The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

bluesooz

CamelCamelCamel is a good site for tracking amazon price history

newlywed

boultdj said:

I got my hot water bottles from my local co-op chemist £5 with cover and 3 year guarantee. now got 4, so we can have 1 at the top of the bed and 1 at the foot of the bed.

Thanks, I don’t think we have any coops with chemists left in our city!

boultdj

Si_Clist said:

boultdj said:

... we can have 1 at the top of the bed and 1 at the foot of the bed.

Ooooh, so we like a bit of luxury then ...

Yes, we do, just no furry now to pinch the warmest one off us.

pollyanna_26

Karmacat said:

I'm a bit torn about buying a kelley kettle (it would be a stainless steel one, like pollyanna says).  But I made a big sturdy rocket stove, with lots of insulation, and that could do a lot of what a kelley does.  Really not sure.

We used to talk a lot about rocket stoves over the years. I would say with a big sturdy well insulated one you'd be best saving your money and using that. The way things are heading we're all going to be counting the pennies like Scrooge.

I have arthritis gloves which leave the tops of the fingers exposed for typing etc. I was having a giggle to myself the other day imagining myself in my gloves huddled over a candle like poor Bob Cratchit in a Christmas Carol.

At times the adult offspring think I'm bonkers. A few years ago if we were in John Lewis I would stroke a pale blue Le Crueset Kettle with an old fashioned whistle. Eldest dd would hiss put the kettle down mum and stop stroking it. People are looking at us and it's embarrassing. This went on for a couple of years then shortly before Mothers Day an unexpected delivery arrived from JL. I thought it was a mistake but then had an email from dd. Don't open it until mothers day, hopefully that will stop in store trauma. I didn't really realise what it was but waited until mothers day and there was my lovely pale blue kettle, don't know if it was the one I stroked but I was delighted. I felt so old style I thought I should have a wrapover apron like my mum used to wear. I loved listening for the whistle when it boiled.

One day I went into the kitchen because there an acrid smell of burning, I'd forgotten to put the whistle on and the kitchen was full of smoke. When it cooled down the bottom inside and out was burned black. I was horrified didn't dare tell dd. Then on one of her visits she asked where the kettle was and I had to confess. A month later another JL parcel arrived with a message from her. When it's on the hob with the whistle on stand over it until it boils , I'm not buying a third.

I have loads of pine cones VJ. All those Frasier Fir with roots Christmas Trees delivered from Scotland over the years which were planted in big pots, lived outdoors until  December then were dragged indoors until they were too big to fit through the back door. They were then planted on the other side of the garden opposite the various hollies and other shelter belt evergreens I planted back in the seventies after clearing all the wire netting and bits of concrete left by the builders. The site manager told me a cement mixer had stood at the back of my house at one stage when the houses were being  built.

Something to watch for if you're buying a new build. When we moved in just before Christmas there wasn't any pavement and the road wasn't made up as diggers etc were driving up and down. I chose horrible dark brown carpets because of that which drained the life out of us until I replaced them a few years later. The 70s must have been the era that taste forgot. We had brown and cream sofas and chairs brown striped curtains , coffee coloured walls with one peach feature wall. I still have photographs of the children against that backdrop which make me shudder.

Well I'll have free fuel for my Kelly Stove with twigs cones etc. How is your hand now? I do hope things are back to normal and you're able to continue with your writing. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw the picture you posted.

pollyx

MingVase

That was always my dream too Polly, the Le Creuset kettle. I got myself one when I was nearly 70 so I had a long wait! Mine is blue and has a great whistle. Got the teapot to match but it's very heavy. Always loved their pots & dishes but too heavy for me now.

I hated the 70s, every minute. The clothes, the colours, the styles yeugh. I hunted all over Edinburgh for carpets & furniture that were not orange or brown - def not my colours.

None of which is anything to do with prepping so I best shut up and not take the thread off topic. Prepping here today I think will consist of going to Kelso to look for a winter jacket or boots.

pollyanna_26

MingVase said:

That was always my dream too Polly, the Le Creuset kettle. I got myself one when I was nearly 70 so I had a long wait! Mine is blue and has a great whistle. Got the teapot to match but it's very heavy. Always loved their pots & dishes but too heavy for me now.

I hated the 70s, every minute. The clothes, the colours, the styles yeugh. I hunted all over Edinburgh for carpets & furniture that were not orange or brown - def not my colours.

