Prepping: the new world...

Blue_Doggy

Thank you for the new thread, @Floss .
Interesting discussion on mending: I also belong to “Generation Mend”, am currently mending some lightly holed tights while waiting to order new ones for delivery when I shall be at home. I also mend holes in garments and catch up hems. 

I had a Mum who taught me cooking, sewing lessons at primary school & one year at secondary school but gave it up for science. No school Domestic Science or whatever name it went by.
Sadly I have no-one to pass the knowledge on to, although I think young people may resist it because of (misplaced?) concerns that it may be anti-feminist or “housewifery”.

sammy_kaye18

Loving the new thread @Floss and have added it to favourites.

I was born in 1984 but into a military family so basically had my mum since I was 3 months old and my dad appeared occasionally when he wasn't on detachments. This also meant I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and was raised by them for a good portion of every year so things like having a store cupboard, repairing clothing, foraging, growing your own veg, and making what you didn't have or adapting things was just how they lived and I loved growing up like that. I think its very much influenced the person I am and how I raise my children. 

Our store cupboard did well for us during lockdown, I cant really say that we went without although I did have a bit of a worry when it came to making a birthday cake and my flour was running low but it all worked out in the end because I had a store of things like bicarb and baking powder because I use them for other things too. 
Im also lucky that my grandmother taught me to sew and use a washing machine. I made a wall hanging with her when I was younger to hold CD's and she has always been a keen knitter and crocheting lady and I still have a blanket in my bedroom that she made me when I was 15. I know if things have worn or broken in the past then I have sewn them up - hems, holes, also made clothing, dog jackets etc so I know I am ok there. I would much rather try and mend something than just buy new and I try to get the kids on board with that too. 
Plus whilst both arent really into cars - they are both keen mountain bikers (they are 19 and 12) and they both know how to fix and change wheels, the care the bike needs, how to put on a new chain, change pedals etc so I know if it came to it that transportation is alright! 

London_1

Hi chums well being one of the ....older generation I have always been pretty frugal, and growing up with rationing and post war austerity makes you value things perhaps in a different light than the generation of today .

I have always had the mantra that a roof that didn't leak over my head ,and food on the table was more important than things I can do without. 

e.g.
 I don't need conditoner for my washing, I have white vinegar which does the same job without the smell of ylang ylang what ever that is. It's also a pretty good cleaner as well. 

I don't need to spend extra on drain cleaner ,again I have soda bicarb and a good slosh of white vinegar that will keep my drains flowing freely.

I don't need fancy branded beans ,they are baked beans, not best steak. I don't eat the tins I eat what's inside them .

I grate cheese as it goes further, and get the best value strong one so I don't need as much as the mild one 

I keep a good store of herbs and spices to liven up beige food.

Past its best veg gets turned into soup, no waste in my house.

My freezer is my best friend, and I do my best to utilise it to capacity.

Bread, when I buy it (not often as I don't eat a great deal) is frozen in four slice portions.

I have what used to be known when I was young as a 'mending basket, into it goes things that can be mended, repaired or recycled.

I have an old pillowcase in the kitchen on the back of the cupboard door which holds old tee shirts/material etc, virtually anything cotton that's past its best to be turned into cleaning/dusting cloths .

Old towels can be cut into two or four and used once hemmed easily by hand to be recycled as cloths to be used for cleaning and if its a really dirty job (outside window sills/doors etc can be binned once past reclamation

When it comes to food stocks I do have a stock rotation system, putting new tins at the back, and using up any from the front first

Basic stuff like pasta, rice, flour, cereals are also stock rotated .I do have at least two cupboards for emergency supplies .

Around October usually about the third week, I make a list of staples that's needed ,to get me through the cold weather to save me going out and possibly falling over in bad weather as I use a stick to walk.

I do a fairly big shop, which usually last me through until March so its only fresh fruit and veg thats required

I only use UHT milk anyway so I get a good stock of that in at least 24 x 2 litre cartons at a time 

This past winter just after Christmas I was in hospital until almost the end of January and when I came out there was very little I needed as my freezer was full ,along with my kitchen cupboards and I even had two shelves on a bookcase in one of my spare bedrooms that had a stash of staples ,tea bags, coffee pasta, rice etc.

