The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

MingVase

I think where you live dictates whether or not you prep, when I lived out in the hills we had to because there was no shop. But even in  cities things can and do go wrong, I think too many people crowded into one dot on the map is a major worry on its own.

I was thinking the current slogan for the virus also applies to any kind of "situation" - Stay Home Stay Safe.

halfamo

I often think its worth going on a camping holiday or two just to get into the 'what will I do if there is only us and a tent' mentality. Ive seen a few preppers on youtube doing a 'turn the electricity off and pretend its a black out' and they are quite creative . If we learn to cope in hard times when it ISNT hard times, then its much less stressful to cope when the hard times jump out at us.

Toonie

Thriftygifty said:

I've started looking into actually getting together a BOB for our family, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and can't get my head around what I need to put in it and the circumstances in which I would need some of it from the lists online, quite a few are American. In what circumstances would we not take our car and need to carry everything Inc the children? It advises putting waterproofs in for everyone and not have them separate from the bag, I can't afford 2 sets of full waterproofs for all of us to just sit there and be outgrown. In my simple little head if we had to grab and go ie fire or gas leak we would just put the stuff in the car and leave for relatives house or hotel or camp in the car. I need examples of why please.... 

In essence a BOB (or Go Bag) should be items that will help you survive for a short time after leaving home and that you know how to use. There is no point in putting in items that you can't use, it's just extra weight. Realistically, a BOB should have items which cover

• Food & Water
  
• Warmth & Shelter
• First Aid, Medicine & Sanitation
  
• Light & Safety
• Important Documents in a Waterproof Bag
• Useful Items for Improvising (e.g. sewing kit, duct tape, string/cord)

What items you deem as necessary could be different to the things I would need depending on skillset and who you are catering for. Many US Preppers do take things to an extreme level, so it's worth looking at what things are useful depending on your own situation.

And a note on first aid kids. They are brilliant. They are extremely useful. But when you get a new one it's really worth familiarising yourself with what is in there so in an emergency you are not scrabbling around in different compartments and trying to find things you think might be there (speaking as a first aider).

daz378

Not prepping related   ..but a shock yesterday  on Facebook   when someone posted a class photo from 45 years ago....I   had to double check with the  OP  who i vaguely remembered from primary school ...to confirm it was our class....having no photos as a kid was s pleasant surprise 

DigForVictory

daz, grab a copy & attach all the names you can remember. In another 5 years time there will be fewer names you can recall, but you'll have a document to share (and possibly disagreements to keep the circulation moving) time future! Says she desperately pasting names to photos while I can, & urging my parents can top up with folk only they recall the names of. I'm prepping for being an absent mined granny who can look up who people are/were!

MrsCD

That's just what I've been telling DH to do! He has some very old photos which he's scanned onto the computer, but I have no idea who most of the people are.

MingVase

Got an email from Sainsbugs re a shortage of cat and dog food pouches, they say likely to be ongoing throughout the year. Anybody know what this is about?

C_J

I had a similar email from Sainsbugs too, Ming - except mine was about the dog food tins which I usually buy, rather than pouches. I haven't noticed any shortages instore, but my dog is giving me worried glances now.

Edited to add - news report below says it is just pouches, not tins, which are in short supply, due to the increased number of pets bought during lockdown:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56328860

Serendipitious

Maybe it's Brexit - related.

My Co-op had its own brand boxes of 12 catfood pouches in the clearance section the other day, only £1.

3secondmemory

Maybe my horrendous cat food overordering accident at the beginning of the year was more fortuitous than I realised. 😃