Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

elona wrote: »

GQ
I remember the power cuts in the 70s and trying to find candles when they had all gone - thought outside the box- bought passover candles from delicatessen and candles from an art and gift shop before anyone else had the idea. Also got sugar and salt from health food shops when ordinary shops had run out.

Smart move. One book on prepping written by a military man suggested looking for those votive candles which sometimes turned up in (American) discount stores. Very cheap and burn for hours. When the leccy is flitting off and on like fireflies, there'll be a run on candles and wind-up lanterns, and torches both wind-up and battery powered. And profiteering, I'll be bound.

In the early seventies crisis, some of you may recall the Great Sugar Famine. I myself was a nipper when in a small supermarket with Mum when I saw a lady with a full size trolley loaded from bottom to waaaaay above the plimsoll line with just kilo bags of sugar. I've never forgotten it.

At the same time, Dad was working in a factory which used sucrose as an ingredient as part of an industrial process (it wasn't a food factory). The Management suddenly realised that this was essentially sugar and that it was possible that staff might be pilfering it and ordered an urgent sucrose stock-take.

They were relieved to find more sugar physically on the premises than on the books, therefore there could have been no pilferage. QED. They were wrong, of course; the records had been tampered with................:rotfl:You had to be a very clever manager to get one past the shop floor in those pre-computerised days and they weren't up to the task. Bless.

Today it is piddling down with rain and even the odd flake of what is possibly halfway to snow. I woulda been allotmenteering but that's not viable in this weather.

So, have been doing a long-postponed stocktake, chiefly under the bed but in a few other random places. Was mid-uproar, stuff every which way and the vac out when there was a knocking without, as Shakespeare mightn't have phrased it.

Now, here at Shoebox Towers, a colourful inner city neighbourhood, only a complete eedjit opens her door without having ascertained who is outside. So I asked who it was and it was an Ipsos Mori pollster who was most huffy when I told him I was busy.

I was a little bit :mad: at his attitide. I'm a private citizen minding her own business in her own home counting her tinned goods and if I say I'm busy, take a hint. He would have never have believed what he woulda seen if he'd got in here and you don't want people talking about your stores anyroad.

Just waiting for a cupboard I've cleaned out to dry and then I shall continue. All is in date and sorted for use in rotation. I was explaining to my Dad that sometimes you can get baked beans at 4 for £1 and at far more times you have to pay nearer £3. So savvy shoppers buy lots at discount and never buy at full price.

Bean-o-nomics, proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. His face was a picture in a big Tosspots at the hometown when I explained what I was doing with a combination of Clubcard vouchers, the voucher exchange and some BOGOFS. It wasn't really sinking in until I pointed to half a trolley of catfood and told him we were getting that for free instead of £30.

JosieJump

GQ, re toothpaste I bulk purchased DH's Sens0dyne when it was on offer and by the time he got to the second from last tube said that it tasted odd. I checked the tube and it had a 'use by' date which had passed. I checked my C0lgate but that didn't. However I noticed that DD's whitening tube does so I think that it's the 'posh' ones that must have ingredients that deteriorate.

I've just dropped down to under 100 loo rolls so need to keep an eye out for deals. My excuse is that they double up as extra loft insulation!

I've managed to follow this thread from the beginning and don't think that anyone has mentioned dry bags yet. Could be useful if your SHTF senario may involve water as you could put a set of clothes or valuables in one inside your BOB just in case. Ald! usually have them in as a special in the summer or sp0rts D!rect

http://www.sportsdirect.com/SearchResults?DescriptionFilter=Karrimor%20Dry%20Bag


I was going to mention something else but have forgotton so will de-lurk again at some point if I remember!

JJ

GreyQueen

Thanks, JosieJump, I have scrutinised every inch of packaging and not found any expiry dates on what I use. When you do stock up, you tend to find yourself doing such things.

Re dry bags, I have my BOB (a 35l rucksack) lined with a heavy duty PVC drybag and the individual stuff inside (change of clothes, documents, medicine and a few other useful bits) is all in heavy duty WebTex ziploc bags from the army surplus store.

I can recall something from Shirley Conran's original Superwoman book in the 1970s; she remarked that crisises are usually wet and cold. Ain't that the living truth?

Been having some burglaries in my neighbourhood according to the newspaper. No one I know (not that it makes it OK for strangers to be robbed, IYKWIM). All the more important to keep a low profile and mind your business. These are hard times for a lot of people and some will help themselves.

OK, got whoopsied sausages under the grill so better mind them for a wee whiley.............

bluebag

Hardup_Hester wrote: »

GQ I hope you have fun on Red Nose Day, we will get our usual email from the boss, Mr Shouty. Telling us that we are not to take part, not to dress up, not to have any fun at all as the school is a place of work and all fun is banned!
Hester

He looks like one for the Boss of the year award then.

You just wonder what's wrong with these people? Maybe someone ripped the arms of his teddy as child or something?

Hardup_Hester

Yes Bluebag, he's great to work for, not!
No fun allowed, only certain topics of conversation allowed, the list goes on, oh well at least I have a job.

Angel_Jenny

Margaret54 wrote: »

Hi Pops I watched that programme and it was so moving I thought. God love them all. The children had old heads on young shoulders(used to hear my late granny use those words often) That wee blonde girl with the glasses was adorable, and when the programme was over I couldn't stop thinking about all of those people even when I was going to bed:(
Glad to know you are feeling positive, and you sound such a lovely person by the way. Take care Margaret

I watched that programme and wanted to adopt the little girl who had to give up her dog! I sobbed at that!

They just had so many worries at such a young age.

JayneC

katep23 wrote: »

I wondered where you where going with this statement

:rotfl::rotfl:

VJsmum wrote: »

What did you use to make the holes? I really want to try this but don't know how to get the holes.

Ta

VJs mum. You don't need holes in the tin, but you can't then place anything directly on top. you'll either need to hold the pan (or whatever) over tyhe flame or concoct some sort of wire stand to go over the stove HTH

bluebag

Hardup_Hester wrote: »

Yes Bluebag, he's great to work for, not!
No fun allowed, only certain topics of conversation allowed, the list goes on, oh well at least I have a job.

Sadly, have worked for similar control freak egocentric despots like that myself in the past, makes going to work such a joy.

If only they realized the negative effect it has on productivity. It's a soft form of bullying.

Dude with 'issues' clearly.

THIRZAH

I remember the sugar shortage in the 1970s. I was working in the centre of Manchester and somebody came into the office to say that Macfisheries on Deansgate had sugar. Our boss let us go out and we all trooped along to the supermarket. There was a pallot full of sugar in the middle of the shop and they were rationing it to one bag per customer.One advantage of that shortage was that DH finally gave up sugar in his tea.

There were other shortages-toilet rolls, salt at one time,bread due to a baker's strike and then there was the lorry drivers strike when people were panic buying and supermarkets ran out o tinned food.

The power cuts were worse. I worked in an old building and can remember having to walk down several flights of stairs by torchlight.Our rented flat had electric fires and cooker and we had no alternative form of heating or cooking.

I think I've been a prepper since that time.

mardatha

Thirzah, I was 7 flights up a multi story flat then and I had to bump a high pram with newborn and toddler on it, all the way up & down in the pitch dark. Fun! My youngest son was born on New Years Day 1979 - the maternity hosp had no sheets or nappies because the laundry was on strike, no hot food because the kitchen was on strike, etc it was horrible.
Son and DIL were round yesterday, and were saying a food bank has opened in their small market town. I was shocked because it's quite an affluent area. And a really posh small development of biggish houses is full of repossessions.Changing times eh!