Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

I think some kind of mask to filter smoke would be very useful if for example we had to move around the house to wake the kids up.

They do something specifically for the job.

It's called a Smoke Hood.

[Deleted User]

Or maybe a 1940s Luftwaffe Aviators style watch for £7?

Was in WH Smiths earlier.

There's a Military Style Watches Collection (buy one issue per fortnight - each comes with a booklet) on sale.

One of the future ones, is a replica of the OMEGA Speedmaster, used by the Apollo astronauts. :cool:

I bought the first two issues, and am considering putting in a regular order, to get the whole collection.

[Deleted User]

I've just got one of these.

So I'm ready for anything the power companies can throw at us.

It has 2 x 12V cigarette lighter sockets, and a USB socket, so I can run my CFL, Notebook, and charge my Mobile phone, all at the same time. :cool:

ALIBOBSY

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Before we get too high up on our righteous horses regarding ready meals and 'junk food' I'd just like to throw into the discussion the fact that cooking and anything related is NOT taught in mainstream education any longer and that for a lot of people the only thing they know is popty ping cooking so that's their norm!!! I know it shouldn't be this way but when you price up raw ingredients to make a meal for 4 even something simple like a shepherds pie and veg, by the time you take into account all the 'bits' you have to add in like stock cubes, onions, butter/spread to mash the potato with and the actual cost of the fuel to prepare and cook the dish with I can understand why the ready made option seems like an easier option to cash and time stressed people. I'm from a different generation and I've learned many techniques over the years of padding out with fillers the expensive protein elements of meals and know how to cook from basics, I count myself very lucky to have this knowledge and my girls both have always cooked from scratch and can manage their budgets well enough to do so. I am very aware though that many people just slightly younger than us and from then on didn't have the education in home making, home economics and general maintenance and it must be very tough for them to aquire the knowledge or even to know what knowledge to aquire. What we really DO need is not to let the situation coast along unchanging but to actually educate people in the things they need to know to have a better life on what resources they have available and that will lead to better health for the whole nation won't it?

I agree some have never seen anyone do anything more in the kitchen than pop stuff in the oven or microwave it (or even bring it in from the takeaway).

I baked as a little one with my gran and mum (I remember my gran had two massive glass jars in the cupboard for her flour, the blue lid for self raising, the red for plain flour. I also watched her making yorkie puds for years-always scorching hot LARD, which still makes the best puds even though I now often use oil lol.

Now hand on heart I can't say I cook everything from scratch, but for example this week when I have been ill there was one day when I felt horrible so OH got "ping" meals so he could do tea for the kids-he doesn't cook and I have never laughed as much as when he tried to do a packet, yes packet brownie mix (dirt cheap from AP) at christmas with the girls :rotfl:.

The kids do like takeaway food-don't they all, but we try to have it no more than once a month ish.

So I would say 80-90% of the time its homecooked, or homebaked (with 8 chickens I have to bake to use up all the eggs lol), plenty of fruit and veg and much is homegrown especially in the summer.

But when we both worked full time it was alot harder to have time to shop around for deals, I didn't stock up much and did the old once a week around the big supermarket and chuck in what you fancy. After both working we did often fall back on ready meals or takeaways, but certainly at first we had a tiny kitchen in a rented one bed, so it was a challenge to cook or bake much at all. I would suspect down south its even more the case that both partners work full time, have long days and haven't the time and/or space to cook from scratch and if you have no idea where to start anyway many just won't bother.

I can see if you went it to buy ingredients for one specific meal from scratch as opposed to a couple of ready meals, it may appear expensive, but few of the recipes a novice might pick up will be traditional homemade fare, and no one shows them the skills to use up leftovers or bulk buying/cooking to bring costs down.


To keep costs down as well as cooking from scratch and growing what I can, and keeping the chickens I shop around alot, looking for offers online before I go out and going to various places and stocking up, e.g this weekend Lidl's half price offers are on their chocolate and pork mince so will be stocking up on both. I am still using unsalted butter OH picked up on one of his bargain hunting "pop into asda for the yellow sticker stuff as I come home from a job" trips. He got 20 packs reduced to 20p each so I froze them for baking .

When you think about it these are the skills the much maligned 50's "housewife" used to have and pass to her kids, now I am a SAHM but am certainly not the little woman or anything of that nature lol. But I think if one person has the extra time to almost run the home as a business it can save a fortune. But many couples are paying for massive mortgages so are stuck working just to pay that.

