What are the best things to buy now?

[MrG]

I want to start growing it anyway for insecticide, for which it is very effective. I kill blackfly on broad beans by collecting peoples fag butts (rollys only) soaking in water for a few months and then spraying on the critters - they don't like it up em. Trust me this really works very well.

Sounds good. Nicotine is natural insecticide.

I am entirely confident in my ability to successfully cultivate (or forage) in this country.

You and 59 million other people? I think the future of a food forager's life style is written in NYC. Especially as the resource becomes more valuable.

I wasn't talking about food and I'm a long way from being the only person out picking liberty caps right now.. but I'm very good at it, when I find a good site I tell noone and the early bird catches the worm.

You ever try Aminita Muscaria UE? Always been a bit scared of them myself.. heard so many different stories about how to prepare them. Met this 60 year old german anthropologist / botanist who's gonna show me the way tho

[MrG]

I'm already working on that one.

Mmm me too.. there's a guy round here offer's wild food foraging lessons much like you do (except he's shit! I knew pretty much as much about the plants as he did).. so still thinking of coming out and dong some mushroom identification with you.

Anyway this guy is a bit of a joker and basically takes you on a walk round a wood where he already knows where there is this and that growing and points them out as he goes. I said to him about me growing all these different medicinal plants I'm growing, which are mostly wild plants and he suggested I plant some in his wood and then come and help out with his course.. do a wild medicine bit. Might take him up on it but it seems a bit like buying into his charlatanry

A masterplan

Yeah a mate of mine did it a few years back with some success, it's very doable. Brewing you should definitely get into.

[UndercoverElephant]

You ever try Aminita Muscaria UE?

No thanks. I've known plenty who have though. Mixed reports...

Always been a bit scared of them myself.. heard so many different stories about how to prepare them. Met this 60 year old german anthropologist / botanist who's gonna show me the way tho

Good luck...

[vtsnowedin]

Having a couple of building projects to work on where power is not on site and a hurricane due tonight I thought now is a good time to pick up a portable generator. Not the best time to find a bargain mind you, but I will need one in two weeks and the power may still be off in areas two weeks from now depending on how the storm blows out. So I bit the bullet and bought a Honda 4000 watt gas generator mounted in what we call a contractors cage. It will serve as storm backup for the house and let me keep the food in the freezer at temp. as long as I can keep some gasoline on hand.

[Eternal Sunshine]

Three to six months' worth of food.

Been thinking about this recently. I've got about 1 month's worth of food, water pruification and basics such as candles and toilet paper for my family at the moment, but want to increase this to 3 months.

How long is it reasonable to plan for? I think a slow descent is most likely, therefore not stockpiling for too long, but I feel there may be a few sharp hiccups along the way which we'll need to weather.

[vtsnowedin]

Three to six months' worth of food.

Been thinking about this recently. I've got about 1 month's worth of food, water pruification and basics such as candles and toilet paper for my family at the moment, but want to increase this to 3 months.

How long is it reasonable to plan for? I think a slow descent is most likely, therefore not stockpiling for too long, but I feel there may be a few sharp hiccups along the way which we'll need to weather.

A very interesting question. No pat answer of course or it wouldn't be interesting. You have to predict the future to know how much is enough. Getting through to your first post crisis harvest is of course the doomers goal but that supposes complete doom and your ability to grow the things you buy today. Good luck with that. A more reasonable approach would be a stockpile that would last six months with the mouths you have to feed today in a stockpile that is rotated as you consume it so that even if a disaster never comes none of the food goes to waste.

[adam2]

Three to six months' worth of food.

Been thinking about this recently. I've got about 1 month's worth of food, water pruification and basics such as candles and toilet paper for my family at the moment, but want to increase this to 3 months.

How long is it reasonable to plan for? I think a slow descent is most likely, therefore not stockpiling for too long, but I feel there may be a few sharp hiccups along the way which we'll need to weather.

As posted above, there is no definate answer as to how much food and other essientials should be kept.
More is better though !
In the event of an Alex Scarrow Event, then there might be no re-supply for many months. If you fear such, then at least a year would be reasonable.
Some hard core USA doomers keep 5 years or even more.
Enough to last until the next harvest might be reasonable, and preferably a bit more lest the initial harvest is not a complete success, or is looted.
If preparing for an ASE, then discretion and concealement is vital.
A stockpile is not much good if anyone with a gun knows about it !
Arming yourself helps only to a limited extent, remember that the other lot may be better armed, more numerous, more skilled, or simply lucky.

