Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Preppers

Where to start with basic preparing?

27 replies

UKhomemaker · 24/09/2021 14:43

Tiny house with limited space. Limited budget too.

What are the most important / useful things you have in stock at home?

Tins? Solar lantern? Seeds to grow vegetables?

I want to be a bit more self sufficient ..... while living in a city & working fulltime.

OP posts:
KleineDracheKokosnuss · 24/09/2021 14:47

Batteries, an oil filled radiator (if you have gas central heating), extra food (but only what you’d normally eat/buy).

Member278307 · 24/09/2021 15:13

Candles

TheSandgroper · 24/09/2021 15:15

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/preppers

Lots here. Tuck yourself into bed and start reading.

Champagneforeveryone · 24/09/2021 17:07

We have recently had no internet in the village due to a massive outage. It's made DH and I realise that if something big did happen and the internet went down, we would have absolutely no way to find out what's going on as we stream all our TV, radio and news online.

So I would say a small battery powered radio Wink

snanagram · 24/09/2021 17:11

What are you preparing for?

Takeaway2021 · 24/09/2021 17:12

We have a solar powered radio, you can also wind it up manually and charge via USB, if available. We camp, so have other similar products such as a power bank for charging phones and solar/wind up torches.

FindingMeno · 24/09/2021 17:15

Battery lighting including head torches, old fashioned phone to plug in, and a wind up radio.
A little bit of shelf stable food.
A flask and camping stove.
Some emergency cash.
Some bottled water.
Don't allow medications to run out. First aid kit and spare glasses.

That'd be a good start.

GoodnightGrandma · 24/09/2021 17:15

I’ve kept my immersion heater, as the gas has been off for days due to a cracked pipe between Xmas and New Year. They were in no rush to fix it.

merryhouse · 24/09/2021 17:25

Start with making sure you keep an unopened pack of the things you wouldn't want to run out of (if they keep that long, obviously). Things like pasta and rice come in large packs (we buy 3kg of fusilli and 10kg of basmati, just as our normal shopping). Spread it out over a few months if the budget's tight.

Things that don't keep: what are the alternatives? We have salad for our lunches, which would be tricky on day 4 and impossible before day 7, so a tub of instant vegetable soup might be useful. Some dried milk.

LadyofMisrule · 24/09/2021 20:40

I’d start off by looking at scenarios. What is likely for you? Until recently I’ve always lived in rural villages, so:
What if we have a power cut?
What if the boiler breaks down?
What if the gas is cut off?
What if I’m ill?
What if the roads flood/ it snows and I can’t get to the shops for a week?
What if I suddenly have to go to hospital?
What happens if my favourite things aren’t available in the shops.

(all of those have actually happened.)

Then I assess the probability of each happening, and how long it would reasonably last for, and make a list of reasonable mitigations that I’d be prepared to put in place.

I don’t keep a grab bag for hospital (I know some here do) but I do have a spreadsheet of stuff I’d need so I wouldn’t have to think too hard.
I have gas heating, an electric blanket, and a log burner. So no need to go for any other types of heating.
I have a well-stocked medicine cupboard.
I have enough meals to last all of us a couple of weeks.
I have head torches and candles, and a charged up power block for my phone. I could last a couple of days without power; more than that would be unlikely where I am now.

I don’t have a generator, or a solar laptop charger, or anything that requires vast outlay. I do have several months of coffee, though.

GoodnightGrandma · 24/09/2021 20:45

Matches to light the gas hob if the leccy goes off, and to light candles.

Legoandloldolls · 24/09/2021 22:07

I think most peoples prep will be a bit different depending on your most eaten foods for example.

I no longer prep anything I dont routinely eat.

Candles
Matches
Camping lights
Batteries
Medicines
Pasta
Chopped Tom's and all Tom based sauces
Instant noodles
Herbs
Stock cubes
Tuna
Soups
Lentils
All types of beans
10kg sack of rice
Washing liquid or powder
In winter long life milk
Washing up liquid and stiff to wash with
Water purification tablets
Baby sterilization tablets. Take up no room and they are so handy. You can snap them into four before you RIP the tablet open and then make up 250ml of cleaning fluid at a time. Great when you cant get dettol etc.

Loo roll🤣

Think power cut in snow. Your snowed in, the power is out. What do you need if you cant get out at all for two weeks?

Or the world goes mad and Tesco is empty. What would need at home with no food at all as in March 2020?

Yes chopped tomatoes and pasta is dull but its serviceable.

Or just get what you can not buy easily like the candles, batteries etc and put aside some cash to buy the basics and keep your eye on current events.