It's a mess really, generations without basic skills as the idea was churn em through higher ed and stick em all in the numerous office jobs we will have in our boom country, any left not doing higher ed can work in the numerous retail jobs in our service base booming economy. Knowing all about media studies or business theory doesn't get tea on the table or budget for the household bills.

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

And if OH isn't with you?

Eldest son is nearly 16, so I would try to lower him down (he is lighter than me so much more chance of me managing that than him trying to get me down).

Or we would phone 999 (would hope we had already done this as there are normally 4 mobiles upstairs between us) and stay on the flat roof shouting for help, we are in a quiet small cul de sac where the slightest noise and half the street is out to find out whats going on lol.

Although I haven't ruled out getting an escape ladder and if I saw one at a reasonable price we may well get one in case, its just not top of the list for spends at the mo.

Plus TBH apart from 2 nights in hospital and 2 nights on a course in London OH is always here at night. In fact apart from those 4 nights and my hospital stays after the kids (about 8-9 nights over the 4 kids) we have not been apart in over 17 years.

Ali x

siegemode

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Better paranoid than dead.

Paranoia saves lives.

Love this:D

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I've just got one of these.

So I'm ready for anything the power companies can throw at us.

It has 2 x 12V cigarette lighter sockets, and a USB socket, so I can run my CFL, Notebook, and charge my Mobile phone, all at the same time. :cool:

Love this too, was it another bargain ? I find all your posts and pics of what you've bought or found so useful. Is there any chance you can include cost and where to find them please ? Although the chances of me being close to the shops often mentioned are low being out in country bumpkin land I can at least add things to my list for when we next visit FIL nr Bolton. Thanks:)

GQ we are practically the same age and of the same school year. I remember Domestic Science that became Home Economics and then changed to Food and Nutrition. My favourite subject although I hated the theory side compared to the practical and drove my teacher mad as I kept tasting things and licking spoons:rotfl:.

I was lucky to be able to cook at home and was taught and encouraged by my nan, but those first couple of years in Home Economics were hardly inspiring to most people. When we all reached the third year and chose our options (subjects) to be studied for O levels most people went for other subjects as Food and Nutrition as it then became was not seen as important or as a qualifying result towards the 4 or 5 O levels that most Colleges and employers were looking for.
I remember whole lessons were devoted to making boiled egg sandwiches, making a hot chocolate and other very simple tasks. Eventually we progressed to rock cakes and scones:rotfl: and that was over the space of a year !! It was only in the 4th and 5th year that we made interesting stuff and when I look back on the amount we had to do for our 2 and a half hour exam I don't think I've ever been that organised since. I love cooking though and have the confidence to experiment which means I can be resourceful and make something with near enough what I have in when times are tough. It worries me no end when I see what so many class as food or a balanced meal and I cringe at what some feed their babies and toddlers.

As for convenience food and popty ping food I can see the advantages as an emergency substitute for real food when the need arises, but it has become acceptable everyday food for so many. Especially to those that don't understand the importance of good nutrition and it's benefits as well as to those that just can't cook. I blame it partly on the education system and partly on marketing by the food corporations. FIL eats a mw meal every night and usually the £1 meals even though we have talked about health and nutrition and he could easily afford better quality. He is restricted by what his carers can do in the 30 mins they have with him, but he does at least eat fresh fruit daily and when we visit I cook fresh even though space and equipment is extremely limited. MIL, although she is a fairly good cook says that it's not worth cooking from scratch living on her own despite the fact she could batch cook and has a large freezer. She prefers to buy mw meals and processed food because it's easier, but then complains at the cost of her food shop:( and would rather take statins just in case her cholesterol rises rather than change her diet a bit. We've given up on trying to explain the advantages of fresh and home cooked and explaining why we eat organic food.

[Deleted User]

I don't know what qualifies as a reasonable price, but both B&Q and Amazon UK do one for about £40.

http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/safety-security/fire-safety-co-alarms/escape_ladders/First-Alert-Escape-Ladder-2-Storey-12458594?skuId=12979300

http://www.amazon.co.uk/4-75m-15-Easy-Throw-Escape-Ladder/dp/B002OE1BN0/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1394735195&sr=8-12&keywords=escape+ladder

[Deleted User]

siegemode wrote: »

Love this too, was it another bargain?

Yep. It was £1.

