THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

mardatha

I need a scrappie, not a doctor. But I coped bravely through the night with Sainsbugs digestives and a pot of tea If anything falls off then I'll yell for a doc appointment don't worry. And I have sorted out a way to knit, using a pillow to support the arm...

mardatha

Meanwhile back on topic LOL - what is everybody else stashing? I'm doing a bigger than usual online shop and want to start building up stocks now, as I had been running mine down cos the HA are putting in a new kitchen. All I can think of is butter..

Witless

As I mentioned earlier, I eat mostly local produce though keep a stock (about 10 or 12 lbs) of L!dl butter for two reasons - taste & value.

Other than that I haven't really changed my stockpile items: I always tried to have at least some 'dual' foods - things that can be eaten cold if necessary.

As someone else posted, when inflation (don't get me started on the quoted 3%!) is higher than interest rates then a well rotated stock (be it food or fuel) is money in the bank.

Another top up of oil and I'll have the equivalent of a couple of years' consumption going by previous usage, the tank is sitting about 2400 lts.

Once it's topped off the end of month surplus will go into coal for a while - I haven't bought any from Oct/Nov 17 but still have enough for a week or so if there's an unexpected cold snap.

I sorta wish I'd gone for a multi fuel stove when I did the oil / solid fuel linked heating system but I don't think it's worth the disruption & expense until the high output CH boiler needs replaced: when it does I'll put in a stove that can also be used for cooking in emergencies.

Once we hit autumn I'll turn my attention to wood; some 'trimmings' from last year. They're not massive, about 8" - 10" so not really trees but farm hedges that were getting to big so they were topped / thinned.

I honestly think one of the best preps is multiple heating/cooking options.

maryb

I'm just doing a general stock up because I think supermarkets will start to hike prices as we get nearer. I tend to start stocking up at the end of summer anyway. For the next few months I'll stock up when I see an offer on any of my basics and/or if I get a money off "vulture" (DD1's baby term for it).

I've had the chimney swept and the chap we get our logs from will deliver in August by which time DH should be well enough that we can stack them - I couldn't do it on my own

Elona_2

mar

You can freeze cheese and butter. I usually stock up for the winter with butter, cheese, flour, salt, sugar, lentils, sack of tatties, tins of soup etc If there are any good offers at approved foods I grab them. Don't forget things like marrowfat dried peas, onions, stock cubes that can make soup, long life milk and eggs.

I have been ordering groceries from Sainsbobs now and again and make sure I have things like chicken breasts and mince in the freezer as well as fish. I used to get a kick out of producing things like home made rolls and soup, a quiche or pizza etc after dds had looked in the fridge and pronounced it empty!

Jazee

I have this morning stocked up on tinned potatoes as I don't grow them and they can be eaten cold if necessary. Realised I need to buy a spare tin opener as I have only the one. On the radio the other day they mentioned a recipe book about cooking with tinned fish. I have lots of tinned fish.

[Deleted User]

I can't do anything until we've moved, I've just started on my single remaining tray of tomatoes and baked beans and the sight of that leaves me with icy shudders down my neck! one of the freezers is empty and cleaned and the other one has space in and a promise from my neighbour to take surplus home growns when we've sorted the last one out. It runs completely contra to my inclinations to be doing this! It's unnerving!

ziggy2004

I took my notebook into the supermarket last week to check I was not missing anything from my stock up list.

I mainly stock up on things we use a lot anyway but I am including some easy prep meal stuff too and will add that to the rotation to see if it goes down well. We are sorting out the garage so we can order a trailer of wood in the autumn, we can order quite cheaply here from local forestry. Last year we managed entirely on the trees we chopped down in the garden but only one small one still needs to go so we will need to buy wood this year.

I am going to spend some time figuring out exactly which products we most heavily rely on from imports ( eg I know that prepacked potato products rely on imports more than fresh potatoes but since we rarely use prepacked potato products I don't need to stock up on that.

mardatha

Sainsbugs Basics tinned potatoes are dead cheap and great for nuking into tattie & leek soup, I always have a load of them in. Likewise Basics custard, which is very nice.
The RV likes sardines, better get some of them in, handy for supper on toast.
I'll get onto the MadArthur Butter Mountain asap.
Stock cubes I buy from Costco, along with meat, laundry stuff, shampoo and olive oil. Need to do that soon as running out of everything. And I havent got the energy to even get off the couch :rotfl::rotfl:

ziggy2004

Never thought of that Mardatha!! I don't own a microwave but will pick up some tins for soup as we eat a lot of potato based soups so would be good to have some extra.