So,have your preps been useful?

[jansman]

So it's about six weeks now,since it all got weird and we realised Covid 19 had stopped off in the UK whilst on it's world tour,and wasn't going anywhere soon.

We saw shelves stripped bare,as frightened people realised what was coming; or so they thought.They were the day to day,week to week shoppers,and then,as now,are representative of the population.Not like us preppers ,hey?

Now we found shortcomings and gaps in our preps,but they have still been very,very useful.We were glad to have plenty of pasta,rice and potato products.We use a lot of canned foods here,and again,so good to have them.Toiletries and cleaning materials the same.It has meant not having the urgency to mix it out there with The Infected The gaps and mistakes have been duly noted.

One area of preps I was grateful for was my workshop and it's contents.My enforced idleness meant I could do allsorts of improvements/repairs etc. that have made a difference to the household.It has stopped me from climbing the walls to be honest. After 5 weeks,2 in isolation as we had the obvious symptoms,and the other 3 on furlough,I am about at the end of my tether,so getting back to doing what a Key Worker should be doing will be a relief.

My wife does a lot of knitting and sewing,and she has been glad of all her stocks of materials.She has even developed her own pattern of face mask in case government decrees we have to cover our snotboxes At this time,one of our forum members is testing them!

The other prep we were glad of was our emergency fund.I am still not sure when ( not if) I will be paid for the last month,so the fund means we won't break stride.One thing that quickly became apparent was that cash was not as desirable - and you know I prefer cash - so enough cash in the current account,and access to more was imperative.After Easter,we had to queue at the building society to get funds.That has now been rectified,and a couple of months wages for me now sits in a saving account that runs in tandem with the current account.It means I can get to it if anything put my wife out of action,as all the money is in her name.

Its been a steep learning curve for us.What about you?

[Nurseandy]

Hi jansman, the biggest eye opener for me was the move away from cash to people preferring electronic payments. I'd always assumed cash would be the "go to" option. So biggest prep for the future is to ensure we have instant access to both types of funds.
We're increasing our long term supplies too but that was always on the cards.
Being a nurse has thankfully meant I have remained in work (with overtime) which has largely compensated for self employed wife losing a big chunk of her income.

[jansman]

Hi jansman, the biggest eye opener for me was the move away from cash to people preferring electronic payments. I'd always assumed cash would be the "go to" option. So biggest prep for the future is to ensure we have instant access to both types of funds.
We're increasing our long term supplies too but that was always on the cards.
Being a nurse has thankfully meant I have remained in work (with overtime) which has largely compensated for self employed wife losing a big chunk of her income.

Yes, I found the move to digital a shock too. Mind you, we have still used our cash stash too!

[korolev]

I've used cash to pay takeaway delivery drivers and the window cleaner but other than that it's been contactless all the way. As well as my normal current account I also have accounts with Starling and Revolut which I usually use abroad as it's cheaper (whole 'nother ball game there). I've tended to ensure there's enough to get by with in each account, in case there are any short-term problems with banks.
I also keep a few hundred in cash at home "just in case" (mostly I dip into it when we've ordered grub and got no cash in our wallets ).

Don't really have to worry about money as we've both recently (early) retired and have pensions/savings that cover us. Mortgage is paid off too. That is a big plus and we're very fortunate to be in this position.

Food wise, we've been ok; I've been trying to keep "Waitrose" well stocked (we call our store cupboard "Waitrose" because a relative has one which he dubbed "Tesco" and I thought it would be funny to top that). Loo rolls, I already had 3 packs but when it became clear the supermarkets were being stripped, I found a hotel supplier that would deliver me a couple of packs, along with a 5l refill for the pumpy soaps. I also found a food wholesaler who I got to deliver me some stuff; some of it's in bigger packs but that's not a problem. I got a 25kg bag of spuds for £12 delivered from a bloke on facebook.

Overall I would say we've managed fine but part of that is due to me thinking "outside the box" and looking at alternative suppliers; it's all very well going on facebook and writing "the b****ds have stripped the shelves, people should be hung for buying too much" but it's much more productive to quietly find other sources.

[jennyjj01]

So it's about six weeks now....
Its been a steep learning curve for us.What about you?

As a dress rehearsal, it continues to be useful. Just a few observations from my own prep-dipping.....
So far, a normal diet has been maintained and not relying on preps, but rather taking the opportunity to test and rotate them more.
Not enough canned veg!
Getting through sweets and chocolates and alcohol at an unprecedented rate. Comfort eating and drinking.
Milk and bread a massive gap in preps.
Used my ONE box of passata to make a ragu as an experiment. It was the best ragu I ever made, beating Dolmio into a cocked hat! Better than from canned tomatoes too. Sneaked some soya in un-noticed Going to buy lots of passata!
Antibiotics..... Needed some and was able to get a phone consultation and script, but I'm definitely looking for a dodgy back-up supply. I know....
I had too much wasted space in the freezers. re-bagging and shrinking new stock.

I had thought I'd be able to cope for ages hunkered down without the trappings of modern life, but without the sunshine, utilities, amazon deliveries etc, I suspect the misery would give us hell on earth within a month.

Feeling so very lucky to still have opportunities. Not planning to waste them.

Quite sure that this is the calm before the storm. I don't intend to follow the *majority back to normality and into the second wave.

*majority is not meant as a derogatory term.

[jansman]

I agree about the sunshine. It has made it more bearable. I do feel for those without gardens though, it must be mind- bending. My daughter and partner used to live in a flat and they would routinely‘borrow’ our garden. Under lockdown , living in an apartment must be tough.

Going back to preps; I am just glad that I brew a lot of my own ‘pop’. Two weeks isolation, living off preps ( couldn’t go out and no chance of deliveries), would have been rough without beer!

[Yorkshire Andy]

sunshine. It has made it more bearable. I do feel for those without gardens though, it must be mind- bending. My daughter and partner used to live in a flat and they would routinely‘borrow’ our garden. Under lockdown , living in an apartment must be tough.

Going back to preps; I am just glad that I brew a lot of my own ‘pop’. Two weeks isolation, living off preps ( couldn’t go out and no chance of deliveries), would have been rough without beer!

Sunshine check ...

Garden .. check

Pop still a bit cloudy but drinkable

My stocks used to get ridicule however not any more moaning about there been too much under the sink (cleaning stuff)

Blocked sink in the bathroom caustic soda sorted that out... Day to day cleaning stuff bleach took a battering managed to get 4l Friday night though

I've taken to refilling squirty bottles with Dettol all surface cleaner works well and is economical at one cap per litre of water..


Kitchen fire extinguisher came in handy too

[jansman]

That’s a nice picture.

[diamond lil]

It's not over yet. Don't sit back.

[Yorkshire Andy]

It's not over yet. Don't sit back.

Exactly.... Got a beer kit in reserve

I'm topping my stuff back up best I can hadn't been able to get any bleach at the 3 shops I visited my mum grabbed me those from Lidl (social distancing collection they were collected on my way to work in a bag down the side of her house whilst they were still in bed )