Don't forget the medicine cabinet. I went through ours last week and tossed the outdated stuff (and boy, was there a lot of it!). I stocked up on children's Tylenol, Motrin, cough syrup, Chloraseptic, Benedryl (for the kid who gets hives), Vapo-Rub, vitamins, etc. I have learned the hard way that it's best to have this stuff on hand rather than have to go out to the pharmacy at night a snow storm.

Sheri,

THANK YOU! I would have forgotten the OTC meds... and how could I after going through 2 bottles of cough syrup this week? LOL

Julie

Feminine hygene products and diapers, formula.

Batteries, candles and bad weather food supplies which will keep.

Gloria

I have never heard of or thought of this, though I grew up in Ohio and now live in New England. What a great idea! I'm going to do it this year.

Joann,

I started stocking up for winter when I was pregnant with my oldest son (he's now in college) so I wouldn't have to do mega-shopping in a snowstorm with a baby.

We keep mountains of toilet paper, ziplock bags, foil, plastic wrap, etc. in the storage area under the basement stairs. Shampoo, soap, etc. go in the cabinet in the downstairs basement. Laundry and cleaning supplies go in the cabinet in the laundry room. In the "olden days", baby diapers and supplies were kept in the bottom of the closet in the baby's room. There is a an out-of-sight place for everything, so it works out well for me.

Julie

Julie, you're welcome! This thread is a great idea. One other item I thought of was pet food. We buy our dog's dry food in 20- and 40-lb. bags, not something you want to be lugging through a slushy parking lot.

Extra wood for the fireplace or wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I was without power for a total of eight days because of two ice storms in 2000.

No fireplace here, no wood stove, no dogs.

But we do have a parakeet... I could get parakeet food. Hate to stock up too much on that since I think his days are numbered. It seems I remember we estimated his final years based on when DS would start college, and DS is a sophomore this year. Poor, neurotic parakeet. He's got to be 10 years old?

Breakfast cereal. Definitely need to add that to the list. The kids eat it at all hours of the day... I just have to hope the vitamin fortification makes it healthy.

I love the idea of stocking up on all the basic supplies.

Actually, if your budgie has had a good balanced diet, heavy on veggies and pelleted food, and seems to be happy and healthy, he should live another five to 10 years! Enjoy him. Parakeets are special little angels and are household necessities, IMHO.

I've raised and/or kept pet parakeets off and on for 25 years. I've written a small handbook on the care and feeding of budgies that I like to share with anyone interested in parakeets. If you wish, I'd be happy to email a copy of it to you.

I don't think I'll ever have more than the two I have now, but I couldn't imagine my house without their chatters, squawks, screams, and giggles. Not to mention the dander, feathers, and woodchips sprinkled about.

Here they are...Jill, an American standard pied female, and Pudge, an English Exhibition male.

Guess who inspired my signature gif???

We don't get real snow storms here, but we often lose electricity - so part of my preparation is to make certain fresh batteries are in flash lights, that the camping stove is accessible, and that water is set aside. Living rural, I lose pump on well when power goes out - and that also means toilet flushing is minimal......

Yes - the weather is changing - and it is interesting to hear how each prepares for that.

grins

Vicki

Caroline,
Cute picture! We read a ton of books before we bought a parakeet, but nothing prepared us for his neurotic behavior. Poor baby, he's always been afraid of veggies and won't eat if we put them anywhere near him. Our best guess is he was too young when we got him.

Coffee!!!!

We are now getting our first snowfall. It's very pretty but I hate to think of driving in it.

Related to the OTC meds, foods you want when you're sick. Canned chicken soup, crackers, bottled juice, and so forth.

Bread or roll making supplies, maybe? When we had a blizzard here a few years ago, it wasn't just that we couldn't get out to shop. Once the roads were clear, it took several days for the bread trucks to get to the stores. That's the year I got a bread machine, and why I won't declutter it!

We live out in the country and can lose power for several days, at least. Since we're all electric, that means no water. So in the late fall, I buy those 2 and 1/2 gallon water jugs that have a little spigot on them, for drinking water. But I've kept 3 empty ones from last year, and when I think there's going to be a bad storm, I fill them up with water and place one at the kitchen sink, and on the counters in the 2 bathrooms....so we can still easily wash our hands.
I also fill the bathtubs and put a bucket in each bathroom, so we can continue to use the toilets.