What Preps are you doing this week? Part 11

[jennyjj01]

Mr A accused me of being a "doomsday prepper" the other day just because I bought 4 jars of cranberry sauce. They were cheap as it's now the season of eggs, bunnies and hot cross buns and not Christmas. They have a long shelf life but won't last that long because I love the stuff. Do you think he's beginning to realise I really am a prepper?

Does he know that you identify as a prepper at all?

[jansman]

Does prepping have to be seen as ‘Armageddon’ ? Preparation for bad times has been out there since day one of mankind. Only recently has the idea become an ‘idea’ as folks can buy food etc within moments.
Right now our personal situation is changing, and our storage ( for example) is changing towards my wife’s likings, as unfortunately I won’t be here upon our Earth for much longer.
Way back when the COVID started we remember going to the hospital after my dear wife had overcome her cancer .on the way back we went shopping at the mega Tesco near the hospital. Our youngest had left and we ran our stores down at home.
We still had a bigger stock than many, but we made a point afterwards of keeping stock. My illness is bringing our current situation into appropriate order.
It’s not about being prepared for the world ending, but the end of the personal world changing.

[Arzosah]

My stores are undergoing a bit of a rethink too, not for any catastrophic reason like jansman's, but because I've been experimenting with sauces at a discounted foods supplier. It's not their fault, so I won't name them, but I don't like them garlic mayo, mango chutney (a huge pack of individual servings, I usually like bottles of Sharwood's), black bean sauce - they're all good brand names, but the only ready made sauce I can cope with is pesto - the rest taste awful, very chemical, and I'd much rather "make" my own ad hoc - butter, avocado oil, tomato puree, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, pickled onions that I've chopped up. I'm just going to concentrate on individual ingredients now - I've added dates that can be chopped up to make sweet and sour.

I don't *quite* see Armageddon on the horizon yet, but between self-imposed import difficulties, the Houthis affecting world trade, Ukrainian grain being sabotaged by Poles, Russia still carrying on decimating every bit of Ukraine they can lay their hands on, drought in Texas affecting the grain-growing areas, and who knows if the food producing regions of California will be able to grow the usual amount of crops this year? Between all that lot, storing food is going to even out supply difficulties.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Service kits ordered for mine and the wife's car (hers is due a cambelt this year (waiting for warm weather to do that ) wifes car £30 plus oil thay ive in stock.. likewise mine £60 (funky spark plugs on mine grr)

Another 120w solar panel added to the shopping list £60 on Amazon for ecoworthy branded panel ..

Got seed spuds on order and onion sets exist

[Peter]

All ecoworthy equipment is first class, my setup is ecoworthy, and they’ve had some very good offers recently.

[Frnc]

Just ordered 4 new windows. Not exactly prepping, but in a way I guess. Got the dehumidifier running 24/7. Got to look after the house and the lodgers. I still owe some money on loans, but the interest is only £40 a month, and that will decrease over time. I'm not borrowing any more to pay for the windows. If I didn't get new windows I'd have to pay a decorator to re-do the putty and re-paint them. Plus double glazing will cut heating bills. These are in white PVC, but have a wood grain texture.

[jansman]

So where are Mr and Mrs J at now?

I’ve been spending some time prepping * differently’* now I am poorly. In fact today is a sleep/ read/ sleep day . I’ve d one a lot this week,so I’m not guilty

One of the first issues was paperwork. All sorted It puts domestic economics for my wife in place,so that’s all good.

The house is decorated,repaired ( didn’t need much help,although I cannot physically do this now) and in order. As we are all electric that’s all checked and got top marks. In fact we have a nice and simple system. My friend and I sat talking about this,and the way it’s all heading,electricity will become the normal way. But I digress.

