Preparedness for when

prepareathome

Thanks Caterina, hopefully order one next month

We are one of the households that don't really have spare income so I buy little by little and if its something big it can take a while to save up or we live on stocks( as I have some) if I want whatever now, its always an either or with us.

I can though prove it is possible to prepare even on low income with only enough for day to day items which is what most on low incomes usually say. Its hard you have to be committed but it can be done.

If there was a two hour warning, chances are I would have most around £10, so would go and buy whatever I felt I was short in. We don't use anything but prepaid credit cards, nor have a bank account with an overdraft facility to ensure we never build up debts we just live within our income so means no way of getting extra cash in emergency but would rather that than possible debts. We used to have these options but as our income went down, I have a chronic condition so no longer can work, we wanted to ensure we stayed within our income so cut up the old cards and changed bank accounts.

In a proper SHTF situation I am sure a lot of people will heave a sigh of relief that their debts are wiped out before it the reality of day to day living hits, but I would rather not have to worry about debts in normal every day life. There is also the chance that things get bad but don't completely go and firms and banks trying desperately to keep afloat decide to cancel all credit and want it paid back pronto, if it was one way to keep the country afloat then government is likely to back this, then anyone with debts might find they have very big problems - unlikely yes but maybe not quite unenforceable, baliffs might suddenly be used for far more things than mainly council tax debt, but another thing that could happen.

We of course do have normal debts - we pay our car insurance, council tax, rent etc monthly but spare cash is a dream we have not yet had come true.

Adding to car would be good as things could run off the cigarette lighter but if things were going to get bad then gangs might go round syphoning off petrol, they would just break locking caps.

There is no where I would go as we are the best prepped and oldest members of our family now( still getting my head round that since dad died last year) and we are still in our 50s , apart from one aunt and uncle who live with their daughter in Spain. So no where older who might be better situated for us.

My children don't have to much in, although daughter does have regular power cuts all year round so does keep alternative lighting in but relies on gas for cooking and heating.

I have just bought my seeds for next year.

prepareathome

GQ I just this week bought 8 large Hexamine tablets for my stove - I paid £1.90 and thought I got a bargain - I have ordered them from ebay £3.99 for 8 with free pp.

GreyQueen

I keep my eyes open at charity shops for things which would be suitable for preparedness. One of my current purchasing habits is large unused pillar candles but only at 50p and under. I find them pretty regularly and am stashing them away.

Candles require careful supervision but they do have the slight advantage over other lights as they create heat as well as light. You can also cook an egg by piercing its shell with a safety pin and hanging it on a piece of string over a candle flame.

I did have a Rolson LED wind-up lantern but it was a very poor performer and I got about 1 minute of light, fading all the time, per minute of winding, not the 1:8 the label promised. I would like a wind-up lantern, preferably small enough to take camping, but don't know which is a good one and don't want to get stung. Does anyone have any recommendations, please?

Caterina

prepareathome wrote: »

I have just bought my seeds for next year.

Re. seeds, yesterday I saw that the Robert Dyas store in Canary Wharf was selling seeds at half price. Store is very small so will check bigger store next week in central London. Date ok up to 2013.

Also ordered kale and sprouting broccoli plants as too late to plant seeds for this season.

Fruball

Caterina wrote: »

Re. seeds, yesterday I saw that the Robert Dyas store in Canary Wharf was selling seeds at half price. Store is very small so will check bigger store next week in central London. Date ok up to 2013.

Also ordered kale and sprouting broccoli plants as too late to plant seeds for this season.

Oooooh where did you order those from, please - I am way too late this year (again ) but would love to do some PSBroccoli

[Deleted User]

GQ - if you are going to play at cooking out O S have you thought of pot boilers? When I did the prehistoric cookery we cooked a shoulder of lamb (boned out with a wonderful bronze seax) by heating beach pebbles in an open fire and dropping them into a container of water with the lamb in, wrapped in foil. You have to add one every now and then once the pot is boiling to keep the temperature up, it took about an hour and a half and the lamb was perfect. Great fun, but be sure to use the right kind of pebbles or the stones pop in the fire. Cheers Lyn x.

Caterina

Fruball I ordered from https://www.organicplants.co.uk prices are very reasonable but delivery is £4.25 so it is worth ordering a few things. I got 1 unit (5 plants) each of green kale, red kale and purple sprouting broccoli. I saw they have the early white ones too but I don't want to overdo the brassicas, too much space and protection from pests needed.

Fruball

Caterina wrote: »

Fruball I ordered from www.organicplants.co.uk prices are very reasonable but delivery is £4.25 so it is worth ordering a few things. I got 1 unit (5 plants) each of green kale, red kale and purple sprouting broccoli. I saw they have the early white ones too but I don't want to overdo the brassicas, too much space and protection from pests needed.

Thank you

SpikyHedgehog

mardatha wrote: »

OK try this one - and please try to stay on topic -This is shamelessly pinched from UKP.


There is going to be some kind of announcement in a few hours time which, knowing the population of the UK, will cause mass panic buying of food and fuel. There is no determination when food and fuel deliveries will start again could be a week, could be three, could be three months.

You have a couple of hours head start on most 'normal' people.

You decide to top off your preps (food, fuel, general supplies) What is your immediate plan of action? What do you do, what is on your list? Do you even have a list?

I started to think what I'd do based on us being at home as we are now, then thought that actually, most likely I'd be at school, boys at different schools about 2 miles away from my work in different directions :eek: , and would get advance notice from mum as she's a firewarden where she works. So top of my long term list has to be get driving lessons & get a car to open up my choices.

If we were from home, as we are today, I'd tell DS1 to start prepping for getting to my parents as they've got an open fire & I'd go for safety in numbers & the protection of their dog - get cat in her carrier, put his hamster in the hamster carrying cage, put other hamster in the big hamster wheel with a bit of wet veg or fruit like cucumber, start getting the medicines including mine from the fridge into bags, then go onto food & phone chargers.

I'd tell DS2 to start putting clothes in a bag starting with his.

I'd phone a taxi, asking for the biggest 1 available for 30 minutes. And go round the corner to the T3sco Xpress, get as much money as I could out of the cash point first. Grab a trolley & get as much as I could of anything useful - right now that will include bbq stuff, & try to pay on my card to maintain my cash supply.

Get back & get clothes, blankets etc not got by the boys & have DS1 get the bikes out of the shed to see if we can get them or at least DS2's in the taxi. Cram as much as poss in the taxi & get to my parents & get ready to camp in the summer house.

Ok, I'm not very well prepared.

If I was at work & warning, I'd have to say 'I've got to go now! There's a family emergency!' (Or say, 'Guys, we need to evacuate, lets follow our emergency plan.' And stay at work, worrying about my children...) Let's say the children had already left preschool, so I don't have to worry about them & can just go... I'm off via a call in at the bank to get as much cash out as I can, as much as possible in coins (this won't alert them too much as I always ask for coins for bus fare), calling home to alert the boys to start prep as above...

mardatha

I was at a spinners guild meeting waaaay out in the sticks yesterday, in a tiny village hall. Got talking to one lady who was very def a prepper. We started on about rural living and the high cost of diesel - and ended up talking about stashing flour and potatoes, bank crashes, listening to Radio Moscow, and the need for revolution
And this was a wee middle aged Scots lady who lives on a farm 22 miles from the nearest shop. So imagine how many other people feel the same way!