Winter Supplies...

DonnchaMc · 11-10-2011 5:47am #1

With winter coming in im sure every1 is starting to stock up on supplies etc.. Im just wondering how much is needed for 2people n 2dogs (the babys hahaha)

Thanks.

fenris · 11-10-2011 12:25pm

Start by looking at your actual weekly / monthly shopping.

Divide that list into perishables and non-perishables.

Stock up on the non-perishables and figure out what perishables you can swap out in a pinch. Try it out now rather than waiting and finding out that powdered milk is not nice in tea or some other item gives you the trots!

Don't forget that most store cupboard items need water to make them useful.

Make a menu plan for different situations e.g. in the house but no water, in the house no power, in the house no food in the shops, in the house no money etc., realistically if you lose power you will be using up your freezer stock first with a minimal impact on your non-perishables, followed by a transition to more basic foods so the plan should take this into account.

Dogs - an extra big bag of dried food and lots of water, my two (Irish Setter and Lab cross) go through a 15kg bag every 3.5 -4 weeks, although they would make a serious attempt to go through it in an afternoon it they were allowed!.

DonnchaMc · 11-10-2011 6:42pm

cool thanks. New to living away from home and we moved to the country to boot so dont wanna get caught out and forget something id normally have taken for granted

Grizzly 45 · 12-10-2011 1:05am

If you got transport make sure you have Winter tyres on it.That was one of the major problems of people in the snow over the last two years here.
Everyone was fffin and blinding out their German cars,which handle worse conditions in Germany almost every year no bother,because of the proper tyres for the conditions on them.If you have really bad snow,[like maybe Donegal I guess]...Invest in a set of snow chains.That should get you mobile in the most dire of situations.

Unless we get a really bad blizzard or month of it.I'd suggest about two weeks extra groceries /hard supplies and an extra 2 bags of doggie food.
Its not Alaska or Canada where it might lock down for 4 months plus.Yet!!.:eek:
Water,well if you have a fire,you can melt the snow.
Staying warm should be the 1st pirority after water,you can live for 3weeks without food.That means nothing at all bar your fat reserves.So I doubt that we will be reverting to chomping down on our nearest and dearest just yet this winter here.:)

H.O.T.A.S. · 12-10-2011 4:45pm

Another thing to look out for are a pair of Ice Cleats. They are like ice tyres but for shoes, small spiked rubber slip ons that fit over your shoes. You can guarantee they'll be snapped up if it's anything like last year. They are very useful for anyone that has to traverse iced up pavements or for any elderly relatives, where a fall could mean a broken hip. Dunnes are currently selling them in their stores that have a home wear/clothing department, think they are €15.

For a more beefed up alternative check out YakTrax Pro Hikers

They can be picked up online for between €30-€45.

Tabnabs · 13-10-2011 10:27am

The Irish Weather Online website has put up their winter weather forecast. Available here http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/atmosphere/cold/iwo-winter-2011-12-forecast-for-ireland/41524.html

TL/DR? January we should get snow (especially in the east)

krissovo · 13-10-2011 12:04pm

For your Car:

Preparation - A good service (oils, fluids, brakes check etc), Winter Tires or snow chains/socks (highly recommend winter ties for rural areas)

Always in your car - Shovel, Sleeping bag(s), Water, Food for 48hrs (cereal bars, chocolate, meat sticks etc, luxury item self heating can of food or two).

For your home:

Preparation - Insulate your water supply at the stop cocks and water tank (if in attic or outside), fill up your heating oil, bulk storage of timber/coal for fires

Water - minimum of 5ltrs of water per day per person for minimum of 2 weeks (I have a 1000ltr tank always topped up by the main and recycled). If using dried food increase to 8 for both human and dog). Store this in water containers

Heat - Do you have a secondary source of heat that does not rely on electricity/oil like a open fire/stove? If not I would have provision for a gas canister stove or similar.

Food - Food storage in Winter is quite easy, if you lose electricity then just put everything outside in a secured container. Always have a few weeks of food like tins, dried and cereals. Particular food I stock up on are frozen breads rolls, milk powder, sugar, coffee.

Cooking - If your stove is electric then get a camping stove as backup, if you have a stove can you cook with this?

Wimbago · 13-10-2011 12:11pm

H.O.T.A.S. wrote: »

Another thing to look out for are a pair of Ice Cleats.

They can be picked up online for between €30-€45.

