Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

I feel your pain, the cake. I lost my spring onions last year, and my regular onions. When I refound them, the stems had been eaten down to ground level by slugs and snails, curses on them, and all their progeny.

The heat has certainly caused some thoughtfulness about dealing with extreme weather, and is a reminder that excess heat can be as much of a menace as extreme cold. I expect we can recall that pan-European heatwave a few years ago when the death toll was in the tens of thousands?

Me and the pals were drinking in excess of 3 litres of water a day, plus other fluids, and actually putting salt onto food, not something I normally consider, but with salty marks on the clothes where we'd sweated thru, it was obvious that we were losing it. Spoke to my mum today and she reminded me of a job my dad held 40 years ago, working in a very hot industrial environment (furnaces were involved) and that the workers were issued with salt tablets by the employer.

I also craved cola, something I wouldn't normally touch from one year's end to the other, and drank one most days. I have heard that you can use flat cola to treat dehydration, so mebbe it was my bod trying to tell me something. On balance, I reckon some rehydration salts to add to the drinking water might have been a good idea, but they taste pretty vile, it must be admitted.

I agree that metal buckets are superior to plastic ones and intend to get one for the lottie. If things went permanantly bad (and let's hope they don't) metal items would have a great advantage over plastic ones, and may be repairable. A good bucket is a treasure.

Incidentally, if you should ever need to gather up/ rustle cattle, horses or other livestock, a bucket is a very useful thing to have with you, as most domesticated animals are firmly of the belief that a bucket-carrying human is bringing grub and should be approached or followed. Just sayin'.............

One thing I am doing as opportunity presents, is sourcing good hardwearing practical clothing from the charity shops. If you're doing manual work, you're a lot harder on your stuff than if you're in an office or domestic environment. So, I keep an eye peeled for useful stuff when it's going for pennies, ditto for domestic articles.

A lot of this is simply good domestic economy, buying stuff when the price is right, rather than waiting until you have to have it, and then having to pay whatever the market deems to be the going rate. In a crisis, the presently-cheap items like the candles and the cans of food could be the extortionate/ impossible to find ones.

Hokay, time for some de-caff tea. Laters, GQ xx

[Deleted User]

Evening all, I've been mulling over the sense in Cooltrikerchicks post today, as to what is prepping and what is hoarding? I've got quite a lot of things I've had for years since we used to go camping and also aquired 'useful' things with a view to using them in case of an emergency happening i.e I aquired a fish kettle to use on top of the woodstove if the power goes out and I can't use the oven. It isn't strictly necessary, the chances of my using it to actually cook fish are fairly small, but it only cost me £5 and adds to the peace of mind feeling. I've been reviewing my stock of useful things this evening and I've not got anything that cost much but, all of it is useful and most of it is used in a daily basis like the metal bucket and the enamel plates and mugs for eating in the garden. I've not got anything in the food stores that we don't use anyway, so I know we'll use it all up in general life anyhow. I can see how it would be easy to become obsessive and aquire everything that seems like a good idea to have in a shtf situation but I think most of us are more likely to limit what we get and keep to those things we know will be of use and won't deteriorate on storage, Cheers Lyn xxx.

THIRZAH

GreyQueen

Many years ago when I was a student I used to work in a jam factory during the holidays. The men in the room where they made the jam used to take salt tablets.

We were walking in the Lake District last weekend. After the walk I noticed that my face was covered in a gritty substance. At first I thought it was sand or dust then I realised that it was salt.

maryb

The talk this evening has reminded me of something I keep meaning to get round to doing for hot weather
http://organizedhome.com/cool-tie-beat-heat-simple-sewing-project
You use those granules they sell for retaining water in hanging basket compost to make a neck scarf which will keep you cool. They sell them in camping shops for lots of money

And Memory Girl has got a recipe for rehydration fluid on her blog
http://mortgagefreeinthree.com/2013/07/homemade-rehydration-solution/

mardatha

My neighbour had a flock of sheep stolen before lambing time this year, and said all the sods had to do was to shake a paper bag at them and they would follow them anywhere.

daz378

stocked up on diet coke today , need to run fridge down... needs defrosting.... prepps will come in handy.... my ongoing saga of ancient fridge costing me money to run against the outlay of buying new one.... i may buy a killowat meter which plugs in and tells you how much each appliances uses.... may have to order from amazon.... anyone know a high street shop that sells them?... working all week to reach my 1 in 3 weekends off..... take care

cuddlymarm

Good morning everyone

It's just a nice temperature here at the mo but the nasty weather forecast says we are due rain, thunder and lightening later (and maybe flash floods eek !!!) It has been known to flood here so I am getting organised just in case.
Food prepared early so can be cooked on gas hob in case of power cut. Ironing finished in case of power cut (I know not really necessary but it needed doing and will be all in one place if I need to pack in a hurry.
List made and in a safe place so that all I need to do is throw it all in the bag (apparently we are given one hours notice here )
Candles, matches and torch at the ready just in case (oh and electrics charged up so I have games to play, reading etc to keep me occupied) I'm not keen on lightening and if OH is still at work keeping occupied helps.
Sorry I know like I sound like the voice of doom but feel better now I am organised.

On that note I hope the weather people have got it wrong
Have a good day everyone
Cuddles

[Deleted User]

CUDDLYMARM far from sounding like the voice of doom you sound like a very organised and thinking ahead person. What you've done is as much part of prepping as anything else I've ever read on here. You sound as ready as you could possibly be for a potential problem that would be very disruptive, great stuff, you're a shining example to all of us. Stay safe, I know you will, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Cheapskate

Morning preppers

As the hols are just about to begin, I'll have time to stock take all my preps - some are for SHTF scenarios, others just general readiness for times when I've no cash, don't want to/can't go shopping (esp with littlies in tow in the hols!) and for when (not if) food prices start to rocket again.

I'll be getting out my sewing machine to make new curtains for various rooms, and am looking for some cheap fabric or 2nd hand sheets to use as lining. Sis, bro and I are also taking stock of mum's home in various ways, including updating her tinned and dry goods. She'll never bake again, so sis and I are taking her baking ingredients and replacing with fresh food she'll eat, will prob bake stuff for her as well.

A lot of my kitchen equipment is elderly (f'rinstance, I'm still using the sieve, tin opener and weighing scales that were wedding presents 27 years ago!) and k_nackered so am replacing those week by week during the summer, and getting two of things that strike me as bargainous to put away for SHTF time.

Am off for lunch now, spotted some YS smoked salmon from the actual loch in my dad's village, firmly believe it was an omen, so had to buy it! :rotfl:

A xo

pineapple

GreyQueen wrote: »

One thing I am doing as opportunity presents, is sourcing good hardwearing practical clothing from the charity shops. If you're doing manual work, you're a lot harder on your stuff than if you're in an office or domestic environment. So, I keep an eye peeled for useful stuff when it's going for pennies, ditto for domestic articles.

Like many I was running out of suitable summery clothing for the hot weather and was sick of 'wash n wear' - so I did a charity shop tour. Got some real 'as new' bargains for between £2- £4 a piece including an actual new M&S skirt. So if the recent run of hot weather turns out to be the sum total of our summer, it will be no great loss