Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

GreyQueen wrote: »

Long before penicillin was discovered, some people had found out that you could help wounds by binding mouldy bread over them.

Centuries ago, the Japanese were feeding mouldy bread to prostitutes, to treat venereal disease.

They didn't know why it worked, but they knew it did work.

lobbyludd

I've heard of manuka honey, ex father-outlaw was a pharmacist and mother outlaw a nurse, they swore by it, always have stocks in, must get round to getting some, but I somehow always like the idea of honey more than the reality of it.

JoJo1984_2

Hi all

I've been reading this thread for a little while now and it inspired me to reset my login details and come and say hi :-)

I love reading through all the plans you have made and all the old style/prepping things you do. You're all so organised and sensible!!

For a while now I've been feeling uneasy about the world in general. I feel anxious always ( in my subconscious) I worry about my daughters (3&8) as nowhere seems to be in a very good place right now.

I have tried until I'm blue in the face to get dh on board with prepping but he's just not having any of it (grrrr) saying " Jo there's nothing to worry about" It drives me mad that he thinks we would be ok with no preparation, when you only have to switch on the news to see that the worlds going/ gone crazy!
So other than buying a couple of extra boxes of cereals,beans,rice and tea bags I'm in no way prepared for when it does hit the fan!
I've also planted out a small raised bed with various seeds but my naughty dogs moved my markers so I have absolutely no idea what they are now! Haha!
Also got strawberries growing, an apple tree and a red currant bush.

My plan next week is to get some bottled water but not sure on amounts, some more candles and stock up the first aid kit.

I desperately want stores and to be prepared but I'm not even sure where to start with a limited budget and an uncooperative husband :-)

Any tips for a willing newbie?

Jo

GreyQueen

Hello and welcome JoJo, nice to have you posting.

As to unwilling husbands, I'm not an expert, having turned down the couple of foolish men who tried to drag me to the altar, but from observation of the long-married women of the extended family I have come to this conclusion:

What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over. In other words, you can choose to be a sneaky prepper. Here's something I found earlier today which may raise a smile:

http://survivingsurvivalism.com/closet.htm

It's a list of clues that you may be a closet prepper - very funny.

You could start by considering alternatives to your main method of lighting/ heating/ cooking, havind some water in, buying some extra long-keeping foodstuffs/ re-organising spaces to free up places to hide the preps away. If they're dotted about the OH may well not notice them as he might if your devoted the entire spare bedroom to the prepping.

Good luck!

JoJo1984_2

That's a very good point GreyQueen
I have a cupboard in the girls room that goes right across the stairs.
I generally only use it for towels ( and to make the room look tidy double quick haha)
Going to tidy it out, organise it and secret prep!!

Jo

thriftwizard

Hello & welcome JoJo1984; may I recommend taking up camping? Done sensibly, it's a great & fairly inexpensive holiday with young children, and also a great way of stocking up on things you might well need under more serious circumstances...

VJsmum

GreyQueen wrote: »

There's a seed which you add to water and it forms a sort of jelly-like substance which is used as a stool-softener. I've had it before but not for some years and have blanked on the name - psyillum husks, perhaps? Somebody surely knows for sure. That could be a good part of your preps.

Yes, psyllium husks do that - you can get it in powder or capsule form. I have been known to take a tablespoon of the powder with a glass of water to erm, move things along. You can mix it in but i just put a tablespoon of the stuff straight in the gob and gulp the water. Not for people who find it hard to swallow, though, or if you are prone to choking.

The other thing I have used on occasion is linseed - holland and barnett used to do a product called linusit gold. Understandably a random "h" would get included when OH saw it :rotfl:

These two things work for someone for whom bran, prunes and other similar stuff does not. Sorry if TMI, but valid info - no?

I know Mardatha swears by Manuka honey and I have been trying to persuade my dad to put it on his badly ulcered legs but to no avail . Ald! do a very reasonably priced one, I think I may get a few jars next time I'm there.

maryb

Really interesting discussion today. Please don't think I am being picky, but I had a couple of days without any water last year when the water tank in the attic sprang a leak so I had a few thoughts about Becky's actual scenario - however I think the general premise is spot on, Grey Queen.

I was on the landing when a drop of water landed on my nose, looked up at the ceiling and thought " Oh blast" (polite version).

I knew where the mains stopcock was but found in practice my arm wasn't long enough to get down into the cavity in the drive so I had to run down the road and borrow a friendly tall workman. I now have a special spanner fitted to the stopcock so I can turn off the water easily should I have to.

Next thing I did was to put the plugs in the baths and run the cold water until the tank was empty. This stopped the water leak but it also meant that we had water to flush the loos using a bucket. So, in practice Becky would probably carry on letting her children use the loo until the tank was empty, THEN start to panic. I have never drunk the water from the taps other than in the kitchen because I don't know how much dirt and debris gets into the tank but in an emergency I suspect a lot of people would just use the bathroom tap for water, again until the header tank is empty.

What I discovered, which I didn't know before, was that our downstairs loo runs off the mains so once the plumber had isolated the tank we were able to have mains water to the kitchen and one loo. However I now turn off the water supply to that loo when we go away, just in case there is any problem so that we don't come home to a flood

jk0

If Becky Normal's house is anything like mine, she won't have a water tank at all.

In view of this, I have three water butts connected to the guttering downpipes. I wouldn't want to drink this water, but it would serve very well for flushing the WC if necessary.

Sorry if someone already mentioned water butts. I have not read all 500 pages.

pineapple

VJsmum wrote: »

Yes, psyllium husks do that - you can get it in powder or capsule form. I have been known to take a tablespoon of the powder with a glass of water to erm, move things along. You can mix it in but i just put a tablespoon of the stuff straight in the gob and gulp the water. Not for people who find it hard to swallow, though, or if you are prone to choking.

The other thing I have used on occasion is linseed - holland and barnett used to do a product called linusit gold. Understandably a random "h" would get included when OH saw it :rotfl:

These two things work for someone for whom bran, prunes and other similar stuff does not. Sorry if TMI, but valid info - no?

I know Mardatha swears by Manuka honey and I have been trying to persuade my dad to put it on his badly ulcered legs but to no avail . Ald! do a very reasonably priced one, I think I may get a few jars next time I'm there.

I got a big pack of linseed online. Silly moi. It'll probably outlast me! Anyway it's supposed to have a lot of health benefits and not just 'that'.
I give my dog manuka honey for her chronic bronchitis. Aldi is very good value but I end up paying more elsewhere to get the 15+ strength.
I generally keep a good stock of spices - cheapest at an Asian supermarket. Except I do wonder sometimes about additives and whether some of those vibrant colours are entirely natural. :eek: Chilli powder has sometimes had a bad press so I have a stock of dried chillis which feel a bit safer. Also I bit the bullet recently and switched to organic turmeric (from the Suma coop) - especially as I use it for health as well.
As for salt I use sea salt but I have a stock of the cheapest 'value salt' going. It wouldn't be much loss if I ended up ditching it but it could just be the most valuable thing in the store cupboard. And if we get to a mad Max situation, we can trade it! :rotfl:
Anyway what am I rambling about? I came on to talk about the moon. Don't know if anyone has mentioned it but tomorrow is a SUPERMOON and the closest it will be for another year.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/20/supermoon-june-2013-perigee-moon_n_3461899.html
Shall we expect an outbreak of loony battiness on this thread?