The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

What a wonderful compliment pollyanna_26 ☺️ I think the MSE OS Forum has been a lifesaver for a lot of us - sharing the ups & downs of our lives. Kindness & humour in abundance & occasionally some tough love. 

Mrs SD

pollyanna_26

Gosh you were up before the streets were aired today Mrs Salad Dodger. Wonderful username it makes me laugh whenever I see it imagining you dodging lettuce  and other things in the shops.

The forums have helped so many of us get through the last couple of years. It's a good place to share the ups and downs of life.

Good times and worrying or sad times.

Keep your memories close. I was glad to read you and your husbands beloved M passed peacefully with loved ones and was released without suffering on for a long time. '

She will live on in your hearts and memories. I still talk to my dad the great comforter and problem solver and he passed away when I was 15. In my mind I can still  walk the gardens and allotments with him and my grandads as they patienly taught a toddler worms weren't happy in a seaside bucket and you should never put the pretty blue flowers of Aconite in your mouth as they dragged them out and poured water down my throat. Don't think mum ever knew about that!

"Blue remembered hills" now but they live on in my memories. and M will live on in yours.

pollyx

jk0

pollyanna_26 said:

If my washing machine does bite the dust I'll remember your example JKO and have an online search. it was amazing how you got such a bargain by going on the bay to assemble exactly what you needed for much less money.

pollyx

Glad to be of help Pollyanna. Mine & all the washing machines I buy for the rentals are Miele, as they seem to be bulletproof. I would rather have a ten year old Miele than a new one of any make.

pollyanna_26

I've always wanted a Miele jko but they were beyond budget. I knew of their good reputation but the current Bosch was dearer than many but affordable. it has been good over quite a few years but I'll bear your advice in mind if it needs replacing.

Thank You.

pollyx

Effician

Had a great start to this prepping year.

Collected enough free wood to keep us going to 2024 which also kept us warm for several days whilst processing the trees.

Asked neighbours to give us their unwanted plain brown cardboard from appliance packaging etc of which we got plenty , this will shred & make up the browns for this years composting.

Picked up very cheap mower to collect grass cuttings & shred leaves from our small lawn & neighbours through summer , again for composting.

Reluctantly had smart electric meter fitted though this has helped shave of even more from our usage & now averaging 3.5kw/h per day over 2 weeks, come the price rise in April we expect to be paying less than we were last Sept.

Bought lots of cheap & reduced meat over the christmas / new year period for the freezer but whilst we can still get relatively cheap cuts we'll leave that alone.

Fridge & chest freezer defosted & cleaned to help reduce running costs ( never used to bother much but now a quarterly job) , a hoover on blow works a treat.

Normally Jan & early Feb i find the most depressing time of the year but made a conscious effort to get off my ar** & try to get ahead of the current economic situation, it's been a win win, lots of stuff sorted for very little cost & better mental health to boot.

 

Toonie

Sounds a very productive start to the year @Effician

Today I am having a lazy day, I didn't sleep much last night due to antisocial neighbours having huge arguments in the street and then slamming car doors and revving engines at midnight and then again at 2am!

Yesterday DP and I started planning out veg beds for this year and I cleared out shoots from random things left behind by the neighbourhood squirrels. We had a little tidy up in the garden and note that my gooseberry is doing well (and very spiky) and I'll hopefully get some fruit of it this year. My bed is going to be similar to last year with tomato plants and salads and DP wants to try peppers, chillis, and a few other things. 

Whilst I'm off work I'm going to get a few things sown indoors including salad and herbs. Plus I'll get some more seeds sprouting to supplement my lunches whilst at home. I've made a list of the seeds we have so will start on that tomorrow.

elaine241

Hello all just caught up.

Regarding the washing machines, I belong to The Insiders online who trial things and give feedback online and to the manufacturer. I had an £850 washing machine for £400 and a small bit of my time writing my feelings. It is more economical to run than my old machine and takes much bigger loads. For most of my washing I run the 60 min fast wash which is at 40 degrees. I can reduce the temperature, increase the spin speed and alter every cycle as I choose. Hell the thing also can connect wirelessly to my phone so I can turn it on remotely!! I am yet to figure this function out! I try my best to line dry but when that fails I spin my washing at the fastest speed and hang the heavier items on a airer to dry. The small/lighter items I do put in the drier with two dry towels and some of the balls that reduce drying times, this reduces the time markedly.

