If My Wife And I Had To Self Isolate For 14 Days, How Would We Do Our Shopping?

[dave50]

We have no relatives nearby, you can't get a delivery for love nor money at the moment for a couple of weeks so what are the options? Seems like one of us would have to risk it and nip to the supermarket and hope for the best or starve.

[bednobs]

sheesh, you are not expected to "live on them". You just have to get by for 10 days without going out and putting other people at risk

[dave50]

I refuse to resort to what could only be described as panic buying just in case I was housebound for 2 weeks. I wouldn't lower myself to the level of the cretins who have been stocking up on toilet rolls 'just in case'.

[teacake44]

Its pretty obvious that sadly this is a time when you have to put yourself and you're own family first, before anyone else. We have BS from LAs and BS from government. The strong and wise will get through, the weak and not so wise will struggle. If I'm in a position were I can help someone that I know is having big problems down the road, I will.

[Mamyalynne]

I don't think anyone has advised that Dave, a few tins and packets in the larder maybe and as others have said put some feelers out for a neighbour or local organisation to help should you become unable to get out.

[woofgang]

dave50 I have never, nor would I, panic buy and I am not suggesting that others should. Further I would suggest that those of us who do ensure that we keep a stock in are helping by being able to leave stock in shops for those who for whatever reason are unable to do so......actually I find your suggestion the folk like me are panic buyers quite offensive.
are you honestly saying that you keep so little food in the house that you would starve if you couldn't shop for 10 days? have you actually taken stock of what you have got? You might be surprised....or on the other hand you might just have felt like having a good old grumble....which is ok too.

[pastafreak]

Back to the original question.
In the early days of lockdown, when I could not get delivery from the big supermarkets, I realised I'd need to get hunting for options other than kind neighbours.
Iceland accepted me as a customer immediately...delivery within 2 days or so. Didn't always have what I wanted, but good enough.
I found at least a half dozen local farmshops and similar. I made use of one when I needed eggs and cream...they supplied basic meat also. There was also a supplier of fresh fish.
There's literally 100s of online meat suppliers...often they both butcher and sell.
Deliveroo...they deliver for Co-op, Morrisons and M and S here. Small charge...check them out.
So...you do have choice, from basic to best. No needs to starve.

[bednobs]

"I refuse to resort to what could only be described as panic buying "
Jesus christ there's a lot of hyperbole around today people with apparently absolutely no friends, relations that couldn't give a hoot, at risk of "starving to death" dismissing putting food in the freezer as panic buying.

[woofgang]

teacake that is the other bonus with keeping a stock in....if my neighbours had a need then I would be able to share and would do so.

[Mamyalynne]

This is simply a resurgence of the threads we had months ago - every piece of advice that is given is rebuffed out of hand.

It does start to make you think twice before replying.

[pastafreak]

PS...I always have sufficient meat/leftovers for several weeks in my freezer...and it's only a little one. Also some veg and berries. Both butter and hard cheeses can be frozen...oh, and milk.
Also tinned such as fish, corned beef, sauce ingredients, rice, seeds + oats for bread. . No baked beans though...;)

[teacake44]

The problem is really that most of us in the UK are used to feeding our body when we are hungry, ( not staving) some people with money problems go without food for 1/2/3 days, or very little. I always keep a good stock of food, and always have done, I would say what I have in stock, ( if I really wanted to make it last, and not feed myself on the slightest call of hunger) I could last 2 months.

[woofgang]

Mamya "This is simply a resurgence of the threads we had months ago - every piece of advice that is given is rebuffed out of hand.

It does start to make you think twice before replying."

Oh I dunno, sometimes some people just need to grumble and I think those of us who support them to do it are doing a public service :)

[pastafreak]

Whatever information we put up can be of use to *someone*. It won't go to waste.

[gness]

You seem to be making a big mountain here, Dave.
Having enough to get you through two weeks is hardly panic buying.
Living in the back of beyond Dave and I only travel to shop every three or four weeks. This is not because we are cretins...we are just sensible enough to know how to be prepared for the possibility of not getting to town which can often happen here.
Meat we can get from the village butcher and veg and eggs from our farming friends. We keep enough other supplies to see us through at least three weeks or to share with others as they do with us.
If you are really worried that you may have to self isolate then you should be prepared for that. It will at least save you from worrying about starving or worse, passing on the virus.

[bednobs]

i seem to remember that you have kids Dave. Wouldn't they even come from where they are living to feed you if you were "starving"? That's sad Or perhaps they expect you to act like a grown up and make preparations for yourself?

[New Judge]

//NJ have you no freezer?//

Yes. And it's full.

//I think that NJ's argument that you can't have a decent diet unless you can go out and shop several times a week is ludicrous.//

It's possible if you are prepared. I am prepared and I would be perfectly able to get by but I'm simply not prepared to do it (reasons below).

I think we're straying a bit here and it's getting a bit silly (especially now it's being suggested that I might go out and infect loads of people, some of whom might die, when I might not even have the virus myself).

The issue here really is that it would cause most people (me included) severe problems if they were to receive a phone call which told them they must isolate for ten or fourteen days. So I return to my enduring theme. The virus, for the overwhelmingly vast majority of people, is not fatal; it does not even produce symptoms that will incapacitate the sufferer and in many cases produces no symptoms at all. Despite there currently being around seven thousand new cases a day, the disease accounts for a little over 2% of daily deaths and the daily number of hospital admissions need just 0.2% of the hospital beds in England & Wales. In order to try to counter there is enormous damage in all sorts of respects being wreaked upon the country and to expect people to suffer a fortnight's house arrest when they may have brushed past someone who may have tested positive.

Those who need to shield or who feel the need must do so. But a different strategy needs to be adopted for everybody else.

[woofgang]

what severe problems would it cause you? You have self destroyed your "I need to go shopping multiple times a week in order to get a decent diet"

[Prudie]

I will admit that today is our last day of quarantine after returning from holiday (from an island that currently has 7 cases in total but that's a different thread). We knew we would have to and have stuck rigidly to the rules, both of us, but even planning ahead our fridge and freezer are bare. We've never done online shopping and have no bread, ran out of sugar today and are eking out the last 4 pouches of cat food before we can shop tomorrow. Our dinners this week have been made from odd things put together from the cupboard/fridge that we wouldn't normally eat (some tuna steaks chopped into spicy packet noodles was particularly yukky) and am squeezing the last dregs of the toothpaste. Have lovely neighbours who offered to help but we didn't like to ask. We only have a freezer with 3 large trays and one small narrow one at the top. Certainly not enough to store 2 weeks worth of dinners. I know we probably planned poorly but it is not as easy as some are making out to feed yourself for 14 days without a shop.

[Buenchico]

I always try to have enough canned food (plus loo rolls, etc) in the house to last me a few weeks anyway. It's not something I started doing this year; it's something I've always done in case, say, I fall ill and don't feel up to going out of the house.

Also, in town with a population of around 5000, the local community volunteer group (who'll do shopping, etc, for people who can't get out of their homes for any reason) has over 200 members.

So I wouldn't be too concerned if I had to self-isolate for a couple of weeks. (It wouldn't be too different from when I was notionally 'shielding' during the lockdown period anyway).

[Apc2604]

Hope you enjoyed the cat food Prudie;-)