If you're not really prepping, just getting ahead a little...

[NorthEastNancy]

What have you stocked up on this last month?

We've not got a huge amount of storage room and I don't want to stockpile lots of stuff just for the sake of it.

I hate all the scaremongering but I don't want the stress of Covid times.

I got a Costco card recently and have bought the big pack of loo rolls and a huge pack of washing powder

I've ordered a shed load of wood for the log burner

I always batch cook and I'm running the freezer down to do a big re-stock over half term

I bought an extra pack of pasta and some tuna last week

Dh is considering one of the big battery things that you can charge using solar panels (that's more long term cost saving)

My work friend is a serious prepper and thinks I'm being too laid back!

What are you doing if you're not a serious prepper but may be dipping your toe in?

3 litres per day for drinking, or 9-10 per day litres for drinking, cooking and washing.

Spare batteries for torches
Some extra tins of beans +spaghetti
Cup a soups
12 lt water + keeping empty 2lt coke bottles will fill at later date.
Tinned fruit
Custard + rice pudding
Not obscene amounts as there's just the two of us.

I can’t really use a camping stove so I’m stuck with cereal bars, protein bars, crisps, biscuits and crackers for food. Also bought some tinned rice pudding (nostalgia). Plus loads of water.

I have millions of candles and a head torch. Will use car to listen to radio announcements but my neighbours will tell me what’s going on. Also ordered some power banks.

If we got crisps n snacks in now
They'd be munched by Saturday
There are camping stoves that can be used indoors but they have safety features for indoor purposes.
Outdoor do not and highly dangerous to use indoors.
It's something we're toying with buying.

@Skybluecoat a couple of no-stove ideas: a decent vacuum flask or two is brilliant. If a storm or power cut warning comes, boil the kettle and fill them, and you'll have hot drinks or a cup-a-soup for most of the day. On candles, a battery LED lantern or a few cheap push lights are much safer, especially in the dark or around pets and children. And for news, a small battery FM radio saves sitting in the car and draining its battery.

For anyone who doesn't want to cook, you could make a tuna and sweetcorn mayonnaise mix - obviously not a full meal in itself, but at least it'd be some protein, a few bits of veg and fibre. Canned potatoes with mayo could work as a basic potato salad.

We inadvertently ran the store cupboard down over the summer with everyone being at home more, so I’m just trying to bring it back up to a normal level of food in the house in case of a short term disruption. Frankly in that case I wouldn’t expect 3 normal meals a day so it’s more of a priority to have enough tea/coffee/cereal/biscuits to keep morale up. I have restocked the liquor cabinet as a priority though!

We’ve got about 20 litres of water, candles and torches plus batteries, painkillers, surgical dettol, dressing and plasters, wound spray, tins to last a couple of weeks, long life cereal bars, matches, hand gel and toilet roll. I’ll leave it there I think.

It sort of depends what happens - if you are prepping for a power cut or loss of water supply or being ill.

We had a Brexit stockpile which was useful when COVID started.

We have some power banks, a wind-up radio (which I've had decades!) and the things to have are things which don't need cooking so cereal bars and tinned fruit.

The most important thing to try to keep a decent supply of is essential medication. It's not always easy though.

@Skybluecoat that's ace advice forgot about using flask for hot water.

@Bridgertonisbest are you 100% sure that your solar power will work if there is a power cut?

When the national grid fails, most standard solar setups fail because the inverter automatically shuts down to stop electricity from flowing back into the local power lines, which prevents serious risk or electrocution to utility engineers fixing the grid.

Please double check if you are not sure, as lots of people think “oh I’ve got solar power” but it won’t do anything if you don’t have the right setup.

I have also got a local map, a general first aid book at home and a print out of essential information / copies of our essential documents. You’re advised to keep these in a “grab bag” just in case.

I have also made sure my car boot is stocked ready for winter with spare blankets, sturdy boots, hi vis jackets etc . I am envisaging IF there was a real emergency one might need to try and get home on foot.

Absolutely 100% sure, it was one of my must haves, it will even work when there is no internet.

Forgot to say, I also ordered a Floodsax which you push down the loo if the water is off. It stops sewage back flowing into your bathroom.