Yikes, what weather we've been having here in Colorado! On Wednesday, December 20, we got 23" of snow. Believe it or not, Colorado is not prepared for lots of snow...at least not on the "plains". Actually, I live close to the foothills, but we still didn't get our road plowed until Saturday night at midnight!! Needless to say, I'm really glad that I have been doing my grocery shopping once a week, so we were prepared for not going anywhere for those few days.
Well, welcome to part 2. Last night we got about 7", with predictions of up to 20" by Sunday morning. I went to the already bare stores and got as much of what I needed as I could. When I finally got out last week, the store was out of most produce, including potatoes, celery, onions, bananas, cranberries, dairy, milk, cheese, yogurt, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. I went back a few days later and was able to pick up most of that, but the shelves were still getting picked clean, just as quickly as the store could replenish. Scary! (Think of if this was a disaster emergency!!)
This has actually helped me stay on my diet, since I'm not going to the store every other day, less temptations to buy things I don't need, like candy bars and sodas. I will continue to do the once a week shopping. The other benefit is that I've been saving money, just getting what I need on my list. I highly recommend it to anyone who is on a diet or wants to save money. The other reason to make sure your pantry is stocked is "just in case". Keep it stocked with good for you foods that will keep. This storm is the "big one" that we get every few years, but already this is the 3rd most snow that we've ever had in December since they started keeping track of those things. We have more snow right now than we had all winter last year! People don't think that they need to make preparations, "just in case", but it's a really smart thing to do. We ended up feeding some of our unprepared neighbors, because they are the types that go to the store every other day. I used to be that way...no more!
Just something to think about. Try visiting www.ready.gov for information on things you should have stocked, for just in case.