Weirdly and unlike me I filled up a tiny petrol can last week. In times like today I would stop driving once I got to zero miles and keep that can of petrol in case I needed hospital.

Maybe start small and see if it gets used up. If it doesnt then it will go out of date. If you use it you can rotate it.

Do a list or inventory too. That's my top tip

Legoandloldolls · 24/09/2021 22:17

Also I have blankets, a camping pan, and a hospital grab bag.

For a very basic grab bag have a USB plug, leads, headphones, cash in change, earplugs and a charged battery pack.

put that in a little pouch with a list of snacks, pjs, slippers and medication. Change of clothes, wash kit and undies. Put the pouch in a draw near the front door. So if the worse happens you pack from the the list, or you leave it for someone to pack and bring in. If all else fails you have your charged phone and cash..

MintyCedric · 25/09/2021 10:31

How long do you want to be prepped for?

My space is fairly limited although I do have a garage and an extra freezer and there's only me and 17yo DD. I work on 2 - 4 weeks when I restock. Make a list of what we'd need to not have to leave the house for that time period and go from there.

Last autumn I cooked double for a couple of weeks and filled the freezer with homemade ready meals, which I'm about to do again.

Don't forget household stuff, pet food, meds and toiletries...spreadsheets are helpful.

Make sure you rotate things and are aware of use by dates.

If storing in the garage/shed, buy some mouse-proof containers for packets.

Don't buy things just because they are on offer if you don't usually use them!

1Dandelion1 · 25/09/2021 18:33

Start with buying 1 or 2 extra grocery and hygiene items that you normally buy, that way you end up with an extra bag of pasta/rice, toothpaste etc.
Candles are great, but I'm recommend making them part of your decor and keeping a spare tucked away.

BahHumbygge · 25/09/2021 20:32

If you're getting candles, please get a fire blanket and/or fire extinguisher. Well, you should have them anyway, whether or not you're a "prepper".

Food - store what you eat and eat what you store. ie buy shelf stable versions of your usual diet and keep things in rotation. So maybe tinned meat/fish, then a few tins of curry/casserole. Tinned veg. Tinned rice pud (my DH loves). The usual dry rice and pasta etc, keeps for years. That's in addition to the fresh and frozen food you have in the fridge freezer. I normally only eat an unprocessed fresh/frozen food diet for health reasons, but about once a week or fortnight, I'll make a meal from the stash of tins, to keep things in rotation. So maybe fry an onion & veg, then chuck in a can of chickpeas and beef curry into the pan. Same goes for non-food groceries, buy an extra item to keep in reserve, so you have one in use and one spare. Eg box of washing powder, when you finish one, bring the spare into use and put it down on your shopping list and go from there building up a buffer.

Medium term, look into getting your garden going, get fruit trees and bushes, sort out the veg plots, or at least get growing things in pots or planters on your patio. Grow cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets etc. Apply for an allotment. Maybe think about getting hens or quail if you have the space.

Make a bug out bag. Not so much a survivalist thing, but imagine there's a massive gas leak on your street and the fire brigade knock on your door at 2am, giving you 5 mins evacuation time, and escorting you to a local community sports hall for safety. Do you have what you need ready packed up? - spare clothes, snack food, water bottle, phone charger, book, toothbrush, USB stick with essential documents stored on it, spare dog lead, dog biscuits etc etc.

1Dandelion1 · 25/09/2021 21:13

@BahHumbygge is right about the bag, it only has to be a bag with PJs, a change of clothes and spare cosmetic and hygiene products.
I've had to use mine more than once for family emergency or when I'm travelling to work in winter when there were snow warnings.

FindingMeno · 26/09/2021 11:53

Oh, and with candles, make sure you have candle holders too.
I buy cheap batteries for power cuts since I don't leave batteries in torches or lanterns in case they leak, so they're fine for the duration of even a quite long power cut.

Bigoldhag · 01/10/2021 12:02

Your what for is the starting point.

For most people it might be, two weeks of non perishable food if you had COVID for example. That could go in a plastic box under your bed.

I created a pouch for my handbag with little little things that I may need out and about. I have a car - so prepped a box in the boot with bits, including some snacks, dog stuff, a blanket etc. Cold weather coming so considering antifreeze and scrapers etc.

