How long have you prepped for

How are you preparing
Lemne
Posts: 286
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2020 6:44 pm

How long have you prepped for

Post by Lemne »

I have around 3 months of food if I am careful and the electric stays on. I've used the money I set aside for the initial build up and am now working on a budget which is less fun. How long do you prep for and do you ever stop and think "I have enough now". What should I be working towards initially for a possible lockdown, brexit and an economic collapse realistically.
Nurseandy
Posts: 690
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2018 7:12 am

Re: How long have you prepped for

Post by Nurseandy »

Im guessing that there are going to be widely varying opinions/thoughts regarding this which is always good.
Personally, we're in a remote area where we can get snowed in for a few days so fully prepped for that. Secondary to that we can feed the family & fuel the house for a very comfortable three months for a family of five plus pets. We have a private water supply so thankfully water storage not an issue for us (although I still have a couple of sawyers in case we have to drink out of the ditch).
With regards to CV/brexit we will see what the shops/people get like and decide whether to use preps or go to tescos. I have invested in a few ffp3 masks (same model as fit tested for at work) so have the option of relatively safe (from corona virus) shopping if need me.
Have we got enough? Who knows, but we sleep a wee bit better knowing there's a bit in reserve. Its Also valuable lesson in teaching the kids the value of self reliance.
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: How long have you prepped for

Post by jansman »

I look at it from the perspective of having to earn a living.Life itself is a battle to stay fed,housed and free from illness.It never ends.Prepping is ( to me),the same.

Also,I feel that it is a subject - or for me,a lifestyle - that is about more than just storing a pile of 'stuff'.Sure,we have a well stocked pantry,workshop,etc. ,but we don't look at that as an end in itself.For instance,as I drive to work I am on the lookout for firewood,fields with small game,and fields with crops that could be useful if shtf today.I know where there are local water sources within easy reach of the house too.Most important.I have a 300 gallon rainwater catchment for irrigation in the garden.Thankfully the rain has filled it up,but had it not,I would have from the tap.Then if there was a water supply issue,we would be covered ( along with what we have stored as well).On Monday I made sure all the smoke alarms had fresh batteries,and bought batteries to replace those! My seeds and compost are already in,and my Winter salads ready to go in the tunnel.

To me,prepping is about those little observations,not just that pile of grub.
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
Lemne
Posts: 286
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2020 6:44 pm

Re: How long have you prepped for

Post by Lemne »

Unfortunately I have no outside space so my stash is all I have as backup.
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: How long have you prepped for

Post by jansman »

Lemne wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 6:44 am Unfortunately I have no outside space so my stash is all I have as backup.
A lack of outdoor space does make things a little more difficult , I’ll grant you. Not impossible though. I run by the Survival Rule Of Threes. Three separate ways to provide each Necessity. So take lighting as an example: We have the mains. Then we have battery lanterns and torches. Then we have solar powered lighting ( just a little panel that sits in a sunny window and powers a battery to plug the lights into.

But outside of storage you can look at water. So you have your mains, you can store some for emergencies, and you can find a local water source if things get really bad. As long as you have a method of filtration and purification, then you are good to go. Your purification could be as simple as letting water settle, carefully pouring it through a sock or t shirt, and using purification tablets.

Food: You quite rightly have your stash, which will be your mainstay. Do you have local shops you frequent? A relationship with small traders usually ensures supplies of something in a crisis. Do you have fields or parks with fruit trees, berry bushes etc. ? Do you have a network with whom you can trade? Are you able to get an allotment or small patch of a friends garden? Nothing is impossible.

Going back to your original question, and it’s a good one; I reckon we are good for three months for two of us from our stores, with no resupply- although meals would get a little monotonous/ weird by the end :lol: But before that happened, I would be looking for resupply options on every level, so what we had would be supplemented by foods from wherever I could get them, thus extending our preps.
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
ForgeCorvus
Posts: 3035
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 11:32 pm

Re: How long have you prepped for

Post by ForgeCorvus »

I've always thought of Prepping as a lifestyle rather then something you do once and then forget (or in the case of the stash, forget apart from rotation).

If you've only got space for a four week cushion because you live in a studio flat, that is not the end of your journey.... Prepping is more then a food store, its skills, knowledge, attitude, aptitude and a range of other things as well.

So, the answer to your question is "Not quite as long as I'd like, but long enough that I'm not worried"
jennyjj01 wrote:"I'm not in the least bit worried because I'm prepared: Are you?"
Londonpreppy wrote: At its core all prepping is, is making sure you're not down to your last sheet of loo roll when you really need a poo.
"All Things Strive" Gd Tak 'Gar
jennyjj01
Posts: 3429
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: How long have you prepped for

Post by jennyjj01 »

Lemne wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:26 pm I have around 3 months of food .... How long do you prep for and do you ever stop and think "I have enough now".
What should I be working towards initially for a possible lockdown, brexit and an economic collapse realistically.
I maintain over a years worth of rations, including about 3 months worth of 'normal diet'. Rather than thinking 'I have enough now' I think things like 'I have enough beans, so what else should I buy next?' It's about how big a crisis you want to get through and how easy you want it to be. E.g. A month of home isolation was barely a bump in the road at my level. Other incidents could have devastated us all the same. There's a lot we cannot anticipate or control.

There are some things that we have to accept as only possible to prep for in limited ways: Being at ground zero, cancer etc. It's a personal estimate of cost/risk/reward ratios.

If you are prepping for 'a possible lock-down, brexit and an economic collapse.' then I'd suggest pitching at about 6 months of acceptable fare. That should easily see you through a big shock lock-in or a bumpy brexit shortage ( of god knows what ). Economic collapse is trickier and your own financial situation might dictate your choices. Prep for job loss etc by stashing liquidity, even just having a good credit card limit can do for that.

You have time to assess and plan for your own situation. Even jotting down thoughts is a part of prepping before spending cash on pasta.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong