Monday 3 September 2018

Brexit stockpiling...

Rhonda for her weekend reading section last week, had a very good link to this, see here.

None of us here in the UK have any idea what may or may not happen, should we be prepared, just in case? Medicines are one thing that some people are very concerned about.

I don't know about Brexit preparation but every year, I like to stockpile items ready for winter, just in case. Usually, tins and packets and only those things we eat. Lets face it, it is no good stock piling things you normally don't consume or actually need. That is a waste of space.

Even if we don't have a bad winter here, all stockpiled food gets used up by its sell by date. If you have room, wrap flour and freeze it. It makes my shopping bills slightly cheaper the following season. If you stockpile for any reason and don't need it, donate it to the food bank (as well as donating items anyway). People need food banks and they too rely on our donations just to make ends meet for those in that situation, let along be able to stockpile for future preparedness.

Where to start?

Well, look at items you use in everyday meals. Try to store items that will help towards those and/or items that could be a snack/meal in their own right. If you bake bread, store flour/yeast in the freezer. Tinned/frozen fruit would give you a vitamin boost.

After food, think about what else you may need. Each of us have differing needs.

If you have the money you can buy a few items each week. If you only buy one extra item each week you would still be able to get a few things extra in before winter or June 2019 when Brexit happens.

Supermarkets do not have the storage facilities they once used to. Lorries arrive every day to top them up. What if they don't turn up for a few days?

When we first moved to this village, it was cut off just as DS was born and both the village stores were practically emptied in just two days with panic buying. Luckily, I was breast feeding. I hadn't thought about snow cutting us off, being caught up in giving birth etc. What would have happened if he had been bottle fed?

DB might smile at me as every year I prepare for winter and most years, such preparation is usually not needed. I don't want to get caught up in being cut off, shops being emptied of food and water and the ensuing chaos.

We have food, a woodburner to keep us warm, a one ring gas cooker to cook on (plus said woodburner). We don't drink bottled water but do have a couple of gallon containers to store water in if necessary. Should a major water leak occur and the water company can't get to it to fix it quickly, or deliver bottled water due to adverse weather, what will you drink? In an absolute emergency, we have water butts. Water could be filtered and boiled. It probably wouldn't taste great but would keep us hydrated.

Any ideas? Do you prep for winter just in case? Are you thinking about possible shortages after Brexit? Are you thinking about it?

31 comments:

  1. I've not given Brexit much thought, I can't really see that it would have that much of an impact, would it? It would be cutting off their noses to spite their faces if other countries stopped trading with us altogether, wouldn't it? Seems to me that the only problems might come from media hype causing people to panic buy. But what do I know? Yes I keep a store cupboard and stock up on things for winter - living where we do, it could well happen that we could be cut off in the event of very bad weather. Hasn't happened yet here, thankfully, but it sort of did where we last lived 6 or 7 years ago, heavy snow followed by black ice stopped buses and post getting to our village for a week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It isn’t a lack of trade that people are worried about, more what would happen if for whatever reason, lorries got held up at ports etc. Or possible cargo ships being held because lorries aren’t there for some reason. You only have to see the chaos when French ports are blocked during a dispute. Must admit, I am thinking more about winter prep but if that is not needed, then food would be there for other things. Price hikes worry me more.

      Delete
  2. I have mainly lived in rural areas with long drives to shops. Getting cut off through snow or floods in winter being a fairly common occurrence. So I have a stocked pantry and freezers throughout the winter. I have being running them all down throughout the summer to replenish throughout the autumn. It’s what I’ve always done. It must be very difficult for people in modern homes as there seems to be very little storage, under the bed isn’t an option now for some.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even though our winters have lately been cold and wet, a slight dip in temperature could bring snow instead.

      Delete
  3. My husband's insulin is one of the listed products that will be in short supply. Hopefully it won't happen and the 6 weeks he has in the fridge could be eeeked out further with careful dieting etc. I love having a freezer and cupboard full and usually put any spare garden produce in the freezer etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think something similar regarding epipens has happened in Canada.