None of which is anything to do with prepping so I best shut up and not take the thread off topic. Prepping here today I think will consist of going to Kelso to look for a winter jacket or boots.

The long period of insomnia and, a quite tiiring and challenging day on Tuesday seemed to catch up on me Mar. I have little recollection of yesterday. I remember bringing the milk in early in the morning,sending some emails and watching a little tv in the evening but nothing else. I don't normally post late at night but I did last night. I went downstairs during the night and the curtains were wide open . I always close them at dusk and would never have gone to bed leaving them open so a bit of a mystery.

I've been looking on line for my kettle and it no longer exists no very pale blue but darker blues and no seperate whistles. I did get a bit addicted and saved up for an omlette pan , the pot of matching utensils and other things . Eldest dd would buy me some things as presents.

I saved the lid off the first kettle just in case it went missing. Rolling of eyes from dd - I actually enjoy winding her up!

It came in useful when I wanted paint in that exact colour. I don't know if they still do it but some paint companies had paint swatches on line and you could order a certain amount for free and they paid the RM postage.

I was trying to decide which was the right shade and in the end took swatches and lid to the local trade paint centre who would mix any colour.

Eldest dd was with me that day and we were the only females in there. Tradesmen were in hysterics when I produced the kettle lid but the man with the machine found the exact match. A few years later he mixed an outdoor egshell for the garden furnitue and later a fence paint . All were excellent quality . I've since matched fabric and lots of things with that kettle lid. I still have it and if anything needs repainting I know exactly where to get the paint.

Hope you find a coat and winter boots. I swear by craghopper coats. My first one was from an outdoors shop where I used to buy triple packs of warm boot socks for £10 each winter. Youngest was browsing when I spotted the perfect coat with a sale tag a third of the original price. It's knee length with a removable hood and it's really warm. I've had it for years and it's still in perfect condition. A few years later I spotted the newer version on the big river site very cheap again and that's equally as good.

Boots I have 4 identical pairs of M&S ankle Boots, paid full price for the first pair and they were so good I bought the others half price in the sales. No idea how old they are but our proper cobbler has only ever needed to heel them over the years. They were a good investment because the footwear there went downhill quality wise and reviews were very poor. I have 2 pairs of knee length Pollyanna boots. I spotted them reduced in the window of Jones the bootmaker in 2001 when the store was closing down . I actually ordered an identical pair the next year online full price and they too are still going strong all these years later .

I haven't had to search for winter coats or boots for many years and reckon they were bargains.

I do keep all boots well polished and the knee length boots on boot trees.

I probably wouldn't have noticed the knee length boots if the ones in the window hadn't had Pollyanna on the price tag.

pollyx

Thriftygifty

I am so behind with prepping.

I have sorted out the kids clothing they all seem to of had a growth spurt, 2 of them being at school has reduced the amount of clothing in some respects needed. DS2 started school this year and had DS1 uniform passed down, the only thing we needed to buy DS2 was school shoes,  DS1 needed new everything that was a painful spending experience, I am hoping neither destroy their uniforms this year so that DS1 can be passed to DS2 and DS2 can be stored for DS3 for a couple of years.  I do need to buy them all winter shoes/boots and we as a family need waterproofs. 

Staying warm preps, I have bought thermals for the children in the Next sale, I bought some last yr for DH and they helps him at work massively, if SHTF we will all be sleeping in them and camping out in our tent in our living room!  How times have changed.  Hopefully it wont actually come to that. 

The larder is depleted, the freezer is full of old meat when life became overwhelming and I skipped defrosting things in favour of recently bought fresh things.  There is a pork joint in there from Christmas last year..... should it go in the bin??  Shall I clear it out and close my eyes at the money going in the bin and the total waste of it eek and learn a big lesson.    

-taff

It'll be fine, just defrost, cook and eat. the texture may be a bit chaged but then again, it might not and it won't affect the taste.

I've got beef in the freezer from last year and will definitely be using that.

If it's cooked already, it'll still be fine.

Thriftygifty

Thanks Taff. The next weeks worth of meals will be interesting things from the bottom of the freezer and out of date baking supplies. 

Off the back of the be-ro cookbook recommended is there something similar however for meals that anyone could recommend please? Not so much Jack Monroe. 

pineapple

Hello folks

Does anyone use a thermal cooker? I know you can make a diy version but I don't want all that faffing around. Just looking at cutting energy costs. Also - as a sidespin to that - I think now might be a good time to invest in big budget items as I think we are entering a perfect storm and can't see how prices aren't going to increase.