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.

I haven't bought toilet roll at all in 2020. I always keep a stock in.

How much stock do you pre buy to not need any for 4 months & for it to not dent you inventory?

I think I’ll continue to keep a 2 week stock on hand until we’re out of this. So that in the event of a 14 day isolation we’re always covered.

I’m trying to lose some weight as well. I’m not overweight but creeping towards the upper end of BMI and it’s a slippery slope if I keep gaining a couple of pounds a year.

We are low level preppers too, have been since Brexit but we were more prepared for a civil unrest type scenario so are missing some things.

Kids clothes in next few sizes up have been a problem. Little one's feet are always growing and I've ended up ordering some online that don't quite fit her as I can't measure her feet. Could not get one of those Clarks foot measures anywhere. So I'll be getting one of those.

Also things like garden toys and fabric so I can make clothes if needs be.

I'm going to buy some hairdressing scissors too and try and do some youtube tutorials as I look like a lion!

Also agree about compost - we grow a lot of veg and it's been hard to get hold of. We have very little food waste so tend not to make our own

Never once have I not gotten food or anything that I needed during the lockdown

Well, lucky you for being able to go to the shops to begin with 👍 A lot of us are stuck at home with compromised immune systems.

Red wine. Not for me, for my son who hightailed it home as soon as he got a sniff of a lockdown. Thought that I had plenty but clearly not!! More chocolate. Much, much more chocolate.Underestimated snacking requirements when I am not out at work all day! Prepped for everything else as I don't drive so have always maintained a stock of everything since DS was a baby over 20 years ago. No fun pushing a pram with a poorly little one in the rain or cold because you have run out of an essential.

When we lived in Germany, late 70s to mid 80s, many of our German friends had their Kellerregal stuffed to over-flowing, that's their cellar shelving. It seemed to be a mental hangover from the post war years when things were in short supply. Our lovely German neighbour was very proud of her Kellerregal and insisted that we were given a guided tour, I wonder if we'll develop a similar mentality, except cellars are not as common as they are in Germany.

I’m going to increase the amount of food in my store cupboard so I don’t have to go shopping “next time”. I can get milk and eggs with my vegetable order. I just need to find a solution for sour cream, cream and cheese.
Switching cleaning products in bulk from Bio D last year has been a life saver!

I have always prepped, but upped the quantities in readiness for Brexit 18 months ago. As my prepping was based around bad weather and Brexit (rather than being all stuck in the house together) there have been a few items I will make sure in future to have more of.
In the weeks before lockdown, we were racing to get in school supplies, craft kits, board games, and DIY stuff in. I unfortunately didn't think ahead to the DCs birthdays (which I would usually start gathering for now), but they are in June so I'm hopeful the shops will be open in time to run around and pick those bits up in enough time. We underestimated how much DIY stuff to get (despite getting a lot!), so a couple of projects sit half finished until we can get the materials.
Food wise I underestimated how many tins of beans/pulses to keep a store of. We don't eat a lot of meat so ae really noticed it and had to change our diet noticeably. Our stock levels were pre-DCs.
We need more Supernoodles etc in the cupboard. Like a PP, I hugely underestimated how many packs DCs would eat in a week as they got sick of sandwiches pretty quickly. Ditto sushi seaweed for obsessed DC1. I had only got 1/2 a pack in the cupboard when I went to get more and found it sold out. I finally got some last week after seeing none in the supermarket for 6 weeks.
I underestimated how much tonic was sensible to store too, so this is something in future I will keep more of.

For the most part the quantities have been correct though. DH has always thought I was a bit odd for prepping, but was happy to let me crack on. He's very grateful now!

NotQuiteUsual yes “moving somewhere with a garden and room for a fridge freezer” is pretty high on my to do list now as well!

Our flat is lovely, but a tiny galley kitchen and no outdoor space has really taken its toll.

We had food but ran out of chocolate chips (!) very easily.

Stamps would be a definite.

More basic craft resources

@nowaitaminute jam making is very easy, no need for a course. Youtube can be very good for this sort of thing. It is also worth considering making chutneys, relishes and ketchups. I made a range of ketchups last season and found these made an excellent base for pasta sources etc. We still have a lot left so this year I am going to try making tomato puree.

This book is well worth having for recipe ideas.

Only prep with the food that you actually eat! I don't do much cooking with tomatoes so why oh why was I grabbing extra tins. Given them to the food bank!

I'd get some sort of exercise machine like a treadmill or bicycle, especially as it's unlikely to always be this gorgeous outside.

Change my hairstyle to one that I can maintain better myself and buy some haircutting scissors. I look like an old English sheepdog already.

I also intend to buy a lot of pick your own fruit to freeze for crumbles and pies, etc., and will also be making strawberry and raspberry jam. I have all the equipment but have only used it once! Am saving jam jars like mad.

I inherited a Kellerregal cellar storage from the previous owners in our 1940s house. It is now not even half full with our stored groceries although we are well stocked. I am surprised your German friends let you have a look. Here in Switzerland everyone would be secretive about it!

