Stocktake Time - Brexit Countdown

[AldiIsla]

Can't believe we might actually have a No Deal crash.

Anyone else finding it overwhelming doing usual Christmas stuff, the winter weather preparations and then Brexit and being ready for more coronavirus stuff?

I need to do a stock take of food and toiletries.

We've been life prepping so boiler has been serviced early, electrics have had an upgrade this year. Car getting serviced next month.

I can't be arsed.
I feel sick.

We are at the "just need to stay stocked-up"-stage of things but it is just DH and I (+dogs), so it is much easier. Although DH seems to think now that we can only see our own household, we might as well start to make tiny humans so he has more people to interact with - good thing I managed to get my IUD replaced over summer, otherwise he might just about be able to convince me.

I keep adding treats for DH that I don't like. He doesn't know where everything is, which means no temptation for either of us. I'll have to get myself some nice things closer to the time, when there is less of a risk that I eat/drink it all at once.

I stored my treats at the back of the pointy end of the understairs cupboard. That means I really have to want them to fetch them.

Some are under dd's bed. I mainly eat when they are in bed so difficult to retrieve crackly packets in the dark without waking a child.

Got a few bottles of shampoo and conditioner, threw some bubble bath in too. We'd ran those right down.

Cheap Ibuprofen is still hit and miss.

Grrr, I didn't listen to my gut last week, and put both the 6 pack of regular nice crisps, and the 4 packets of M&S crisps, into the general cupboard downstairs. Last WEDNESDAY, so not even a week ago!! I went looking for a pack (my first) to have with lunch, and they are ALL gone. DH …..

But I have now done a proper stocktake of the wardrobe, and if the weather continues to be so miserable, I might do that tomorrow. (I should be working but I'm feeling very non-productive this week).

And I have also today found a load of resources for online food deliveries, between checking out a couple I had been told about and just looking around for others - some of my regular shops are doing online that hadn't been which is great. (So I will get my nice smoked salmon for Christmas even though we can't travel "down home" (260km away, so not allowed at the moment) to go to the Farmer's Market where we usually get it ). So that has cheered me up a little.

Ah @BiddyPop this is why I make DH put them in the loft. I have no self control.

Nice one on the salmon. We usually travel too and it's not looking good for it at all. We have the turkey, the veg and the piggies in the freezer. Hopefully fresh will happen but I'm not queuing in bad weather.

Went to Smyth's Toys today and the queue system was like something for a rock concert! I can't imagine how Christmas rush will work with Covid.

There is a hole through the worksurface support panel.
the plug is through, the hole
I am recovering before packing up my 6 toolboxes. Fucking knackered.

And bloody hell that's lots of crisps, greedy bugger.

I need a new blade for the little hacksaw. Took it out to cut through the bloody panel. Bent it. But do have a freezer that can be plugged in. Yay.

Sounds good that you have got the salmon sorted.

Today's haul.

Ibuprofen x2
Cystocalm x2
Diarrhoea relief tablets x 2
Shelf stable skooshy cream x 4 (thank you to the poster who let me know this existed)
Custard creams x 3
Bourbon creams x 3
Chocolate digestives x 3
40 sponge scourers
Wright's cake mix x 2
Instant noodles x 6
Strawberry jam x 4
Cling film x 2
Kitchen foil x 2
Pediatric linctus x 1
Toilet blocks x 16
Tinned grapefruit x 4
Tinned pear x 2
Tinned sweetcorn x 3
Tinned butter beans x 3

I also picked up 5 Christmas Craft Kits from places like the Range and Home Bargains. £1 each and nice for the kids.

B&M also had a very nice Gingerbread House in mini for only £2. I've opened it to make sure it's intact and it's a lovely little kit for the price. Comes with decorations bit we'll add our own from the sweetie cupboard.

Well done. That's a good lot of additions to the store.

I have started filling the freezer:
Christmas dinner chicken.
2 bags peas
2 bags sweetcorn
2 bags of mixed veg (cheating tea with pasta sauce)
1 bag peppers ( need more)
1 bag stir-fry veg (need more)
2 blocks butter
2 boxes olive spread
30 fishfingers.
32 veggie fingers

Cupboard:
4 tins for a pound of:
Chopped tomatoes and
Chickpeas
6 tins sweetcorn
6 bags of smart price peanuts
2 tins Pringles

Ibuprofen.
8 bars of soap
School trousers.
School socks
Big comfy Pants
Packs of biscuits for presents
Tubes of sweets
Advent calendars
After-dinner mints

I would like more frozen veg. I am going to be batch cooking and freezing the vegetable portions of various meals, including Christmas dinner.

I'm looking at the lists and thinking I need to go through the first aid and top up different types of meds.

Is it just me or have these random medications like anti diarrhea tablets become more expensive lately? If I top up all of these just in case meds it will add up to quite a bit, I don't remember them being as expensive. Anyway I'll just have to do them a bit at a time until January.

I don’t have much storage space in my house. Do you think it’ll be ok to store food in my garden shed. I’m thinking tinned veg, cleaning products, pasta, tea bags etc in a large plastic storage box. Will the cold temperatures over the winter affect any of the food?

@Imsayingnothing Poundland do a version, 6 tablets for £1 and they're just as good as imodium.