      Delete
  4. I tend to have supplies in anyway, I've never been one to wait for an empty cupboard. One in use and at least one in store, usually more if it's things like beans, etc.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. In the 2000s there was a petrol blockade. Up until that time I had a just in time food cupboard with a week or so meals for a family of 4 (I lived in a city with lots of shops and supermarkets). Did I learn a lesson from that. Now I keep a few months of staples in (which has changed my buying habits - I bulk buy on offer now) not just because of Brexit but in case we get flu or are snowed in, or some other emergency where we can't/don't want to get out in the short to medium term

    What I am not planning to do is to assume everything is ok, then when I find it isn't go out and see other people have already emptied the shop shelves. I've done that once and it wasn't a good plan.

    Otoh I hope Brexit is a huge success and we are a richer, more tolerant and a larger world power than we are now, and if that happens, I've a few months of staples to work through so no loss to me there either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here. If towns and cities get low, then country shops will be potentially worse. I’d rather be prepared just in case than struggle at the time. A shortage of petrol for example would be a real hardship out in the sticks.

      Delete
    2. So to tie my reply into Brexit (which I see I've forgotten to do :p) Instead of bulk buying rice or pasta depending on what's on offer and what's low in the larder, I'm stocking my cupboards up with everything when it comes on offer. Topping up where necessary rather than running completely down which I would normally do.

      I've also advised my grown up kids to have a couple of months of tins and packets in, who knows if they'll listen to me though :p

      I've also spent out a fair bit of money on some gardening and household projects that I did have a 5 year plan for, eg I want to increase the waterbutts and put in a drip feeder for the veg plot, plant more fruit and nut trees etc - well I've been buying the supplies for those things in the last two years instead of stretching it over the 5 I had originally planned.

      Delete
    3. Increasing our water butts has proved a good investment. We now have 6.

      Delete
  6. I also read the article that Rhonda posted. I think it would be very wise to have a well stocked store cupboard/pantry/freezer, at the very least in the short term until you see how this all pans out. I have to say that I'm always surprised that, in general, not very much canning is done over there. We use water bath caners and pressure caners so that everything can be preserved. You have such abundant gardens with fruit and veg. I would have my storage room shelves bursting with it, then you don't have to worry about the power going out and affecting your freezer. I hope that the situation in the uk doesn't get too difficult with the Brexit situation. We are still having epipen shortages over here.This is a manufacturers problem and, at the moment, they are the only supplier. Hopefully, that is going to change, as there are other companies that make them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have always preserved over here but not canned. Canners aren’t for sale generally and are expensive to buy plus their jars etc. Most people wouldn’t have a clue how to use one. Unfortunately generations of people now don’t even know how to make any preserves, lets alone bake or even cook a meal from scratch.

      Delete
    2. We have always preserved over here but not canned. Canners aren’t for sale generally and are expensive to buy plus their jars etc. Most people wouldn’t have a clue how to use one. Unfortunately generations of people now don’t even know how to make any preserves, lets alone bake or even cook a meal from scratch.

      Delete
  7. I don't deliberately stock pile but like lots of people, we always have adequate supplies in - tinned/dried/frozen etc. In fact I'm working down the supplies we have in order to save a few £££s - I do a budget every month and the new one starts on the 13th - I'm aiming for no more than £50 a week for provisions and household goods etc. (Your war diaries were brilliant).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. I learned quite a bit from those war diaries, too.

      Delete
  8. I have started buying a couple of extra things each week;just stuff that we always use. I keep well stocked anyway, but want to be able to help family members who don't have the money to be able to buy extra just in case it's a shambles. Unfortunately, the worst time of year was chosen to trigger article 50, as at the end of March we will be in the hungry gap, and there will be very little British produce available.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably didn’t even occur to them, reference the article 50 date. Hopefully the usual British fare will be available providing our farmers are still growing them?

      Delete
    2. Looking at the shambles of the negotiations, and all the in-fighting, I would say that it definitely didn't occur to them!
      I think the stored winter veg will be running out by then, and new stuff will have just been planted. At the allotment we have very little growing at that time of year, and in March this year, much of the country was under snow. Added to that is the 'drought' this year, that has impacted on crops of potatoes etc, meaning there may be shortages of them. There are some people growing under glass, but I'm not sure they are in sufficient numbers.
      If it is a complete and utter mess, people who are used to buying stuff from overseas all year round, and having such a variety available, are going to be sorely disappointed. It may be a good idea to stock up with frozen veg in addition to dried/ tinned goods.

