Lately I’ve been organizing my emergency stuff more seriously and noticed something.

Most preparedness advice assumes people are going to think clearly during stressful situations.

But realistically, when people panic, get overwhelmed, haven’t slept, are scared for their pets/kids, or need to leave quickly… even basic things become hard to remember.

I started noticing how much important information only lives in people’s heads:

• medication info
• emergency contacts
• pet feeding instructions
• evacuation priorities
• document locations
• who to call first

That’s what made me start creating simple printable systems and checklists for myself. Not because I’m trying to be extreme, but because stress genuinely affects memory and decision making more than people realize.

Honestly it’s made me feel calmer knowing things are already written down somewhere instead of depending on my brain during a bad moment.

Curious if anyone else has realized this too or changed the way they prep because of it.

The default assumption everywhere seems to be that rechargeable batteries have made primary batteries irrelevant, and I get why people think that. On the surface the math seems obvious. But I started digging after my rechargeable setup failed during a power outage that lasted longer than expected. The issue wasn't the batteries themselves, it was that I had nothing to charge them with. That's when primary batteries started making more sense to me as part of a prep kit rather than a replacement for one.

Lithium primary batteries hold charge for up to 10 years in storage depending on conditions. They also perform better in cold temperatures than most rechargeables, which matters depending on where you live or what situation you're preparing for. I spent time browsing Alibaba looking at bulk options from different suppliers. The pricing variation is significant and the specs between manufacturers are not all equal, so you do have to pay attention to what you're actually buying. Not every listing is straightforward.

For everyday use rechargeables still make more sense. but for long term storage and low maintenance reliability, primary batteries are not the outdated option people treat them as.

Wanna know if anyone here has tested specific brands for shelf life?. would be useful to compare notes.

I've continued having a hard wired land line telephone, when most of the people I know don't. I felt it was sensible back-up. But now, as time passes, and the extra expense, I don't even know if it's sensible or logical in terms of modern technology risks.

What do you think? Is it worthwhile?

Honestly wish I had taken a before picture because our can storage was an absolute mess

While it’s not perfect now it’s a hell of a lot better!

I’ve been keeping tabs on different opinions of how the cost of living is going to be impacted by war etc and topped up our can stockpile (everything is stuff we eat on a regular basis so no waste on things we’ll never actually eat). We are already struggling for cash so trying to be prepared now so that we can spend less on groceries in coming months.

There is an extra stockpile of the stuff we use the most in another kitchen cupboard tucked away so we can slowly restock our new rolling can storage (which is SO much of an improvement on just throwing everything into a cupboard and forgetting about stuff because it’s hidden)

Do you think things will stabilise or are we still going to face a lot of economic uncertainty in the uk soon?

I've got two LORA devices - Lilygo T-Deck Plus and a WisMesh Tap V2. The latter is more robust. There are a few nodes around the North West. I recently got someone's message from Snaefell in Isle of Man and received the message in Liverpool so messaging can go quite far given sufficient elevation etc. The map functions on both devices are not easy to use / non-functioning : Lilygo I had to try and create my own map files - failed ; WisMesh only shows at European scale.

I want to have a radio that can receive SSB band signals so I might buy this : https://amzn.eu/d/0bAqnP2h

I also have a standard hand crank emergency radio.

What are your comms options for a prep emergency (ie. no internet or mobile comms) ?

UPDATE : with a bit of help from Gemini I've decided to buy a Quansheng UV-K5(8) . I'm also going to obtain an amateur radio license too so I can learn to use it. Thanks for all your comments - they have been tremendously helpful !

A couple of months back I remember seeing a Reddit post where someone mentioned this old style cookbook focused on how people ate before modern food systems. I meant to comment and ask about where they got it then completely lost the post. If you’re the person who originally suggested it, thank you, because it stuck with me enough that I went looking for it later and it’s honestly changed how I think about food.

We’re so used to fridges, supermarkets, and next-day delivery that I never really stopped to think about how people actually ate before all of that existed. The book is basically a collection of recipes designed to last months or even years without refrigeration. The same kinds of foods our grandparents (and great-grandparents) relied on.

What surprised me most wasn’t even the recipes, but the mindset behind them. Everything is about making food stretch, using what you have, and not depending on systems that can disappear overnight. Reading through it really highlights how dependent we’ve all become compared to just a couple of generations ago.

Over the holidays I’ve been trying some of the recipes with my kids, mostly out of curiosity. A few are definitely outside our normal routine, but some were genuinely good and there’s something oddly satisfying about making food that doesn’t rely on power or modern storage.

It’s less a cookbook and more a little history lesson disguised as one. Made me appreciate how resilient people used to be, especially when it came to feeding a family.

For anyone curious, it’s called The Lost Super Foods and it’s sold directly by the author on his website: thelost-recipes.com

many supermarkets are doing a cheap veggie deal in thecrun up to Easter like they have previously done for Christmas.

4p-8p veg. things like potatoes, carrots, onions.

6 vegetable items per customer.

would be a good idea to go get yoir 6 veg each day. chop and freeze carrots. keep potatoes in a cool, dry place. onions will last ages.

We're going on a holiday we booked last year on Saturday for two weeks, which I imagine will be the last one for a good while. Once I'm back I'm planning to get a few things to offset some of the burden the summer is bringing. That said, I'm not an experienced prepper and I absolutely do not have the money to get backup generators or any expensive systems. I'm working with what I can afford. This stuff is not to keep us alive in a full collapse but to offset the shortages (or expenses, if the country pays the brunt to keep major shortages at bay).

My current plan is:

- canned/freeze dired food, some MREs, to supplement rather than replace

- some stored water, but hopefully water won't become an issue. Lifestraws if it does.