We’ve heated with solid fuel for well over a quarter century here,and aside from coal based solid,it’s been virtually for free! It’s simply taken my effort,which I have enjoyed in fairness My buddy is in the same boat now,and like us has no gas,using solid too. However,he has heart problems,and potential *ancer ,so we are in the same boat. We discussed our heating yesterday and he’s heading towards that too. Contrary to belief,it doesn’t work badly or over expensive- and nor are we Pools Winners! It’s down to our age and physical abilities now. Plus in the future it’s simple to shut a door ( for my wife) and use a remote control to warm up.
Both my friend and us live in small roomed cottages,unlike many of the incomers,who are in Spanish style ,tiled and large roomed houses.
Anyhow,we’ve been keeping tab,and our daily electric ( cooking,hot water,shower,light, HEATING, clothing washing and drying,security lighting and alarming and recharge of batteries and phones etc) only amounts to a daily average of £4.90 per day. Gaz and me thought this was not bad to be frank. Indeed the smokeless coal alone ( cash from the back pocket ) is about 25+ quid a week at peak times! Our entire house runs for about £40 a week with VAT.
It will make the job simple and clean for my wife,along with no excess home insurance,sweep etc. The modern heating with radio control is quite reasonable too. As we have always been from birth,the issue is to shut doors and windows ,wear clothes,and keep comfortable until heating is needed. In fact it’s going back that way it seems.
We have a third hunting and fishing buddy who lives with his wife in a big five bedroom Spanish knock off and only puts gas heating on for two hours and then a modern heater like us in one room! They earn a small fortune,and it stings them. Rather ironically we have modern equipment,and we are all going back to the lifestyle of the early 60’s we were born in

From a prepping perspective,I have made sure there is a portable gas heater ,and spare gas, in case of emergency power cuts. I do believe in time it will happen . In fact we did recently,and the heater was superb. Read a book,Jan knitted and we put our battery radio on. Made a nice change .

Another big deal is food storage. Since the girls,boyfriends,friends have gone,we have reduced our enormous food storage. We have our traditional walk in pantry,plus a freezer ( large) inside,along with a back up fridge. They do go wrong occasionally But there’s no storage outbuilding now. We are making it so that Mrs J has a lot of her favourites,along with tinned and dried foods - which are used - along with simple ready made packet meals like microwave noodles and rices. It’s worked well! There will be sufficient to help in an emergency. Indeed we were a little short at COVID time when my dear wife was overcoming her own *ancer. ,so we are aware of how such emergencies can creep up.

An emergency I have always stocked is water. 25 litre containers. My illness now won’t allow me to sling them on my shoulders now so my wife certainly cannot. Therefore we are storing 2 litre bottles in the pantry,and plenty. Easier bottle to exchange and rotate,and fill when empty to. A simple marker pen to date and done! Along with that if there is an emergency are several filters and a collapsed container to - with a tap. The filters can be used on the covered water butts if needed. She knows how to.

And so we go on… tidier,easier and helping with aged backs an bones.

[Arzosah]

Jansman, sounds good to me. My rooms are small too - I have a few problems here in that the access for the water meter created a gap in the insulation that was boarded over, so its too big a job for me to do, and I'm loathe to get somebody in. But now, there's sort of rising damp in the middle wall of the house, *and* the heating has no thermostat, it only works if I switch it on and off manually, at the tank so there's some proper renovation work to be done.

I hope the fact that you've got all yours done gives you some peace of mind for Jan's sake. And I hope you're sitting out for a few minutes in this weather - a neighbour of mine is in and out of hospital with his heart, and I saw him out this morning I've started regular walking again to help *my* heart.

[diamond lil]

Def with you JM on changing to easier ways. I keep thinking of how hard it was when the husband was ill and I was running the big coal stove and the propane cylinders for cooking, plus a very cold house up on a moor. Now its gas heating and cooking - proper "town" gas - and costing all in for gas & elect £60 a month. We used to get through 2 sacks of smokeless eggs a week plus the odd top up of anthracite in winter That fire hardly ever went out all year, just in heatwaves. God knows how much that would be now!

[jansman]

I hear moaning about fuel, and yes it is expensive. But what is required? Shelter,heat ,food and water!
I am sitting watching a show about Russian rural workers,and they live primitively compared to our *technology* but they live rather well!

All day the room I have sat in has had open fresh air,is still 14 degrees warm, and I sit with my *room* electric blanket over me. Very ,very warm and comfortable thanks! What’s more ,there’s next to no power being used.

I guess ,as did my friend,that over time because we import fuel now - our 1970 and 80’s Big Win is gone - our pre 80’s economy will go back to what it was. Folks have to get a bit tougher.