The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

ZsaZsa

daz378 said:

Prepping is about   the breathing space your preps allow you...it is subjective  and dependent on income, your living space....I live in a small flat    I generally shop   1  or 2 shopping baskets a week..but every shop  I always buy something extra towards my stores...have you heard about what's happening in Shanghai    zero covid strategy  means people are being locked in their homes....take care

It’s a really scary time at the moment, sometimes it’s tricky to even know what situation we’re prepping for. It was much simpler when I started, I was prepping in case we had a while before invoices were paid, and I was prepping in case we were snowed in or for short term power failure. I felt like I had a handle on things. Now, I feel like I’m prepping for the apocalypse 🤣🤣

Si_Clist

daz378 said:

Prepping is about   the breathing space your preps allow you...it is subjective  and dependent on income, your living space ...

That's about it, really.  We're now fresh out of space in the house as well as in/on the few non-cultivatable areas of the garden.  We can certainly last at least three months eating normally without any shopping coming in, and at least six months if we ration ourselves from the start.  What we can't do though is any more stockpiling simply to save money by buying before prices go up.  And in any case, the problem with doing that is when do you stop and just accept the fact that sooner or later we're all going to be paying more for everything?

(Just in case anybody assumes that it's alright for us 'cos we've got pots of money, we're on a fixed income, we're officially "in relative poverty" and now we're "in fuel poverty" as well, apparently!)  

ZsaZsa

Si_Clist said:

daz378 said:

Prepping is about   the breathing space your preps allow you...it is subjective  and dependent on income, your living space ...

That's about it, really.  We're now fresh out of space in the house as well as in/on the few non-cultivatable areas of the garden.  We can certainly last at least three months eating normally without any shopping coming in, and at least six months if we ration ourselves from the start.  What we can't do though is any more stockpiling simply to save money by buying before prices go up.  And in any case, the problem with doing that is when do you stop and just accept the fact that sooner or later we're all going to be paying more for everything?

(Just in case anybody assumes that it's alright for us 'cos we've got pots of money, we're on a fixed income, we're officially "in relative poverty" and now we're "in fuel poverty" as well, apparently!)  

I think this is where I’m up to, I really need to recognise that I’m at that point where I have to stop stocking up, and return to the “one in one out” system. It’s either that or start making furniture out of baked bean cans 🤣.
Thank you to everyone who has taken time to respond to me, it’s helped to clear my thoughts a little 😊

MingVase

Newlywed get some water in now. Water can go off due to lots of things inc  power cuts. You cant do much without it.

newlywed

MingVase said:

Newlywed get some water in now. Water can go off due to lots of things inc  power cuts. You cant do much without it.

Thanks. I have 5 litres. But not enough for three days for two of us!

Si_Clist

Absolute minimum is reckoned to be two litres per adult per day. If you actually try that for a day or two, you'll soon see why it's an absolute minimum ...

Frugalfaffing

ZsaZsa said:

Can I ask, when prepping, how do decide when enough is enough? I know this is very subjective as we all have our own reasons and motivations, but I don’t know anyone in the “real world” to bounce ideas off. (My friends just don’t “get it” and never seem to plan too far ahead, I’m sure they think I’m a bit crackers)

For me, I started prepping and building good stocks when I started my family. We were setting up a new business so income was sporadic, we live semi rurally so prepared for winter weather, and my childhood was a little unstable so there was a huge desire to create a safe buffer. I’d build up stocks for the winter, semi run down over the summer and then build up again.

Then Brexit happened, so I didn’t run my stocks down as much as I would have previously, and then, of course, COVID! 

Moving forward to now, we’re a family of 4 (2 young teens), our income is still a little erratic but much more stable than the early days. We’ve got a healthy stocked larder (for most dry goods probably 9months worth), full freezer, plenty of toiletries, and if I could shift myself into gear and lose some weight I’ve probably enough clothes for a decade! We’ve a little put by for a rainy day

BUT, I can’t seem to stop putting things by. I had a mammoth supermarket delivery yesterday, because I think if I buy at this weeks prices, that’s got to be better than buying in 2,3,4 months time when prices will be higher. But actually I’m sat here today, still with the shopping not put away because I haven’t found a space for it  all yet, the cupboards are already rammed along with my various other hidey-holes. I feel like I’m in constant battle with myself over when enough is enough.  Am I the only one? 

No same here, especially with food. I'm pretty minimalist in everything else but always been a bit of a food hoarder. I was from a poor family as a child. Worked very hard & were lucky to be ok (not rich by any means but doing ok ish) so I think I find a well prepped /food store a comfort thing & never want my kids to feel hungry etc like I did. 

MingVase

I was reading a book about the first Gulf war and in it was mentioned washing  (think was an SAS guy or something like that pottering about in the desert).  He said water is so precious  that among the desert arabs it is used only for drinking, nothing else at all. No washing. So maybe getting in a load of baby wipes would help cut down on the bulky water bottles that take up so much room.

CCW007

I'm wondering if something like this would be good to add to preps in case water goes off.  There are lots of varieties and probably a better price to be found but wondered if anyone had used something like this and what their thoughts were:

No Water Body Wash by Medcosa | Full Body Cleansing Foam for Adults and Elderly Care | Rinse Free | Waterless Body Wash for People | Wipe away Cleanser, Pack of 3 : Amazon.co.uk: Beauty

Si_Clist

MingVase said:

 ... maybe getting in a load of baby wipes would help cut down on the bulky water bottles that take up so much room.

That's precisely why we maintain a goodly stock of them.  OK, they're a poor substitute for a bracing shower or a half-hour soak in a full bathtub, but they do the job when needs must.  They're still really cheap too

One other point about them that we discovered when we used to photograph weddings - it's surprising how good wet wipes are for tackling minor stains on clothes e.g. grass or makeup marks on wedding dresses.

ETA - Don't forget that if you have a rainwater butt and you keep it full, when the mains packs up you still have a source of water for flushing the loo when really necessary (remembering at all times the old adage "if it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down").