To feel totally overwhelmed about Be Prepared?

[Witchhunted]

Sorry im sure there are hundreds of posts about this but I used Search and couldn't find what I was lookimg for.

I'm not really looking for a conspiracy theory type discussion about whether something terrible is coming. I'm trying to keep really calm and thinking - we don't really know either way. But it seems sensible, on balance, that if lots of governments across the world are telling people to have a bit of a stash in plus some things like torches, radios etc - in the interest of my family I probably should. If I don't need it, hurray, and if whatever happens is too awful for a 1 week supply then...well, canned food will probably be the least of our worries.

SO my AIBU is just that I'm totally overwhelmed with what to get? I want to get a one off bulk shop really, with budget of max about £150. Would rather spend less because it's nearly Christmas and could do with that money elsewhere! We are a family of 2 adults, 2 teenagers. What would we need for 1 week that's vaguely palatable and wouldn't require either water or electricity to cook?? We do have an old school bbq so I guess if I get some bags of charcoal, could heat things on that if it isn't raining outside. Also - what can I get that will genuinely keep for a really long time as I stocked up for Covid and there was soooo much wastage; really don't want that situation again where everything just gets thrown out.

I've looked on the Preppers section but that all seems quite hardcore and survivalist! What does the absolute average Joe family buy who isn't prepping for the apocalypse, realistically won't survive a worst case scenario, but wants to be prepared if there are 1 week of power cuts etc? Specific brands, foods, recipes hugely appreciated!

You’re doing great-well done 👍

What do you intend to use the copy of the passport for ?

Don’t over think it. Maybe order some long life milk and water, but if you normally keep a well stocked cupboard, then you should be fine. It’s no different to what many people do routinely, and just to ensure you have food in incase you get snowed in over winter.

..until they start selling wind up TVs...

OP think about the sorts of things you eat normally and try and find stuff vaguely related to that. Honestly don't buy a load of stuff you've never eaten before and/or can't stomach the idea of eating.

If you are struggling with the idea of loads of tinned food, microwave pouches of things like rice/beans/lentils are a good alternative. Most of them are pre-cooked so safe to eat without any heating. Merchant Gourmet stuff is in most supermarkets.

Couscous sachets are good if you have a means to boil water.

Oats can be used for overnight oats which are no-cook and porridge which is minimal heating.

Dried fruit is a good shout to get a sweet fix if you aren't a fan of tinned fruit. Some has longer shelf life than others though.

Tinned beans - don't have to be baked beans you can also get chilli beans or lentil dhal in a can.

Cereal and UHT milk.

Tinned fish is hugely shelf stable and can be eaten on crackers etc mixed with jarred mayo (which keeps for ages unopened). But obviously only if you actually like it.

We go camping so we already have everything we'd need to see us through for around a fortnight including food.

We've bought bottled water but can cook on a camping stove/open fire, have torches and batteries, plenty of blankets, a number of fully charged powerbanks and an all season sleeping bag if theres no power for heating etc

If it happens, we'll just treat it like an adventure until it passes.

And, as everyone else says, if it lasts for longer than we can reasonably prepare for, we'll have bigger problems than pesto and pasta for the fourth day in a row.

Tbh no idea but it’s on the list of things the government says we should do and I am a rule follower.

Maybe the thinking is that if government systems were hacked we might have to prove who we were using paper copies?

nearly all the wind up radios I've seen are also torches and chargers which is probably why people are 'going crazy' buying them

I don't have a radio so if I was going to buy one, it would make sense to get one that has a few different capabilities and doesn't require buying batteries as well (I never buy batteries anymore, literally the only thing in my house that uses them is my clock and that's one AA per year!). Tbh I probably won't buy one as can just use my car radio if needed.

OP the best thing if you're worried about wastage is just keep cupboards full of food you'd eat anyway. It doesn't have to be 3 days of the best meals you've ever eaten - technically a box of cereal and some long life milk would do.

The 10% of people in the country who don't have passports are going to be screwed then.

Agree with @latetothefisting about just using the car radio to listen for emergency broadcasts if push comes to shove.

OP, you said I stocked up for Covid and there was soooo much wastage; really don't want that situation again where everything just gets thrown out. What on earth did you buy? Do you mean you donated things to a food bank, or genuinely threw them in the bin? I hope not the latter. Tins and packet goods last for ages and the dates on them are best before, not use by - they indicate that after a certain point the food won't be at its best, but it will all be safe for ages if the packaging is undamaged. If it got chucked because you'd stocked up on food that nobody ever fancied eating, please don't make that mistake again. Stick with palatable food. The main thing is to make sure you have water and some means of heating water and simple meals. Eating and drinking something hot will help with keeping warm if there's a power cut and will raise spirits more than stone cold food would in winter.

