Prepping: the new world...

DigForVictory

Dryly amused to see that according to one school of thought, prepping starts with a first aid kit. Even before an overnight-in-case bag. And that the theory of first aid, CPR, the recovery position is loads lower down the list. I sort of see that as an introduction to the twitchy, a first aid kit just makes sense, but another school starts with a bottle, filed with tap water, labelled, dated & shoved somewhere safe where you can find it later.
I think I am privileged that I have a house, a car, a job & so I have both a first aid kit & some bottled water Anyway, and that I only think I'm prepping when I deliberately get the extra tinned goods, another bag of oats, check I have pills for several weeks. (And not having pets, I don't have to sort out prepping for their needs in case.)
I keep forgetting cash. On my way back tomorrow I'll swing by the supermarket & draw a few notes & change some of them down (some carparks still require cash).

What do you think of as Prepping (as slightly beyond horse sense)?
What do you forget?!

MrsCD

I prep for.....when the electric goes off, so that we can have a cuppa and some hot food.

For if we have bad weather which lasts for a long time, usually snow or wind up here, and we don't want to/can't go out to the shops...

For when the media hype up the latest doom and gloom so the shops run out of things!

For my family who live nearby, in case they run out of certain things, not just foods…

I'm definitely not expecting an apocalypse... at least, not just yet!

Cherryfudge

We had a power cut the other day and I knew where to go for candles and matches. If it had lasted long enough for us to get cold, we had the logs ready for the log burner (but not sure we could have laid our hands on firelighters). I also had a power bank almost fully charged - but missed having the Internet on the laptop! If I'd have thought, I have loads of books on my Kindle so I could have read offline even without daylight.

My husband's solution was to ring our son and ask ourselves round to borrow their cooker as he wanted cheese on toast and we've never cooked that on a log burner! By the time I'd agreed to go with him and got out a flask for blagging hot water, the lights came back on and DH did a quick check that no fuses had blown.

We did remember to pop round to the neighbours to make sure they had candles.

I know an hour without electricity isn't exactly a huge crisis but I was glad of the prep we had (and that we'd already had our main meal).

boultdj

I need matches, got the candles, got camping stove, you do not need to see the chaos before I have a cup of tea.

It's the camping stove I class as prepping, all electric here and having grown up in a 2 street village that used to get snowed in for up to 6 weeks at a time a pantry is normal.

First aid is only good if you know how to use it, a course is a good investment.

prepareathome

I have lurked here since year dot but just want to say how rechargeable lights are good things to have in - solar lights for garden so long as not fitted to walls outside can be brought in and there are some decent ones that are officially shed lights that have a solar panel that goes outside. I have candles, matches, oil lamps but past few years its rechargeable lights I have added to my stocks. For indoors nowadays they come in all shapes and sized from small lamps, like you have on bedside table or dotted around sitting room to nice looking wall sensor lights which only come on when you need them, some also are called picture lights Obviously you do need power banks as well for using them longer but a lot give you 12-22 hrs of light if not on full. My my fire place is hidden behind a gas fire but I do still have open fireplaces in two of our bedrooms which I keep covered but with chimney swept for emergency use. I have a camping gas stove and heater which takes the aerosol type cans - so far never needed to use heater but have cooked on the stove when our hob went on the blink until it was repaired, just made sure back door was open always no matter how chilly. Also added rechargeable handwarmers to my emergency supplies but do use them on cold days. We have been very lucky not had a powercut for over 20 years even if nearby has but I have always been one to be prepared. I check my rechargeable lights about once a month or so to ensure their batteries are full.

What we have had due to bad sewers is unusable toilets from time to time and I recently found a commode, plastic but it is the size of a toilet so easy to use for anyone and I have bought commode liners which come with a pad to collect liquid and turns it to gel and a plastic bag that fits over the basin in the commode that all you do to clean up is lift it out and tie it with the ties of course any plastic bag will do Might not be a thing of beautify but it is just like sitting on the toilet and I wish I had been able to get it years ago. So it can be useful anytime you cannot use toilet and only cost £15.

Right back to lurking mode. Stay warm, safe and in the light.

MrsCD

I agree that rechargeable lights are useful. I've been collecting various types for a while, so now that I have more candles than I could ever use, I also have some camping lanterns which can be recharged by USB, batteries or solar! I have kept a couple of battery powered fairy lights out of the Christmas decorations so there is some light while I get the other lights out. Also numerous torches around the house, and a few power banks which are used and recharged occasionally.

I had a couple of camping stoves already when I inherited my dad's. They're the ones with the gas canister that fits in the side. I've recently started to build up other types of stoves/ water heaters. The tiny dragon fire burners can be used just outside the back door with a tin mug to have a quick cuppa, and the Trangia system is just brilliant to play with so you have the knowledge when you need it! My aim is to eventually buy a Jackery to be able to plug in a heated throw.

OOn another note altogether, can someone explain how to get rid of the paragraph symbol (a pilcrow, apparently!) on the left hand side please?

AAnd when I shift down a row I'm getting a double letter at the start of the row! Grrrrr!

DigForVictory

Can't see how to get rid of the pilcrow (fascinating word!) but the whole editor manual is here, (Can't see anything about a double character, yet.)

DigForVictory

Back to prepping briefly - occasionally check where you are using your gas cooker? In a 'try it & check' test, it seems the back gas ring has been "set wrong" and if we overdo the gas under the frying pan, it burns the wall. Time to swap in a smaller frying pan, I think & try to figure how to repack a fire blanket…
My sister, appalled, yowled "that's why the gas rings failed!" - I hadn't seen that memo, & mum was frankly amused, bless her. (At my scrubbing & swearing mostly.) Also firmly that it's her kitchen & she doesn't want it all perfectly "home & garden", a minor scorch mark indicates It's Used. (Have I said recently How Much I Adore my Mum?) Plus that mark is a simple (if graphic) visual warning.
Happily, her coffeepot works absolutely fine on the front ring. In the event of power cuts, the essential fluid will still flow. Even if the electric cooker is telling the wrong time, and she shouldn't really be opening the fridge for milk.

MrsCD

Thank you, @DigForVictory

MrsCD

II don't know what's going on with the new formatting, but it doesn't like my kindle!