THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

mattpaint

Elona wrote: »

I am trying to reverse think things and not ask "what do I need. want" but what would make me unhappy if I did not have it in the house. Things like medications, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste, basic groceries, tins of soup , tomatoes , beans in case of being a bit poorly or it being too icy to leave the house.

This is brilliant.

GreyQueen

I've been playing around with this exercise;

The scenario

One's home is destroyed by fire. One is Out and no one (human, pet, firefighter) has been injured. All property in the home and the home itself is lost. One has the clothes on one's back and the contents of one's pockets and daily bag.

You are now in emergency accomodation (say, a cheap chain hotel) courtesy of your insurers.This may be home for some time. What do you need and in what order? BTW, the rest of your life isn't conveniently stopping and you'll still have to do your usual stuff (work, childcare, elder care, whatever).

My thoughts;
1. A trip to the chemist/ supermarket for basic toiletries.
2. A trip to a clothes shop for a couple of multi-packs of undercrackers and some socks and pajamas.
3. A chazzer raid for work-appropriate and gardening-appropriate attire. A coat, if didn't have one on at the time of the disaster.
4. Several 2nd hand books (light fiction/ humour/fantasy) for distraction.
5. A good supply of chocolate. And teabags.
6. A fleece blanket and HWB. Crises are apt to leave one chilly and these will be very comforting.
7. Renew my life-essential medicine script (I have spares in many places including the works locker so wouldn't have to be No 1 on this list.


Now, who wants to play.............?

maryb

If you don't have a smartphone on you when this happens then presumably you have no way of getting online. Almost everything is done online these days so you would need a library card so you can use their computers. Unless you work in an office which lets you go online for non-work access. But if you have stuff stored in the cloud would you want to access it on a public computer? With luck the insurance company would advance enough to replace a laptop

Actually you'd have had a problem contacting your insurance company without internet access in the first place. I can't even remember who my insurance company is for various things without looking it up

Witless

For all but 2 items (tea bags & HWB) simply go to the boot of the war wagon. (Probably why GQ wanted to TWOC it)

Only one book though.

mardatha

I can get money out of my bank without my card, I know my acc number and sort code and all my security details. I've done this a few times.
GQ I'm currently reading a book on the Blitz, and those people certainly knew what it felt like to walk away from a burning home with nothing but the nightdresses they were wearing..

thriftwizard

Erm, was I out in my van at the time? Or is that wrecked too? Because I have almost everything I'd need in that, and wouldn't need the hotel, either, though the rest of the family might!

I would need clothes. There's a raincoat, hats, sawn-off gumboots & a couple of warm ponchos in the van (and a number of warm woolly blankets, a few days worth of just-add-water rations, assorted teas, coffee and biscuits, plus water, cooking capabilities & a picnic set. And San Pellegrino - one has to keep one's spirits up) but usually not much more than a towel & a swimsuit clothes wise; it doubles up as a beach-hut in good weather & you never know when a paddle will be appropriate. I also keep a first aid kit, torch, bottle-opener, mallet, paracetamol, toothbrush & toothpaste in there, some of those left over from the days when I was always dashing down to Mum's.

Which is all fairly normal for a van, which is a part-time camper (day van, technically) but most of those are duplicated in OH's estate car too!

And books; there are a couple of interesting magazines stashed away in there, but no books. I rarely go anywhere without my iPad, though, and have a number squirrelled away on there. If I didn't have that I'd have to buy some.

Without my van - I'd need just about everything!

DigForVictory

Presume 1, At night, so not at work.
Walk to valley main drag, walk into bank & pray the staff ready to sort me replacement plastic & a modest wad on my honest face alone. [Sheesh I need to increase the amount I have interred In Case, but I'm not near the house right now.]
Get a buspass. My valley is Long & if anything manages to take out a listed stone shed, I'll have to presume (2) the car got it too, as did presumption (3) my smartphone. Most of my coherent planning gone sideways.
Take bus to medics & appeal for drugs, then paper in hand approach pharmacy to have it filled.
Use bus to get into Big Town for two bags for life for underpants, (not extra brassiere - I can't afford to buy replacements on a limited wad), socks & work clothes. (I've no allotment & I think my Scouts might overlook my non-uniform attire for a week ot two, indeeed even lend me a shirt for a parade) Asda/Lidl for gym skins & trainers (I will *need* endorphins & it is not permitted to run either barefoot or in my customary boots) and a memory stick, then library & download as much as I can onto said stick. Happily my webmail includes who I am insured with, but life as I know it is going to be a bit grim.
Chazzer SF&F, blankets plural (wool if possible, there will be a life beyond) & Lidl for the chocolate stash.

If my car has escaped, I have some meds, some socks, my backup digital memory (but no phone) & some chocolate but I will be in a much better position to sort the bank as (a) have some money & (b) have a lot more ID &, push comes shove, I pawn the car.
I just pray the library is still upright & operational, largely as if I can only send 3 emails one must be to my parents (a) reassuring them I'm whole & (b) advising them of whatever phone I've bought's number...

Odd how my scenario does not include husband or offspring. I rather foresee a very similar protocol as I'll have thought it through a bit, but they will be spending time in the library or at school or at work or borrowing use of a fellow Scout kitchen to cook. I hope! Three of us on prescription meds - yes, car or no car, straight to bank for funds then medics for meds & everything else comes third.

That said, if I spot thriftwizard's wagon, I may TWOC that instead of the aforeplanned pony. However, I live & work up North so I rather doubt I'll be that lucky!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Assuming I have clothes on my back and shoes on my feet, plus my bag (which contains things from tools to a powerbank and charger, makeup, spare glasses, sunglasses, a woolly hat, gloves and everything in between)

Toiletries and a razor.
Medication.
More socks and knickers. Two black t-shirts.
Gin. Lots of gin.

Work would have to put up with me turning up in jeans and a t-shirt for a while. They'll live.

Himself's list would be very similar.

thriftwizard

I'm trying hard to put myself in that situation without the van & its eclectic contents, GQ. But I can't, actually... If my stock was lost too - the best bits are generally kept indoors - and my van, I've effectively lost my job, too. Which says something about my vulnerability to events like this and my resilience or lack thereof...

Yes, I'd need clothing, and toiletries. I'm lucky enough that I don't need regular medication, so that wouldn't be an issue for me, but would be for OH, who takes BP medication when he remembers, and DD2. I'd need to find somewhere for the assorted pets & livestock, although to be fair our garage is far enough from the house that it almost certainly wouldn't have been affected & the cats could "camp out" in there - and sometimes do! The chicken run is even further away, so if smoke inhalation hadn't got them, they'd be fine.

I'm well-known at our local bank & have proved my identity verbally in other branches before now when things have gone a-gley, so cash shouldn't be too much of a problem. The one thing I'd really feel I needed would be a good supply of decent apples; no hotel in my experience has ever had anything but those horrible tasteless shiny cotton-woolly things!

Karmacat

Very interesting! When I'm staying elsewhere, a house fire is always what concerns me, but when I'm here (as I am for 99% of the time) my EDC is as minimal as I can make it - if I'm only out for a walk, or posting a letter, I might even just take my keyring (which has a 1" UK legal knife, and a whistle, and um thats it). I suppose at minimum I should have my little flash drive with security details on and a credit card.

If I had to get out while I was here, because of an unexploded bomb or something, thats a different kettle of fish, but something happening while I'm out - I'm not prepared for that at all. I'll update the little flash drive right now, thats the first thing to do.


:o:o