Do other people think you're being OTT?

[Wellthisismorethanabitgrim]

I am far from a 'proper' prepper, but over the last year since Brexit was first supposed to happen I've been gradually building up stocks so that we can be self sufficient if we need to isolate for 2 weeks, and to see us through the first few weeks of Brexit when it does happen. Nothing dramatic, just a couple of boxes of extra tins / packets under the bed, stuff to make bread, some long life milk, and trying to ensure I have a spare of most things to avoid having to shop immediately if we run out of something important (like coffee!).

However, absolutely no-one else I know is doing this (these are people with the means and space to stock up if they wanted to, I totally understand a lot of people can't). My boss yesterday pissed himself laughing when I mentioned my Brexit box and planning ahead for the shitshow that I'm fairly sure January is going to be. I got the impression he thinks I should be wearing a tinfoil hat. My friends are all like "well the shops will be open won't they". The only person I know that is on board is my elderly mum, but thats because she wasn't prepared for the first lockdown and got thoroughly fed up of not having different things to eat, so she's now stocked up her cupboards.

Have you discussed your prepping with friends and family, are they doing it too or do they think you're a bit odd?!

I turned the under stairs cupboard into a pantry after the March chaos. Previously just didn't have the space to prep. Now I have what I call a well-stocked pantry. I love the idea and old-fashioned common sense of it. It means less trips to the shops for odds and ends. Just makes sense to have stocks of non-perishables that you know you'll use eventually. So rather than batty I see it as a positive eco-friendly lifestyle thing, as well as insurance in the madness if lockdowns and Brexit. I get the sense when I mention it to others they're either doing it or would love to if they had the space.

I always have a couple of weeks supplies in the house whether Brexit or not. So no, I don't think this is OTT.

You're absolutely right @sessell. I've started to see having a 'well stocked pantry' as an eco-friendly system too. I'm very thoughtful about how I use mine in rotation etc, and am really careful about avoiding waste. In recent months I've been experimenting a bit, and I'm quite proud of how my cooking skills have developed. Fewer trips to shops too, and always go armed with a list.

I agree @sessell. We've come a long way from my DGM's day when it was considered pretty frivolous not to have a good supply of basic ingredients in the house. Plus boxes and boxes of candles and Cook's matches under the sink in case of power cuts.

@Begonias

I was prepping for Brexit last year, my work colleagues thought I was crazy and even laughed at me for it. Come March I found the same people coming up to me and asking if I had x,y and z. Part of me did want to say no but I rose above it and helped them out. Needless to say now they've set up a WhatsApp group for prepping and are very much on board!

I had exactly the same!

Colleagues thought I was a loon last year and laughed their socks off.
Crazy thing is, we work for the government, so we should know better!

Come March this year, suddenly I had a number of messages asking if I had spare food.

In the last couple of months, I've had loads of messages asking how to prep, what to buy etc.

They are not laughing now.

Me and DH have made sure we have quite a bit of food in the house for about the last 30 years.

I always find it strange that so many people have so little food. Even if you don't have much money you can gradually build up a stock by buying an extra tin or extra bag of rice, pasta etc.

Also people say they have no room to store extra but most people do have room somewhere. Under beds, on top of cupboards, wardrobes, in the loft, in a garage or shed.

Apart from shops running out of items, there are quite a few reasons someone may not be able to get to shops. They could get snowed in and then, obviously, no delivery van could get to them, roads could be flooded, you could be too ill to go out, you could be without a car for a while.

We got snowed in many many years ago. We had only been married a couple of years, living in Kent but not that rural. We couldn't go anywhere for over a week.

After that we have always had at least a month's worth of food - things like rice, pasta, chickpeas, different lentils, different beans, flour, tinned tomatoes etc. Also lots in our freezer - bread, milk, veg, home made soups, home made meals.

At present we have food for at least 2 months of different meals but even after that we could live on lentils, chickpeas etc for probably another month or more.

The only people that know we have so much food is my family. They don't get it as they go shopping every week which I just find strange. I don't like shopping enough to go that often and why would you need to buy food that often

I read it to start as food prepped for 30yrs, now that would be alot of food

you're not kidding! I think a lot would be seeds to grow in that case.

My mums always laughed at my pantry. She says it looks like my great grandmother’s. I never met her but she sounds like a sensible woman!

We had in laws over for Christmas dinner. Eldest DD had left the utility room door open, mil walks in to the kitchen has a nosy in the utility and looks at me as if I had lost the plot! She didn't say anything it was the look she gave like "really,do you really need all this". SIL on the other hand loved it and was shocked at the amount of prepping. There's 5 of us 2 adults,2 teenagers and a 9 yr old. We get through a lot of food.

Plus I'm on the sheilding list and thanks to my stockpile back in march we didn't leave the house for 4 weeks, thankfully Asda emailed me with a delivery pass when things were looking bleak food wise. Even before brexit I have always had a 'spare' of everything for both food and toiletries. I have been prepping since October 2018 so my 'spares' are now at least 4 of that particular thing!

If they did, then anyone trying to do an online shop this week may get a shock. Especially as another "beast from the east" is forecast for this week. Perfect storm of lockdown, Brexit and weather.

Thanks for the warning dugee. And now l feel a little less bad about the "decorations" along the landing!

I noticed that you couldn't buy all sorts of dips in either Morrisons or Asda. Lots of meat was out of stock too. Maybe only the cheaper stuff.

Ds is back in school this week. He is resistant to wearing appropriate clothes.

DH has been raising his eyebrows as I had restocked part baked bread recently and not hidden it like normal. But he was happy again when the shops local to us are having supply disruptions this week, M&S in particular for most items, but also the other supermarkets are very short of bread in particular and a few other things in fresh fruit/veg etc.

And as numbers of COVID-19 infections are through the roof here, I have been very glad to have grocery slots booked and stores stocked at home so not needing to go out yet. Especially because any shopping that will need to be done, will be up to DH to do because it's so much worse than March that I have put my foot down and putting my crappy asthmatic lungs ahead of shopping.

shops local to us are having supply disruptions this week,

Are you in NI @BiddyPop?

I've been to my local bakery and greengrocer today (also sells yogurt, cheese, milk & eggs) to top up with fresh stuff and supplies seemed fine. Don't need to go to a supermarket for a few months and the fresh stuff I bought today should last 2 weeks.

Well one week into Brexit and a national lockdown and can't say I've noticed any difference to stock levels in the supermarket (I'm a remainder btw and I think lettuce shortages are the least of our worries tbf).
Apart from those caused by panic buying (flour, pasta, bog roll) i also don't recall any major shortages back in March.

I don't think anyone having a few extra tins, or 'essentials' in their cupboards for whatever reason is OTT (i mean, who doesn't, apart from maybe those struggling financially) but it does sound like OP and PP are going beyond that...

No I am in the Republic of Ireland- so still affected to a certain extent by it all.

Biddypop unfortunately I think it’s only going to get worse for a while for all of Ireland

DH is massively involved with the import and export to you, we even moved over for a year some time ago to work with the process

They haven’t been able to send anything direct to you for days, trying to ship via the north to the south is also causing major problems and deliveries were majorly scaled back in anticipation of this

They really are working on each and every solution they can think of to keep supplies moving