Bos of household supplies - medicines, bulbs, candles, matches, screwdriver set, etc

BlackeyedSusan · 15/10/2021 23:36

think through different events:

getting poorly with covid
over the counter meds. (paracetamol, ibuprofen, cough linctus, strepsils, decoingestants)
over the counster meds for other stuff you would not wantt to be stuck at home with for two weeks.: mainly cystytis or haemorrrhoids, diarrhoea etc which are possible if your diet goes to pot due to being poorly and you do not want to ask your neighbour to fetch!
drinks you like when poorly, whether that is lemonade, lucozade or squash etc
vitamins
food you can just add hot water to (cup soup, noodles, cous cous sachets)
food you can bung in the microwave (batch cooking or ready meals, soup)
long life version of bread/alternatives eg crackers, oat cakes
new game/toy/video/google play card for the kids

hospital bag. (search the preppers board for examples of contents) (a and e trips or admission
toothbrush/paste
comb/brush/shampoo/conditioner in travel bottles
pyjamas/
flip flops
charger
powerbank (and connecting wires)
pen notebook
book/magazine/puzzle book
small change for vending machines
snack
soap/hand gel
spare masks
small torch
small toys/teddy

shortages in shops:
don't leave it to the last minute to replace items, keep a spare or two.
plan christmas food and get as much as you can early
buy presents as you see them.
keep your petrol tank above half

power cut
light. (lamps solar ones are good)
torches
head torches
blankets etc for warmth
cooking: outdoor bbq, camping stove outdoors, kelly kettle? solar oven
+easy prepped food (as for covid)
wind up solar radio
power banks

fire:
smoke detectors and CO monitor
fire blanket/extinguisher
fire doors/keep doors shut when you sleep/go out
escape plan
ladder?
fire proof box (keep low down in the room)
back up photos
grab bag with important docs

flood
know where stop cocks are (internal flooding from pipes)
insulate pipes
plumbers tape or other products to block/slow leaks
grab bag
sign up for alerts
prep home to be resilient? (flood barriers, one way valves on plumbing, air vent covers, tiled floors, higher sockets and letter box?)

I am sure I have forgotten the obvious stuff but there are lots off threads on here that you can read through to give you ideas

Diversion · 21/10/2021 22:24

I completely agree with the above, think about the most likely issues to happen (not the zombie apocalypse) and prep for those. A note on OTC meds though. A few years ago the 4 of us at home (all adults) developed a really nasty viral infection. 8 paracetamol a day for 4 adults for a week equals 224 paracetamol. Given that you can only buy a maximum of 2 packets so about 32 at a time means that even a couple of extra boxes wouldn't have lasted us. Get into the habit of buying a packet of paracetamol and ibuprofen whenever you are in a shop as they last way longer than the use by date. Do store them correctly though and obviously dont keep huge stocks if you have anyone at risk of OD.

HeronLanyon · 21/10/2021 22:29

You know what - after three lots of Brexit prepping and then lockdown Covid prepping and then Covid/Brexit omnishambles Christmas prepping I’ve have given up am officially out. I honestly think I’d prefer to die in a ditch than carry on prepping and stashing and stocking up etc Apols all and I think you’re all being sensible.

BiddyPop · 28/10/2021 14:03

If you live city centre, you need to think differently to someone in the depths of the countryside.

If your current systems fail, what is your backup?

If you heating is gas, centralised boiler, electric radiators ...whatever it is - how would you manage if it went off? Do you have any kind of secondary heating (even if expensive to run so you don't normally use it, a gas fire? An oil filled radiator you could plug in to heat 1 room? Or at least a couple of spare blankets and a hot water bottle each?)
And how can you conserve heat in the space you are using - good curtains/blinds on windows, block any spots around windows where you get draughts, draught excluders around doors, film on windows to bounce heat back in or foil lining behind radiators to bounce heat back into rooms than losing it into walls, etc are all generally relatively low cost, going upwards to double or triple glazing etc if fund allow.

And if you have to deal with a major outtage, keep general activity to 1 or 2 main rooms that you heat and close off the other rooms. Wear extra layers. Have cosy socks on your feet. Snuggle under blankets when sitting for a long period.

Water - you should have a few litres of drinking water per person, in case the supply is unexpectedly cut. Just 1 5l bottle, or a couple of 2l bottles would be useful and cheap. And think about some way to collect or store water if you get some notice (we used to fill the bath and use a bucket from that for filling toilets growing up as we had a number of relatively planned outtages, but in a flat that might be more like having 1 or 2 large pots or 1 bucket to fill). If you have a laundry basket, anyway, having one which is solid rather than has lots of holes, can be really useful for various jobs like holding water in a supply outtage, catching drips in a leaking ceiling situation, bathing a dog, carrying liquids or small items, even the floorwashing bucket that gets washed out after use - not just large items that won't fall through the holes.

Electricity goes out? Do you have good natural light when it is daytime? Do you have any kind of non-electric lighting for hours of darkness - torches, lamps, lanterns, candles etc. They might be naked flame (oil lamps/lanterns, candles, nightlights) or batteries or windup. Some can be rechargeable, whether from the socket or a power bank you have previously charged up. Rechargeable batteries can also be useful. Any naked flame solutions need to be done safely - proper glass globes/surround for lanterns/lamps, candles in proper holders, never leaving them burning unattended, having a way to put out fires, store any fuel for lanterns safely etc.