If on the other hand, you feel that an ASE is either unlikely or not worth surviving, then more modest stocks will help considerably.
Food might be available, but rationed to only small qauntities, or be too expensive, or only a very limited choice might be available.
In such cases, even modest stocks if used to supplement other supplies might help a lot.
As an example, during the war, food and fuel in the UK was rationed. Those who had pre war stocks of long lasting foods etc. were very glad of them as additions to the rations. 100 tins of meat, 100 bars of chocolate, 100 pounds of sugar, a few thousand ciggarettes, 100 tins of fish, a few tons of coal, and 20 gallons of parrafin, could have lasted for most of the war, as a supplement to the rations.
Or consider the current and very recent situations in many parts of the ME. Food has sometimes been either un-available, or only available at very high prices, or leaving home to seek supplies has been dangerous.
A months stock in ones home would have been very helpful in such circumstances.
Consider also the risks of supplies being disrupted by extreme weather, industrial accidents, strikes, and so on.

[Eternal Sunshine]

I'm moving house in a week, so have let stocks run down recently, but once I'm in the new place and have the storage space sorted out I'll be increasing to 3 months worth (for me & the kids).

As I said, I think it will be a slow descent with uncomfortable blips along the way. I'll be growing some food as well. I already have (limited) alternative heating & lighting. It's a rented house so I don't want to make any big preparations that I can't take with me if/when I move again.

If I think things are taking a turn for the worse I can increase stocks sensibly without panic buying, as I have the benefit of the info in posts on here.

As well as short term supplies, I think the lost important thing is to reskill - jack-of-all-trades definitely more likely to get by.

[vtsnowedin]

As well as short term supplies, I think the lost im

As well as short term supplies, I think the lost important thing is to reskill - jack-of-all-trades definitely more likely to get by.

Plus one to that. Solder a pipe, wire a circuit, change the brake pads on the car, etc. All good things to know how to do for yourself.
I have my first law of plumbing to share with you.
" You can put in in the first time wrong, rip it out , put it in wrong a different way, then rip it out again and buy all new parts as you have fubared the first ones and finally get it right and no leaks the third time and still be cheaper then having your local shyster plumber do it"
But be warned if you have a slow learning curve three times may not be enough. portant thing is to reskill - jack-of-all-trades definitely more likely to get by.

Plus one to that. Solder a pipe, wire a circuit, change the brake pads on the car, etc. All good things to know how to do for yourself.
I have my first law of plumbing to share with you.
" You can put in in the first time wrong, rip it out , put it in wrong a different way, then rip it out again and buy all new parts as you have fubared the first ones and finally get it right and no leaks the third time and still be cheaper then having your local shyster plumber do it"
But be warned if you have a slow learning curve three times may not be enough.

[Eternal Sunshine]

But be warned if you have a slow learning curve three times may not be enough.

Haha it's almost like you've met me. I don't think I'd be let loose with plumbing unless it was a dire emergency.

[DominicJ]

Plumbing is really really easy.
Compression joints and flexible tails are childs play.

[snow hope]

I replaced my bathroom some years back and did everything myself. I get great satisfaction from doing everything myself. I then replaced a cloakroom suite. I have removed inbuilt wardrobes to enlarge a bedroom. Have just finished fitting a trap door to a bedroom over an attached garage and fitted a trapdoor to the roofspace above in order to insulate it. I also removed an open fire and fitted a wood burning stove for which I have managed to provide free wood for the last three years.
Last December I fixed 5 leaks in pipes over my garage. The new plastic plumbing connections are an absolute doddle.
I have just "topped" 20ft of ash off 2 trees in my front garden - providing firewood (Ash is a very dry wood) and have another 2 trees to be done. This will increase the winter sunshine hitting my house as an additional benefit.
Also just serviced my son's Renault Megane with him - 110,000 miles on the clock. Oil filter was £3.50 and oil was £12 The garage was looking for £99!
My next project is to add an addition layer of insulation in my loft and my mother's loft.

I know people who would pay others to do ALL the above jobs..... everyone to their own I suppose.

[MrG]

This time of year I'm beggining to think lots and lots of sugar is a good thing to store.

As part of my usual yearly cycle I preserve lots of food. Wine, Jam, Chutney etc. but I'm dependent on having F--k loads of sugar and vinegar in order to do it. I've gone through something like 15kg of sugar in the past week making plum wine and plum jam.

Next there'll be beetroots, more wine, lots of pickling, pints of vinegar gonna be used, probably at least another 5 or 6 kg of sugar... and there's still plums I need to find a use for.

If I didn't have the freezer then salt.. huge quantities of salt.

[Eternal Sunshine]

If I didn't have the freezer then salt.. huge quantities of salt.

You won't have a freezer if the electricity gets turned off.

[kenneal - lagger]

If I didn't have the freezer then salt.. huge quantities of salt.

You won't have a freezer if the electricity gets turned off.

Get a chest freezer with a separate cooling panel on the back so that you can add extra insulation to the other three sides, bottom and, less importantly, the top. That will last quite a few days without the lecky on, especially if it's full.