Prepping for Brexit thread

cuddlymarm

Hi Rosie
Welcome. If you OH is anything like mine he won’t notice if you add a couple of extra tins or packets to your shopping each week and your gardening could be seen as a hobby.
Personally I wouldn’t buy gift vouchers at all these days. Too many shops going under.
Well done on getting rid of any debt, that’s always a good thing.
Why don’t you point out that if not much does happen after Brexit then any saving you have made will still be a benefit. For instance, I stock up but then if I get a big bill or I’ve an expense coming up I can make do with what we have in and redirect my shopping money.
Anyway good luck
Cuddles

[Deleted User]

I wouldn't rely on gift vouchers either, I'd much rather have the reassurance of having enough food in store to see us through any possible gaps because foods we normally use were missing from the supermarket shelves for any of a number of reasons. My prepping leans towards trying to be ready for things before I need to be like buying decent warm waterproof coat and shoes in the summer sales because I KNOW winter will come. No one can actually know how Brexit will change life here in the UK we can only guess and try to think through what we will need. I'd start with some tins of food but only things you know you'll use and look at how you'd be able to cope if the electric was off for days so lighting, heating, cooking, loo flushing, travel to and from work/shops/school etc. How you'd manage if you were ill and the doctor wasn't available because the surgery had no electric either so over the counter meds and a reliable advice book on matters medical or do a first aid course or both. For us a good wood store for the stove is very high priority as a warm room we can live and sleep in (of needed) would keep us healthier and comfortable. Good quilts and blankets would be a worthwhile investment too and warm socks and gloves would help keep you warm if the central heating didn't work or the water heat for a shower. So many things to think of so we all do what we feel is sensible M'dear and we all prep in our own ways.

DigForVictory

I don't know if your OH would notice it as prepping exactly if you were to ensure all you need to keep clothes running were handy? I've laid in the re-proofing chemicals, Nikwax techwash for getting coats clean & ready to be proofed & Nikwax TX Direct wash-in for reproofing when the oomph begins to fade. I routinely have a pillar of Persil but I run teenagers who know what the washing machine is for & capable of...

That said, I have recently become the privileged owner of a Barbour waxed coat so should source some rewaxing tackle & read up on how it's used.

I must also restock on boot wax - we tend to wear army surplus [godsend!] combats, hill boots & generally shaped chunks of leather with a reliable sole in most months with a layer of Grangers well rubbed in. The joy of knowing you have at least two pairs of footwear, so one can dry gently as you try not to soak the other, gives me real peace of mind as we head out. Delicate elegant footwear it isn't but my word we keep moving through most weathers!

If you expect prices to rise (I do) then it makes more sense to hold tins and intelligently stored packets than gift cards. A tenners-worth of porridge oats this month is a hearty armful. In November it may just be a week's breakfasts. Either way, only "invest" in what you enjoy eating - something like Huel requires much more fortitude & is (I think) less flexible.

DryTheRain

Hello Rosie, I'd echo the other posters re store vouchers, I think a bird in the hand is definitely worth two in the bush at this stage.

And as there's a good couple of months still to go, building up a discreet store of extras is totally achievable. As cuddlymarm's original post suggests, a lot of people start with euro stuff like olive oil and pesto to jolly up basics like beans, pasta and chickpeas.

Jack Monroe's website has a good list if you're starting from scratch, and AJ Rawson's ebook Preparing for Brexit is worth a look as well. It strongly advises keeping quiet about your stash IRL, not to be mean or ungenerous, but if the neighbourhood came knocking, would you still be able to help your sibling for instance? Food for thought x

gfplux

Just joining the thread as less than 90 days to go and things will starting to hot up very soon.

Nargleblast

This thread has reminded me to get one or two extra basic ingredients when I go shopping later. I agree there's no need to make a big song and dance about it, just keep it low key, stock up on bits here and there and keep an eye on the news - the stuff they tell you and the stuff they don't!

[Deleted User]

It will be what it will be until we get to the end of October just make what preparations you feel are sensible and don't be drawn into the increasing sense of panic that will inevitable ensue from here on in. Only buy what you KNOW you'll use, it's so easy to see 'offers' and buy them because they're cheap or because you might like them, perhaps but aren't familiar with brands etc. If you invest in equipment or utility clothing/wet weather gear buy the best you can afford, it's an investment that you'll not regret in the future and will last for years. Keep abreast of the news and situation regarding Brexit every day and don't by spooked by all the negativity being poured out by people and businesses and also parliamentarians who are opposed to Brexit of any kind and try to find a balanced place in life where you know you'll cope no matter what the situation is if we do leave with No Deal. We've all become a little indulged and spoiled by the ease of life in these times of plenty and I understand why there is fear over change but I can remember life before joining the Common Market and it wasn't deprived and grey and sad, it was good and can be again we just have to work hard to make it so in all our futures.

Cheapskate

Been reading along, but haven't posted since last year, hello folks!

I'm currently de-cluttering my food cupboards and freezers - too much stuff, disorganised, and some rather ancient stocks - but will be sorted over the next couple of weeks. Then, I'm going to invest in extra stores of the things we use that might skyrocket in price come November. Even if it's just a hedge against normal price rises, just knowing we're ok for fuel and these food items puts my mind at ease.

I discovered a pack of paper pots, compost, and seeds I'd "lost", so some of them have been started off. Only spinach, cress, and peas, but it will be a tiny harvest of welcome 'green stuff' in a few weeks - just sprouted greens, really, but better than nothing!

On a more serious note, I have several friends who have married foreign people of various nationalities, and recently they've had all sorts of very unpleasant comments, mainly from people they've known for years! The subjects of these attacks are all decent, hardworking folk who've lived here for decades, many have put in far more to the tax and community systems than their attackers, yet are being told to "f*** off back home" - makes me ashamed of some of the people in my town!

A xo

cuddlymarm

Unfortunately we seem to be going backwards in this country and since the Brexit vote some people seem to think it’s acceptable to attack other races. Yet these are the same people who will complain loudly about the lack of doctors, nurses, farm workers etc. If it starts to affect them.
These are nasty, rude, thoughtless people who are getting away with such behaviour because the likes of Farage and Trump are pushing such hateful behaviour to keep themselves in power.
Ok enough of my rant.
Cuddles

euronorris

C_J wrote: »

I wonder how difficult it would be to dehydrate onions at home - probably quite simple (although I tried putting chillis in my dehydrator once and the fumes were eye watering!)

I dried chillies last year by simply placing them on a shelf in the fridge. Wasn't intentional, just never got round to using them and the next time I looked, they had dried out. lol