      Delete
    3. Haven’t got too much spare freezer space just yet, but thanks for the tip.

      Delete
  9. I live in the U.S. and we can get a lot of snow and at times ice. I keep a few extra supplies due to not wanting to to go in bad weather. Why anyone would only have enough food for a couple of days when you never know what can happen. I hope it is painless for you and things go smoothly with Brexit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our winters seem to be getting wetter and colder, leading to flooding for some and crops being wasted. Even if snow doesn’t disrupt us, the rain often has a really bad effect on someone somewhere. I would always prefer to be prepared I think.

      Delete
  10. Part of me wants to think it's media hype but on the other hand a no deal Brexit actually could bring food challenges. Unfortunately as a nation we don't tend to react well when bad weather disrupts the supermarkets distribution chain (remember the snow last year??) so longer term shortages will cause absolute chaos. I'd like to think someone/somewhere in the government is giving this serious thought but until then it won't do any harm to stockpile a few staples.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I too hope they are thinking about it but if they are stock piling for future problems, we won’t know I suppose.

      Delete
  11. I live in France. We are extremely worried. Our plight - which we didn't vote for - seems to be forgotten by both the UK govt and the EU. According to the British Embassy in Paris, we will have to apply to the French government to stay here - would you like to hand in copies of all your private documents and certificates, including your bank statements - both French and UK, tax returns, proof of residence, birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce papers, for x-many years, and have to have the documents translated at, oh, say £15 a pop? And there are four of us. We don't know if we can continue with health care - and my OH is diabetic - will we receive our pensions and will they be inflation-proof, can we bring money over to a French bank account or use a UK account, will our driving licences be valid, will our son be able to finish his degree. Will I be able to run my little business. Will our insurances be in order, will our pet passport be OK for the dog? Apparently, a normal UK state pension is not enough income anyway - and we are currently living on less than one person's state pension, plus the takings from my little business. My OH's pension is worth less and less each month due to the falling pound. Sorry if I sound a little bitter but stockpiling a few tins of food pales into insignificance at the disruption of our lives here. And we have no vote. Anywhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The embassy probably don’t know either what will happen so are best guessing. Scots living outside Scotland also couldn’t vote in their referendum. Life has been getting increasingly difficult for lots of people here. 1/2 of a uk pension wouldn’t get you through more than a few days here so you are doing very over there if you live on that plus what you make. It’s not just food prices but everyday living costs that have increased dramatically. You do sound bitter and I can understand why. It seems as though you are/have led a better life over there and hope you can continue to do so. Here though, some people who can’t afford to feed their families, or others who can’t stockpile, or live over there are really worried. Family members who can afford to stockpile just in case are doing it for many reasons.

      Delete
  12. Yes, sorry if I do sound bitter (I am, but will have to come to terms with it) but stockpiling is a very good idea, expecially for those on a fixed income - who can say where this uncertainty will lead prices and availability?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have been stockpiling since 1969, when my husband was in graduate school and we got "the storm of the century"--48 inches of snow! We were living payday to payday and had very little food on hand. I have never NOT had food in storage since then. Sometimes the selection was a little spotty, but if we had ever needed it, we wouldn't have starved. One year, when I was looking at being unemployed starting in October, I stayed up at night and canned 200 pints and quarts of whatever we had growing... which was mostly green beans, tomatoes, pears and apples. Now I am 72 and living in a new, smaller house. We ate down the pantry and freezer before we moved (so we wouldn't have to move it) and now I am re-stocking. Good prices this weekend on flour, sugar, ground beef, etc.

    I'm wondering why you said not to freeze yeast? I bought 2 pounds of granulated yeast and kept it in the freezer for over 20 years. Yes, you read that right. It was as good at the end as it was in the beginning.

    Best wishes with Brexit. I hadn't even thought about possible food shortages. I hope it is like Y2K...much ado about nothing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So do we. I have no idea why I typed that about yeast as I keep some in the freezer, doh! Typo maybe. Have now amended it.

      Delete

I love hearing from you, will read all your comments and try and answer any questions you leave. Please leave comments in English. Don't forget to come back and read my reply! All comments are moderated so if you try to link it to a commercial web site, it will not be published.