I wouldn't do much differently next time except for getting a few more packs of dry lentils and cous cous and chickpeas, and an extra bottle of gin.

Nobody needs to be prepping or panic buying! Never once have I not gotten food or anything that I needed during the lockdown !

Lucky you. I went for three weeks without bread because there were never any gluten-free loaves in Lidl when I went in.

Colouring books

Lush shower gel as the bloody shop has temporarily stopped trading

Good wifi

Hand gel

Lavender violet and (somerhing) redkorderlig cider. Yum

I may be an outlier because I live alone and therefore there's no sudden rush on any of my groceries, but I am still using a pack of toilet rolls I bought before all this started. I've had to change my diet a little bit but not to extremes, and I didn't 'prep' or anything at all. I just shopped for what was in the shops. I don't even LIKE pasta or rice so I didn't even try to buy them, there were plenty of carbs available in other forms, and, even though I baked, I'm still using a bag of flour that was already in the cupboard.

But, like I said, I live alone, so can ration things out without worrying about someone else using up my stuff!

I intend to do a bit of prepping on non perishable staples like tinned tomatoes, dog food, lentils etc.

Also - jigsaws! They are selling like hot cakes on Amazon and Ebay at the moment, so as soon as I can source some cheap ones when this lockdown is relaxed I will get a few in.

I am supposed to be moving to a house with a greenhouse and veg patch although obviously that has stalled for now, but if it goes ahead I will invest in a second small freezer`and plant a small orchard and start being more self-sufficient food-wise.

I am also going to keep my desk/office chair that is currently in storage waiting to be sold. DS has come home for the duration and is having to wfh on the dining table!

I was also going to sell my old push-bike. Definitely keeping that now as I have rediscovered cycling whilst on lockdown.

Another Brexit prepper here so I had good stocks of groceries.

What has been useful for me that some of you who WFH might want to consider is that I got my manager to buy me a top end printer. I find it really hard to read long documents (legal professional) on screen which may be in part due to my dyspraxia, or maybe my age

Having a decent printer that doesn't run out of ink every few days (at my expense) has been great.

Masks!!

Very good quality hand cream and marigolds

Useful thread!

I was well prepped with food/toiletries, thanks to the Brexit threads on here which meant I didn't have to go to the supermarket for weeks.

However, homeschooling took me by surprise. I had to buy a printer so that I can print off worksheets etc for DS. Luckily, he has his own PC but some of the software is old which has caused problems, and it has no webcam, so I'm considering a new laptop or tablet for him if this continues long term.

I bought the BEST birthday present months ago for my niece who's birthday it was in early April...and it's still sitting in my cupboard as I don't want to go to the Post Office. In future, I am going to post things like that as soon as I get them. I'm also going to get a good stock of cards and stamps in.

In general, I would like to be a bit more on top of things - do tip runs on a regular basis so things don't build up etc.

*maybe, just maybe, people will get real about tatmas and realise that we don't actually need all the planet wrecking stuff that gets bought. That will be a pandemic bonus.

no new decorations (if you have a set), no gift packs of stinking toiletries, no excessive wrapping - simple no-pain stuff like that.*

I agree with this. As far as Christmas goes, if I'm actually able to see my family, I couldn't care about anything else. We may agree to only buy gifts for the children and scale things back in general.

I would go onto Tesco (as I did this time) and book 2 slots each week for as far ahead as it was possible to do so. I heard so many tales of deliveries being cancelled that I decided to book a back up for each delivery I ordered. When I got my delivery I let the second slot go so it went back into the pool of available slots.

I would also make sure I had a well stocked freezer and store cupboard. Apart for the hassle of getting food delivered lockdown has made very little difference to me as I am in my 70s and rarely go out anyway.

Nobody needs to be prepping or panic buying! Never once have I not gotten food or anything that I needed during the lockdown !

As someone at risk I'd rather not have to go to supermarkets, I'm so glad I prepped for Brexit. So getting everything isn't the worry, it's having to go out and the scare of contracting a killer virus, that isn't appealing.

I prepped for brexit, then due to delays started using supplies and getting new stuff to store. So far we aren't bored of food choices, but we are buying fresh stuff weekly. Will get more flour and yeast in when things back to normal in anticipation for next lock down

Go outside & swimming as much as possible because of my fear of being deprived of the future opportunity.

Get into huge debt to get rich (buying property, maybe), knowing my debts will erode quickly due to the high inflation soon to come, as that will be only way for govt to run down their own debts.

Encourage DC to do similar; tell them not to have children of school age at the time so their children's education doesn't also get disrupted.

See more of friends & family in person: expecting future lack of opportunity.

Maybe get an indoor rowing machine (& a house big enough to have one... back to borrowing as much as possible to buy other types of assets that are inflation resistant).

Put my pension into safer funds that won't lose 40% of their value quickly and need 10+ yrs to recover.

Tell my kids to keep their income & tax records up to date so they have better chance to be eligible for any furlough type scheme.

Move to Sweden or Korea?