What will you do to prepare for any future lockdown?

[AwkwardAsAllGetout]

I’m assuming that even when this one is eased, we’ll be locked down again at some point in the next year. I’m wondering what I can do to make that easier and avoid the inevitable second round of panic buying. I was well prepared for this one as I’ve been a long time reader of the prepper threads and could see what was coming, so I had plenty of nappies, toiletries, loo roll and groceries long before we needed them. What I hadn’t anticipated was how much I’d long for some decent outside play equipment for the dc, which seems sold out everywhere. I’d thought ahead to my 2 dcs birthdays in April, and had all presents bought and wrapped, and made sure I had enough for their birthday cakes and party teas. Can’t say the same for the two I’ve got coming up in summer! Will you be preparing early for Christmas? What things are you likely to keep in stock now? I totally underestimated how much my dc would eat with us all being at home all day, so while I have plenty of staples like pasta and flour, my teen could eat super noodles for every meal and the amount of biscuits they’ve eaten is unreal. I think I’m going to keep up our local veg delivery as I’ve been really impressed by that. I think the thing I’m struggling with is how to plan to keep them all occupied over a possible winter lockdown, the weather is gorgeous at the minute which has made the whole thing a lot easier.

We normally make all our own bread, but now can't get either. I hope those who have bought bread flour and yeast for the first time realise that they need to use it within a reasonable time. I've a feeling that a lot will be going to waste. The upside is I've lost 10 lbs because of absence of bread eating. Home made bread is so morish! Enjoy those extra calories! I never let my baking cupboard go bare, but this has been a looooong time.

Iam a prepper, and have been for years. I started because I damaged my back and had no mobility for 6 months.. I only have myself, my 10yr dd and my 15yr old dn to think about and tbh I am always well stocked. Think a bigger freezer would be needed only because I only had myself and dd until end of last year when dn moved in.

I have been wfh for a while so I had a pretty good setup. Useful things, I also had a thermometer, pulse oximiter, second-hand 2nd freezer (bought on a whim for £40 off ebay, highly recommend!) an Alexa, hand sanitiser, face masks from China for using cleaning products (useless), loads of soap, an aerobic stepper, and I buy household/toiletries ahead for 3-12 months when I see bargains etc. as I get them from different places (Wilko, H&B etc.). Lucky to be able to do that as I am sodding forgetful.

Have bought paracetamol, soup for freezer (in case of illness), pack of 100 rubber gloves. Also been stashing freezer with discounted ready meals, as it helps not to have to think. That's the extent of my prepping. I get a headache when I read about prepping - I like the theory though .

Get a really nice husband. Mostly for sex.

I am imagining the apocalypse. And some of you squabbling over a discovered Pret sarnie for your surviving kid.

I hate to break it you, but you are not a prepper, you are the epitome of a panic buyer, and it's people like you that caused all the damn problems for normal people! Just because you bought things over a month period does not make you any different from any other panic buyers, its selfish and needless.

I didn't stockpile, prep, or freak out thinking about the implications of Brexit. We are a family of five. There was a shortage of pasta; we bought a pasta maker. We haven't run out of loo roll. Some of the stuff we often eat hasn't been available, so we've tried new things.
Could do with haircuts, we're all a bit shaggy, but if push comes to shove we've got one of those home trim kits we can dig out.
Online orders for non food items have continued as usual.
We're not going out anywhere so new clothes aren't a priority, and we could always do a guesstimate of sizes and order online.
Can't think of why I would need to do anything differently.

I would buy a new laptop, never realised how slow it is and how crap the mic is... numerous of video calls revealed this. Would like to buy small gym stuff for around the house, little things like weights, medicine ball etc. Tried to buy some last night and they are either sold out or prices have been hiked up!

Food wise... I dont want to panic buy or stock pile but before all of this, as it's only myself and my husband, we wouldnt really plan meals and go to tesco most evenings after work. So I would like to plan our meals and buy a wee bit more now and then, just incase.

Toilet roll

This thread has been a really interesting read.

I'm trying to get my finances in order whilst taking advantage of a mortgage holiday for 3 months (furloughed). If there is a second lockdown, my main concern with be whether or not the government will offer or extend furlough and whether or not I will be made redundant.

If a second lockdown occurred over winter, we have plenty of spare blankets and a couple of hot water bottles to save on heating costs, but could do with an extra hot water bottle and some warmer pyjamas.

I would also really like a second freezer as ours isn't big enough. However that would require finding somewhere to put it and spending money which I'd like to avoid where possible.

Food-wise we're still doing ok from our preps and rotating stock, but I am getting a little low on various vitamins and antihistamines.

