Preparedness for when

ALIBOBSY

Don't you just love it when you have had an AF delivery and the stores are groaning again lol. All the de identified mixes I bought are Morrisons and they look good for the price.

Someone on our local freegle has offered a load of kitchen doors and drawer fronts that would fit our kitchen perfectly. We have been saving up to sort ours with new doors as its the original 1981 kitchen so its got to be better than what we have. Fingers crossed they pick us and its ok, then we just need new worktops and kick boards-we can do the fitting ourselves, for a nice "new" kitchen. May retile or leave as is-yes we tile as well lol.

Don't you love freegle .

Ali x

FairyPrincessk

I thought I'd chime in about the where to start question. I do read and lurk on this thread but don't often join in, I'd get carried away with prepping;)

We don't have any financial resources to devote to prepping right now, but that doesn't mean I'm not prepared. There are a few things I do. I think a bit part of prepping isn't about the stuff, but about having thought out what you would do in certain situations, knowing what would make you vulnerable and thinking in the long term about how to make your life sustainable in a variety of situations. I think there are also different levels of prep--i.e. inflation is definitely happening, power outages are relatively likely to happen. A minor bug out situation in which documents etc. need to be grabbed might happen. A major long distance apocalypse bug out situation is less likely to happen. I thus try to think about them in those terms instead of just panicking about the second. You cannot prepare for any and every eventuality, but you can give yourself peace of mind by knowing some basic skills, and organizing a few materials.


In the short term:

I try to keep our pantry full, rather than empty. This helps take advantage of sales, guard against inflation and means we have food in the house in the event that we can't get new stocks in. It won't last forever and it is not going to get us through any major situations, but knowing that I realize that in a major situation one of my first priorities is to find sustainable food sources. While everyone else is grabbing biscuits, loaves of bread and milk I know I'll be grabbing cooking fat, salt, flour and seeds. to supplement what I have.

I'm currently learning to garden. I'm not very good at it yet, but skills are one of the most portable and flexible preps we can make. I'm also experimenting with letting things go to seed and learning how to store food in ways that don't require electricity. I'm not doing a lot of it right now, but I'm trying to start learning the skills and the best way to learn is by doing BEFORE the situation arises.

Before we make any major purchases, we think about them in the long term. That means considering what kind and how much energy it uses, checking to see if a bit more money will get higher quality etc. Likewise, I try to repair or replace things like sturdy walking shoes and warm water proof coats before the situation is absolutely dire.

I'm leaning how to cook old fashioned things using old fashioned methods. I can bake bread by hand and I know how to prepare a wide variety of foods. Since I can't afford to stockpile loads of it, I have to be flexible in terms of working with what I can get.

I'm teaching myself how to use basic tools, how to repair things and how to do simple things around the house. No, I can't build myself a permanent dwelling (yet), but skills are transferable and each new thing I learn takes me another step in that direction. I can reinforce my doors and windows with things I have in the house if I need to. I can operate the water shut off.

I keep water stored. I don't have as much as I would like. Yet. But, everytime I get a suitable container, more water is added to the store. My first goal (almost there, just 1L short) is three days worth for two people, but I'll keep going when I pass that. All of my water is in 1L containers so I can move it around if necessary. In the long run, I would like to have a couple of water butts and invest in a purification system.

I keep candles and flashlights to hand. Every autumn I check my stock of candles and matches, check flashlight batteries and make sure the wind up works. We also keep a battery operated radio and spare batteries. I would eventually like an alternative means of cooking. While I do know how to make a basic fire and make it suitable for cooking, I would have to scrounge around for materials at this point. I would also like a solar or wind up radio eventually.

I know about basic disease prevention, most basic first aid, I have a good working knowledge of nutrition and know the early signs of basic deficiencies.

I keep all of my key documents in one easily accessible but not obvious place. I can grab them at a moment's notice. They include my passport and immigration documents, my immunization records, copies of cards that could be lost or stolen. I also have some cash stashed in two different currencies. Yes. I said different currencies.

I don't have any fancy gadgets, and I would not survive a serious situation in nearly as much comfort as many on this board, but what I have is a start and I'm working with the resources I have to build towards something better.

I also keep reading this thread to get ideas for what I can work on next. And to see the fancy gadgets. Bedsit Bob does have an enviable collection.:D

GreyQueen

metherer wrote: »

GreyQueen what sources do to recommend? Thanks

Morning all.

My personal view (which could be bang on the money or totally bonkers, only time will tell) is that the whole blasted world economy is in danger of being taken down by QE and the devaluation of the US dollar.

Accordingly, I spend a lot of time here: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-07/greek-villagers-chase-tax-collectors-out-town?page=1

Zero Hedge is a news consolidator, and the comments sections at the foot of each article are lively, to put it mildly. Not for the faint-hearted (the comments I mean).

Most of us are in "the system" and have our money in banks. Only it isn't our money when it's in a bank. It's their money and we are their creditors. When the bank is solvent and no one calls their bluff, fractional reserve banking works very well.