I love batch cooking @BlackeyedSusan. Happy new freezer day! I loved filling mine.

I wouldn't @Frankiegoes as I know rats can chew through plastic. I'm lucky to have a pantry though so hopefully a more knowledgeable prepper can answer. I think tins are okay as long as they don't rust, bulge have dents.

@frankiegoes I have just put some of mine in shed. Probably better in winter temps than summer ones.
I bought some battery powered light switches, and 16 AAA batteries to go in them this morning. They each take 3.
I also put some tins in my trolley. And some tomato puree. There was plenty in my tesco this morning so despite the naysayers, I don't feel I'm causing any supply issues *rolls eyes.
Also, because I'm not the selfish whatnot that people say preppers are, I tucked a packet of 6 loo rolls, some toothbrushes and some instant mash in the food bank collection box. Because that's what their Facebook page say they are short of this week.

Shed: drinks cans and plastic juice bottles in my garage. Mainly cleaning stuff and laundry liquid though.

Space:
behind/ under sofa if no radiator,
under beds
In a box under dining table
Behind bath panel
Storage container next to loo for toiletries ( can get special ones)
Behind kitchen kickboards
On top of wardrobes, cupboards, furniture in fancy boxes
Bottom of wardrobes.
Under furniture
Behind books on book shelf.
Spaghetti slips into small gaps as do sachets of custard and couscous and cupshots.

Cupasoup packs can be opened and put two into one by turning one lot of soup upside down and sliding between the upright sachets.
Cereal, keep more than one type in an opened box. Eh the half pack of cornflakes go in with the half pack of branflakes. Also open a new box and put the bag of nearly empty on top of the inner new bag.

@AldiIsla thanks. Maybe I’ll just put tins and jars etc in boxes in the shed and not pasta, rice, cereal....

Yes will probably move it, just thought have spare bathroom cabinet as DD is at uni.

On top of the fridge for space. Didn’t think of that until another thread asked what was on yours. I can’t reach up there without steps so a good place to put a box of treats.

depends on the model of fridge. some don't like anything stored on the top. depends where they get hot. mine gets hot on the side so the top will be repurposed for storing cereal.

DH helped me sort the dry bagged stuff. Lives in bags for life at the top of the pantry. He was admiring the workmanship of the shelves. Whoever put them up knew what they were about.

Pasta. Spaghetti. Rice. Lentils. Salt. Porridge oats. Plus all the dried beans, peas and packet mixes. All on one shelf.

Refilled the big jars in the kitchen, checked dates and made sure they're in "order".

Tomorrow is tins and I'm dreading it.
Sunday is baking store so that's a smaller job.

On storage space rather than trying to store foodstuffs in the garage or shed we looked at what else we could move from the house to the utility/garage attached to the house and further out to the shed to free up space in the house ( yes I know I am privileged to have these spaces)

so having moved coats, boots and the vacuum to the utility. kindling and charcoal to the shed, suitcases and pet stuff to the garage we now have more room to store in the house if that makes sense

even just doing this for one cupboard would help - I used to have a kitchen cupboard with empty cake and biscuit tins, they are now in a box in the garage and the cupboard is full of tins of baked beans

We had a big book and board game clear out so the cupboard in the lounge is now for cereal

I would love a pantry, a friend has the big walk in kind and it is half empty

@AldiIsla

DH helped me sort the dry bagged stuff. Lives in bags for life at the top of the pantry. He was admiring the workmanship of the shelves. Whoever put them up knew what they were about.

Pasta. Spaghetti. Rice. Lentils. Salt. Porridge oats. Plus all the dried beans, peas and packet mixes. All on one shelf.

Refilled the big jars in the kitchen, checked dates and made sure they're in "order".

Tomorrow is tins and I'm dreading it.
Sunday is baking store so that's a smaller job.

All of my stuff is stored in boxes in the attic. My list is entirely out of date. My plan tomorrow is to go through everything to see where we are with things - there's a whole lot of tins up there. Ugh.

@lexloofah

On storage space rather than trying to store foodstuffs in the garage or shed we looked at what else we could move from the house to the utility/garage attached to the house and further out to the shed to free up space in the house ( yes I know I am privileged to have these spaces)

so having moved coats, boots and the vacuum to the utility. kindling and charcoal to the shed, suitcases and pet stuff to the garage we now have more room to store in the house if that makes sense

even just doing this for one cupboard would help - I used to have a kitchen cupboard with empty cake and biscuit tins, they are now in a box in the garage and the cupboard is full of tins of baked beans

We had a big book and board game clear out so the cupboard in the lounge is now for cereal

I would love a pantry, a friend has the big walk in kind and it is half empty

Half empty pantry!?

I used to have a pantry. Knocked it down. There are some regrets. But the kitchen is nicer without it.

I'll be with you in spirit tomorrow @DontBeShelfish Tins are hard work.

I nearly started tonight but DH has done me a hot bath and I feel like I really deserve it, and the fizz he gave me before I got in.

He's been researching bathroom fittings for the 10 week plan. I bought more porridge oats. Watching the pandemic unfold over this last year has really hammered home to us how bad Brexit could be.

I still have hope they'll pull it out their arse last minute.