Small sum of money to spend on beginning preps...what would you buy?

[HellenaHandbasket]

I have around £150 to spend on basic bad weather/Brexit preps. What would you buy?

Start with food because everything flows from that. Think about shelf stable stuff that you have the space to store and that you actually like. I'm not saying freezer because, in bad weather, that can be vulnerable to power cuts. I am not saying Brexit = power cuts.
So ....think about carbs and therefore some rice and pasta. Think about what might go well with it, pasta sauces, curry sauces. Think about breakfast: what are family favourite cereals. Porridge is a great one but if no one in your house eats porridge, they aren't going to start now. Or try and get them into it. Slowly. Porridge can be made with water and , if you do plenty of stirring while it cooks on the hob it's creamy.
Think about hygiene- if you're anything like me you'll run low on toothpaste just when you don't need to.
If a spell of prohibitively bad weather is forecast, try and get bedding and stuff washed and dried in advance. Or make sure you have spares.
The Brexit thing is around a fear that our food supply distribution network is vulnerable to hiccups. Which means empty shelves of some or all of the stuff you rely on. It might not last long but there may be some angry people at the shops so you'd do well to stay away.
And get some treats in. Because being stuck in the house is boring and can be upsetting.
Don't run out of stuff like the usual first aid stuff. Check you have a cushion of that stuff.
Hot water bottles because power outs in winter are cold depressing and all around horrible.

And sanpro. Obviously how you do that is up to you. Think about trying some cloth pads-because you might run out and can't get to the shops in the snow. Or a couple of extra tampon boxes if that's your thing. Or pads. Or a menstrual cup. Whatever suits you but don't neglect getting some extra in or planning what to do if your period turns up and you can't, for whatever reason, get to the shops.
Again, I am not saying Brexit = Armageddon.

There's also a concern that Brexit will lead to price hikes as tariffs are added and importing gets more expensive. Or Leavers say that retailers might use this as an "excuse " to put prices up. I'm not interested in the whys and wherefores. At least not for this post.
If you have a particular product eg moisturiser or something that is imported from France or wherever, think of how crucial is to your morale and whether to buy extra now (or ask for it as a Christmas present).
Having a positive morale can help a lot.

I agree with bellini. Food is essential.

I started with pasta and pasta sauces. Even if you wouldn't usually buy jarred sauces, they are very quick and easy (and often full of calories).

You can buy a bag of 500g value pasta for about 30p which would form the basis of 2 pasta meals for a family of 4.

What did you get OP?

I always have a cupboard fairly full, for situations like if we should lose access to our cards, or jobs etc.
The cupboard is full of things like tins of tuna, tins of beans, we have tins of fruit and vegetables including potatoes. Stewed steak in tins. Porridge oats, jam, long life milk loads of pasta and rice. It's also best to go and get a portable camping stove if youre concerned about loss of electric and gas. Also bottled water, baby wipes, toothpaste are something i've stocked up on...might just come in handy one day.

Toilet roll!
And then dry foods such as rice, pasta etc. And forget jars of sauce - tinned tomatoes are far cheaper (and healthier). With a few herbs and spices you can make tasty sauces quite easily.

Dried kidney beans, lentils, chick peas etc are great sources of protein - cheap to buy, easy to store and they keep for years!
You can use them in place of meat in lots of dishes...