Hell is ever closer - part 2

[SistemaAddict]

Following on from the previous thread.

Hell is ever closer-how's your stash looking? http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eureferendumm2016/3646002-hell-is-ever-closer-how-s-your-stash-looking

I would eat cold rather than risking an open flame in a flat especially if it was just a day or two. I would also consider temporarily moving back to family if it was that kind of situation.
Like I said, tying yourself in knots about less likely scenarios can just do your head in.
Please try and focus on things you can do rather than things you can't.

Maybe sign up for a smart meter if they say no first! I hate them, but if it gets you away from a key card it might be worth it!

So for any vegetarians on here, I can recommend Tesco's tinned vegetable curry, it's really tasty (I buy it for meals at work sometimes, with a packet of microwave rice).

I'm stocking up on this and lots of rice.

No, I wouldn't risk an open flame in a flat. I know you think this scenario is unlikely, but I do also live in part of the country that's more prone to power cuts in normal conditions anyway.

Moving back to family would only be an option if I didn't have to get to work. To be honest, if things got really bad, I'd want to, but unless the school I worked for actually shut, it wouldn't be viable.

But I'll try and get rid of the key meter as that will solve one problem and make my life easier in general. Apparently they're legally supposed to do it if I'm not in debt to them, so it should be possible!

@HunkyDory69

Thank you so much for coming back.

10 boxes of raspberry and cranberry juice for cystitis relief.
Some tinned sweetcorn
Frozen sweetcorn and peas, 2 of each.
Soya milk for DD.
Black olives really cheap.
More bread flour.

Need to use the old and the yeast. Must get bread making.

And an asthma attack/allergic reaction in Lidl, the potential Prêt à manger of the supermarket world.

Lidl have OPEN NUT BINS with no warnings.

Will continue working on the stash and shopping soon.

If you have the spare pennies @SansaSnark and power cuts are a regular problem here's a couple of things you can do :
It sounds like you are already thinking about your meter so that's great.
If you fill an old 4 pint milk carton with water and wrap a head torch around it with the beam facing inwards, that creates a nice diffused lantern which is less spooky than a torch.
Get some of those hand warmer things to act as a bit of heat if you get caught short.
Woolly stuff - actual wool - keeps the heat in well - charity shops or the mad aisle in Aldi. I used to live and work in Siberia so covering head and throat was mandatory. It can be itchy so you might want to line a hat with fleece or use a second scarf under one round your neck.
I bought some merino wool tops for me and dd in the mad aisle at Aldi in their ski promotion(!). I got an all merino wool dress in a charity shop which , after a sufficient amount of washes, does a good body warmer job. Cost me about £7 because it was "fancy".
I like to crochet massive granny squares - it's piss easy once you get the knack - and they serve as nice blankets while I am working on them.
You can actually get small generators or do something whizzy with car batteries for a power source and but I have alternatives so don't bother. If I were on your situation,m (forget Brexit, regular power cuts) I might look at them but it would cost.

It feels like there's apocalypse planning going on a bit! As bellini said, other than NI, I'm not sure power cuts will be a concern. Or I hope not. I imagine a lack of food AND power would definitely tip those who are inclined into rioting. (I'm not inclined, but there's clearly a subset of society which is.)

I'm pretty confident that come hell or high water, the government will do anything to avoid power cuts and food shortages or have contingencies in place.
The recent non Brexit power cut must have given them a scare and gave them a chance to test their approach.
I'm old and can remember the power cuts of the seventies. Which was massive fun for me as a kid but I imagine a horrible worry for my parents.

For power outages, grab yourself a pack of solar garden lights (those ones people line their garden paths with - the stake ones). You can charge them in the window sill by day and pop them in a vase at night for light.
They are cheap and very efficient in a crisis
I am in Aus and a bit of a prepper due to living rurally and have lived through some extreme bushfire seasons (been cut off) etc
Also a small battery operated radio is incredibly handy.
Watching from afar in shock and worry at how this is all playing out x

I'm liking the solar torches plan, have to hope we have enough sunlight to charge them. I've got a fair wodge of cash in the house now in case ATMs go down, and revisiting the Brexit Stash Zombie Apocalypse cupboard over the w/e.

Is petrol storage a total no no? People routinely keep it for lawn mowers. I have a couple of metal canisters. We really need the car where we live and have a very small car with a very small petrol tank.

I'm just doing a stock take. I have 16 tins of baked beans! Not sure how that happened. The chopped tomatoes and passata have been depleted as have loo rolls, tissues. I have excellent supplies of cleaning products apart from dishwasher tablets as only have 45 of those and did have a bag of 86. I'm only on the under the stairs cupboard so far and have yet to do the actual boxes. I've promised mum I'll help her sort through and find homes for her stash. She's a negative thinker and I'm a where there's a will there's a way person.

@bellinisurge thank you for your advice re power cuts! There's definitely some ideas there I will look into. Luckily I'm healthy and my flat is quite warm and used to work outside in all weathers so if I'm without heat I will be able to cope! Thank you to others for the advice too.

My electricity company have agreed to swap my key meter at the end of September, so that's good.

I do agree that widespread power outages in cities and urban areas are unlikely. I live semi-rurally in a town where work is ongoing to upgrade the electrical system, as it's very old and can't really cope and there have been lots of power cuts in recent years. The town is part way through a 5 year project to upgrade.

Anyway, going back to general brexit prepping, I now have a large pile of loo rolls and kitchen towel that should be enough to see me through to the end of November!

There's advice on storing petrol here: www.environmental-protection.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Storing-Petrol-at-Home.pdf

I think the general advice is never in a home, but if you have a shed or non-adjoining garage it's ok. You're only legally allowed to store up to 30 litres, though.

Stocktaking has enabled me to see what I had back in March that we've used over the spring and summer and also things I bought to try that we didn't like ie supernoodles and angel delight. So I now have a shopping list of things to buy over the next month. I've managed to accumulate 3 rolls of cling film and lots of freezer bags. Some things will last into March I think!

Very important stockpiling information: I signed up for a Hotel Chocolat loyalty card, had a one off discount, and have made an impressive start on my Christmas Box. I'm not a fan of all of their chocolate, but really enjoy their dark slabs and supermilk ones, and DH will appreciate all of it.

I'm not too worried about long power cuts. We do have some power banks, torches, a solar powered lamp, candles/matches, batteries and basic power cut supplies, and a tiny gas bbq and gas, but not specifically for Brexit worries, as we're not in NI. It's more just a childhood hang up, growing up somewhere where power cuts were much more common in the 80s.

I'm home alone today, and have been rooting around in the freezer. Need to start replacing the frozen butter and cheese, among other things.

Booking asthma reviews.

Got to book a shoe fitting appointment.

Booking asthma reviews

Me too. Sorry you had to go through that nightmare in Lidl - that's some serious oversight! But since you're a fellow asthma sufferer, have you been prescribed any extra medication to have at home? My GPs have seriously clamped down on the amount of Ventolin they're prescribing - I'm only supposed to get one a year now! Not very handy, when it's something I'd prefer to keep with me at all times, just in case!

GoneWishing that's really terrible ONCE A YEAR! As a fellow sufferer I have a couple spare and if you are getting near the end of your inhalers let me know and I will post one to you

Former respiratory lead here. If you are using your ventolin more than twice a week then your preventer needs adjusting or changing. There's 200 doses in a ventolin so should last you a year. I highly recommend fostair which is a preventer with long lasting reliever. It was a game changer for me. Make sure you are using all inhalers via a spacer too. This makes a huge difference. Only one puff at a time and five breaths per puff. Wash the spacer every two weeks and allow to air dry. Do not dry using a cloth or tissue as this causes static and the drug sticks to the spacer rather than being inhaled. it also rules out poor inhaler technique which most people have. My ex refused to believe that taking two sprays at once was only delivering one dose. He refused a spacer. All big pharma conspiracy apparently

@HunkyDory69 sorry for the delay in responding- I was unexpectedly and uncharacteristically in a nail salon!
You don't need to pretreat frozen veg. It is chopped to the size you need and you just sling it from the bag onto the trays. It gets tiny and falls through the holes so if you aren't as lazy as I am you might want to line the trays with baking parchment (I do this for fruit leather).
I can't guarantee it is a beautiful texture (not as nice as chunky fresh veg - my fave) when you rehydrate eventually but, bung it in a soup or a casserole and it will do the job.
And you save space in the freezer for other stuff.

Thanks for the spacer tip @Bercows .

You're welcome. Asthma care is pretty shit I find and I sit on both sides of the treatment fence as patient and nurse. I've done a post grad diploma in GP practice nursing so is my area of knowledge and I'm pretty passionate about making sure patients are on both optimal treatment and making sure they optimise their treatment.