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.

@MarieIVanArkleStinks it is quite likely that we will need a second lockdown, and maybe more, when infection rates rise to the level again when the NHS cannot cope. This is one of the arguments against ending this lockdown too early. Sorry can't quickly find a link but you can google it.

'Yes, lets all buy nothing when the shelves are bursting and instead all pile into Tesco and Waitrose on the eve of the next lockdown instead.'

Er no.... just buy what you normally do

I bought 3 tubes of Neutrogena hand cream because it was reduced to £1 each at Boots in February because I could see what was coming with hand washing. Very grateful for doing so now. Will top that up.

I find it the other way around Yesterday - I'm very grateful to the preppers on this board, I learned a lot from them and we'd have been much worse off and needing to take far more risks if I hadn't listened to other women thinking, planning and sharing their experience. Some brilliant ideas and multi generational experience on these threads, women always have learned from talking to other women.

Plus because of those very helpful women, when the panic buying started, I'd been sorted for months and wasn't needing to compete for those resources or to make things harder for anyone else.

Our supermarkets are set up themselves for just in time delivery - there is very little storage space in the UK for large stocks as a consequence. People who have always been “preppers” are catered for, but if 65 million UK citizens all starting “prepping”, the supermarkets would find it impossible to cater for everyone doing that.

Hair cut, dentist, optician, routine health appointments (vaccinations, smear tests, etc.), bills paid (because trying to deal with phone calls which won't work and internet banking issues etc. Whilst having my kids scream at me is no fun). Gadgets fixed, car sorted. Just basically nothing like that to worry about

Ive been fine for food as I am a mini prepper.

However our lockdown has meant that we can only shop very locally to us. And all
the local shops are small and almost exclusively food.

What I will be prepping for the winter will be:
Next size up clothes for the DC

Christmas presents (I always buy early but will doing it even earlier and keep an eye on the news in case I need to step it up)

Books, lots of books

More board games and jigsaw puzzles

Sealant, light bulbs, batteries etc. Not so important now but light bulbs going in winter will be problematic

Sports bra - my sport is swimming and cycling. Both are banned where we are so Im reduced to running using a very old, almost broken sports bra

Nothing really. I'd just hope people don't panic buy again. I refuse to bulk buy or prep, what ever you want to call it as it's unnecessary as long as others only buy what they need. I don't have the storage space for it.

I’m overhauling and extending my veg patch, that I’ve let go in recent years.

Also reordering my utility to accommodate the small freezer we kept in the garage that didn’t work very well outside.

And making sure that we have the necessary supplies in place for planned diy projects. DH is currently undertaking his long anticipated garage refurb and cull but struggling to source floor paint. Planning to redo DD’s room next year so may as well get the paint in ready.

I was caught out by lack of bread flour as well. I’m a regular baker and my flour shelf was reassuringly full. Except when I came to look there was all sorts from rye to gram flour and and absolute dearth of straightforward strong white. We’ve been eating a lot of sods bread made with plain flour.

Ha ha, soda bread.

I intend to give over a cupboard to prepping just in case lock down happens again. I have already started with a large pack of loo roll, dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid, soap and washing powder. I want to add pasta, tinned tomatoes, tinned fish, tinned pies and a few tinned vegetables as well as flour, yeast, and baking baking powder. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of this in at the moment so have what I need and nothing to stash for now. I have frozen some cheese as couldn’t get what I usually have for a couple of weeks so might keep a block in the freezer from now on. Freezer is always well stocked as I was taught it is more energy efficient full than empty but don’t know if that’s really true. I can see the trick will be to keep things rotated and not go mad because that way lies waste.

My son is Type 1 diabetic and I usually have a small stash of supplies I buy on top of prescriptions. I notice his testing strips on Amazon are in very short supply and those that are there are three times the price so when they come back down, I will look at putting some of those in the prepping cupboard as well.

I think i will prep by stockpiling money to soften any future furlough/redundancy.

I will also get more DIY and gardening stuff

no.... just buy what you normally do hmm

And if you have to self isolate for a fortnight? Six of us. That’s a lot of food to expect someone else to source for you in difficult conditions. I think a small store is necessary.

I always have plenty of non perishables in the cupboard . It's a habit I got from my mother. What I will do once this is over is actually get Christmas presents sorted so if anything happens again close to Christmas I won't be stressed and panicking as I have three young DC who still have Santa call to them.

DIY items. Due to extreme procrastination I already had in the loft all the materials to redecorate one room and sort out the garden fence which has been great but now I can’t do any more.

I didn't know about the 'prepper' concept before this but tbh Dh and I are naturally like that anyway. We always keep in plenty of cleaning items, toiletries, food and we buy things in advance for the kids - books, toys,crafts. plenty of cards, wrapping paper in. So although we've bought eg toilet roll there was no rush. We just keep our cupboards well stocked and that won't change. We have enough space to store things and enough money to buy ahead, so we are lucky.

Theres no way I would start buying for xmas though until much nearer the time.

@TinklyLittleLaugh , yes the "I'll just get a supermarket delivery/people will shop for me" brigade didn't really think it through.

Stockpiling is different to panic buying. I made sure we had at least 2 week's food in (as was recommended by goverment) and haven't panic bought once.

Yesterday

There's no need to panic if you are prepared.
It's just buying one more of an item when you go out. So instead of buying loo rolls once a month buy them once a week or fortnight. Same with everything else, you just buy one more for a few months.
Instead of letting yourself run out have a few in the cupboard.
You aren't causing any panic by buying one extra.

I find it really interesting that the blame for empty supermarkets is on the panic buyers which some people additionally confuse with preppers.

Someone already pointed out in this thread that every household needing extra groceries because they needed to be home much more already breaks the system. Why blame the individuals?

We found it impossible to clear out because the tip is closed. DH has suggested buying some huge dumpy bags that we can put on the drive and use like a skip, until such time as we are able to get an actual skip or go to the tip. We will also be stocking up on DIY essentials and kids activities in case we get locked down again. I’m also planning to do Christmas gift shopping months earlier than normal, probably about September.

I prepped, but I didn’t anticipate having my grown up son decide to lockdown with us or my daughter coming home from uni a couple of months early. And yes, the lunches (and the snack age) still catch me out.

I will make sure I have enough tea lights for my wax burners. Was reduced to spending 10 QUID on 100 tea lights off eBay.

Devlesko the problem with that is alot of people don't and then we end up with empty shelves like last time and people buy 50 toilet rolls....

buying&