Preparing for Winter V

Primrose

I think it,s a really good idea to list date opened on packets and jars to get an idea how long they last.   I did start writing dates on batteries for smoke alarms and on the base of light bulbs when I had a sense they weren't,lasting as long as I expected them to. 

Cheapskate

At the moment, we'd only last 2-3 weeks - life's been rather rough for various reasons and I've lost the plot! My stores are much lower than I'd like, currently no meat or fish in the freezer so our meals would be vegetarian or vegan. Only a dozen loo rolls, so they'd be rationed, and added to with the last packet of flushable wipes (not buying any more).  There's plenty of apples and plums on the 2 trees we have, and loads of brambles locally, so we'd be ok for puds or breakfasts. 

Lots of things to think about, as this time of year is when I do a massive stock take of all our provisions - edible and otherwise - so thank you for prompting us to think a bit!  

Kaylataste

I got a weekly delivery this morning so we would be ok for fresh food and dairy for a week,frozen I’ve got 2 freezers full but one drawer is full of lollies 😂.Loo rolls would be needed after a week or so,paracetamol is running low now because we have all just had colds and sore throats.What a brilliant exercise in household awareness x

annieb64

We wouldn't  last long. We moved out of our 4 bedroomed house with veg garden last week and am now camping in a  borrowed 1 bedroom flat until our new house is ready.

Primrose

annieb64 said:

We wouldn't  last long. We moved out of our 4 bedroomed house with veg garden last week and am now camping in a  borrowed 1 bedroom flat until our new house is ready

You probably don't have much spare space then but given the shortage of HGV drivers, maybe a suitcase full of emergengy items would make you feel a little less vulnerable?

VintageHistorian

Last time I made a meal plan based on all our stores I think it lasted around 5 weeks? But that was just before the pandemic and obviously we've eaten quite a lot since then XD The freezer is still stuffed though and the cupboards are still very full so I don't think we would be short of the 5 week mark, just some of the food on the list would be different.

Like others we would run out of eggs, milk and butter before anything else. But apart from tea the main cooking thing I use milk for is a toad in the hole, otherwise it's mostly in the fridge to be drunk at lunchtime and I could live without it.

We'd also run out of potatoes, we don't have anywhere to store a big bag so I just have to get smaller ones from the supermarket. I could make them stretch a little but certainly not enough to last 5 whole weeks.

One thing I remember from my meal plan is that smaller meals could be bulked out with a bigger pudding. So if some nights had to be just a tin of soup and a couple of slices of toast, we would have a mug cake (me) from a packet or one of the Aunty's sponge puddings (husband), both of which can be heated up in the microwave. We've got a small collection of these tucked away in our stores.

I also have a small (very small) stash of "emergency chocolate" in a box on the top shelf of the pantry. You need to know you have a few luxuries put by too.

jamanda

My auntie used to make the mix for yorkshires and toad in the hole using water not milk.  They were nice.

[Deleted User]

Just bobbing in to say I always make my yorkshire puddings with water, not milk xxx

Toonie

Hmm, if the shops shut, we'd probably have enough for at least three weeks, if not a little longer. My partner would manage a couple more weeks as he can eat pretty much anything but I have a dodgy stomach so a bit limited. First thing to run out would be fresh milk, but we have dried milk and evaporated milk in the cupboard so can make do (plus neither of us have milk in coffee, only in tea). Obviously it wouldn't be the healthiest of diets, but we'd manage. Maybe I need to add a box of multivitamins to the preps.

We're currently saving up for a fridge freezer, we have a separate fridge and freezer at present, both of which are quite small capacity, so don't have much stored in those. When we get the new one we'll be keeping the old freezer so we'll have extra storage which will be very helpful.

Floss

Deleted_User said:

Just bobbing in to say I always make my yorkshire puddings with water, not milk xxx

It would still need an egg though wouldn't it?