What Preps are you doing this week? Part 7.

[diamond lil]

We were going to lift the tatties today if it ever stops raining.. if it looks like the Somme out there I won't bother.
For some mad reason I woke up desperate to buy a huge box of soap powder, and to go on ebay and get safety pins.

[Arwen Thebard]

We noticed a spike in what I call “freezer filling” internet orders today at work. The actual footfall was a lot lower too - and proper social distancing was more evident.

Thanks for the heads up.

Funny how I just can't feel satisfied even with 4 chock full smallish freezers. I could happily buy and fill a garage full of freezers and other supplies, but then I'd lose sleep over power outages. Also, even I know that it would cause domestic issues.

I'm thinking of renting a lock-up for a much more extreme, off-site, reserve pantry, but again, I know how that would be perceived.

What Preps am I doing this week? Frankly, lots of worrying at the state of the world. All sorts of scenarios rushing through my mind. I might need counselling... here.

Same concerns here at the moment, especially the freezer / power outage scenario. We have 2 chest freezers, two under counter freezers and a small jobby that sits on a worktop, all of which are full at the moment as we have so much stuff coming in from the garden and our recent spate of "might be the last opportunity" shops from Tesco's hasn't helped either. We are canning, dehydrating and vacuum packing like mad and the plan is to empty at least two freezers before Christmas. And I keep getting the genny out just to check she starts OK.

[Arzosah]

Shelf stable is definitely the way to go for me - even though my freezer is now a super duper Samsung one rather than the piece of rubbish I used to have, I don't really trust it for longer than 6 weeks or so. Shop-bought dried food (peas, beans, lentils, quinoa, the pasta I'm addicted to) and dehydrated own foods are the things to get, for me, as well as the tasty nibbles like tomato puree and pesto.

I've just been on another thread mentioning emotional resilience, and I think that's going to be key over the winter, as part of our general preparedness.

[diamond lil]

Emotional resilience yes. I think prepping is all about attitude, not lists or spreadsheets or good intentions. Because we can all start off well, it's the keeping on going bit that's hard. This is just my thoughts on it all after a lifetime of being poor & struggling, then reading about a million books about the Home Front in two world wars just because I was interested in it
I think learning patience and calm really matters - frantic driven people tend to snap. Start off well then whizz around madly grabbing everything, counting everything, grabbing more, etc etc. Does not work.
The opposite - too laid back, too trusting in TPTB/the universe/god etc etc. Does not work. Although it might come into it and help alongside preps!
We have to throttle back, settle down and make do with less. Maybe live without the fancy chef recipes for torn lettuce and distressed mushrooms and hand picked lentils
I just read a book about a girl in her early 20s who decided to live for a year as if it was WW2. Eating what they had on the ration, no modern intrusions like tv or internet. AND SHE LIKED IT. She got fedup sometimes yes. but she was amazed at how peaceful and relaxed it was to just listen to "the wireless" and do some knitting or reading. It's the first book I've read from a younger person's perspective and was a surprise. So maybe a winter lockdown won't be a totally bad thing..
Book was:
Living on the Home Front
by Megan Westley

[jennyjj01]

Emotional resilience yes. I think prepping is all about attitude, not lists or spreadsheets or good intentions. Because we can all start off well, it's the keeping on going bit that's hard.

Ah! that struck a chord as being me.

...frantic driven people tend to snap. Start off well then whizz around madly grabbing everything, counting everything, grabbing more, etc etc.

Yes. Definitely me.

We have to throttle back, settle down and make do with less. Maybe live without the fancy chef recipes for torn lettuce and distressed mushrooms and hand picked lentils

I do that, so I feel better now

So maybe a winter lockdown won't be a totally bad thing..

Actually, apart from a bit of stress watching the news, I've found the last 6 months of 'new normal' to be a positive experience.

Book was:
Living on the Home Front
by Megan Westley

Thanks. Wish we had a like button.

[diamond lil]

jenny, definitely get the book! I've read loads about the home front and wartime in general, but this was the first one ever written by somebody young who wasn't really into history but who just wanted to try something different. She went off the rails after about a month and went out with friends for a meal - then was ill, and realised that wartime plain food was much better for her health. And she was surprised that sitting quietly at night knitting and listening to radio was so much more satisfying that watching telly or going online. And she seems to have liked to cooking bit too - I hate cooking

[Arwen Thebard]

Its all too easy to suffer from prepper fatigue folks.

IT (Insert your preferred flavour of SHTF here) has been building up for quite a while now and the suspense is literally killing some people.

It can be hard to switch off and chill out sometimes.

[jansman]

Its all too easy to suffer from prepper fatigue folks.

IT (Insert your preferred flavour of SHTF here) has been building up for quite a while now and the suspense is literally killing some people.

It can be hard to switch off and chill out sometimes.

I have no problem switching off. You get up in the morning, and the battle for survival starts. Life was always thus. SHTF has many faces. Not just economic collapse or zombies. It can be the boss telling you your job is gone. Or the doctor telling you that you have cancer. We’ve had both of those. I don’t worry anymore. If stress appears ( and frequently it does), I try to get out fishing. If I live forever, I will be the first human ever!

[Lemne]

I've been laying down some longer stores of food. Dehydrated 5kg of mixed peppers. Prepared and vac packed some chilli peppers. Onions in tights strung up in the attic (nice and cool). Garlic braides strung up. Still working through bulk herbs and spices vac packing into smaller packs. Flour is almost through the freezer but had another bag delivered yesterday so more to go. Next is some more shelving in the attic.

[diamond lil]

There's one good thing about illness - it takes away all your energy so you have none to spare for drama