Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #2

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  • #343
If you are looking for disinfecting wipes...

I saw the head of Clorox on GMA this week. She said that stores are receiving them everyday....so ask your grocer when their trucks come in, if they are getting them, and get there first thing in the morning when they have been stocked and you may be able to find them....they go super quick!

When will Clorox wipes again be plentiful in stores? Here's what the president of the company says
My grocer said he hasn’t received any since the start of the stay at home orders in mid March. I’m going there in about 40 minutes when they open so will ask again. I can clean with soap and water at home but really really need them for my office. We have been open this whole time as construction is considered essential in this part of California. I hate touching anything as I have coworkers that come in after I leave at noon who are not exactly taking this seriously. :confused:
 
  • #344
Our county did a mass food distribution for everyone. They had the Nat’l Guard running it. What a fabulous organized process. Everyone had gloves & masks. They helped open your trunk, directed the traffic, loaded 2 boxes of food and a gallon of milk and directed you right to the exit. 5 minutes tops! God Bless our troops!!

My friend and I met up afterward to exchange items due to food allergies. The milk is from our local dairy too!
 

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  • #345
I picked up a CSA order from one of my local farms today. I pulled up, opened my trunk and told my name from a safe distance of over 6 feet away. The employee sanitized her hands before retrieving my order and loaded the bags of veggies in the back for me while I sat in my parked car. She didn't touch my car at all and I saw her sanitize her hands again after she walked back inside. Then I got out and closed my trunk. There was not a single other car in the parking lot and no other people around. This was so much safer and easier than going grocery shopping IMO. I think it's the first time since March that I didn't feel like stripping off everything and showering the minute I got home. What a wonderful feeling!

When I got home I removed the vegetable crisper drawer from my fridge, gave it a quick wash with soapy water and dried it, then went out to my car with the drawer, a few large bowls and some of my own produce bags. I removed all the plastic bags, rubber bands and twist ties from the farm and put the veggies into my own containers in the crisper drawer. I threw away the bags and ties and washed my hands. Then I was able to carry almost everything in the crisper drawer and put it away in my fridge without touching the veggies. The only thing that would not fit was the celery which had huge leaves, twice the size of an average head of celery from a store. I love organic farm celery with leaves! I had to take the celery inside and cut it up right away. Also in my order this week was spinach, swiss chard, kale, carrots, spring onions, arugula and a jar of honey. We're going to be having lots of pesto, bean soups with greens and green omelets this week. Maybe a kale salad since I can wash it well first. I'm sort of avoiding eating things raw lately unless I can wash it really well or peel it. JMO.
 
  • #346
It's crazy. The manager at my local 99 Cent Store told me the situation looks bleak.

I do have a handy tip that helps conserve your rubbing alcohol. When you open a new bottle don't tear off the inner seal, underneath the cap. Instead use a pin to punch a little hole in the center of the seal. This way you can easily control the amount used.

Well well well.. I went to my local 99 Cent Store today, and there was a shelf full of rubbing alcohol staring back at me! There was a two bottle limit, and the price was $1.99 not $0.99 for 16 oz, but I was overjoyed. Never thought I would be euphoric over two bottles of rubbing alcohol lol. How is the situation in your area?
 
  • #347
Well well well.. I went to my local 99 Cent Store today, and there was a shelf full of rubbing alcohol staring back at me! There was a two bottle limit, and the price was $1.99 not $0.99 for 16 oz, but I was overjoyed. Never thought I would be euphoric over two bottles of rubbing alcohol lol. How is the situation in your area?

I scored 3 bottles at my local Wal-Mart store!!!! (There was a 4 bottle limit). I agree; I've never been more excited to see a full shelf of rubbing alcohol before! :p
 
  • #348
My 6 bottles of hand sanitizer finally arrived from ShopHQ, took several weeks to receive but happy they got here
 
  • #349
If anyone is looking, Amazon currently has some disposable gloves available.
 