Well in the cold war, a sign of nuclear strikes would be that Radio 4 ceases broadcasting. So let's hope you are able to listen to the Archers on repeat 😁

I honestly don't think this is new or a reflection on the state of the world today. This is necessary because of the way we are so used to having everything at our fingertips 24/7.

In my childhood there were always torches with batteries in the house, candles, plenty of blankets etc and the cupboards were always stocked for at least a few days, becuase power cuts were a thing, cars broke down, illness or weather might mean you couldn't get out for provisions for a few days, the house was cold often...

I have checked stocks of batteries and made sure torches work. I've thought about how we'd keep warm if the heating didn't work for a bit, I've refreshed stocks of paracetamol and first aid stuff and I've been through cupboards and made sure we have plenty of the long life things we use anyway. Then I'm making sure things are replaced when used, rather then when we run out, and doing the regular shopping before the fridge is empty. I've put some filled water canisters in the garage.

If any crisis needs much more than that, I don't think all the prepping in the world will help us. If you're the only place in the street that has food and water for more than a day or two, you're going to need the the means to defend it, and I'm not up for that.

Yes the advice was to photocopy whatever ID documents you have, so birth certificates, driving licence etc would count as well.

The news, so you can find out what the hell's going on in a blackout? Instructions re any evacuation? It's not to keep us entertained 🤣

I don't get the thing about buying water. Surely it makes more sense to buy large sealable containers and just put in water from the tap? Or indeed just reuse 2l bottles that have had milk and other drinks in. You can keep changing it to keep it fresh.

Me too, I know not one person in RL (family, friends, work colleagues, neighbours) who have mentioned this let alone actually done anything about it.

We live in the arse end of beyond in North Wales. Power cuts are a norm. in the winter. We have a log burner so we can heat one room at least. We aren't on mains gas so we have a one ring gas camping stove that runs of cartridges and a week of cartridges. We have some rechargable lights that I keep charged. Candles and a couple or torches. The cupboards always have 2 days of food in. Last time we lost power for 72 hours we burned down a bag of coal and ate anything I can cook in one pan (or one after another in 2 pans). Boiled water on pasta in a flask cooks the past whilst you make sauce etc..

Down the phone line.

Our phone was never out during powercuts. My parents always let us call.for.updates during powercuts, which I realise now was a way of keeping us entertained. I now let my 3yo answer spam callers, he thinks it's hilarious.

Bought bottled water doesn't need to be changed to keep it fresh.

It's a faff completely washing out 2l bottles and 5l water bottles are easier to store than lots of 2l ones.

Most people don't want to make the preparation into a bigger deal than it needs to be.

I totally get what you mean @Witchhunted. I mean let’s be honest, probably have that in the house (unless short of money, in which case it’s going to be hard to build up said stock too…)

My own way to deal with it is to concentrate on how we can cook.
So we’ve checked our camping stuff - we have two Trangia - checked we have enough fuel for a week.
That way we know we can have warm food, tea etc… AND whatever we buy more of can also be things we need to cook. I found it makes things much less overwhelming.
eg we have some dried potato flakes that can be made into mashed potatoes with either warm milk or warm water.
Im also careful we have flour, spices in store. That way you can make (flat) bread, meals are tastier etc…..

What I would really not do is buy stuff you don’t normally buy. No way it’s going to be the time you’re suddenly going to be keen on tinned meat if you never touch it with a barge pole normally.

One really simple thing I do is fill the kettle every night before bed. It’s habit after I woke up one morning to no water and was miserable without a brew!

my store cupboards are generally full anyway. In an emergency I’ll be called into work and that has two generators and a big water tank so…

They do, but they wouldn't work during a national blackout, and in any case none of them will work after 31 Jan, when the Public Switched Network is being turned off.

You’re still not going to be able to use them because the old fashion copper wire fur phone is phased out. It’s all VOIP now, aka internet data.
Once the internet is down, phones will be down too.

You can do that with big milk containers.

But you would have to change it out every few weeks unless you had purifying tablets.

Most people would rather just buy the water bottle.

If I thought the water was at risk of going off I would fill up either the bath or the big plastic boxes I have in the loft that store stuff. You could get an absolute ton of water in those.

Then I would use purifying tablets to sterilise them for when I needed to drink. It's far easier to keep the purifying tablets than have loads of big bottles of water hanging around.

If you stacked the boxes up you could also use them as a neutron shield against nuclear attack.