If ur prepping for brexit....

[Dontgiveamonkeys1350]

How long do you think I should realistically plan for.
I have a stash forming of pantry items ( being buying two of for a while now ) and am going to switch my second freezer on at the beginning of October ???? Does that sound okay?

Just unsure how long to prep for. I have so many allergies and my food is all wheat and dairy free. So need to get that as well. I don’t want to go over board but don’t want to find myself short. So any help or advice from experienced people would be wonderful.

You can never get a mini supermarket in your home. It's not possible.
I always have in mind being stuck in the house for three days, like being snowed in . What shelf stable or freezable versions of what we all eat can I get? Include treats and remember any pets. Also hygiene needs. I say this because you don't want a situation where you have to go to the shops but it isn't a good idea to. Even if it is just for a short while - and I mean a day or two.
It is very hard to predict what will be in short supply, if anything, and what will be more expensive. I would focus (because of space and money) on stuff your dietary needs actually require. What makes meals go ok for you. As for how much? Again, what your budget, space and emotional equilibrium will tolerate. Don't sacrifice one over the other. Get a balance.
It is almost inevitable that you will not have enough of or forget something . Give yourself a break about that. We are all in that situation.
If you are short on skills, maybe beef those up now - making bread from scratch , for example.

I see you are wheat free - I said "bread" as an example. I'm sure there is something different, like a useful couple of recipes of shelf stable and/or freezable ingredients that you need to trial. Do that now.

Thanks for advice. Everyone in my house thinks I am bonkers for even thinking about this. But I would rather it was there than not.

And don't tell your friends and neighbours you have it. Your family shouldn't either.
It would be brilliant if you have extra in that you can use over time and the world outside is completely normal and it is as easy to get stuff as it is now. Egg on my face is a great result, I always say.
Or you can donate to a food bank.
But if it gets bumpy in a way that is difficult to manage, even for a short while, it's better to have a buffer in.
Forget Brexit, what about heavy snow, illness, that sort of thing.

Agree with bellinisurge ‘s (as ever) sensible advice.

You don’t need to go mad buying tonnes of tinned spam that you’ll never eat and end up binning 10 years past the expiration date.

Just buy extra of what you’ll eat anyway and is shelf stable. The ‘snowed in’ analogy is brilliant as it works for so much. If you woke up tomorrow feeling horrific, and discovered the kids were projectile puking; do you have enough in to quarantine yourself for a few days?

Enough medicine, and something easy to bung on food wise without having to really think about it. I’d recommend it even more for you as you can’t just buy a few extra bags of pasta; and I imagine a lot of tinned soups will have cream or something in?

Once you’ve got the ‘3 days’ covered, you can gradually start adding to it. Again, just buying extra of what shelf stable stuff you already use and rotating it in. Then think about whether you want to buy some extra frozen fruit and veg to have in; just in case you can’t go to the shops for a bit to replenish fresh stuff.

Then you can have a little think about other emergencies - what if the water goes off? Is it worth having a few 17p bottles of water kicking around in case you’re in the middle of cooking/washing your hair when it happens? Do you have some torches and some board games/books to entertain the kids if there’s a power cut? If you had a house fire, are your documents/photos backed up somewhere safe so you wouldn’t lose everything? That’s moving away from Brexit prepping though and more into general prepping

Ta for the endorsement @Dyrne

Don't forget to check use by dates. I recently looked through the stash I had started for March and a few things had passed the use by date (I'm using them now and they are fine although I thought long life milk would last longer than it does - a lesson learned). I now have it organised in date order. I'm stocking up on tinned vegetables and fruit as I think supplies of those might be disrupted. I have a copy of Jack Monroe's Tin Can Cook which has some lovely recipes in.

Definitely get the food you need for allergies.

Pop over to Brexit tips and non food threads in Brexit board.

Read through the lists and work out what your personal must haves are.

We were stuck in for over a week with chicken pox so that is worth considering.

Thanks for your help x

I seem to have got a corner shop though...

As long as nobody comes calling to your shop

This prepping is becoming addictive. Here’s what I have so far. Only been a few days 🤦🏼‍♀️

OMG yours is so neat, mine is chaos! Really must sort it out!

We have the same crackers and beans

Is that tortellini? I didn't think of that as I usually buy it from the fridge but you can get tortellini for the cupboard - can't you? Where did you get yours?

If you are anything like us, all the sweet treats will be gone by the end of next week.

@rollonautumndays I got them from Aldi. There is much more in my stash now. Only after a few days

That looks good.

Sooooooo, I wasn't going to prep for Brexit, but some eejit put BoJo in charge and the 'Mother of All Psrliaments' is having a nervous breakdown.

Aldi have lentil and beetroot, chickpea and pea pastas in atm which are higher in protein than normal pastas, so I've bought a few of those.

I don't eat bread, I've cleared the shelves of all the out of date stuff, I'm bringing the short dated stuff to my local food bank and I'm clearing the shelves of unnecessary plastic clutter to make way for more 'stash'. God help the local charity shop tomorrow.

I've got a Sharpie to write the dates on the packets with and an inkling of what to buy.

I have limited freezer space, though. It's got to be pantry/cupboard stuff.

Good luck with the shopping. Come back and tell me about it to distract me from waiting for the appointment letter us how well you did.

There was a law passed today to prevent no deal. It will get royal assent on Monday.

Brilliant news.

The thing about prepping is, if it turns out you don't need it for a disaster, then your bonus prize is - a cupboard full of food you like!

e.g. I've got a nasty cold today, so has DP. If this turns into flu we won't have to worry about getting enough medicine or food in for the kids while ill - I've got a cupboard full already. I think I'm going to keep this up, I like having very full food cupboards.

Stockpiling - it's not just for Brexit :)

The children were due to go to their dads today. Ds is feeling a little off colour so has opted to stay home. No chance to go shopping.