place and there wasn’t enough supplies for everyone.

After restrictions were placed on how much could be bought it was better but we still run short here.

I do shop the early morning hours that are reserved for seniors. I suppose it helps to arrive to the store earlier to shop before they are completely sold out.

I have noticed that even gas stations are selling items that they would never ordinarily sell, such as masks, wipes, etc.

I hope that you are able to find people who really need supplies instead of a person who just wants extra supplies.

I don’t waste products. I use them but not in excess. Some people are wasteful.

Some people don’t bother to recycle either. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to recycle or upcycle when possible. It’s a matter of changing one’s habits. Once in a routine it becomes second nature.

My neighbor has always welcomed foreign exchange students in her home. Some cultures are horrified at the excessive use of paper towels.

Her foreign exchange student told her that his mother cut up older towels to use. His family never used paper towels. The cloth towels were washed and used over and over.

Well, you might not want to give it all away right now. This is still our first swing at Covid 19 and as you see, it is swinging back. There could be a second (and if it mutates, a slightly stronger version o the virus) wave coming. At best .... we are many months away from a safe and viable vaccine which has to be distributed, which increases the amount of time we will all have to deal with Covid -19 even if you are one of the first to be vaccinated; a form of this virus has been in Asia for sometime; the Chinese population has been in masks for several years now; I think we could easily plan on a year in masks in public places. Figure out how many disposable masks you use per day (make it at least 1) and then add it for accidents (torn ear loop, wet/dirty mask) and that will give you a little cushion. You can then donate what is left. Since the N95s are in really short supply in most hospital in the the US you might want to donate 1/3 of your supply to a local hospital or a NON PROFIT long term care facility. The shelf life of 70% rubbing alcohol is about 3 years. Figure how out much you have used /monthly since the pandemic started, add 2 more months to it to get through 2020 and then keep a year's supply. Bleach expires more quickly than alcohol; it has a shelf life of about 6 mos and then tends to degrade rather rapidly. It all depends on how often you use bleach but with 40 gallons, I personally would not keep more than 8-10. You must be a great shopper to have found all this or someone who is really tuned in to what was happening in the world because a lot of the medical profession seems to have been caught unaware. Just remember, Covid in not over yet so don't start hugging strangers in bars!
Peace~

Before the panemic started here, in December, I ordered 2000 N95s for work. At that time, you wore it once and tossed it. If you buy them in December, it is a write off and you get them dirt cheap in bulk so sales reps can hit bonus numbers. I GAVE masks, sanitizers, gloves, etc to an agency family works for. TP to clients of that agency. Supplied everything for the person in my home. Most things I had in stock before this started. I was not buying tp at the store when there was a shortage. The only thing maybe unethical was since there was a limit on things, I would pick up a pack of meat for family and they would pick up a can of beans and tofu for me and we traded.

Most people do not want things just given to them. I know someone who asked to but a 5 pack of wipes for her kids school. It cane to $15.88 with tax, she gave me $16 because I do not carry change.

Where do others shop that things are not readily available because paper products have been around months and everything else the last month?

Just heard that the stores are stockpiling supplies!
For a Pandemic rush or shortages expected in the fall.

There is a difference between a hoarder and a stockpiler.

We are in the State of California, County of Los Angeles, and still having shortages.

Well, now I know why I haven't been able to find any Lysol for months. lol Somewhat kidding, but this IS hoarding of items that other people need, too.

I would find a church or other charity and give it all to them, they can disperse.

You could also list bundles of items for sale on Facebook marketplace, to get your money back. There have been a couple of local cases going to prosecution for individuals and businesses who engage in price gouging during the pandemic. Not saying you were going to do that, but other posters here have suggested you could ask any price. I don't think that would go over well. Reselling at reasonable prices to get your money back is understandable, though.

I'm dying to know. What IS your definition of hoarding?

Perhaps it's one of those irregular conjugations:

I am amply stocked. You are running a surplus. He is a hoarder.

Walked into Walmart yesterday morning. Was asked by the greeter if I needed any Lysol. She said you have to go to Customer Service to purchase a can.

Really?

There is a Strategic National Stockpile that you could donate to.
Contact Homeland Security in your area.

I was on line yesterday and saw an AD for Lysol, 2 large cans $70. For that price I would just use bleach.

Dental Offices are doing without N95 masks, nurses elsewhere were begging for them. Maybe in your neighborhood online, someone could help you donate to the right people. I can imagine that would be a huge project. A small amount at a time?

Note: Even the bleach and the masks have an expiration date.

Best advice I heard was, during the pandemic, do not let people know what you have stockpiled....for your own safety.

The Pandemic is real.
The Pandemic is not over.

Where are you at?

Sell them on Facebook yardsales at under the now prices. Porch pickup. You could probably sell Lysol for whatever u want. Very hard to find here in NJ. Never heard of rubbing alcohol going bad. Those N95s could be used in a hospital or NH.