Is there any chance you can include cost and where to find them please?

Course I can.

The Jump Starter pack was £29-99, from B&M Bargains.

The 3 way power adapter was £1, from £land.

The 5m of 2 core flex, plug and lamp holder was £7-14, from B&Q.

The CO detector was £13-78, also from B&Q.

The CFL is from my existing stock, but they are available all over the place, for pennies.

My DIY and Survival knowledge isn't for sale, and you couldn't afford them, if they were.

Likewise my sex appeal.

siegemode

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

I agree some have never seen anyone do anything more in the kitchen than pop stuff in the oven or microwave it (or even bring it in from the takeaway).

I baked as a little one with my gran and mum (I remember my gran had two massive glass jars in the cupboard for her flour, the blue lid for self raising, the red for plain flour. I also watched her making yorkie puds for years-always scorching hot LARD, which still makes the best puds even though I now often use oil lol.

Now hand on heart I can't say I cook everything from scratch, but for example this week when I have been ill there was one day when I felt horrible so OH got "ping" meals so he could do tea for the kids-he doesn't cook and I have never laughed as much as when he tried to do a packet, yes packet brownie mix (dirt cheap from AP) at christmas with the girls :rotfl:.

The kids do like takeaway food-don't they all, but we try to have it no more than once a month ish.

So I would say 80-90% of the time its homecooked, or homebaked (with 8 chickens I have to bake to use up all the eggs lol), plenty of fruit and veg and much is homegrown especially in the summer.

But when we both worked full time it was alot harder to have time to shop around for deals, I didn't stock up much and did the old once a week around the big supermarket and chuck in what you fancy. After both working we did often fall back on ready meals or takeaways, but certainly at first we had a tiny kitchen in a rented one bed, so it was a challenge to cook or bake much at all. I would suspect down south its even more the case that both partners work full time, have long days and haven't the time and/or space to cook from scratch and if you have no idea where to start anyway many just won't bother.

I can see if you went it to buy ingredients for one specific meal from scratch as opposed to a couple of ready meals, it may appear expensive, but few of the recipes a novice might pick up will be traditional homemade fare, and no one shows them the skills to use up leftovers or bulk buying/cooking to bring costs down.


To keep costs down as well as cooking from scratch and growing what I can, and keeping the chickens I shop around alot, looking for offers online before I go out and going to various places and stocking up, e.g this weekend Lidl's half price offers are on their chocolate and pork mince so will be stocking up on both. I am still using unsalted butter OH picked up on one of his bargain hunting "pop into asda for the yellow sticker stuff as I come home from a job" trips. He got 20 packs reduced to 20p each so I froze them for baking .

When you think about it these are the skills the much maligned 50's "housewife" used to have and pass to her kids, now I am a SAHM but am certainly not the little woman or anything of that nature lol. But I think if one person has the extra time to almost run the home as a business it can save a fortune. But many couples are paying for massive mortgages so are stuck working just to pay that.

It's a mess really, generations without basic skills as the idea was churn em through higher ed and stick em all in the numerous office jobs we will have in our boom country, any left not doing higher ed can work in the numerous retail jobs in our service base booming economy. Knowing all about media studies or business theory doesn't get tea on the table or budget for the household bills.

Ali x

Hope you are feeling better now.

I sometimes wonder if generations without cooking skills and nutritional awareness has come about by design along with poor maths skills. It serves the food manufacturers well and also of course the financial industry all of which make huge profits out of the ignorance and niavety of the general populous. It is quite evident from the number of documentaries and interviews I've seen over the years that the food industry dictates to the guberment and it's all about profit and marketing to a poorly informed or educated group is much easier.
When I did Food Economics at school there was an element within the lessons dedicated to budgeting but this was dropped when it became Food and Nutrition and the syllabus was changed.

When I share my bargains with family and friends they are impressed, but always say I don't know how you do it. I try to explain, but they just can't get their heads round the maths and juggling. I get such satisfaction from the way I shop and take advantage of offers and bulk buying opportunities. It enables us to eat organic and retain some control. At times it's like a sport or a game, but at times it can be a real challenge. It can be time consuming but rewarding. Unfortunately friends and family are impressed but just can't understand my methods or can't be @rsed.

siegemode

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

My DIY and Survival knowledge isn't for sale, and you couldn't afford them, if they were.

Likewise my sex appeal.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
How do you know ? I might be a secret millionaire:D