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 :)

As long as there's nowhere for the grease to spit.

Oooh I need a bow and arrows Oneplan! Or a crossbow, that could come in handy.

Leesmum I think its only right that you continue your experiments and try out a bacon butty. Purely in the name of science of course.

Jerseyspud if you buy soup there's no way your DH can scoff at your winter prepping any longer.

I was surfing the web looking for ideas on how to stay warm if we couldnt use our electric fire and ran out of gas for the portable. I came across this article www.yourfamilyark.org/sstaying-warm-without-power which I thought was interesting. It talks about making a room within a room out of tents or you could use a clothes airer and throw blankets etc over it. (Basically like a den that most of us have made as a kid). Its what four poster beds were for to seal off the area with curtains and make a contained area which would increase the temperature inside and keep you warm.

My thoughts exactly!

Ok, I am shattered and really really sore now (apparently its not good for backs) but its worth it cos I CAN USE A CHAINSAW!!! Yay!!
It was surprisingly unscary. Very hot work and very heavy but controlling it was fine. I think it must be much scarier watching someone else do it than doing it yourself. I had to to stop when I ran out of ability to squeeze the on button.

It was very satisfying. dh can be chief log splitter (I'm not so good at aiming) and I can be chief log sawer when I've recovered.

Pondering whether I can use the saw dust for the guinea pigs. Theres a surprising amount now.

Shower and painkillers.

I can use a chainsaw - woo hoo!

Keep the saw dust for sprinkling around plants/flowers in the garden.....it rips the slugs to bits!!!!

Kitten I'm impressed with your chainsaw skills....I need to stop being a big girls blouse and just have a go.

I like the idea of camping indoors the Ds's would love it!!!

Right spare gas bottle delivered AND bought thermals / snowsuits for family as required. Also walked into town for messages, dodging the downpours and managed to notch up 5000 steps on pedometer. Not quite as impressive as Kitten's chainsawing mind you :o

handy - will do that then with the sawdust :) Chainsaw is an electric one - those petrol ones sound much scarier.

Can highly recommend uniqlo heat tech thermal stuff.

I have hot water bottles and lots of blankets! Looks like I will be going round to leesmum then!

Another thing that may be something to think about as the Winter approaches is doing that "thing" that you've been putting off, whether its due to lack of time/finances or because life just seems to get in the way. So for example if the outside pipes to your boiler need lagged or you've sprung a leak in your guttering or the roof really needs some tlc or perhaps there's a real cold draught that needs dealing with, now's the time to try the best you can to get round to doing these jobs even if its just a temporary fix. It maybe that you have had some aches and pains you've been meaning to mention to your GP but your so far down the list of priorities that even dog gets a look in before you do. Is there something that you really should be speaking to the dentist about? Whatever that thing is that you've been meaning to do but haven't quite got round to it maybe its time to put it to the top of the to do list and this reminds me of another prepper quote that I always abide by because everyones circumstances are different "Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are"

A guide to dealing with extreme cold

emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/pdf/cold_guide.pdf

Would anyone like any logs sawn up? I seem to have run out here :(

Lol my 'thing' is bleeding the radiators so the boiler works again. It's just so...stupid. Would I be excommunicated from mumsnet if I get my dad to do it instead?

Also I dug out the box from my Hoover which is massive and I'm going to hide things in it for when the end comes. What DP doesn't know can't make him think I'm crazy

Kitten you can saw down my neighbours tree, it leaves bits of evergreen all over my naice pink patio. And the bird poop. Ohh my god the bird poop.

sounds like a plan chubbykitty

YY to bleeding the radiators. Ours seem to be really slow to heat at the minute and some aren't getting very warm. We need to get a new radiator bleeder thing.

So because I'm waiting in for a delivery I've put together my box and I must say it's quite lovely.

Did anyone remember to stockpile sanitary products? Because Sod's law and all that...

I think we'll survive. I just need to add tobacco paraphernalia and then we're all good.

I would TOTALLY have been caught out with that one!

What would you do without me

stain your clothes

sanitary products are a great item to store with 3 females in our house we'd go through them fairly quickly so as a backup im learning how to make some washable sanitary towels. I also like to keep dry shampoo as well as liquid shampoo and as my youngest dd (who is autistic) likes to have a shower every day I have one of these www.amazon.co.uk/Hozelock-Ltd-4140A0000-Porta-Shower/dp/B001ULCILM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383954200&sr=8-1&keywords=hozelock+portashower

Oh my goodness. I went into the store cupboard this morning to find a bottle of lemon juice because we have pancakes on a saturday morning.

We have almost nothing there!!!! Despite my constant reminders that DH should tell me if he uses something and I'll then put it on the shopping list it seems that hasn't been happening and he has been treating it as a more convenient version of the Spar.

I need to do a food shop and top up!

We are also wood chopping today (OYBBK I do wish you lived closer to us) and gutter clearing now that the leaves are almost done falling.

littleredsquirrel I always like to get a bucket load of lemon juice when its reduced after pancake day. would be a nightmare going to the cupboard finding its all gone. when my eldest dd's home from uni she just raids everything and I have to remind her to tell me whats she's taken. Its funny when my niece comes over coz she always asks aunty lisa do you still have your shop?

Mooncups

It's a good idea to go through your medicine cabinet chucking out out of date stuff and making sure you have a stock to cope with bad colds/flu and tummy bugs as well as painkillers.