Out of curiosity, do you think there will be another lockdown?

if 65 million UK citizens all starting “prepping”, the supermarkets would find it impossible to cater for everyone doing that.

The people doing it still wouldn't be panic buyers though!

There's nothing set in stone about the current 'just in time' system supermarkets use - it's just a method that has generally worked well for them in recent years to maximise their profits. It's depended on and benefited from all the data that comes from electronic sales and stock control systems.

There's very little resilience or flexibility in such a system to allow for unexpected increases in demand (people planning for 14 days of possible isolation, or people quite rationally starting gradually to prepare for a future repeat of the lockdown), or for problems with supply (possibly due to Brexit). But that's a problem with the JIT system - not with the people doing the shopping (other than the 3% or whatever minority of real panic hoarders).

Perhaps after this experience supermarkets will shift a bit more back to having some element of 'just in case' in their planning, to back up their 'just in time' systems, so there will be more resilience in the food chain. I don't think a nation's food supply should really be so finely tuned to a particular level of demand that it breaks with only a slight increase for a short time.

Thing is, during this lockdown supermarkets have more or less worked- see PPs comments about being able to get everything they want or can adapt.

However, that is no guarantee it will always work. A future lockdown might be stricter (see Asia - one family member allowed out on specific days) OR more people might be ill and affecting the supply chain. Supermarkets can't sell and deliver if they aren't receiving goods or if their staff are all off ill.

Or any other number of things. There will be global food shortages in the future as countries keep the food they produce for their own population (eg India and rice).

Preppers don't prepare for 1 event. They prepare for anything that could disrupt supply chains.

Here in France for example, Amazon is no longer delivering. Supermarkets arent delivering or doing click and collect (at least not in Paris). It took me 2 weeks at the beginning of lockdown to get a printer delivered. All other deliveries are severely delayed (the post is only working a 3 day week) and Ive had 2 things go missing/be stolen out of the parcel. No idea when I'll get reimbursed or indeed receive the item.

Get a really nice husband. Mostly for sex.

👏

Best comment of the thread!

Find myself a partner, so I have some company and human contact!
New laptop is needed for zoom chat etc!

@SAHDtoday So sorry you have had abuse from people. I had heard this on some Facebook groups too. I have emailed Aldi (where I mostly shop) and thanked them- plus thanked the staff in the shop. I can honestly say it’s been brilliant there. I have to go to Morrison or tesco for odd things and they have been good too. THANK YOU for being there for us.

@ThroughThickAndThin01 if you live near a Specsavers they are open for urgent problems. Not sure whether your DH would qualify but worth a go. Or if he knows his prescription he might be able to get glasses online.

CroissantsAtDawn - the only problem with that thinking is that global food shortages and supermarket supply chains breaking down so that people cannot access food for weeks on end is far worse than most preppers could cope with. On that scale, you are talking about doomsdayers... who will have prepared their locked bunkers and will be expecting widespread looting and a complete breakdown of society, not having a bit of extra stuff in to last them a fortnight. Most people do not own properties big enough to be able to store what you would need to ensure they don’t suffer when food is short for everyone.

Definitely going to prepare for Christmas a bit earlier this year.

Whoah don't mention Christmas, its not even may yet!

@Aridane

Saving money as back up.

I like my cupboards to be full at all times so will keep that up.

Thinking about my DCs upcoming birthdays (& Christmas) and considering whether certain gifts would work well for prolonged periods at home.

I usually have clothes for my DC in the next size as I buy in sales & a few friends pass on stuff but will make sure I've got seasonal basics before they're needed.

Unfortunately I bought new school shoes a few weeks before lockdown & don't know if they'll fit when they go back which is a shame. Glad I picked up trainers & sliders/sandals though!

I now keep a spare set of printer ink as my DC work better from paper when there's a lot of reading involved.

I definitely won't stockpile because it just isn't something I am comfortable with (putting a 'trendy' label of prepper on it doesn't make it anymore appealing to me Yes, prepping is of course stock piling, it does make me smile when posters prefer to use the prepper label as apparently it is more socially acceptable! Prepping is NOT panic buying, but it is of course stockpiling )

I would like to buy another laptop though as it would have made homescholing a little easier. Aside from that, we have been absolutely fine

I now keep a spare set of printer ink as my DC work better from paper when there's a lot of reading involved

I use the HP ink subscription service, it is great, they make sure you always have at least one full set of cartridges spare.

I wish we had been to the tip and sorted out a lot of junk at home to make space.

A larger/additional freezer.
An exercise bike
A snooker table/dart board for teens

I would be worried about heating this winter. When I worked from home previously I'd put my electric blanket on and work from my bed so I didn't have to heat the house - I can't do that with 2 kids at home.