If things get tougher?

sammy_kaye18

Now I wanted to get a big sack of spuds and potatos for winter but dont they go funny? as in soft and rubbery?? how is best to store them as i am in a ground floor flat and have limited space so i dont want them going manky on me. Plus i dont have a huge freezer so freezing some is not an option for me

rosieben

Sammy, not sure if you have a shed? or do you have a corner of your hallway to stand a sack - you could throw a piece of old fabric over it to disguise it if need be?

Potatoes need to be kept dry, cool, and free from frost and they will be fine. Not sure how they will keep this year if the harvest is as bad as they're saying on the news. Too much wet makes the potatoes rot quickly.

Aril

We had a 3 hour power cut last week. The first thing I noticed was all the kids went out and played which is unusual for an week evening. I then discovered that we had 3 torches but only 1 had a battery. Ah I thought I'll substitute my bike light...no the battery was flat on that aswell:D Fortunately I always have plenty of candles and matches in for all my Pagan celebrations so we were fine and we have now stocked up on batteries!!
Aril

elona

Margaret

Tesco sell wind up torches and also wind up small radios but the light they give out is not fantastic.

Better than nothing though!

Poundsaver shops had some of these "silver thermal blankets" - two for a pound so I got some.

Whenever I buy anything DH moans that we have plenty!!

Now I just smuggle in stuff and hide it - I can do that with a small torch or radio or candles but not anything bigger.:rolleyes:

mummysaver

Pitlanepiglet wrote: »

I was born at the ail end of 1969 and vividly remember as a very small child, walking with my mum to get paraffin out of some kind of automated machine...I guess that would have been 71/72

Wow I can remember that too! It used to be a white machine on the garage forecourt. I was born at the start of 1969, and the garage I'm thinking of we didn't live near until I was 8! Guess my parents either were still going with the paraffin long after most people had stopped, there were more power shortages, or our village was just behind the times!

I sincerely hope we never experience that sort of thing again, my children find it unbelievable that I used to wake up with ice on the inside of my windows! :rolleyes: I'm certain they think it's just an excuse on my part for turning the heating down or off!

Well I have a large flask, used for my yoghurt making usually! I have candles, tea lights, matches and camping torches and batteries, and two gas camping cookers, and we have plenty of jumpers, so hopefully we won't freeze, starve or be left in the dark!

katieowl_2

THought those of you who were discussing the TV licence with me would be interested in THIS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7614330.stm

I couldn't agree more with him, but I bet he'll now get a knock on the door LOL!

maryb

rosieben wrote: »

Sammy, not sure if you have a shed? or do you have a corner of your hallway to stand a sack - you could throw a piece of old fabric over it to disguise it if need be?

Potatoes need to be kept dry, cool, and free from frost and they will be fine. Not sure how they will keep this year if the harvest is as bad as they're saying on the news. Too much wet makes the potatoes rot quickly.

I bought a sack of potatoes today and I was shocked at the price - £10.50 whereas it was abot £6 two years ago.

However I reckon even if you only use two thirds of the sack and have to bin the last third it's still cheaper than buying from supermarkets

Jacks_xxx

Do you think those of us who remember the power cuts and shortages of the seventies and the recession of the eighties and the mortgage rate hikes of the early nineties are more inclined to prepare for the worst?

I gave a new student relative of ours living on her own for the first time an emergency box with a windup light, bottled water, matches, candles, Kendal Mint cake, a pack of cards and some canned food items etc and from her expression I am sure she now thinks I am crazy old Auntie Jacks :rotfl:

But things are getting tougher all the time. In order not to get into a mess many of us will have to make some hard decisions about how to spend our limited resources and in some cases it will come down to Food versus Heat/ Light

And we all keep hearing abouit how there's not enough power to go round so power cuts are going to become much more commonplace.
It's some scary times that we live in. :eek:

Love Jacks xxx

debbiemc_2

Hi everyone

I've been reading with interest the preparation everyone is doing in case things get tougher, in particular the comments about power shortages - I'm 27 and don't remember having many power cuts in my lifetime, certainly not in recent years. Are power cuts something thats likely to affect us this winter? I haven't prepared at all for that, and now I'm feeling slightly concerned!

Debbie. x

carriebradshaw

I remember the shortages and power cuts in the seventies.When things like potatoes were short we would often have rice instead or *shudders* tinned potatoes if they were in the shops,but sugar was short as well and my dad used to take 3 sugars in his many cups of tea and he would not cut down.When bread and sugar were short,very often in the shops there would be a sign on the door like in war time saying 'one pack per person' so us four kids would be despatched to town with a shopping trolley and go round all the shops that had any and buy a pack of sugar in each one and some bread and bread mixes to stock up just in case.Sometimes we could only get caster, or loaf sugar so we get that anyway,I liked having sugar cubes in my tea. The power cuts were great for me being a kid, we played more cards & board games together as a family.I loved having my own candle stuck down in a big jar to make a lantern to read in bed with,and the coal fire got called back into play again,lovely and toasty after being used to a one bar electric fire Must have been a nightmare for parents though.

We get a fair few power cuts here when the Winter comes too but we're not too bothered about them,we've got coal fire so we have heat and can make tea and heat stuff up on there and make toast and we've got candles stored in every room so we don't get caught out in the dark Not much fun when power goes off when you're in the shower at night and have just put your shampoo on though :eek: