Get ready for winter / zombie apocalypse etc - the GET PREPPED THREAD!

[FunnyRunner]

Just a place to share some general ideas and tips for getting ready for a severe winter. Fingers crossed this will be a mild one but we've had a few bad ones recently so looking for ideas.

What do people think are the basic essentials to have in the house?

Online lists seem to suggest the absolute basics are:

• Food
• Bottled water
• Wind up torch and radio OR battery op plus lots of batteries
• Adequate medication for the family plus first aid kit
• Baby milk / food and pet food (if needed)
• Shovel and grit / salt for clearing paths
• Plenty of fuel and / or blankets

What foods will you be keeping in your emergency box? Ideally I want stuff that can lie down in the basement for a couple of years in a box.

If you have found any good gadgets please share links :)

We couldn't make bread either. We only have oil and electric here, no gas, although we have a log burner and could heat stuff on top of that.

For those who do have gas do be aware that in the absence of electricity whilst the gas may light using a match, it may not then turn off again. Learnt that on one of the weather threads from a MNer. Something to do with the valve not shutting.

I need to increase my diet coke supplies. I am like a witch without it which is not good if you're snowed in with me!

Ive started my cupboard! 3 boxes of cat food (on offer) two cartons of custard, some sugar, 2 packs of hob nobs, some jam and some ribena.

Hob nobs in custard with jam. perfect emergency food!

Its a start lol .Was buying what was on bogof

Sounds good to me!
Thats why my stock cupboard could do with being improved though. Its not very well thought through its just stuff that was on offer.

At the moment thats what mine will be (the cat food is a bargain)

I'm hoping the worst of the cold weather could hold off until we get back from england and after i have compltely ransacked asda

oh yay - you made the thread :)
I'm going to have a spare couple of hours tomorrow which I am dedicating to mn.

If we kept our power I think we'd have enough food for about 3-4 weeks, mostly cos I froze a lot of soup and veggies/fruit in the summer. If we lost it, more like 2 weeks.
It's a good thought though - when we lost power in the storm my instinct was to prepare a meal from our tinned stuff, but of course we should have been eating freezer food. Fortunately the power was back on before lunch!

We have bought a chainsaw to cope with all of the free wood we got from the storm - up til now we have been using a bowsaw which is jolly hard work and relies on me being healthy enough or dh having time.

However, neither of us have used a chainsaw before. We have safety gear and a proper saw horse but I'm still slightly worried about one of us cutting our heads off or something! Any experienced chainsawers?

I'm going to do a winter forecast update on the snowmagedon thread tomorrow (not that it will be anywhere near correct, but its a bit fun to have a look at stuff)

I hate it when DH starts chainsawing. It terrifies me and so I stay well clear. I do know he's always swearing at it!

Don't say that, I want to hear happy things!

DH has a chainsaw, not the petrol one its electric so he always uses a power breaker thingy , gloves and safety goggles...I will use the axe and the scorpion saw but I no likey the chainsaw!!!

By the way would those glow sticks be safer to use than candles? We had dome for Halloween and they lasted for hours.

I'm quite looking forward to trying it as well as being rather scared.

We've had our woodburner a couple of years now, has anyone ever tried cooking on the top? I really should get my smallest pan out and see how long it takes to boil some water.

Just lit the stove but can you use any pan for heating stuff on it? Or does it have to be a cast iron type one?

Never thought of that FunnyRunner I would've been putting any old pan on!

Lee it would probably be fine! I am probably over thinking this but just have visions of cremated or melting pan

Apparently the chainsaw blunts very easily but that might just be because ours are all rubbish. You also have to get the mix right between the oil and the petrol. Key thing is to avoid the kickback zone which is the bit at the end of the saw at the top. If you try to cut with the end the saw will kick back at you and its dangerous. Always wear goggles, gloves and safety trousers.

How's the pan on the stove? I would have thought any old pan because its just heating it isn't it.

There are loads of military grade glow sticks on ebay that last for 24 hours.

We have an old pan that we use for camping and a camping kettle that I think will be ok for our stove.

I've gone for an electric chainsaw as we have close neighbours and it seems less mean. Will avoid kick back zone!

Been having an enforced Internet exclusion (aka work) and just catching up. My dad has a chainsaw and I've used it a couple of times, it's a bugger to hold thou as its heavy and the buzzing made my arms and hands all tingly. Is a real bugger sawing with bow saw though, we have a small wood and have a couple of trees that are coming down this year, so will be ok by next year...I'm also about to take delivery of about a years worth (if only using in the cold weather) of logs which is comforting. We have 3/4 a tank of oil too, though not sure if that will work without leccy. We do have the woodburner though, so shouldn't freeze. Will order extra coal just in case! :)

Haven't used a pan on our stove, am I right in thiniking only some are suitable for this though?? Ours gets too hot to touch though so I'm sure it would heat water??

Think we'd have food for about 8 weeks, if we ration tightly...perhaps more with the livestock. In apocalypse we may be ok as we have some animals of our own and a billion rabbits live nearby, as well as pheasants...also in the middle of 3 farms so pigs, cows and sheep nearby. Water definitely the scarcest thing, though there is a stream about 500 meters away.

Funny runner, you can come to us, bring your water purification tabs, salt and grit though, not in our kit at the mo!

Camping pan and kettle would be ideal on the stove. They definitely get hot enough. I left a duster on top of mine once and came back to a blazing inferno on top of the stove!

Cool, will add those to list! Check out these, I just found them, you can buy individual packs too. They'd be great for a grab bag!!

www.amazon.co.uk/Month-Survival-Food-Biscuit-Rations/dp/B009EU897I/ref=sr_1_5?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1383691547&sr=1-5&keywords=Seven+Oceans

Amongst other tinned items from the supermarket i keep nido whole milk powder from amazon. Tinned butter from conserva.de. tinned margarine and cheese from approved foods. As far as meds are concerned some of the things i store are savlon burn gel, cystitis powders, thrush treatments, heartburn tabs, buscopan for ibs symptoms, emergency dental kit, tamiflu, oral rehydration solution, cold and flu powders and asthma inhalers. If you cant get out something that is relatively mild could become a major health issue.