I went to the stores last night for the first time in 2 months. Sam’s Club left me worried for the future. If you ever want to kick into high gear prepping, spend time in a few stores that are beginning to look empty. There was virtually no fresh meat (except for salmon). Frozen meats were also running low, as was the dairy section. The fruit and vegetable section was well stocked, so I am loading up the canner and dehydrator. Most other sections of the store were running with minimal inventory. There has been a lot of repositioning of merchandise to fill in areas. As I shopped, my head SCREAMED…”pay attention and quit listening to the reassurance coming from the top”. I am always in prepping mode, so I wasn’t sure what was creating the anxiety. I think that after 2 months of shortages, it is becoming apparent that this crisis isn’t going away anytime soon. Our dollars are already not stretching very far. I will do a calculation today, but I am guessing there has already been a 25-30% increase in food costs. I fear hyperinflation, combined with economic downturn, financial loss,civil unrest, supply disruption and shortages. Except for financial loss, these topics were things that I had as level two disruptions (I keep a list of three levels). I laughed at myself yesterday, as I reviewed my crisis planning for each, never having thought that I would need to address even one of them in my lifetime, yet here I am, surviving in this new altered world. On a good note, I was able to score TP, paper towel AND bleach! The flour and sugar were also back in stock, as were the rice and beans. At my second store (a major grocer) I found meat limited to 2 packets per person. Again, the aisles were looking thin, but there was more available than there had been in March. There are still plenty of supplies to get prepared, but seeing the low inventory of such a major supplier, just looked a little shocking, to someone who does it regularly. I also spent the day reviewing our food preservation supplies (canning lids, Sure Jel, mylar, oxygen absorbers, food saver pouches and even Zip lock freezer bags). Canning lids especially, are skyrocketing in price and already in short supply. There are long waits for many things to come back in stock with online suppliers. So ultimately I ended my day feeling like I had shored up part of my preps, but I must remain diligent for the coming changes. I remain ever “the little red hen”.