Prepping for Brexit thread

[Deleted User]

I can only speak for myself and I shall carry on as I always have done making preparation as best I can in those areas that I have any control over in our lives. I will continue to build our food stocks, buy in lighting supplies like tea lights and batteries, make sure we have a functioning wood stove and as much stored firewood as we can accumulate in the interim period between now and March. I will buy any pieces of equipment I deem necessary for everyday living should the utilities become erratic, make sure we have sturdy waterproof and weatherproof clothing and footwear, protect our finances as best we can and try to be in a much more self reliant position when Brexit happens. I will do this discreetly and no one of our acquaintance will know about it. I will not discuss the political aspects in real life with anyone and I will avoid any confrontation with people who oppose Brexit or who blame the older generation for the vote to leave. I will just carry on life as normally as is possible and remain under the radar!

mardatha

Money this thread isn't about expressing your opinions or yelling from the rooftops what you believe. It's about Prepping for Brexit. The clue is in the title. And no amount of expressing or yelling is going to help you if the customs posts have queues of lorries lined up !

[Deleted User]

I shall be putting into store tins of veg, meat, fish, pulses, fruit, I shall buy in packs of vacuum sealed ground coffee from Ikea and many tea bags/leaves, dried milk powder, instant hot chocolate and instant soups and noodles that you make in mugs. Sugar, flour, suet, dried fruit, herbs, spices, baking powder and bicarb, pasta rice, instant mash, stock cubes, jars of marmite and Bovril, honey, jam, peanut butter and dried quick cooking pulses like lentils ,split peas and black eyed peas which don't need lengthy soaking. I already have tea lights and candles, soap, boxes of matches, solar lights, camping equipment that I can use in the house and garden and stoves of various types to cook on and heat water on. There are many other things that I'll 'improve' the sewing kit for repairs to clothing, the otc medicines and first aid kit which I'll enlarge and household cleaning stuffs which I'll need to buy large packs of to last and HWK has all he tools and accoutrements for keeping the house and infrastructure in good repair so we're on the way! My biggest purchase to add to what we already have will be a large gravity water purifier which I think will be a real necessity for good health.

bp5678

This thread has got awfully long! In summary, what are the most likely items to go up in price that I should stock now? I'm not referring to little things like baked beans!

Also, perhaps the OP could update the original post with a quick summary of what's been discussed to make it easier for everyone else?

Many thanks

cuddlymarm

Hi guys
Bp5678 has requested I summerize what has happened in this thread so far. So as far as I can see not a lot has happened Brexit wise since it started.
We still don’t know what’s going to happen politically so as far as I can see all we can do is prepare just in case. Each person is different, with different priorities so must prep ( or not) as they feel fit. A lot has been said and emotions raised on the Leave or Stay arguments. This wasn’t the intention of this thread and luckily this has faded away and we are back on the getting ready and discussing how we are going to cope.
Time is ticking by and eventually a decision is going to happen but my decision on it is to add to my stores. I am stocking up on stuff that will last and am clearing as much debt as possible in case of price rises and interest rate rises.
I am of an age where we have lived though high interest rates, unemployment, illness, bankruptcy, the expense of a growing family etc and this is just another challenge. I know we will be ok but am putting in contingency plans just in case.
As the days go by and we know more I hope we can talk about what changes we are making to our plans.
Please feel free to add your prepping decisions.
Cuddles

maddiemay

bp5678 wrote: »

This thread has got awfully long! In summary, what are the most likely items to go up in price that I should stock now? I'm not referring to little things like baked beans!

Also, perhaps the OP could update the original post with a quick summary of what's been discussed to make it easier for everyone else?

Many thanks

You are assuming that cuddlymarm has a lot more time than you to wade through 915 posts at the time of writing in order to save you doing so:D, however, a good starting point for you might well be the post by MrsLurcherwalker at the end of October and think how this relates to your own household's usage.