I have tried very hard not to buy into the consumer culture but saying that my washing machine is vital as I live on a farm! The majority of items I have are bought second hand or gifted by friends and family. I seem to be the one who gets given things which is great as I pass on anything I do not need. This year I was given huge light up polar bears, reindeer and Santa's, not my thing! One quick post on the village FB group and off they went to a very happy family with young kids. I must confess to an old dairy full of things that might come in handy. My resolution is to sort through and clear items I will not need, then pass on, sell , recycle or send to the tip as it has now finally opened up fully without the need to book in.

I am definitely behind with my veg planning and planting as time seems to just get away from me. I need to sort my seeds and buy what I need rather than go mad! My sister buys me grow your own magasine for xmas every year and the seeds from that are v good. I need to set up a heater propagator and a cold frame asap. I am going to make my cold frame from plastic sheeting acquired from my son and the frame of a cold frame that has languished at the back of a friends shed for years.  My veg plot has been totally neglected last season due to problems with my relationship which ( fingers crossed) seem to have been sorted for the future. I have left potatoes, garlic, beans etc still in the ground unharvested as my head was not in a good place. The garlic have sprouted so I am wondering whether to just leave them there, does anyone know if they just make bigger bulbs or lots of smaller ones as the individual cloves grown the year before have sprouted? 

As for preps my pantry is well stocked and I add items to it when I see a good deal. I am on the lookout always for staples such as pasta, rice etc that are on sale or a good price. When I see a good deal I buy as many packets as I can afford. 
This year I have splurged on an American pressure cooker, something I have wanted for years and just does not come up second hand in the UK. My aim is to can any vegetables I grow that I can not immediately use. My freezer went wrong in the old dairy and nobody noticed until I had lost all my beans/veg etc that I had frozen. It defrosted then refroze several times so the produce in there is only safe for hen food. Also with slightly more trepidation I will experiment in canning meat that I buy reduced. I will only do a small amount of this as I am aware of the risks from botulism and other nasty bugs. It will be experimental as I have a freezer in the house for meat that I keep a close eye on.

Anyway I have waffled on for Wales so I will sign off! Hope everyone is staying safe, prepping for the future and riding out the inflation storm that looks to be coming our way!! 

Effician

Toonie said:

Sounds a very productive start to the year @Effician

Today I am having a lazy day, I didn't sleep much last night due to antisocial neighbours having huge arguments in the street and then slamming car doors and revving engines at midnight and then again at 2am!

Yesterday DP and I started planning out veg beds for this year and I cleared out shoots from random things left behind by the neighbourhood squirrels. We had a little tidy up in the garden and note that my gooseberry is doing well (and very spiky) and I'll hopefully get some fruit of it this year. My bed is going to be similar to last year with tomato plants and salads and DP wants to try peppers, chillis, and a few other things. 

Whilst I'm off work I'm going to get a few things sown indoors including salad and herbs. Plus I'll get some more seeds sprouting to supplement my lunches whilst at home. I've made a list of the seeds we have so will start on that tomorrow.

Yes a good start & can now relax for a few weeks.

Good luck with your salad & veg , it feels like we may be able to make an early start in the garden fingers crossed, but spring always finds a way to knock us back with a harsh spell.

I can recommend ring of fire chillis , had good results from them in the past, heavy croppers ,quite tough plants & good heat, they also freeze really well, we grow 8 plants every 3yrs which is enough to give us a continuous supply.

CCW007

Effician said:

Collected enough free wood to keep us going to 2024 which also kept us warm for several days whilst processing the trees.

 

My dad often quotes The Archers: "he who chops the wood gets warm twice".

This weekend I've picked up 10 bags of wood to use for kindling then a neighbour who saw I had requested the kindling on freecycle asked if we would like 3 fence panels they were taking to the dump so I said yes.  They had already chopped them up so several more bags of kindling in stores - it only takes a couple of pieces to start a fire in our woodburner so I'm not too worried about it being treated or whatever.

Should keep us going in kindling for several months and I will share with my parents and sister.

There seems to be a lot of free wood listed on FB marketplace at the moment if you can collect.

DawnW

elaine241 said:

I have left potatoes, garlic, beans etc still in the ground unharvested as my head was not in a good place. The garlic have sprouted so I am wondering whether to just leave them there, does anyone know if they just make bigger bulbs or lots of smaller ones as the individual cloves grown the year before have sprouted? 

I would imagine that the individual cloves would have sprouted, and would grow into new bulbs, so you would get a clump of them, a bit like daffodil bulbs if you leave them in situ.