BREXIT Stash - how long will your stash last?

[daphine2004]

So I started prepping lightly for Brexit, a box of medicines (calpol, piriton, paracetamol, plasters etc.) I am now investigating the other threads for what people are prepping in terms of food, but I am struggling to decide how long the food will need to last.

How long will your food stash last you? Thanks.

@Whisky2014 stockpiling fuel is not a good idea as you have said. Try and never go below half a tank in your car. To be frank, if there are fuel shortages (I doubt anything more than a blip), all your colleagues and clients will be affected and your employer will have to have a strategy. If you are self employed and rely on the car, consider what your own strategy might be.
Everyone would be adversely affected by fuel shortages which I personally think is unlikely to happen as a result of Brexit.

Hmm, I've just had a quick look at the fuel issue (googling only - certainly not an expert)

10% of our gas comes in on tankers which would therefore be affected by any backlogs and delays caused by customs changes. Rest comes in through pipelines so should be ok.

Just short of a million tons of oil are imported into the UK every week. Again a mixture of pipeline and tankers. The amount brought in by tankers could clearly be affected.

89% of our steam coal (used in power stations to generate electricity) is shipped in from Russia. Roughly 10 percent of our electricity is from coal. We do have cables connecting to Europe but prices might be higher.

So it looks like there could be issues but hopefully not severe. Much would depend on the weather I suspect since at certain points throughout the winter the grid is at capacity. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be able to advise.

I agree with Bellini though, for many jobs employers will have contingency plans for home working for lots of employees in the event that there was any fuel shortage affecting transport. Of course in some roles that won't be possible. If you work in top shop you can't really do that from home. When we had the fuel shortage problems back in the late 90s essential workers had preferential rights but everyone else had to wait.

I think a couple of jerry cans of diesel wouldn't be a bad idea but you're not allowed to store much. For heating I've filled the heating oil tank this week and we have a large stack of wood

User we won't suffer at all as supply chain will continue. How do you think other countries cope?
Do you think we can't survive without the EU?
I can't bear all this Armageddon talk. They are going to have shortages too in that case.
They sell a lot to us. Far more that we sell to them.

Jagblue I'm sorry but if you genuinely believe all that "they need us crap" then you're an idiot. This is about the country not having the processes in place to cope with the changes that will come about if we crash out - which is more likely than not at the moment.

If you are not interested and would prefer to take your chances on what you can find in the shops then knock yourself out if someone else doesn't knock you out first whilst grabbing your hovis

I'm stashing mine in my bedroom. I forget it's there so aren't tempted to dip into it. I'm a LP so want at least 2 weeks supply.
I'm only buying things we'll eat anyway. If there are no problems then no money will have been wasted.

I'm trialling anything new on the DC before I buy it. No point buying stuff they're reluctant to eat.

Really? For Brexit? Is this really a thing that could happen? To be honest I am bored of hearing about what is/isnt going to happen on the news and I have stopped paying attention.
But seeing that people are genuinly stockpilling has me doing this !?

@sliceofkate - obviously your decision. This is the Prepper topic.

Im not judging bellinisurge, just genuinly interested in why you think you need to do this?

• other countries cope because they operate within their own trading areas using trade agreements that have been established over many years.

We don’t have those in place yet.

User you are the idiot for piling stock that you won't need.
If all our imports came from Europe I would be worried but we can buy stuff from anywhere in the world.
I can just imagine you living for months after March eating lentils from a can.
Long life milk until kingdom come too.

MedicinalGin we have money. That's all we need and Europe wants it. The'll deal.

@sliceofkate - I prep for all sorts of realistic possible problems. Getting snowed in, power cuts, job loss - these things have happened to me.
There is likely to be food supply interruption around Brexit. We have a Just In Time food distribution system in this country which is vulnerable to the slightest problem. It makes sense to get extra in.

All our existing treaties are based on "The UK in Europe" so post Brexit all our treaties will be void.......you know the ones with America, China, Africa, the rest of the world

Those treaties took years to get onto place - there is a recnet ob for America which took 4-5 years to be written

But I'm not really worried about that - more concerned about how france will instigate customes on lorries using thier ports even an extra minute per lorry could slow the ferries down by several hours - leading to roads being blocked by stationary traffic both sides of the channel

@Jagblue - if you want to argue the toss about Brexit, there are plenty of threads for that. Other people take a different view to you and are asking questions and seeking tips in this topic.

I'm not buying lentils.
Biscuits, chocolate, nuts, tinned fish, cereal, peas etc. Easily used up if there are no problems.