I am trying to tidy and consolidate my food cupboards ATM in order to see what else I might need to cater for a spell of bad weather/illness/Brexit. I try to buy regular use items when on special offer anyway (coffee, butter, tasty cheeses, tea bags, oil, loo cleaner for hard water area etc.) Fortunately I have 2 fridges, built in here and kept free standing one from old house when we moved:D

mardatha

I'm expecting everything to go up, they will use Brexit as the excuse. It happened when we went decimal - every single thing in the shops went up, with no apparent reason whatsoever. They just all jumped on it as a chance to increase prices. So I'm expecting this again. If it doesn't happen then that will be fine, and I'll still have plenty stuff in my cupboards. No loss. The one thing that is bothering me is coal and calor gas, LPG. I use them for heating and cooking, and if they come from EU countries then there will be price hikes and maybe disruption to supplies.

[Deleted User]

Until we actually get to the week after Brexit we can only make a guess at what will actually happen and how that will leave life in the UK from then on. The worrying and arguments and blame that are currently circulating are just hot air being expended because no one actually has answers to that question of 'What will life be like after Brexit?' to be able to give with any accuracy. There was life before we joined the Common Market and there will be life after we leave the European Union too. The changes to what has become normal will be dealt with and people will adapt to what is given a little time. A few years down the line life will have normalised and we'll be used to what 'is' and life will go on. Prepping is only sensible in an uncertain scenario and perhaps storing some contingency food items might be wise until we know our fate? certainly looking at what you have to be able to cope if there are power fluctuations isn't outlandish, I would think most people have a torch so extra batteries isn't wasteful, many people have tea lights and candles for ornament in their homes now so a few extra won't be a waste of cash either, bigger items of equipment like a portable pic nic stove and gas cannisters aren't expensive or large to store and are nice in the warmer months for outings even if you don't need them in an emergency, should there be an emergency they're jolly useful! You needn't go the whole hog and become a doomsday prepper but surely thinking ahead and making just small provision for yourselves has to be better than sitting and wailing while the world burns down about your ears like Nero fiddling in Rome???

Living_proof

I do remember a life before the Common Market, just. Compared with now, the food was really boring and most households had the same meal for each day of the week. Pasta was believed to grow on trees just because the BBC said so (April 1st), and the only pasta we ever saw was tinned spag in tomato sauce. Olive oil was sold in miniscule bottles in chemists for ear ache and fruit and veg was strictly seasonal and I imagine, local. There was little choice and chicken was really expensive but a joint of beef was affordable on Sunday. Turkey was only available at Christmas and Easter and festive fare was definitely seasonal. Now we can eat a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings any day of the week because we can import everything from far afield to satisfy what we have become accustomed to. I started to scrutinise where my food was being produced but of course that doesn't explain where the ingredients come from. Big food producers have already stated that they are starting to stockpile but I can't imagine that there is the physical space to do that for all the varieties of food we are used to eating. I think we must take some precautions and then not be too fussy about the food we can produce from stores. The take-aways will be hard hit as they have little storage space, so some households will be in for a big shock! Assuming any shortages kick in during the spring then we should be able to cope but not without difficulty. Heating will still be required in many parts of the country and of course many people use several tanks of fuel a week depending on their work and commute. There are only so many short-term precautions one can take, but it's certainly a real worry for people with families who live in small houses with little storage space, and who maybe live a rather hand-to-mouth existence. We should be stocking the food-banks really.

[Deleted User]

We should be looking to our own futures as I doubt the government will, hunger is the best sauce and there have been times in life where any food would have been welcome boring or not. Less choice won't kill us, less waste if prices rise would be a good thing, takeaways in childhood were only the chippie, nothing else and we regarded that as a real treat. People will adapt, yes they'll moan and whinge but less abundance and more thought about what you buy to make your income go further isn't a bad thing is it? we've known harsh times before, we've known good times too and the one thing I know is that humanity is infinitely resilient and despite all the moaning and whinging that is currently going on whatever happens if Brexit does or doesn't happen the UK will survive, we're a proud race (all 4 nations) and we're resourceful and much braver than we think we are so we WILL make lives for ourselves whatever happens!