Cherry - I have often thought of a running thread about just that - ways we can all get together and help each other. There are so many things we can do - and we have so many posters here.
I personally, have been stocking up for quite some time, now. All the necessities - with the possibility that the grocery stores could be closed for awhile.
I have a major supply of water, too - batteries, oil for lamps, etc. It’s just a security for me. I have always been like that. Guess it is because of the stories my dad told me about living through the Great Depression.
Yorkie, I am like you. Not only stocked up, but when I use something up, I try and replace it quickly,before the price rises, if possible. If the price is really great and I have the storage, I will buy extra the first time. Transportation slow downs is also one of my concerns.
Cherry: the prices vary store to store, area to area, day to day. We try to do a quick run through of the shops when it is convenient and do not make special shopping trips to do so. We keep a list of things we like/use and we know where they can be marked down or where the store routinely makes great buys, but doesn’t advertise them.
Rice, flour, pasta, dried milk, reduced-for-quick-sale meat and produce are our usual targets. I have found almost everything is on sale at some point somewhere, but I don’t run around wasting gas and time to find them. We have a high mpg car, but we live in the country, so it is better to coordinate shopping trips.
You can replace most cleaning products with white vinegar, baking soda, ammonia, rubbing alcohol (not mixed, of course, unless you are cleaning drains or have checked for bad chemical reactions) and a little soap. Rags replace paper towels. Cold water washes, lower water levels and shorter washing machine time will help energy bills. Hanging clothes when possible and using the dryer for shorter times at lower temperatures is another savings.
Friends of ours picked up several electric heaters at the end of the heating season last year and put them in their most used rooms, turning them off/on as they are needed. They chose energy-efficient heaters and found their heating/electric bills for a big, drafty Victorian did not rise much during the coldest portion of the winter.
Cooking from scratch, of course, is cheaper than buying processed foods.
I am contemplating getting out my sewing machine (I hate to sew) again, but I use the same buy-it-when-I-find-it technique for clothing that I mentioned for food/cleaning supplies. I keep some cash available at all times for this and I can stretch it fairly well.
When you have time, google through the thrift sites for various tips. I learn something new each time.However, it would be interesting to run such a list on FR. Maybe someone with the time could post various articles here and then we could post our own knowledge on the thread.