@megletthesecond - sensible. Just stuff you know you'd fancy. If lentils ain't your cup of tea, no one insists you get them.

@Jagblue Seeing as you apparently do not believe in Brexit and/or preparing for Brexit, may I ask what you hoped to gain from this thread?

User you are the idiot for piling stock that you won't need.
If all our imports came from Europe I would be worried but we can buy stuff from anywhere in the world.
I can just imagine you living for months after March eating lentils from a can.
Long life milk until kingdom come too.

You clearly have no understanding of the economy and the arrangements and infrastructure required in order to get things onto this island we live on. It's nothing to do with whether things are made in Europe.

I don't actually have any tinned lentils or long life milk. Didn't think about lentils in a tin.. I don't store things we wouldn't be able to use though so don't worry yourself about me and mine.

we have money. That's all we need.

It will be needed if food prices go through the roof so I'm pleased you have lots going spare.

Quite honestly I shall be delighted if we manage to cobble together some sort of deal to get us out of this mess and I'm sure all those who are incapable of thinking through the natural consequences of a no deal will then be shouting "I told you so" under the mistake impression that they had it right all along. But then given that they are in the main the ones who got us into this mess in the first place, I'm not sure why I'm expecting anything more.

Jagblue could I suggest you hide the prepper topic if you're so sick of it. It is likely to get more active as more people start to put bits aside.

The thing is people say "we will just get it from other countries" as if they have an endless supply and are ready waiting at airports and docks to load onto planes and ships to come to us. They're not. Well, not yet. And its the delay of supermarkets setting up approved vendors, establishing them as suppliers in their systems, checking quality and validating the companies are ok, setting up bank details etc. That's what takes time and thats the bit where we will have a blip in deliveries.
Do people really think sypermarkets just pick a phone and call Australia saying "we'll take 20,000 oranges please" and expect it to happen at the drop of the hat? Naive.

We get our supplies from other countries via EU intra trade agreements.

Don’t know how that will work when we leave though.

Someone above asked for a prepping list. Here's mine for a household of 2 with a fairly good supply of stuff on hand already:

Tinned beans x 20
Tomatoes x 20
Soup x 20
Tomato puree x 3
Pasta x 5
Rice x 5
Kidney beans x 2
Ginger x 1kg
Garlic x 1kg
Onions x 4kg
Spices - cumin, oregano, chillies - 3 x jars of each
Mushroom ketchup x 2
Lea & Perrins x 2 large
Tabasco x 2 large - can’t get
Peanut butter x 3 large
Salted butter x 10
Minced beef x 10
Lentils x 4
Coconut milk x 6
Powdered milk x 8
Powdered eggs x 10 - can’t get
Whole waxed gouda and cheddar x 15
Cereal bars x 10 boxes
Tinned tuna x 20
Teabags x 10
Squeezy squash x 20
Golden syrup x 2
Ketchup x 5
Olive/rapeseed oil x 5
Suet x 2
Flour x 3
Salt x 3
Peppercorns x 1 lg bag
Stock cubes - chicken, beef, vegetable x 1 each
Yeast x 5
Oats x 5
Honey x 4
Oatcakes x 10
Dried fruits x 5
Nuts x 2kg
Cherry jam x 4
Chicken thighs x 5
Sugar x 4
Maple syrup x 2ltr
Dark chocolate x 20
Vanilla extract x 2
Loo roll x 20
Toothpaste x 5
Shampoo x 5
Conditioner x 5
Deodorant x 10
Moisturiser x 3
Foundation x 2
Shower gel x 8
Face wash x 4
Fizzy water 12 1ltr bottles
Batteries
Washing powder
Dishwasher tablets
Vinegar x 3 lrg bottles
Multi purpose cleaner x 10
Drain cleaner x 5
Painkillers

This should keep us going, bar veg and water, for a very long time. We have a cat on a renal diet and I have 6 x months worth of food for her and litter, as she only likes a german brand. This isn't being tin foil hatty, it's about protecting us from price rises and shortfalls until things calm down.

That's a heck of a stash @lessonsintightropes . Guessing you have good storage options.
Do you garden? Growing veggies gives you sustainable options too. Also, have you considered dehydrating- about 40 quid buys you a useable one and the space saving / good stuff ratio is amazing.

To any new Preppers or short term Preppers, obviously a massive stash is a long term target but if that doesn't suit you or you feel overwhelmed, take it slowly and focus on what is best for you.

Have not worked out the food yet, but am aiming at at least 4 months of meds and contacts.

Thanks for lists will put my thinking cap on.