NOW I get to feel smug

[On Our own]

I noted this below, but it bears repeating. Our area (east coast) got nailed with a one two punch of massive amounts of snow, far above our norm. People were simply not prepared to manage without being able to get out to a store. One person walked four miles to a store and was shocked to find it closed. Did he really think the employees could get to work?? And BTW the phones still work why didn't you call??

But, we are set up to go off grid completely for better than a week with no discernible lifestyle changes. After a week we would have to make some real changes, but we could go easy another month.

I am so proud of us. Yay, for being prepared.





Yay for bleeding those who are not prepared when they asked for help...

 

[Wifezilla]

 

[Bettacreek]

To be honest, I've never actually understood that. How is it honestly possible to not have enough food or supplies in your house to get you through a few days? Even when we lived in a small apartment, we could easily stay in the apartment for probably a month. What do these people do, eat out every day? Grocery shop each day for one day's worth of food? Do they buy the single rolls of toilet paper and only buy one roll when they run out? Really, it just doesn't make any sense to me why anyone would have to rush out to the stores to get stuff before a storm.

 

[hennypenny9]

Bettacreek- I totally agree. Last year we had a snowstorm that made roads almost impassable for about a week. Friends called me every single day to ask if I had enough food. I know, they were being sweet to think of me, and I'm happy to have nice friends. BUT, they started calling the DAY it started snowing. Honestly, if you don't have enough food to last 24 hours, something is wrong.

On Our Own- All those people who weren't prepared for this storm will likely just never be prepared, period. So it's good not to just give away food/supplies to those who weren't ready. Maybe (ha!) they'll learn. But I don't hold out much hope.

 

[Wifezilla]

What do these people do, eat out every day? Grocery shop each day for one day's worth of food? Do they buy the single rolls of toilet paper and only buy one roll when they run out? Really, it just doesn't make any sense to me why anyone would have to rush out to the stores to get stuff before a storm.

According to my gf who grew up in France, YES. Maybe not 1 roll of tp at a time, but you food shop for that day every day. No larder, no root cellar, no pantry.

Maybe it is more of a city thing. When I lived in the back woods of Wisconsin, we HAD to have AT LEAST a weeks worth of food on hand at all times. You never knew when a serious snow storm would bury you. There were times the plow couldn't get to us.

 

[farmerlor]

What do these people do, eat out every day? Grocery shop each day for one day's worth of food? Do they buy the single rolls of toilet paper and only buy one roll when they run out? Really, it just doesn't make any sense to me why anyone would have to rush out to the stores to get stuff before a storm.

According to my gf who grew up in France, YES. Maybe not 1 roll of tp at a time, but you food shop for that day every day. No larder, no root cellar, no pantry.

Maybe it is more of a city thing. When I lived in the back woods of Wisconsin, we HAD to have AT LEAST a weeks worth of food on hand at all times. You never knew when a serious snow storm would bury you. There were times the plow couldn't get to us.

My daughter spent a semester in Rome and said the same thing. They shopped every day. The refrigerator is a tiny little thing and while they had plenty of space to do actual cooking there was very little storage space for canned goods....and speaking of canned goods, she really couldn't find any. If it wasn't fresh, it just wasn't to be had. She almost cried when she found out that there was no peanut butter. What do Europeans do when there's a crisis if this is the norm?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I hear they eat Nutella in France.

My guess is that it would take an awful lot to shut down the street markets in European countries . . . it is tradition to shop daily. I believe it is only here in America that we are so separated from the people who raise our food that a storm can shut the system down.

 

[Henrietta23]

I have friends in NYC who shop every day on the way home from work. There is absolutely no storage space in their apartment. Wouldn't trade places with them for anything!

 

[enjoy the ride]

What I truly don't understand is that this storm didn't sneak up on anyone- it was all over the news even in California.
And you should feel good- you done good.

 

[tamlynn]

Thats a great feeling to be prepared!