..to say Homestead Prepping Lite is not Doomsday Survival Prepping. So here's some non-panicky ideas

[bellinisurge]

I'm a general prepper so I know about this stuff. It's my "hobby", if you like. Best case scenario is it all goes away and is nothing. We all want that but it might not be like that. Next best case scenario is two weeks boring self isolation. Yes, you can ask your pals to bring you food but this pal has their own stuff to deal with. I'll help you up to a point as long as I'm not required to self isolate too. Next best case scenario is a general lockdown in your area when nobody can bring anyone anything. No one in your house is poorly but there's only so much TV you can binge watch before you get hungry or need a wee or do other hygiene stuff. This is where homestead prepping lite comes in.
You don't need to worry about utilities going off etc but you do need to eat. You probably have stuff in your freezer and cupboards but enough for two weeks. Frozen sweetcorn and spaghetti for breakfast, anyone?
And bog roll? Yes, there are general prepper approaches but who's got time for that shit if you aren't a prepper? You need to get extra but where to store it? Get a hold-all. Take the bog roll out of its packaging, squash each roll down and pack it in there. Yes, you might lose some on the outside of the roll, they'll look a bit bumpy but it's better than a bog roll wall in your bedroom. Or rejig your drawers to make space.
I'm not a medic, I am over 50 with an underlying health problem so my situation is different to you regarding getting poorly. Follow general advice about good hand hygiene and eating well to boost your immune system.
I hope the worst that happens is you get bored. Don't beat yourself up about being concerned. And stop willy waving about how it's all nothing to you and everyone else is being silly. Take back control of this situation and don't give in to hype either way. There's loads of great advice on here.

Soda bread is easy and nice when just out the oven.

Hi all, good to hear the preps coming along.

My DS is still unwell. He has had a temp of 40-41.9 all day, even through a dose of paracetamol. He’s feeling really poorly, headache, pain ‘behind his eyes’, ‘blocked throat’ , which he says is making it a bit hard to breathe. Central chest pain when he breathes in a big breath. No rash. Resp rate 25 breaths per minute, hr 120- 130. Waiting for 111 callback.

Last place I want to be with him really is anywhere with ill people 😬😨

Running out of loo roll isn't the worst thing, you can just rinse with water instead

@TreesSandSea , hope he gets to the right side of this soon

Oh Trees that must be so worrying. Really hope he feels better soon!

trees I hope 111 are helpful, your poor DS.

For people who are tight on space for storage. You can put stuff behind the kickboards in the kitchen, on top of cupboards, wardrobes, behind bath panels, behind sofas, under beds. bottom of wardrobes.

A MNer even packed a couple of boxes of stuff then put a table cloth over them and made side tables out of the boxes.

On top of kitchen wall cupboards and top of wardrobes in plastic storage boxes is my stashing stuff space. Our flat is very small, so I just have what I can fit in. I put up a couple of shelves a little while ago in the kitchen for mugs, and tea and coffee stuff to go on to free up a cupboard too.

For lunches my young adult DC really like the sharwood jalfrezi or korma rice pots, the naked noodles in pots, especially the Thai green curry ones, and the pot pasta in the carbonara and macaroni cheese flavours. I have to keep restocking because they keep eating them

Things I have on hand for general use but are long life include:

Eggs (we usually use 6-12 in a week so I have an extra box in the fridge but plan to get 2-3 dozen on my way home if we get a “lock down” situation as they last a long time if necessary, just turn them upside down weekly).

Bacon lardons - Lidl do double packs of these and they have a long date. Very useful for lots of dishes.

Cheese
Butter

Carrots, butternut squash l, onions, garlic, potatoes
Apples, oranges
Frozen peas
Vac packed sweet corn
Cooking apples

Fruit juice

Yoghurt and creme fraiche
Part baked bread rolls and baguettes
Salami and cured ham (Parma, Serrano etc)
Tin of squirt cream (for hot choc)

I think, if I got a lockdown order, other than what I’ve already prepped, I would focus on a quick trip to supermarket on my way home:
Fresh milk and cream
Fruit and veg- mushrooms, peppers, courgette, soft fruit, extra oranges and some lemons
Meat - mince, chicken, sausages, a roasting joint (large) and a bacon joint (longer life so roasting/boiling at least a week in)
Juice to top up supplies
Fresh loaf of sliced pan for roasting for a few days

But if I had no option to get to shops, we’d manage as long as I keep milk supplies reasonable and not only 1 bottle left

When we were snowed in last year mash with soup was surprisingly popular. So I've got a big paper bag of potatoes, size of a small child and plenty if tinned soup in different flavours. The potatoes will last for ages in the cold and dark so I've left them in the boot of the car.
Also loads of multi packs of crisps and choc. The kids wont think to look there.

YABVU to use the term “homestead prepping lite” in any non-satirical way.

@Hingeandbracket , a much smarter poster has reminded us of the term "hamstering " which is what Germans say. Getting extra bits to stock away for later. Like a hamster.
Homesteading is a prepper term. You don't need to live in the country in a big farm to have a homestead. A flat in the middle of a city is a homestead. A place where you live that has what you need for a little while so you don't need to go to the shops for a couple of weeks. Hence homesteading lite.
But if you can't cope with ideas to make a short term tricky situation less tricky, just carry on with your own thing .