Irish Times had a 'deals' magazine the other day and you could order a pair for €12 (and a bizarre set for high heels too

). Unsure what day the mag was out unfortunately

H.O.T.A.S. · 13-10-2011 3:06pm

Wimbago wrote: »

Irish Times had a 'deals' magazine the other day and you could order a pair for €12 (and a bizarre set for high heels too ). Unsure what day the mag was out unfortunately

If they were for the Hike Pro's then thats a great deal! Seen some ones designed for high heels, makes you wonder!

meathstevie · 19-10-2011 11:26am

H.O.T.A.S. wrote: »

Another thing to look out for are a pair of Ice Cleats. They are like ice tyres but for shoes, small spiked rubber slip ons that fit over your shoes. You can guarantee they'll be snapped up if it's anything like last year. They are very useful for anyone that has to traverse iced up pavements or for any elderly relatives, where a fall could mean a broken hip. Dunnes are currently selling them in their stores that have a home wear/clothing department, think they are €15.

For a more beefed up alternative check out YakTrax Pro Hikers

They can be picked up online for between €30-€45.

Have the YakTrax myself, brilliant piece of kit. It's nearly like walking under normal conditions over frozen snow and ice.

Come to think of it, the likes of a pair of runners spikes would be a good alternative solution as well but with the distinct disadvantage that you can't wear a decent pair of socks in them.

slowburner · 20-10-2011 9:18am

DonnchaMc wrote: »

With winter coming in im sure every1 is starting to stock up on supplies etc.. Im just wondering how much is needed for 2people n 2dogs (the babys hahaha)

Thanks.

Water - lots of it. I've become a mad thing hoarding those 5 litre water bottles in anticipation of the winter water supply being cut off, which is inevitable. Life is pure hell without it
How I'm going to store the bottled water without it freezing is another question.

fodda · 20-10-2011 9:29am

slowburner wrote: »

Water - lots of it. I've become a mad thing hoarding those 5 litre water bottles in anticipation of the winter water supply being cut off, which is inevitable. Life is pure hell without it
How I'm going to store the bottled water without it freezing is another question.

Straw bales:)

slowburner · 20-10-2011 9:34am

Brilliant!

fodda · 20-10-2011 9:42am

Send the cheque for 1000.00 euro to
Fodda
Boards.ie Lunatic Asylum
Dub98:)

slowburner · 20-10-2011 9:45am

It's in the post.

kildare.17hmr · 20-10-2011 1:58pm

The last 3 years my estate has gone without water for 1-2 weeks at a time during the winter, they drop the pressure and the water cant make it up the hill to our estate:rolleyes: have a load of 25 liter drums that keep us going and usuually drag the wheelie bin to the tanker and fill it up and use that water to keep the toilet going!

Grizzly 45 · 20-10-2011 6:01pm

Why not just get one of those big cage tanks and connect it into your downpipe from the gutter and collect free rainwater before the freeze.Or if you are short of space and are neat,bury it as a subeterrainian water tank? Again a pretty simple job if you think about it.[Bar the digging]
Pump it out with a 12v drill pump or a siphon hose,and use the 20 litre cans for drinking water.??

Note,make sure you bitch&moan alot about the water rates next year,in the fact that if you are going to have to pay for this generally non food grade vital life necessity.You should least expect it to come out of your tap when you turn it on! IOW get their act together and sort out the pressure on your estate.

eth0 · 20-10-2011 8:30pm

before I couldn't give a fook if the water was gone for a couple days but now i'll be roaring the head off at them if its gone for 2 seconds. and i'll be expecting them to keep the house in good condition too since we'll be paying them for the yearly privilege of owning a house you already paid someone else for

Judgement Day · 21-10-2011 8:21pm

I managed quite well in the last freeze - living right in the centre of Enniscorthy town - but I still had to make the odd sortie to the shops/pub. I will be buying the Yaktrax myself for those hilly but essential journeys. I have a large list of essentials which I am gradually ticking off, covering everything from matches, water containers, dry food - even the government suggested disposable barbecues - through to flour/sugar/batteries etc.etc. The hard thing is to keep away from the emergency supplies when I can't be bothered going to the shops. I shall be quite disappointed if we don't get some serious snow now.

slowburner · 21-10-2011 8:24pm

Judgement Day wrote: »

I managed quite well in the last freeze - living right in the centre of Enniscorthy town - but I still had to make the odd sortie to the shops/pub. I will be buying the Yaktrax myself for those hilly but essential journeys. I have a large list of essentials which I am gradually ticking off, covering everything from matches, water containers, dry food - even the government suggested disposable barbecues - through to flour/sugar/batteries etc.etc. The hard thing is to keep away from the emergency supplies when I can't be bothered going to the shops. I shall be quite disappointed if we don't get some serious snow now.

