Coronavirus: Alternatives at the Grocery Store

Your pantry is low, so you head to your local grocery store only to find that the coronavirus situation has left you with empty shelves.  Don't feel stressed.  Here's a list of alternatives to help you thrive like our historic foremothers in these unsure, lean times:

No bleach?  Buy vinegar, instead.  Use vinegar to clean and disinfect until you can get bleach again.

No bread?  All you need is a bag of flour.  Flour and water can make simple wraps.

No laundry detergent?  Purchase borax and/or washing soda.  If those are out, purchase baking soda and vinegar.  Look for laundry soap bars.  If those are out, you can use cheap body soap, like Ivory.  If those are out, just use the borax, washing soda, or baking soda, and vinegar for the time being.

Soaps getting scarce?  Purchase from local artisan soapmakers, or get a big bottle of castile soap.  The castile soap can be use as shampoo, body wash, hand soap, dish soap, and laundry soap.  Norwex also makes body cloths that can clean you with just water.  No soap needed.

No hand sanitizer?  Grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

No toilet paper?  Find a squirt bottle to use as a bidet.

No paper towels?  Now's a good time to go through old tshirt, holey socks, old washcloths, towels, etc, and reuse them.  Wash them, if lightly soiled.  Toss them if they do a nasty clean up job.  Another option is to support your local Norwex consultant and invest in Norwex cloths.

No pasta?  Again, flour and water.  1 egg per cup of flour.  A bit of salt.  Make noodles or dumplings.

No cereal?  Oatmeal, dried fruit, breakfast!!

No milk?  Check out local dairies, or purchase canned milk.  It tastes different, but you'll survive.

No tissues?  Run to the local fabric store and purchase some cotton muslin.  Wash it well to help soften it, then cut it, hem it, and you have handkerchiefs.

No baby formula?  Call your local foodbanks, health department, pregnancy support center, or hospital.

No fresh meat?  Check out the canned options.  Research local farms/CSAs or delivery services like Butcherbox.  Purchase broth and make a lot of soups.

Be creative with your pantry.  It might be weird to have baked beans and canned peaches for lunch, but it's ok.  If we all get a little more creative and a little less wasteful, we can avoid any bigger problems with the inconvenience of our current situation.

Hopefully, this list helps.  If I come up with others, I will add them.  If you have any ideas, please share them in the comments.