Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

elaine241 wrote: »

Candles and baked beans. A potentially volatile mix, methinks. If you had too much wind indoors your candles might blow out! Greyqueen

More likely you would blow yourself up! explosive gas methane in confined spaces!!! LOL May have to sit on tin hat!!!

I should worry. My nutty neighbours are playing around outside right now with a cap gun.

At least I hope it's a cap gun. :eek:

nomi01

Thanks for the warm welcome.
I plan to free up some much needed storage space and get some shelves up.
I keep watching extreme couponing with envy at the stockpiles they have. But on closer inspection they all seem to live on BBQ sauce and tampons. The price of the fresh (proper) food in those stores is shocking. I never see any of them stockpiling frozen fruit and veg, just T.V dinners and sports drinks.
I have taken advantage of the bargains but I have only got items that my family will actually eat.
I noticed someone was re using old candle wax. I will try this with the kids as they have a candle making kit.
My other half thinks I am a bit overboard but my girls are nearly 10 yrs old and I am trying to teach them about finances and smart shopping. They have got a little coupon folder, they can knit and sew, they are learning to cook. They can fish. I will insist they learn the basics of home and car maintainence as they get older. They love being on the allotment and foraging now its blackberry season.

metherer

GreyQueen wrote: »

:hello: Warmest welcomes to nomi01 and notjustlaura, glad to have you lurking along with us but please post as and when the mood strikes you. We're batty but most 'armless here.

And quite possibly legless too if sampling the 'medicinal' spirits!:rotfl:

GreyQueen

Sounds like your girls are getting an excellent all-round preptastic education which will stand them in good stead.

I'm the one melting old candles. I'm using bought wicks from H*bbycraft and Pr*ngles tubes. I cut a slot in the top of the tube, attach the base of the wick to the inside centre of the tube with blu tack, then make a turn of the wick around an old knitting needle which sits in the slot I've cut.

This holds the wick taut. I have an ordinary old saucepan on the stove with about 3 inches of water in it, and stand repurposed food cans in it, filled to the top with flaked wax from old candles (I just pare them down roughly with a kitchen knife).

A can filled to the top will quickly melt to about 1/3 can liquid wax. I lift the can out with kitchen tongs and pour into the tube. If you let it harden a bit between pourings you can get distinct stripes, which is fun.

Allow to set for about 3 days after the last pouring (you may want to hold some wax of the final colour back as they have a tendancy to slump around the wick and form a hollow). They take a fair bit of time to cool properly and our nuatha posted about how he ended up with still-liquid wax plopping out of what he thought was a solidified candle.

The tubes can be unpeeled easily and they leave a slight spiral on the candle from the cardboard. I have also used cut-down UHT milk cartons in the same way. If you wanted to have your candles in jars rather than freestanding, you could just affix a wick and pour into those.

There are proper candlemaking supplies for several squid in the shops but I'm interested in making do with what I have on the premises. HTH.

ETA metherer, so when exactly did you see me on the sloe gin? I've been trying to round up and eliminate the witnesses since last Crimble, I'll have you know.

metherer

It is more when I eat the Brambles which have been in whisky. By 'eck they are potent!!!

nomi01

Thanks Greyqueen, I am off to ho**ycr**ft in the morning so I will stock up on wicks and things.
The girls will love doing this.

ginnyknit

Dear Bob no I was safely ensconced in the house as my son came home to Mummy rather than go to his empty house ( girly was working late) cos he was sick as a dog and needed support, tlc, my diet coke and immense knowledge in what the hell was wrong with him - to date we have migraine as number one culprit. Why was there a mad woman on Granada reports seen lurking in bushes?

Welcome newbies, lovely to have you both on board. You know if you pop the candles in the freezer for a few hours before use they burn longer - not much use in a crisis but ok for a calming candle lit bath.

Can I take this ruddy colander off my head yet? Mind you if anyone comes to the door trying to get me to claim for that accident I didnt have it would scare the bu**ers off :rotfl:

pineapple

So yet more members of the mad bat club! I hope they have completed the initiation rite - which is to roll up a trouser leg (or tuck ones skirt into ones knickers), stand on one leg and recite the batty oath of allegiance. Oops I nearly forgot the colander on the head....
If you can do this without falling over, it means you are sober so you will have to have another drink and try again!

BessieBooBoo

nomi01 wrote: »

Hi all,
I like to lurk on this thread as it makes me want to be more prepared.
My family thinks its hilarious that I think about stashing tins and candles as they say if the apocolypse happens it won't be needed.
I have explained to them I do it for security and who knows what type of s**t is gonna hit the fan. We have been extremely hard up in the past and now I have kids I am not going to let that happen again.
I have a reasonable stock of canned and dried foods. Butane gas in case its needed. Camping stoves, batteries, torches and a stash of change. Lots of warm blankets and also have an allotment for fresh produce. A few bottles of water also.
I know if the power went off we would be ok.
Even learned to knit so if the power goes off I can fill my time making stuff instead of lurking on MSE forums:)

Hellohah!:)

Climb aboard the good ship Batty and let's set sail to the land of Prepperdom...

You are off to a brilliant start, especially in getting the girls trained. Now if I could just get my crazy dog trained to do well, something, other than nicking food (hang on that could be a valuable skill if TSHTF!)

BBB

[Deleted User]

BBB but only if she would bring it to Mumi and not eat it herself!!!