Green as grass new member.

[Smudge]

Welcome

[GillyBee]

Welcome.

Plenty of advice on here. Just take a good look around.

If you are buying in extra food & drink to hedge against supply problems, it is a good idea to set up a way of easily rotating the stock from the outset.
I have just spent the weekend going through my collection of tinned food and checking the best before dates then adding dot stickers accordingly. Now the entire famiy knows that anything with a red dot needs to be used up while yellow or green dots should be left untouched unless there is no alternative. (And DH does not need to put his glasses on to read the tin).

[ForgeCorvus]

Hiya Mate
Welcome home

What can I add that others haven't already said?

Well, you're making lists and on here doing research so thats a tick.

Food and water, we have whole sections devoted to those.
All I'll say is, Don't stash stuff you don't eat.... Rice and Spam are great, but if you don't like rice and are Veggie you're going to get hungry.

Don't plan on the "Run to the Hills" type Bug Out, a few days in a tent sounds great until its mid-winter and slashing it down.

Try and build up a stock of essential medication (not easy I know) and a wad of cash. Banks can be closed and your Plastic may not work but it would have to be an extreme Event for people to stop accepting cash

[Rusty74]

welcome sammy,there's some great folks here with a vast amount of knowledge,don't be afraid to ask

[bobble]

Hiya Sammy! Welcome!

[Jerseyspud]

Hi and welcome

[Sammy]

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome. I have spent the last week or so writing lists, scoring stuff off we don't like and adding other stuff we do like, and finally got our definitive "emergency" list of food that we all can tolerate, if not enjoy, during harsh times. I purchased a 2 ring camping stove and extra bottles of gas (we now can at least have a cuppa and a mug of soup when the S.H.T.F.). I have also purchased half a dozen large plastic storage boxes with clip-on lids for the storage of supplies, and emptied the kitchen lobby cupboard, which is the largest cupboard space I have and is cooler and darker than anywhere else in the house, to store the supplies. I am aiming for a 3 month supply of food, water and enough gas to cook/boil it should the power go off for any length of time. The good lady is working on the list and is bringing in a few extra things every time she goes shopping and I have a list taped to the top of the box with what is in it and the best before dates. It is amazing how quickly they start to add up( not "amazing" to you good folks obviously ) and I would say we have about a weeks supply stored away already for the 6 of us. I am now working towards an essential equipment list, sleeping bags, candles, batteries, first aid box etc (I had been a first aider for 20 years, would think I would have had the brains to pinch all that stuff from my last work place...doh!). I hear read about short wave radios, is it a good idea to have one? Sorry if that's been answered elsewhere on the site but I haven't had the time to really explore here yet. Anyhoo, thank you once again for the fine welcome.

[Arzosah]

That's a great re-organisation, Sammy, well done you and your wife. Difficult to store enough for 6 for 3 months, so it does need something as complete as what you're doing. Well done you!

I'm not a radio person (yet) so I can't answer that, but someone should be along soon.

[jennyjj01]

I have spent the last week or so writing lists, scoring stuff off we don't like and adding other stuff we do like, and finally got our definitive "emergency" list of food that we all can tolerate, if not enjoy, during harsh times....
The good lady is working on the list and is bringing in a few extra things every time she goes shopping and I have a list taped to the top of the box with what is in it and the best before dates. It is amazing how quickly they start to add up( not "amazing" to you good folks obviously ) and I would say we have about a weeks supply stored away already for the 6 of us.

.

Whoooohoo. You seem to have hit the ground running. Well done. Stashing for six is a big ask.
I'd tend away from candles and towards some sort of solar or rechargeable solution. Keep reviewing the reality of your food stockpile. Rotate it into your regular diet. Stick with decent quality stuff you know, rather than mountains of everyday value scoff. If TSHTF, you'll want some familiar comfort food. But that doesn't stop you shopping around. Maybe measure your core food stuff in Total Calories or portions, aiming for 2000 calories per day per person and X teabags and Y bottles of beer per day for survival. Where reserves will need to be compromises, such as powdered milk or tinned fish/meat, get used to using those compromises, sooner rather than later. Camping gas bottles are expensive and maybe only good for a few days of frequent use, so consider some sort of rocket stove. Can be as simple as a few breezeblocks or a £10 wood stove off ebay.

Have you considered Utilities outages? I bet you have.
Medications?

I don't know about 'short wave' radio, but certainly get an analogue radio rather than, or as well as, a DAB digital, as they are less battery hungry and lower tech. A Baofeng walkie talkie gives you a reasonable receiver with the perk of long term short range comms. ( subject to license pre SHTF )

[Frnc]

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome. I have spent the last week or so writing lists, scoring stuff off we don't like and adding other stuff we do like, and finally got our definitive "emergency" list of food that we all can tolerate, if not enjoy, during harsh times. I purchased a 2 ring camping stove and extra bottles of gas (we now can at least have a cuppa and a mug of soup when the S.H.T.F.). I have also purchased half a dozen large plastic storage boxes with clip-on lids for the storage of supplies, and emptied the kitchen lobby cupboard, which is the largest cupboard space I have and is cooler and darker than anywhere else in the house, to store the supplies. I am aiming for a 3 month supply of food, water and enough gas to cook/boil it should the power go off for any length of time. The good lady is working on the list and is bringing in a few extra things every time she goes shopping and I have a list taped to the top of the box with what is in it and the best before dates. It is amazing how quickly they start to add up( not "amazing" to you good folks obviously ) and I would say we have about a weeks supply stored away already for the 6 of us. I am now working towards an essential equipment list, sleeping bags, candles, batteries, first aid box etc (I had been a first aider for 20 years, would think I would have had the brains to pinch all that stuff from my last work place...doh!). I hear read about short wave radios, is it a good idea to have one? Sorry if that's been answered elsewhere on the site but I haven't had the time to really explore here yet. Anyhoo, thank you once again for the fine welcome.

Hi, I don't know about short wave. I got a wind-up radio that also has a solar panel and it can charge a phone and has a torch. It's just got FM and AM. Cost about £30. There are a few similar ones and the same but with different names.
Regarding emergency cooking, you might consider a mini wood stove. There are a couple of types. On folds flat and you just feed it with bits of wood. The other has a hollow wall and is supposed to burn hotter and create less smoke. This latter type can be expensive but there's one for £25 called "TOMSHOO Camping Stove/Backpacking Stove Portable Folding Windproof Wood Burning Stove Compact Stainless Steel Alcohol Stove Outdoor Camping Hiking Backpacking Picnic BBQ " I'm surprised they missed out "Unisex".
Which reminds me, Trangia is another option, these burn meths.
Of course gas is the quickest and easiest.