If things get tougher?

thriftmonster

I always keep in Whitworths dried onions - they are really nice in HM bread - but are fine in casseroles as well. I keep them in a lock container and when ever I see them I add another box to the stash. They're also only about 37p a box.

cady

i use frozen onion frozen peppers ect as it works out cheeper and we dont use much so the fresh ones go off

2cats1kid

I don't really have enough in the way of freezer space to take it up with onions, although if I only need half I'll chop and freeze the other half, rather than have it go manky in the fridge.

I'm going through my freezer and cupboards and working out what is earning its space. e.g. I had some BBQ things from Tesco on offer, figuring we would have a BBQ sometime this summer. Ha! Well that has done us some dinners, and the space is now being used more productively (as there was a lot of packaging on the BBQ things) by chicken breasts and fish portions.

I'm going to do the same thing with the cupboards, so things that hardly get used, like food colourings, cake toppings etc. (we aren't big cake/sweet eaters) will be used up or ditched and the space taken with tuna, beans, etc that we will definitely use. I have one whole shelf of flour (and DH has found my secret stash so I've been given grief about that this morning!) as I figure bread will at least fill us up if things get desperate.

In my planning, I need to take account of the fur babies, too - no sense having cupboards of stuff for us and no way to feed them.

BilberryCharlotte

[quote=2cats1kid;13609397

In my planning, I need to take account of the fur babies, too - no sense having cupboards of stuff for us and no way to feed them.[/quote]

Me too 2c1k, sadly we only have one furry family member now, but I have ordered extra bags of dog meal and senior tinned food, although I usually cook for him. I wonder if the dog meal will be prey to weevils? oh lordy!

Charis

frugalswan wrote: »

UHT milk (for extreme emergencies like when the weather is so bad at lunchtime I can't get out to pick up a pint from town to bring home)

I've got a fussy soul in my household but I have discovered that even he can't detect a pint of Tesco's UHT semi skimmed if I mix it in with half a container of 'normal' semi skimmed. UHT is 6p per litre dearer but it is handy for emergencies and as I freeze normal milk for backup anyway, probably works out the same - but doesn't take hours to thaw.

mama67

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

oooohhhh we can have a "capricorn convention" im one too

My d.o.b is the 22nd december

Well i was chatting to hubby about this thread -and others..and when i mentioned the stoves hubbies little face lit up -he has a little stove he got for going on exercises and it can be run on unleaded fuel the same as our car -and as we get tax free fuel whilst out here, its not too bad at all ..1 little tank will run for 6.5hrs :T so at least in a super emergancy i can send hubby down into the basement to play with that :rotfl:
I think when im sorting out this weekend i might have to get that and my old enamel pans, spare utensils etc all in the same place we can find them in a hurry.... think i will put them on the shelving in the washroom in the basement where i keep all my extra flour etc and might start adding a few tins down there ready for winter
we also have cylume sticks..those glow stick thingies so as long as we don't mind looking green we will be okay
I have had my eye on a remoska for ages ...hmmmm might have to have words with hubby -he was going to get me and electric ice cream maker for my birthday/xmas... but i could have a remoska and allsorts of "extras" for less than the ice cream machine i was having...now you have me thinking.. off to look at lakeland and price up what i could get :rotfl: mind if i can find a remoska out here i can get the tax off;)

I have a 2 burner unleaded stove, we used to get lots of powercuts, ended up with generator lorries for days on end.

My cooker was a godsend as we do not have mains gas here, and oil for heating, but we do have a coalfire so at least kept warm.

mama67

ceridwen wrote: »

Yep...Charis...but one does at least have the chance quite easily (well - with the aid of an even larger cheque to pay for it!:rolleyes: ) to specify to the dentist that fillings are to be those white composite ones (rather than the silver amalgam ones) - which is something I have been doing for years - and trying to summon up the nerve (and money!) to visit a suitably-trained dentist (and I dont think we even HAVE any of them locally) to carefully remove those amalgam fillings I had done before I realised about them.

Re - the disposal of the environment "friendly" lightbulbs - I havent heard a peep out of my local authority about the need for special disposal of them! and know I threw a couple of them in the bin back when....before I realised of myself.

Now...."nice knowing you all" - you aint going nowheres Charis......:D ...after all you're one of my regular commenters on my blog....a gal's gotta keep her visitors in one piece you know (okay then.....women of a certain age then if we're counting;) ).

I phoned my council about this ages ago as I had one to dispose of and the packaging on the new one said "do not put in bin".

The answer I got after being put on hold and then called back as they had to check it out; was to wrap in newspaper and put into the bin.

They (the council) said the amounts of mercury were too small to worry about.

I asked the person who phoned me back if they could look into this problem which will arise in the future.

Charis

mardatha wrote: »

I've been thinking...(!! Well I had a bath and that always makes me think LOL)... instead of us all running out buying up every bag of flour/pasta/rice/potatoes/oil/onions/blahblah in sight ---wouldn't it be more sensible to hoard CASH which can't go off or get weevils innit ? And then just buy foodstuffs as & when we need more ??

I started keeping a reserve of food at home when I read this article at the beginning of June. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1024833/Nine-meals-anarchy--Britain-facing-real-food-crisis.html
Pasta prices have shot up since then and last week I heard from a friend that wheat is going black in the fields here, due to the weather, and the fields are too wet to take a combine harvester onto.

Others here are stocking up to save going out during the winter weather or to buy things when on offer or to be self reliant if there is another crisis like a fuel blockade. Anyone else remember the panic buying in the 70's? No sugar, no bread, then even a salt famine, as rumours spread like wildfire. We don't even need a crisis, just a rumour of shortages, to trigger off panic buying.

Maybe we should all have at least three day's worth of food, milk and water, just in case. Being prepared will keep us fed until emergency measures kick in.

frugalswan

Charis wrote: »

I've got a fussy soul in my household but I have discovered that even he can't detect a pint of Tesco's UHT semi skimmed if I mix it in with half a container of 'normal' semi skimmed. UHT is 6p per litre dearer but it is handy for emergencies and as I freeze normal milk for backup anyway, probably works out the same - but doesn't take hours to thaw.

I honestly hadn't thought of freezing milk. I might get a couple of individual pints to put in the freezer then. We've only got a very small freezer, but that might work a lot better than finding out the pint we have has gone sour and not having any in. I do have some powdered milk, but I don't think the OH would drink it.

Charis

frugalswan wrote: »

I honestly hadn't thought of freezing milk. I might get a couple of individual pints to put in the freezer then. We've only got a very small freezer, but that might work a lot better than finding out the pint we have has gone sour and not having any in. I do have some powdered milk, but I don't think the OH would drink it.

Individual pints only take a couple or three hours to thaw at room temperature. They go a curious shade of yellow when frozen but completely back to normal when thawed. Giving them a good shake periodically helps them to thaw more quickly.

I used to pour out a little from the top to allow room for expansion but have found recently with the four pinters they freeze fine just as they come.