  • #350
DH has returned from his monthly Costco trip. I considered accompanying him but decided against it. Glad I did! He had to stand outside in the rain until his group was allowed inside. We had a list of about 20 items that we needed/wanted, and for the most part, it was a successful venture. No hand soap or sanitizer, no gloves or masks, no dish soap, but we're good for now on all of these. Paper towels, plastic wrap, mouth rinse, Kleenex, Windex, and - drum roll - a 30-roll pack of Charmin. We didn't really need the TP, but since it was plentiful, DH thought it would be wise to get it at this time.

We don't buy much in the way of food at Costco because the packaging is large for just the two of us. It's pasta salad time, and we like the Kirkland marinated artichokes (2 large jars) and black olives (8-can pack). We also like Costco lamb chops (two meals per package), rack of lamb (one dinner that would cost $30 person in a restaurant), sockeye salmon (two meals per fillet). Lamb chops and rack of lamb are ridiculously overpriced at Salvaggio's and rarely go on sale. Sockeye salmon is on special occasionally, but we get it each Costco trip so we don't have to wait for a Nino's special.

Salvaggio's asparagus was $5.99# this week, so DH passed. Meijer had it for $3.99#, but DH said it looked scrawny and not particularly fresh. He got a 2.25# package at Costco that we'll enjoy for the next few days: Grilled with marinated lamb chops tonight, asparagus risotto, roasted with Parm/panko crust, wrapped with bacon or prosciutto. We love asparagus!
 
  • #351
DH made a quick trip to Meijer yesterday to get some of his staples (orange juice, half & half, cereal) and got a few other items, including a 16 oz. bottle of hand sanitizer. We don't use it often because we're mostly at home and washing hands, but we won't have to worry about not having much any more. I have a small bottle in my purse, and DH has one in his vehicle for when we're out of the house.

I didn't want to miss out on using my BCBS/OTC quarterly allowance and ordered suppositories and Preparation H wipes. I have a bout with hemorrhoids once or twice a year and figure I might eventually need these products; I have only Tucks at the moment. Apologies if this is TMI - :oops: :D

Salvaggio's has a special on sockeye salmon this week - 12.99# instead of the usual 17.99#. DH got two 1.5# salmon fillets at Costco last week that we put in the freezer. We might get the salmon at Nino's for the holiday weekend while it's on sale, and they also have lox on the weekly special. Bagels with lox and cream cheese would be nice for holiday brunch.
 
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  • #352
I decided to mask up to go to my local grocery store yesterday when I saw in the ad that sweet corn on the cob and cucumbers were both selling 3 for 99 cents. I can't recall the last time I saw corn and cucumbers that cheap in May. Organic tomatoes were on a very good sale as well. I also needed butter, milk, cheese and eggs, which were not cheap unfortunately. Prices have gone up quite a bit on dairy and meat. Produce seems to be a mixed bag with some items higher than normal and some items on deep discounts. There were plenty of cheap produce items to offset the increased cost of my dairy purchases but I didn't buy very much produce because I'm buying more from my local farms instead. But if anyone can't afford the meat and dairy price increases I think it's possible to shop the produce sales and get creative with your meals. More fruits and veggies are always a good idea. :D

Unfortunately, in my store the cheeses that were on sale were almost all wiped out. All that was left was mozzarella. Although, I probably should mention I only buy block cheese and grate it fresh at home. I have allergies to the additives in some of the pre-shredded cheeses, so it's really a disappointment when I can't get any block cheese. There did seem to be plenty of pre-shredded cheese, which was not on sale this week. I bought a small block of overpriced white cheddar and the sale mozzarella. The meat case was looking especially bare around the beef and pork but I did manage to find some grass fed stew beef and grassfed pre-formed burger patties. They were nearly double what I normally pay. Next to the grassfed beef I noticed an empty space where they normally stock ground elk. The elk had not increased in price from my memory of buying it occasionally in the past, and it was sold out. Ground bison was more than double it's usual price in my market but there was plenty of it left in the case. It's clear to me that people are buying up whatever is cheapest/on sale in the stores.