- batteries and torches

- a camp stove and fuel for it

- extra off the shelf medicine, we're going to America so might pick up some big bottles of extra strength stuff while there.

- some extra board games and tangible entertainment if rolling blackouts/electricity is also rationed

That's about it. I can't drop much more. I'm really just trying to give my family a leg up for when things get rough. Are there any other low cost ideas to add to this list?

Thanks.

Useful?

Edit: Sorry, didn't realise the corsspost didn't actually cross post.

Here's the original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AI4tech/s/FWzBqwZzet

what do we think of things like water purification tools / straws from low cost / grade sites like temu.

legitimate or fake?

What I’ve seen so far which is in my budget of £300-400 are powerstations that power up phones and laptops.

I liked the idea of solar but in the uk we don’t have much sun. is it worth me buying a £400 powerstations from ecoflow delta 1024w or Jackery and then additionally buying a solar panel 2x100w. I mean it’s not going to power up the frig or microwave but it’s a start ?

idk I need help I’ve done research too. Like a100w solar panel is going to take about 4 hours to charge the station minimum . trying to save electricity is the goal!

All advice appreciated.

let’s say that security has been breached and someone broke in to my room (I live with other people). i get inside my room, put a barricade against the door….and then what would be the most logical step by step approach to “catch” an intruder? I've got tons of objects in my room that are taking up space, so I would need to inspect every cranny to see no ones there and also I’ve got two sliding windows so I would have to check also if they’re closed, while having my ear out to make sure no one moves the barricade and then escapes through my door, the rest of the apartment and finally out. lets also enter into the scenario the possibility that I’d be dealing with experienced career criminals. What would be the best step by step approach to handle this situation as it is right now? you can also PM me.

Just seen today the goverment has anounced a plan to ban the sale of crossbows using the excess of 1 single time they were used in a murder 2 years ago.

If they ban crossbows heavy draw weight bows will be next.

What's everyone's plan if they do? Declare and risk seizure in a shtf situation or risk getting caught with an unlicensed crossbow? We seen many examples of goverments siezing goods even food in shtf eg Holodomor, metal and livestock commandeered in ww2 etc So I don't really trust the goverment not too repeat such actions im future.

Thoughts?

I have zero prep and only just come onto the subject.

Just wondering if there are pdfs or sites you can print from. Information for if everything went down I could read after it's too late.

Info on basic medicine, basic understanding of injuries and survival, understanding water, storing and eating food with basic resources.

I want to print out a bunch of papers for if it all went down I have them to look over?

Any ideas?

Later this year my partner and I will be moving into a flat and I want to make sure we’re prepared for at least basic storm stuff. For context we’re moving into a flat in Portsmouth (not right next to sea front or area more prone to flooding and not close enough to the naval base we’d need iodine tablets), but still want to get some bits together so we’re ready if/when we get a storm or something happens. Also in a flat we’re a bit limited on space so I want to make sure I’m prioritising what’s more likely to be necessary at some point.

So far in my list I’ve got:

-3 days worth of water for the both of us (still need to work out how much that is lol)

-a good power bank (or 2)

-a few days extra of food (not sure what’s the best)

-medications (both my prescription and painkillers, cold medicine etc)

-first aid kit

-good quality duct tape

-baby wipes

-some sort of disinfectant

-torch and batteries

- some sort of card game (more for morale lol although I already have several I could bring so don’t need to buy)

-baby wipes (I’m thinking to still be able to clean ourselves a bit without using water if we need to conserve it)

-bag of werthers sweets (again for morale if something happens that lasts several days, plus I have blood sugar drops sometimes so it’s double use lmfao)

Not preparing for like ww3 or something because that’d probably immediately wipe us out but more bad storm/powercut. Our flat is a top floor flat so don’t know if I need to be concerned about flooding or not (as far as I’m aware not in an area with a lot of floods).

Especially with living in a flat and having limited spaces I want to make sure we have what we absolutely need and the things that have the most utility. We will have a small storage room we can probably use but don’t have the luxury of a lot of space still .

Thank you for your advice

Edit to add: I’m also getting books/ in general reading up on prepping related things and planning on taking a first aid course soon so any recommendations for good books or websites would also be greatly appreciated. Thought of this the second I hit post smh

I’d like to purchase a crossbow, target and bolts, looking for a place where I can practice.

With all the flood warnings, do people in the risk areas feel prepared?

I have written an article which I hope can help inform someone to be better prepared. Has anyone experienced flooding that has any lessons they learned and happy to share to help inform others?

We are a group of five Film and Television students from the University of Bristol. We are looking to make an investigative documentary around the UK prepper movement and how increasing global pressures are leading people to prepare for potential disasters. We want to avoid the unwarranted ridicule that can sometimes be linked to the movement and are approaching the project with genuine curiosity and intrigue. Our aim is to hopefully meet with members of this community and conduct interviews where you have the opportunity to educate the importance of your preparations. We would be completely transparent throughout the production process and ensure that no ulterior narrative is presented. This project is not financially backed by any organisation. Those involved will also be given the choice to remain anonymous. If anyone near Bristol/Southwest England/Wales would potentially be interested in speaking to us, please contact Bristolfilmandtvdocumentary@gmail.com

It is a small dashboard that reads the latest UK Fuel Finder CSV snapshot, shows whether the data looks fresh or stale, and lets you find the cheapest nearby stations for a chosen fuel type by entering a postcode.

I have seen people go wild recently over prices of gold and silver sky rocketting, got me thinking is it going to be worth anything in a serious long term situation?

Assume EMP, Famine, War, Climate scenarios or whatever is plausable to yourself.