Cooking? Do you have any other way to cook if the power went out or gas supply was interrupted? A 1 ring gas cannister camping stove can be very cheap, especially as shops sell off summer camping gear around now to make space for winter stock - just have the small suitcase package and a few cannisters (like a large can of shaving foam) somewhere, as long as you can use it outdoors (on a patio or balcony is fine - just not indoors for carbon monoxide reasons). Or do you have a BBQ you use in summer? Just make sure you always have fuel for it (charcoal or gas depending on your type) as that can be used to cook even in the depths of winter. If you have any outside space you can use safely, even the disposable BBQs might be handy - as well as the normal grilling of meat/veg etc, you can put a small pot or pan on it to cook liquids, make up tin foil parcels for other types of cooking, put smaller pieces of food onto skewers to manage etc.

And also having some things that don't need cooking, or just some hot water, might be useful also. (Even if your cooking is off, you might be able to get a neighbour or local coffee shop etc to fill a flask with hot water for you, especially if you have the flask yourself - and you can then have soup, hot drinks, couscous, pot noodle type meals available). (Pot noodle type meals have really improved in recent years - there is a wide range of pasta/rice/noodle 1 person meals, pots of porridge, etc available in normal supermarkets now, as well as the more expensive long-life camping dehydrated meals of all sorts in outdoor stores).

And also think about meals that don't require cooking - cold beans, sandwiches, tinned tuna, eggs you have boiled before power went out or added to a pot while cooking potatoes/rice for dinner on your camping stove/bbq etc, pre-cooked bacon/sausages, salads, tinned corn, etc.

And think about what's in your fridge and freezer if power goes out? What needs to be used up quickly and what will last longer even without staying very cold? Don't open the doors of refrigeration appliances often or for long, to keep as cold as possible. If there is ice in shops, that could be useful to buy a bag and put into a fridge/freezer to keep it colder. Or to use in a coolbox if you have a prolonged outtage and you want to just keep a smaller space for a few key items cold, having emptied out the fridge.

Bug out bag to grab in case you need to leave in a hurry - others have already covered this.

And having some cash on hand.

Also - it's not all about mere survival. Morale is important in any situation where you are dealing with emergencies and difficulties, even if you are prepared for them. So the ability to make a cup of tea if possible is huge. Having some favourite beverage may be very useful (not a huge stash of crates of wine - but the ability, once you have dealt with the emergency and can relax, to have a glass or a beer etc, may be good). A spare bar of special chocolate to nibble a square. Comforting drinks like tea, hot chocolate, coffee etc are great. DCs may well enjoy a hot squash (make up squash with warm rather than cold water) if it is cold - both to warm them up and feel better at once.

And entertainment that YOU enjoy which doesn't need power (or at least, not directly connected to a socket). A power bank to recharge an ipad to watch downloaded movies. A board game or deck of cards. Good book or book of puzzles. Crafts you enjoy and can work on. Having a radio that works off batteries or can be wound up can be good for general morale (just listening to music) but also keeping informed.

Slightly more out there ideas which come from camping etc could be having a small solar panel that would recharge your power banks by day; a camping shower (basically a strong black plastic bag which heats up water inside it when placed in sunshine and has a hose/nozzle to shower with, would be useful for washing yourself or washing dishes if you have a sunny windowledge that you can put it) etc.

I keep seeing ideas for heating small rooms using tealights and a terracotta plant pot - but if you have tealights and a warming tray (like the Chinese restaurants used to put shared meals in the middle of the table), you could use those to heat a tin of beans or small pot of water or soup etc - it will not be quick, it may not get piping hot, but if you are in a very bad situation, it would definitely be better than nothing and that kind of dish might be something you would have anyway for nice dinner parties. Or you could put something together using a baking tin to put the tealight into on a heatproof mat, and a baking/cooling rack over, to MacGuyver your own version - KEEP IT IN A SAFE PLACE WHERE IT CANNOT BE KNOCKED AND WELL AWAY FROM DCs!!! And make sure you have a fire extinguisher/blanket to hand.

BlackeyedSusan · 03/11/2021 12:28

I have some old bottles of water... ( the 17p ones) Just contemplating a way of using them a bit like the camping shower. which I am going to look up now.

EzzieLove · 03/11/2021 18:10

Cannot get the 17p ones now. They have gone up to 50p. That’s a huge increase literally overnight.

Swipe left for the next trending thread