Just come across 'Peppers'...

[PeppasNanna]

Please explain this to me!

I'm confused about why /what you all are doing & getting ready for.

[PeppasNanna]

Preppers obviously...

[cozietoesie]

Anything that impacts on us adversely, I guess - in the short term, things like massive power failures are a strong possibility but also snow, antibiotic resistance, stuff like that. You'll find occasional references to 'SHTF' (ordure hitting the fan) but many preppers - in the UK especially - don't prepare much for that.

It's 'preparation' really. 'Just in case' things.

[cozietoesie]

You might find the book mentioned in this thread interesting in this regard. (Written by a Mumsnetter.)

[Starduke]

I prep for several things:

Power cuts
Can't get food from the supermarket for whatever reason (strikes, illness,...)
Grab bag to take if we need to leave the flat in a hurry (e.g. a fire)
Need cash for whatever reason (shops stop taking cards, banks stop giving cash, emergency taxi...)
Water cut offs (I've had water cut off for 48 hours before now without warning - I live in a capital city)

I'm not prepping for the apocalypse, just ordinary stuff which could be made easier if I've prepared for them.

[BiddyPop]

Mostly the day-to-day type emergencies mentioned by Starduke (also work in city centre and live in suburbs of a capital city).

Weather issues and related problems are the main thing. Snow, floods, etc.
Electricity or water outages not necessarily linked to weather events.
Life changes - e.g FIL was very ill, unexpectedly, last autumn and we spent a lot of weekends travelling up and down, or 1 person there and 1 at home - with only 1 car - and having to "keep the show on the road" for food, work, school etc as much as possible while things changed fast around us.

I should be better prepared for fire etc (I can get us all out fine, and deal with first aid etc as needed - but I'd lose all important documents and photos). It's on my "to do" list to fix.

I like to grow some of my own veg - because it tastes good and I enjoy pottering in the garden to destress as well. And it helps the budget.

And getting ahead for things I know are coming - e.g. Cub scout camp the morning after a party and at the end of a week of major travel/work stuff, so having gear ready in advance. Or having meals in the freezer for busy weeks, or a stock of them for life events like FIL illness above.

I ought to learn to fish - we live near the sea. I am trying to learn how to light fire without matches (rarely successful unless I've also collected lint from tumble dryer filters).

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

I wouldn't call myself a prepper, and certainly am not preparing myself for the apocalypse or anything, but think it makes sense to have a supply of things in, so I have a fair bit of food storage - probably enough pasta, rice, oats, powdered milk, sauces, tinned veg/ tomatoes/ beans/ tuna, pulses, flour, sugar etc to keep me and my family alive for a few months!! We use stuff and rotate it, and I figure if DH is made redundant, at least we won't have to worry about how to feed ourselves while we get back on our feet. I also store about 30-40L of bottled water in case of the water supply being cut off/ contaminated for a couple of days as happened in the SW not all that long ago.

I'm not very well prepared for a fire - most of our important documents are in the loft room, but I do have a big rucksack in the understairs cupboard with snacks, meals to make up with boiling water and a small tent!!

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

I realise some of the above may make me sound like a nutter, but as I explained to a friend who was laughing at my garage shelves full of food, I see it like a form of insurance which is guaranteed to pay out - we buy stuff, use it, replace it and it's always there so we can deplete our resources in an emergency.

[cozietoesie]

Maybe think more about fire, SugarMice? I was in a 'prepare to evacuate the house' a few years back and we simply weren't given enough time/permitted by the Emergency Services to do anything that would have saved any items other than the live beings in the house. It's still your likeliest threat I think and it's so darned fast.

[gamerchick]

Yeah my fire prep is woeful. Really need to sort that out.

I prep pretty much for what has already been said. I stepped it up after watching blackout. No electricity for a week would suck.

[StealthPolarBear]

Lurking. I've often thought I should have some bottled water but where would you store it all?
Also I used to hoard stuff and I'm working my way out. Nothing makes me happier now than a nice empty fridge or cupboard. I'm a bit worried about slipping back.

[Starduke]

I agree about fire prep - that was my first prep really.

I have 2 rucksacks. A smaller one that's kept on the floor with all important documents, a hard drive with copies of photos etc. and a first aid kit/survival blankets/rain ponchos. I keep it very handy in case I need the documents.

A second, larger one, contains change of clothes for everyone plus toiletries, and various survivial stuff. This one is in the bottom of a wardrobe next to my walking shoes so I can just shove them on and grab the bag.

[cozietoesie]

Buy a fire safe first off? You can use digital images for copied pictures/documents etc but many people find a halfway decent fire safe just as easy. (And digital images of eg old family pictures are often not so good as the real things.)

[Starduke]

I store some water at the bottom of a cupboard. Not enough really, just 20litres.

[cozietoesie]

We were 'shepherded', in the middle of the night and almost completely asleep, to a central spot and ordered to stay there under pain of ......... well you just don't argue with ES workers who are working away and doing their duty hard.

I'd always assume the worst these days (ie no time at all) after that experience.

[gamerchick]

I already have a safe but it's quite small. I may put the feelers out. I need a lockbox anyway for camping.

maybe we should knock up a check list. It's something everyone could find useful I think?

[DoItTooJulia]

Oh. My. God.

I'm home!!! I had no idea about this topic, the book, and you guys all chatting about prepping. And I'm a Prepper!!

Off to explore the topic!

[gamerchick]

That sounds scary man! I can imagine you wouldn't have time to think for sure.

[cozietoesie]

No. You really don't.

Some problems you might have a degree of notice for but not fire, sadly.

[gamerchick]

I do worry on occasion what would happen in a fire. How would we get the snake out and all that. Escape routes and rope ladders and all that but getting round to it all I piss myself off! It's like my brain stopped at extinguishers and fire blankets and said 'that's enough'

Yes next project I think. Everyone should have a plan.

[cozietoesie]

I'd advise at least thinking about it. When I had the experience, it wasn't my own house and, luckily - and thanks to the ES efforts, the wind direction and some light rain - we didn't have to evacuate in the end but those workers weren't going to listen to any thoughts on my part. Quite right too - they were professionals doing a dangerous job and their concern was firstly to save living beings.

[howtorebuild]

I have a few litres of water, a weeks stock of long life food, a wind up radio/torch, a camping stove and a solar charger that works on my mobile and a light bulb. I don't think I want to be around if shortages go beyond a week.

[DoItTooJulia]

Re fire prep, I have installed hooks at the side of each window and put the corresponding key on each of them. The children are prepped in the stay low and get out method in the event of a fire (my df was a fire fighter and we would have fire plans whenever we moved house. I also went to the uni right by the fire station he worked at. There is one building on the campus that's known to be a problem for evacuation. Every year I had to give my dad the timetable so he knew if I was going to be in the building and what floor I was on. I pleaded with him to send the younger FFs to get me if it was needed!!)

[cozietoesie]

Just thinking about it gives you a head start I think. My current Fire Service do free fire safety checks in domestic properties - not all of them do - and the FFs that came round didn't particularly want to discuss my Plan with me. It seemed enough to them that I had one.

[Thebookswereherfriends]

I'm not a prepper and am a bit 'Pollyanna', so don't really think about bad stuff, but when you say important documents ready in case of fire what does that mean? What docs do you have ready?

[Starduke]

I have passports (I live abroad), DC's medical books (can't do anything without them here), wedding and birth certs, stuff to do with the mortgage, a "family book" which is an important administrative doc here.

It's probably overkill for some docs, but I need to store them somewhere so might as well put it all together.