The most disappointing part of my trip to the store yesterday was the presence of many tourists who were not wearing masks and were ignoring social distancing. I could tell the store was full of tourists because of out of state license plates in the parking lot and from overhearing their conversations with each other and store employees as I navigated through the store. And our hotels have just reopened for out of state travelers recently, so I guess I should have expected that to happen. One unmasked woman was talking loudly on her phone and I overheard her say, "Yeah, since they made masks mandatory back home, I decided to come stay here for a while where I can live normally without having to wear a mask and follow all those BS rules...." I wanted to scream! :mad: I steered clear of her and the other tourists and got out of there as fast as possible. This was in a rural county that has had very low case numbers so far, but with the influx of tourists that won't be the case for long. :(:mad:

MOO.
 
  • #353
My regular produce pickup today was a lot more cucumbers than I could possibly eat! They must be in season. I’m also allergic to watermelon. My friends are taking one. Hopefully, my youngest will eat the other one. At least they’re small! Lots of corn on the cob and zucchini too.
 

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  • #354
That's a beautiful bounty, PayrollNerd :) I make a very simple salad with cucumber, tomato, red onion, Greek or Italian vinaigrette. Toss with Romaine if we have some.

Even though we typically have Ratatouille in the fall, I plan to make it this weekend. DH brought home a beautiful eggplant from Salvaggio's last week, but we didn't have zucchini, yellow squash, or a pepper, so I couldn't make Ratatouille. My mom made Ratatouille with the bounty from Dad's garden: eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, green pepper, onion, tomatoes. I loved it as a child, and it's still my favorite vegetable dish. Mom probably used dried herbs, but I use fresh rosemary and thyme along with dried Herbs de Provence. DH and I sometimes have it as a meatless meal with Parmesan shards and a crusty loaf of bread. Bon Appetit!
 
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  • #355
That's a beautiful bounty, PayrollNerd :) I make a very simple salad with cucumber, tomato, red onion, Greek or Italian vinaigrette. Toss with Romaine if we have some.

Even though we typically have Ratatouille in the fall, I plan to make it this weekend. DH brought home a beautiful eggplant from Salvaggio's last week, but we didn't have zucchini, yellow squash, or a pepper, so I couldn't make Ratatouille. My mom made Ratatouille with the bounty from Dad's garden: eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, green pepper, onion, tomatoes. I loved it as a child, and it's still my favorite vegetable dish. Mom probably used dried herbs, but I use fresh rosemary and thyme along with dried Herbs de Provence. DH and I sometimes have it as a meatless meal with Parmesan shards and a crusty loaf of bread. Bon Appetit!

drooling over here
 
  • #356
I love reading about everyone's bounties
are we ever going to see hand sanitizer or lysol wipes come back in stock? sigh
 
  • #357
If you are looking for disinfecting wipes...

I saw the head of Clorox on GMA this week. She said that stores are receiving them everyday....so ask your grocer when their trucks come in, if they are getting them, and get there first thing in the morning when they have been stocked and you may be able to find them....they go super quick!

When will Clorox wipes again be plentiful in stores? Here's what the president of the company says

I have found Clorox, Lysol and Kroger brand wipes on Friday mornings at 7:45am at our Kroger store. I even saw a single Clorox container at CVS one evening. I hadn’t seen ANYTHING in stock at CVS lately.
 
  • #358
I love reading about everyone's bounties
are we ever going to see hand sanitizer or lysol wipes come back in stock? sigh
Yes. I scored both last week. Did a happy dance right there in the store aisle.
 
  • #359
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I love reading about everyone's bounties
are we ever going to see hand sanitizer or lysol wipes come back in stock? sigh

I have found hand sanitizer but not wipes. Lowes Home Improvement had Germ-x a couple weeks ago (Limit 1). My local grocery store had a fancy looking brand of hand sanitizer I have never heard of. It was 7.99 for 8 oz :eek: I didn't need any, but the hand sanitizer seems to be out there more and more. I wish I could find some disinfecting wipes of any brand.
 
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