I really don't understand why some people are so against being prepared that they attack people that choose to be. If you have no interest in prepping why even read the thread 🤨 We live on a farm, have months worth of food, a water bore hole and solar panels. What must the haters think of me, oh how will I cope !

It is odd TeaCakeAndCockerspaniels , isn't it.
This isn't political.
And while you are all at it, please write you your MP about the issue of self isolation being too financially tricky for a small number.

AIBU to ask you to write to your MP and how financially hard it is for some people to self isolate. Th... http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/3837203-to-ask-you-to-write-to-your-mp-and-how-financially-hard-it-is-for-some-people-to-self-isolate-the-common-good

Bellini, you asked about the plans schools may have? I can only speak from a very personal perspective but the school where I work has asked teachers to consider how we will help pupils to continue to learn in the event of a closure. Our priority must be those children with public exams of course but I imagine that Heads will be considering how best to manage such an unpredictable situation. Meanwhile, it would be prudent to ensure your children keep books and resources at home and know passwords to access IT and online resources that schools will employ to set work. Widespread closure of schools will present all sorts of problems for working parents but I am concerned for my GCSE and A level students too. This also means university education too. I haven’t any answers and I suspect it will be about being flexible and facing some difficult decisions.

I missed '' bar 'soap links.

Is it better than dispenser soap?

What an awful situation this is.
How suddenly we have been plunged into it.
. No hand washing at dc school. No practise, videos, teaching etc.

@LOLeater , thank you. I will remind dd about passwords today.

Hi all, we've moved this to the new Coronavirus topic.

I don't understand sneery attitude towards preppers. Not the 'zombie-apocalypse-bunker-digging' ones, but sensible people.

I'm not a prepper, never prepped for anything in my life (except for having a packet of ibuprofen in the cupboard at all times just in case). I usually have a few days worth of food at home, but that's not prepping, it's once a week shopping.

I'm absolutely healthy, no med issues, no mobility issues, I'm young, fit, non-smoker. Not afraid of corona and not panicking. Yet I did a large online shop on weekend and stocked up. Nothing weird, no oxygen supplies or portable loos, just usual food, some tins, potatoes, meat for freezer, etc. Will last me ages, as I eat very little.

Why? Because I'm a single mother of a 7 year old, no family around, friends are far away. IF I get very ill - there will be absolutely nobody to help me, not a soul. Ok, if there will be food deliveries - rocknroll, happy days, not a problem. And if there won't? Ok, if I can still go to the shop and buy something - I will. But if I'm ill (not talking purely about corona, could be just flu/fever/feeling like shit) and I have to drag myself to shop, I'd be much happier if I have food at home and don't have to go anywhere. In normal scenario, I'd order a takeaway/tesco shop and if that will be possible still - great. But if not?

I've seen silly things before here. Like empty shelves after 2cms of snow (Wales). Closed schools, because people can't drive 2 miles in miniscule amount of snow. I come from a country where we have snow way over our heads in winter, metres and metres of stuff, mountains on the sides of the roads. Snowstorms, icy roads, -25 (sometimes) in winter. And absolutely everything works as usual. Schools, shops, whatever. So for me this is ridiculous. I've tried ordering food during those days (HORRIBLE snowstorm of 2cms) - and they didn't deliver. That was ludicrous. Corona looks a bit more serious. So why is it so impossible to think that there will be significant problems with food deliveries?

The way I see it re my weekend 'prep': IF something happens - my daughter and I will have food. And if nothing happens - we will eat it anyway, as it's stuff we always eat. If this makes me a 'crazy tinfoil person' - so be it.

Thanks bellini, he has a nasty chest infection - we Got him to the GP on Monday am. They put us in a side room at the Docs to stop him coughing and breathing over anyone else and the antibiotics are now working. He was hospitalised with pneumonia as a toddler so I was worried he had it again.

@ShadowOnTheSun , very sensible.
@TreesSandSea , must be very worrying. Hope he's better soon

As the Brexit stash was getting used up, I have bought a few extras. Can report there were no empty shelves in local Lidl and Sainsburys, no apparent panic buying, only thing missing was the antibac gel which has been cleared. Bought flour, rice, few tinned goods, longlife milk etc. Tesco delivery man came later, he said that most deliveries were a bit bigger than usual but no problems with anything running out.

I've got porridge, tins of evaporated milk (makes 3 x volume fresh), basic dried rice, noodles, eggs, flour, sugar, coffee. Carrots & potatoes in cold storage, vit C supplement, soap, lemsips, first aid kit. Rotating meat & cheese stocks.

Hi, yes you can buy those tinned long life pate in a european - polish stores just google your local. sometimes sainsburys special world food section. Good idea about those as they last forever!

Thanks for the thread, Bellini. I didn't know about squashing down loo rolls - that'll save me some space as it's limited with all my other tins/packets! I presume I can do it with kitchen roll as well.

Costco shop done today so I can relax as we have loo rolls

I need to get some extra pet food tomorrow and maybe some more bread flour.

I also need about half a ton of chocolate and biscuits to survive two weeks cooped up with a preteen and a teen!