What's this about barbies?
Serious snow won't be here until January, according to the weather forum :pac::pac:

eth0 · 21-10-2011 8:31pm

slowburner wrote: »

What's this about barbies?
Serious snow won't be here until January, according to the weather forum :pac::pac:

I can't wait for the snow. Everything looks so nice then and tis so quiet, great for going for a stroll or cycling on the roads with no traffic on them

I have to feel sorry for the poor feckers that are so caught up in their boring routine that they expect the government to clean it up for them as soon as it appears. Yer life would have to be fairly sh/te if you can't even enjoy a few days of snow

slowburner · 21-10-2011 8:34pm

eth0 wrote: »

I can't wait for the snow. Everything looks so nice then and tis so quiet, great for going for a stroll or cycling on the roads with no traffic on them

I have to feel sorry for the poor feckers that are so caught up in their boring routine that they expect the government to clean it up for them as soon as it appears. Yer life would have to be fairly sh/te if you can't even enjoy a few days of snow

A few days are fun - a few weeks gets boring and bloody expensive.:pac::pac:

lorrscann · 21-10-2011 8:48pm

Just got my oil tank filled

eth0 · 21-10-2011 8:49pm

slowburner wrote: »

A few days are fun - a few weeks gets boring and bloody expensive.:pac::pac:

How does it get expensive? Didn't get bored of it last year when we had all the snow nor did I find it any more expensive than usual

actually cheaper cause if it wasn't for the snow I'd be out buying things

Grizzly 45 · 21-10-2011 9:29pm

slowburner wrote: »

What's this about barbies?
Serious snow won't be here until January, according to the weather forum :pac::pac:

Our govts great idea for us to keep warm and fed when the great blizzards of 24 hours strike us here.:rolleyes::rolleyes:
Proably also a indirect solution they hope to the housing and dole crisis.In which people manage to burn down their properties,by lighting one of these things in the front room,or dying of carbon monoxide poisioning from the fumes trying to keep warm by huddling around this thing.:rolleyes:

About as helpful as well most suggestions by the Irish gubmint!!

Just on a point of silly Irish govt plans to "help" in a disaster.
Who has still got the original 1960/70 Irish nuke survival book?
The 1980s CD version? And their 2001 anti radiation tablets??:D:D

eth0 · 21-10-2011 10:09pm

The ould iodine tablets must be around somehwere methinks..

Feck I'd never think of having a barbequeue in the middle of winter. Tis not that bloody hard to stock up a week or two worth of food that doesn't require much heating. The government loves to make a big deal out of thse things for some reason

fodda · 21-10-2011 10:13pm

Barbies are a perfect tool for heating water and cooking food but not inside the house........In garage or shed with door open.

eth0 · 21-10-2011 10:20pm

Meself I prefer a 1-burner gas cooker that sits directly on top of the gas drum (proper big yellow gas drums not the campingaz stuff).

Have one or two at home but I can't find them anywhere on the internet. Absolutely fecking brilliant yokes. I can't find any that are a self contained unit and doesn't require a separate regulator. This yoke has the regulator just below it, they havn't been banned by any chance have they due to some possible freak accident that might occur?

Sticky_Fingers · 21-10-2011 10:23pm

eth0 wrote: »

The ould iodine tablets must be around somehwere methinks..

Feck I'd never think of having a barbequeue in the middle of winter. Tis not that bloody hard to stock up a week or two worth of food that doesn't require much heating. The government loves to make a big deal out of thse things for some reason

Well to be fair to them there are a whole lot of idiots out there that need to be told and then retold this stuff so hopefully it sinks in. I remember Joe Duffy being alive to the sound of whining last winter from people who were complaining about having no water because like 70,000 other homes they left the taps running to prevent freezing thus depleting the reservoirs. What is worse though is that this water was just wasted and went straight down the drain :mad:.

Slick50 · 21-10-2011 10:26pm

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

....bury it as a subeterrainian water tank? Again a pretty simple job if you think about it.[Bar the digging]
Pump it out with a 12v drill pump or a siphon hose,and use the 20 litre cans for drinking water.??

Where can I get one of them subterranean siphon hoses ?

eth0 · 21-10-2011 10:31pm

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

Well to be fair to them there are a whole lot of idiots out there that need to be told and then retold this stuff so hopefully it sinks in. I remember Joe Duffy being alive to the sound of whining last winter from people who were complaining about having no water because like 70,000 other homes they left the taps running to prevent freezing thus depleting the reservoirs. What is worse though is that this water was just wasted and went straight down the drain :mad:.

They'll keep doing it in the hope that everyone else won't. Even when the meters come in they'll pay for it rather than take the chance

Winter Supplies...

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