I've only just started bringing the emergency stuff downstairs from the bookcase, I'm glad I had got in extra stocks as when I came out of hospital I had to stay away from crowds and shops because of risk of infections, and its only in the past few weeks I have been going to Dobbies on a Tuesday to meet my friends, and there is a food hall there where I can buy anything I really need.

I only have four weeks until I am off to the IoW for a couple of weeks with the family, so I am just eating from my freezer and cupboards at the moment and buying very little

After I return I have to go into hospital for an operation so I won't really be shopping much until perhaps late August , but my two DDs can always bring me anything I need urgently.

Hopefully once I have eaten down the freezer I will defrost it and start to build a new stock of stuff up for the winter 

My DD's thinks me as a 'squirrel ' I think, and it works fine for me I don't waste time trawling around shops buying stuff I really don't need or want,I stick to my shopping lists, and I certainly never bin food I have bought.

I was brought up by a canny Scots Mum, to whom throwing food away in a bin  was virtually akin to feeding the devil  

My youngest DGS Mikey says 'If Nanny hasn't't got it ,its just not made'
 He know what I'm like for forward planning
 You never know when that wolf will come a'knocking on the door, and its knocked on my door a few times over the past 60 plus year  

Prepping is good, as it not only save you cash it saves you quite a bit of time as well.
I batch cook for the freezer, which saves me time and money and I'd rather be doing something else than standing cooking every night  

I'm definitely a reuse, recycle if possible person. I just hate waste of any sort, and food waste in particular.

This past year or so with the CoL crisis and rocketing food prices has made so many more people conscious of the desirability of using up stuff far more and obviously buying less if they can.

It's not 'panic buying' its making sure you have sufficient supplies to keep you going if things go spectacularly wrong as they sometimes can do.
Whether it job loss or illness you never know when that sudden drop in income can hit.

So prep away chums, and be a squirrel like me and think of it as getting through the tough times. 

JackieO xx

bellabella

Unfortunately I am one of the non sewers fact i am so non crafty its not true  my mum never sewed much to the disappointment of her mother who was a Milner and used to run me up an outfit in a matter of hours when i was a child . I never got to tap into her skills as she died when i was 5 so no one left to teach me but i can cook and thankfully my forte is organising  and planning so we all have different talents x

zcrat41

Morning all. I'm a long time MSE lurker and enjoy reading these threads. I'm ashamed to admit I'm one of those who can't sew on a button. Both my grandmothers would be horrified by that. They were farmers wives who would have done so much of what you do. My mum rebelled against that sort of life though and I grew up with ready meals and being told a career was more important. 

Anyway, I've taught myself to be a pretty good and frugal cook and am leaning all the time in the garden. My question is how do I learn to sew? I don't want to do much, just repair a hole in a cardigan, take up trousers etc. I love the idea of hemming old towels to make cloths. Where do I start please lovely people?! 

-taff

Either youtube it, or there may be a local group near you who do a sewing/kinitting/crafting type circle who'd be happy to teach you. Or, ask around your local community if there's someone willing to teach you, you might make new friends...

retiredinfrance

Try your local library or even ask out loud in a charity shop. One here will give a quick lesson or a hand with something in return for a small cash donation.Good luck!

retiredinfrance

Or a local food bank- some offer mending lessons. If you think about it that makes sense.

Toonie

I spent most of my time outside when I was young, so camping, hiking, first aid, general DIY are where my main skills lie. I'm a decent cook and have used my store cupboard on many occasions to see me through trickier times (whether that be job loss, illness, or any other emergency). There have been various points in my life where I've had very little to live on (the joys of London rents and bills) but by being a savvy shopper and utilising a few skills I've managed to get through. I think I'd probably struggle now if I were single as the costs associated with living in London have become prohibitively expensive, but being with my partner means we can at least share costs. He benefits from my cooking and savvy shopping, I benefit from his sewing skills. Between the two of us we are competent at most DIY tasks.

RAS

See if you've ezcrat41 said:

Anyway, I've taught myself to be a pretty good and frugal cook and am leaning all the time in the garden. My question is how do I learn to sew? I don't want to do much, just repair a hole in a cardigan, take up trousers etc. I love the idea of hemming old towels to make cloths. Where do I start please lovely people?! 

Check out whether there is a Repair Cafe or Women's Shed near you? Both aim to teach people to repair their own stuff and will probably have a sewing machine plus some people hand sewing?