Several of the world's biggest banks are apparently teetering on the verge of insolvency and being propped up on a daily basis. If it goes wrong, it will flash-fire around the planet in an hour or so. You could easily, as an ordinary depositor, find that you can't get your money.

I call BS on our government's claim that deposits up to £85k per institution are safe. There is no way in hell they can deliver on that if banks fail.

We could have a short-term crisis where we can't get our money, be bailed-in a la Cyprus with confiscation of our money (last seen in nazi germany btw) or have hyperinflation erode away our savings to the point where what was a secure income is now worthless and we are destitute.

I've always been a bit of a finance nerd, did economics at school and was gobsmacked at what the world is actually doing in terms of money. Have read about the German hyperinflation where the same sum of money would buy you a bottle of champagne in the evening and a box of matches in the morning.

That kind of insanity had very extreme social effects.

Sooo, look at a wadge of bank notes and imagine them as toilet paper because it could come to that. Turn some of it into real tangible useful things (i.e. food) if you can.

pineapple wrote: »

That was a great summary Greyqueen. I don't pass muster on all of that myself. The document thing is a really important one. Only last year we had men round here laying new gas pipes and one of them was saying someone thought they had smelled gas and I thought this is one scenario where I should have had a bag ready as well as documents backed up. :eek:
Of course the real doomsayers believe the UK will one day be swamped by a b* big wave. I don't think that's likely but I did check out the nearest high points just in case! Also it might be useful to have a map of the highest points in the UK.
Just on matters geographical, there were some Americans featured in a programme about Wales today - they were on a tour. One of them said he thought Wales had the nicest scenery in England - nearly choked on my tea! :rotfl:

Bless their little confused hearts..........

If I walk out my door and around the block, I can see The Join. This is where Shoebox Towers was rebuilt after the gas explosion. Which was caused by 100% human stupidity btw. It's a good repair and you have to know where to look.

Miraculously, due to chance and the courageous acts of some neighbours, the subsequent fire cost no lives and only minor injuries. The block was partially rebuilt and several flats were completely destroyed. SuperGran told me all about it. I've also had the skinny from a bloke who was our housing officer back in the day.

Yup, that volcano Cumbre Viejo will drop its flank into the Atlantic near the Canaries. Absolute geological certainty. What the geologists can't tell us is whether it will be tomorrow or in 10,000 years time, or anywhere between. They have sensors on it and will know shortly before it will drop. Whether they will release this news in time for hundreds of millions of people to even attempt to evacuate (they won't make it) is debatable.

The resulting tsunami will drive a 100m wall of water across the Atlantic into the eastern seaboard of the Americas and another one will hit Africa, Spain, Portugal, France and funnel up as far as southern and possibly south eastern UK.

However, I expect that the lunatics running the financial asylum will have screwed us all over within a few years.

I also pay close attention to the peak oil blogoshphere; go read The Archdruid Report if you like, then Dmitry Orlov's "Reinventing Collapse" book.

[Deleted User]

FPK what you have is more valuable than anything you can buy, you have clear sighted common sense and your feet very firmly in reality, you will be ahead of any situation and more than able to come through adversity and thrive on the other side of it!

FairyPrincessk

Thanks Lyn. You always have such wise and comforting words.x

mardatha

Loving the posts today ! GQ - I needed that reminder. I got careless and opened a savings acc --EEEK! Will empty that out asap and save it in the house, like I always used to do.
Agree that preps isn't about money - I have been on prepper sites where it's one big competition to see who has spent the most and bought the fanciest gadgets/biggest knives blahblahblah. I think prepping is a state of mind

mardatha

Am having a bit of a problem here, in that we've gone over to low carbing and I can't find anything to stash! Any ideas welcome please. All I can think of is dried veg for soup!

FairyPrincessk

Mardatha, depending on what kind (as in how low carb) lentils, beans etc. in dried and tinned form (tinned is great if energy is in short supply), cooking fats like olive oil, nuts and seeds, tinned and dried veg, stock cubes, seasonings, herbs and spices, and longlife milk. So, I'm thinking the ingredients for lots of bean stews, vegetable soups and high protein, high fat snacks...

As for money preps, while I agree that banks are scary, very very scary indeed, I also like to adhere to the old adage of not putting all of my eggs in one basket. If you want to store money outside of banking systems, perhaps it would be wise to look at finding a secure location away from your home for some of it in the event of gas explosions? Just a thought.x

mardatha

We're ok here. No gas! And 1000ft up, so no floods either.
Or if I do flood, then you lot are in serious trouble! :rotfl:
TY for the ideas xx
Yep, soup would still be ok.

[Deleted User]

MAR dried mushrooms always make a good flavouring addition to stews and soups, tins of tomatoes and tomato puree very useful to have around , tinned corned beef, ham, stewed steak, chicken breast, can be used for many dishes or on their own. Jars of meat paste and pate, Bovril and marmite useful as flavourings on crackers and the latter two as hot drinks. I always have in oatcakes and rye crispbreads as they have a long use by date and store well. To be honest though in a real emergency situation you would use anything you had in and if it went on long enough you would just be grateful for any stores, low carb or not wouldn't you? Cheers Lyn xxx