How long could you survive with what is in your house right now?

[3bluellamas]

It seems every day that goes by the world seems more unstable. Its made me think about being better stocked in case of disruption of any kind (whether created by humans or just natural events like severe weather). How long could your family survive if you suddenly had no access to shops (either in person or online)?

I think Im going to eat down the freezer which is full of random things like one stick of rhubarb or a lone pork chop and then try to use the space more effectively to ensure we have a better store.

Over a month but the teens would be very unhappy

This thread is giving me anxiety we would have enough for a few days 🤣 saying that if it was a disaster situation we wouldn't be eating like normal food would be rationed so could possibly stretch to a week. Away to top up my gin and write a stock pile list !

We could probably survive for a month but if there was no running water the kids would have to drink wine with us!!

Probably one to two months. We'd all have scurvy by the end of it though as the fruit and veg would be gone(off) within the first week. Would be a good way to empty the freezer that's bursting at the seams though!

A few months if the electricity stayed on easily. I would have to start growing salad type leaves very quickly and would struggle for carbs after about a month. Without the freezer less but I do have a lot of chickens so could eat some of those and then keep some for eggs and producing more chickens. I do have enough space for quite a few to forage for their own feed. Would struggle for carbs once the potatoes in the garden had been eaten.

Ive just found a bag of forgotten potatoes which look like aliens and are desperate to grow and so I'm going to plant them up in a large pot on the patio. Apparently that should give me christmas potatoes!

I planted 2 apple trees, a plum and a cherry a couple of years ago but it's going to take a while before they give me much of a harvest. I'm definitely going to think more about mixing edibles into my garden rather than just focussing on the pretty stuff I think. Food security is becoming more and more of an issue with the political instability and then climate change thrown into the mix.

I can't grow vegetables in my garden, too steep and too shaded, but I do have 2 plum trees, 4 apple trees and 2 cherry trees. I also pick blackberries and elderberries every year, I have several books on foraging and am aware of what I could eat in my garden and the surrounding area if I had to, and I am constantly on the look out for hazel trees etc. If I had to I would plant vegetables in pots and growbags but of course that would take time to do. If I had that time then I would try and stock up on tins, dried foods, gas bottles etc., but then everyone else would be trying to do that too.

Quite a while, although my big chest freezer has died and I haven't got a replacement yet. I do have 2 other fridge freezers though and a solar generator to keep them going. I've a good stock of tins, rice and pasta, plus spices to make things more interesting. I have 3 wood burners and good log piles. One of the woodburners has a hot plate and oven. Garden has 2 apple trees, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrant and salad leaves. Plus I'm ok with foraging. We have an air rifle and an endless supply of wood pigeons and a fishing rod suitable for sea fishing. Water wise, I have a supply of water and other fluids (insufficient wine though). When they run out I have a well in the cellar and water purifiers.

Plus as someone with sensory issues around food, I'm not averse to eating the same things every day or not having regular meals. Might run into bother when my safe foods run out though.

Probably 6 weeks at a push. I won't have the normal things people have for breakfast, lunch. I just have any food. Have got many fruit tea bags which require water, porridge can make with water.

Then got booze - about 50 bottles of wine and same again in spirits, beer and cider.

Are we talking apocalypse conditions, or do we have electricity and water?

Not very long if not. Most of my food wealth is tied up in the freezer.

We do have various bags and tins of stuff so I think we could make it to a month, probably ending with black rice (never opened) and thyme from the garden...

I try to eat the freezer down at least twice a year, then dh does a shop and it is mysteriously full of things like chicken livers and oxtail again.

Where will you get water, electricity or gas?

We had one growing up. It was great during the 'Winter of discontent' after that it was used to keep our slippers warm

Maybe two weeks.

Well personally I was thinking more about food chains, global disruption preventing/reducing imports, climate change causing problems with crops etc rather than complete apocalypse but actually we have two log burners, an outdoor wood fired pizza oven, and an almost endless supply of wood plus a lake at the bottom of the garden and so if there was a bigger issue with power we are not in as bad a position as some might be.

I also have a solar generator which would run a few small things. We have solar panels and a battery but no islanding switch so annoyingly we can't use them in a power cut.

Emergency stash should consist of stuff that is easily rotatable into normal food eating and also can be eaten cold. Oh and also is in cans.

Baked beans, good. Fray Bentos Steak and Kidney Pies, not so good.

All depends if the electricity and water supplies would be disrupted.
If essential utilities would continue I could survive for quite a while as I do generally keep a good stock of food.
If all utilities were out I'd probably be able to manage 4-5 days? Maybe a tad more. I have a BBQ and camping stove so could still cook and also a few litre bottles of water but that would have to be rationed. I also have a power bank so could charge my phone a couple of times i think.

For water you can just buy purification tablets. I have x100 and they take up no space at all. Each one will do 1 litre.

It's also worth having some containers to put water in. Those plastic stacking boxes can be filled with crap in the loft, but in an emergency you can tip that out and fill up with water before the mains goes off. Then you can store and use the purification tablets on it.

How do you have no water?

Like the suggestion regarding the boxes. Great idea for filling before water runs out.I do have water purification tablets in our emergency kit. We do have 3 solar charges for hiking so hopefully can use if summer.