So,have your preps been useful?

[Yorkshire Andy]

Yes, very useful. I like others on here, saw the road we were headed down a few weeks ago and went to the shop every day, buying a few things each time so as not to attract any suspicion, just to top off. That was prior to toiletpapergate of course. I had about 50 rolls in, but I built that up to around 100 just before things deteriorated completely into Hunger Games territory!

As soon as I saw the Australian news articles of panic bog roll hording I grabbed 3x extra packs of 18 from farm foods to top up the 3x18 already in stock ..... The 3 extra got booted into the loft....

Once it kicked off here I was sat pretty MIL visited popped to the loo came back down..... "See your stockpiling I couldn't get any" with a hump on .. Mrs A shot back with you know we always have plenty on the shelf in there it's 3 for £12 in farm foods .... Probably a good job as with 5 of us at home it soon started shifting once I was no longer at work using works paper


Bleach is scarce at the moment but I've got enough


Managed to get some anti viral spray last night in Lidl for doing the cars interiors etc

[PreppingPingu]

Yes definitely been useful for the reasons others have said, such as showing holes in our preps. I have learnt that I need more flour and yeast as everyone has been baking and the general population seem to really have embraced home cooking. This is good, and long may it last, however, it has shown that folks are more resilient in the cooking themselves dinner department than we sometimes give credit for. Even my neighbours have been planting veg in their flower beds as they can't get hold of bedding plants, they have been planting food instead! Oh yes, and I have realised that in summer, I really don't need that much tinned soup but I will be good for the winter stores so it's no waste. In fairness, if things got so bad and we couldn't get hold of fresh meat and veg, canned soup is a good meal when you're hungry ( or recovering from an illness.) On the subject of yeast, it made me have a go at cultivating my own yeast - a sour dough starter. I have learnt that I need to practice. So having a hole in my preps in the yeast area has been useful as it has shown where I am lacking skill wise.

[preppergb]

I've learned (A) to check how much stuff I buy and that I have space for it, especially in the freezers, (B) Should check stored kit still works, I needed to use the mains powered cool box for excess fridge stuff, blasted thing would not work. My own fault entirely i should have replaced it years ago.

[Jillybean]

We have been very lucky, still stocking up when I can get a delivery (randomly check) stores helped lots in the first month when we couldn't. Still not used lots. We had a good stock of uht milk, we had been using it lots before as it saved money nipping to the shops for milk (which would turn into too much wasted money). I've been making my own bread since November so was sorted for that. This is an area my stores have been depleted. I'm looking for a wholesale delivery and once I can sort that, will stick to it.
I thought I had a lot of super noodles (particular type) my autistic daughters favourite, this has been more difficult to get due to limits.
We have found our junk food and drinking has increased (especially on 'school days').
For fresh bits, we are lucky as my friend and I help each other out.
Things to think of and prep more ... Compost (bin 1 emptied, bags used bin 2 still doing it's stuff)! Coffee (having hubby home and trying to teach our stores depleted fast, but managing to keep topped up).
Wood. Using scraps I've managed to increase under cover space, so my youngest can work there, helping to keep hubby sane whilst working from home.
Epic fail. We had our first click and collect yesterday. Car had been tested in the week, but battery has died. Fortunately I have an awesome friend who got it for me. So test and run car weekly.
I need to restock fabric. Lots used for individual hand towels and face masks for friends and family.

[Arwen Thebard]

No, not yet, nothing has really changed for us. But they will in due course I'm sure, once the next stage of the situation develops.

[Lemne]

My husband thinks I'm a bit mad on most occasions but he just patted me on the head and let me carry on quietly buying. When we finally went into lockdown I was as prepared as I could be with the knowledge I had at the time. I really objected to all the stockpiler insults. Since when did being prepared become a bad thing? I was also surprised by people asking me for things they had run out of. Not family but facebook friends you see once in a while. I had supplies but not enough to supply everybody else!

The one thing I didn't buy in time was masks which looking back is extremely stupid. First thing right. By the time I was looking in late Feb early March they were no more. I will definitely buy some more tinned foods to have on hand for the future. I also ran out of plain flour but managed to buy a 16kg catering bag and break it down. This I shared. I'm a home cook from scratch and this really helped as I had the ingredients to make at home already in. Having tons of herbs and spices really helped with making a meal tasty and being able to vary the same foods. I now realise that my freezer space is not used well and need to organise that.

We live in a flat with no access to outside space. We are outdoors people and it was really hard. We have dogs so our two allowed exercises, one each a day, were taking up walking the dogs with no room for anything else. I can't deny that hubs didn't have a few 1am runs. It was very claustrophobic.

[Catweazle]

Our preps have saved us much trouble. We haven't actually suffered at all so far, and will probably weather another lockdown just as well. As Covid gathered pace in early 2020 we made the trip to B&Q and spent nearly £400 on paints, the next two months we completely decorated our holiday cottage ( it's next door ), finished just in time for the unlocking, and it's been booked solid ever since.

All this has not gone un-noticed, local facebook groups have appeals for anyone who has a smallholding for sale, and the smallholding centre nearby has almost everything listed as sold or under offer. http://www.thesmallholdingcentre.co.uk/ ... lable=true

If you're thinking of moving to somewhere rural don't wait too long, people are starting already.

[Yorkshire Andy]

The one thing I didn't buy in time was masks which looking back is extremely stupid.

I had enough for an "escape" but not for this sustained drag fortunately I'm friends with someone in the medical supplies trade and I managed to grab a box of P3 masks off tool station late one night they appeared in stock ordered on the spot