A typical Canadian (and American) would
go to their favourite grocery store about once a week and fill the
cart full of produce, dairy and canned goods. This practice is
especially the norm if you live outside the city limits and do not
work in the city. Now in Europe, one usually goes to pick up a few
things at a time each and every day as their fridge is small and who
there has a freezer? It uses too much electricity. Now, when we
venture to the Bahamas I must have everything on board BEFORE we
leave the United States. Last year I did provision a bit more in
Nassau but this year we are only in Nassau once on the way to the
Exumas and once on the way back. This means I have to plan exactly
how many mayonnaises I actually need along with olive oil, pepper,
salt, paper towels, kleenix and believe me one needs enough toilet
paper on board! This requires a bit of planning (who am I fooling, a
lot of planning!!).
I have a detailed list from last year
and know what is left over so I will actually buy less of those
items, but we ran out of kleenix halfway through our trip last year,
so I need to buy double of that. AND if we have the room, Paul would
like to store extra beer on board. That means when I get to Stuart in
November I will be venturing to the Wal-Mart maybe twice a day. I
would rather pay $1.45 for a can of mushrooms now than down in
Staniel Cay, $4.50.
After I buy each item, I get rid of all
cardboard and put things in ziplocks. Getting rid of garbage is $5 a
bag in the Bahamas. I write down where exactly I am putting that
item, ie: in guest shower cupboard, bottom shelf. I lost a 12 pack of
pepsi for a week once! I have totes with numbers on them and keep
track when an item is removed from its spot. This saves so much time
in the Bahamas, if I need another jar of mayonnaise, I know exactly
which tote or shelf it is on.
So I shop for a 14 week holiday... so
our BMO Mastercard will be getting a big workout in the next coming
weeks. I love the airmiles so we can visit my parents on Vancouver
Island … or our sons can take that trip too.
Enjoy your weekend, Monday will be a
blog with pictures of action here on Coyaba.
Did You Know: That here in Florida, 24 of beer could cost as low at $18, in Ontario it is about $34, and then in Staniel Cay, Exumas..... $65!!
2 comments:
Buz and I will be in Stuart this weekend, checking up on Steadfast and all the work that has been started and hopefully completed by now. Then on to the boat show in Fort Lauderdale. Just a three day whirlwind trip. Well be back after Christmas to head across the Stream.
See you then.
Rosemary
Shannon, you are the Queen of Provisioning!! You could teach many people your tricks. You do a fantastic job and I can't believe how you keep track of it all!! Doug says forget the toilet paper and get more beer!! Love Doug & Vicki
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