Tag: warmth

Toddler Tuesday

#ToddlerTuesday

www.brexitsurvivaljournal.comAny parent of small children knows they don’t do “boredom”. If they aren’t kept busy, they will find something to amuse themselves and that can often be what you do not want them to do. They are also very often “picky” with their food and need foods that they will eat.

Surviving Brexit With Babies, Toddlers And Small Children

Hopefully, Brexit will pass off without anyone noticing any difference and you can just play with and feed your children as usual.

If it doesn’t, then preparing ahead of time will save your sanity and make life easier for everyone.

Food

Stock up on any special items you normally feed your child with, including formula (baby milk), rusks, and any foods you know your child likes AND that can be stored with a good long “use by” date. These might include tinned baked beans or spaghetti for older children or tinned soup. Remember to include treats appropriate to your child’s age, such as chocolate buttons and Smarties. They are not only useful as rewards or bribes but if there are problems preparing food, they can stop a child from becoming too hungry. You can also store sliced bread in the freezer, provided it is well wrapped against freezer burn. Frozen sliced bread can be toasted direct from frozen for a quick snack of toast.

Leaving Home

Let’s hope no one has to leave home but if you do, a prepared “go” bag, including a wash bag, pyjamas, clean underwear and a change of clothes for each child is useful. Remember nappies and wet wipes for any child using them. Other useful items for each bag include a bottle of water and a snack, such as a chocolate bar (appropriate to age).

Amusements

Just in case there are power cuts or you have to leave home, then including a game or book or toys in the go bag for each child can save a lot of trouble. Colouring books and crayons or coloured pencils are useful, low tech, easy-carry and cheap items to include. Books are heavier but may be useful for older children. A favourite toy may be vital to remember. Low tech toys are useful if there are power cuts even if you remain at home. You can always remove a few current toys to pack away because by the time October 31st comes around, those toys will seem new again.

Cold Weather

At October 31st, the weather in the UK is usually turning colder, even if there are a few days of Indian Summer. Keep some warm clothes on hand in case there are power cuts or lack of warmth or you have to move.

Brexit Survival Journal

Get checklists that will help you survive Brexit and provide space for you to add your own items with the Brexit Survival Journal.

Warmth Wednesday

Hallowe’en Brexit

www.brexitsurvivaljournal.comOctober 31st, Hallowe’en, is the planned date for the UK’s exit from Europe (Brexit). This date is half way through the Autumn season, moving quickly towards Winter. The long range forecast for the end of October, early November, shows a daytime high temperature of 10 – 12 degrees Celsius and a night time low of 4 – 6 degrees Celsius. (daytime high of 53 degrees Fahrenheit to night time low of 42 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Autumn Heat

For most people, this will mean putting at least some heat on, whether that is oil, coal, gas, or electric. Even if there is an Indian summer in the Autumn, this is usually over by the end of October and there can be snow at times in November.
Have you thought about what you could do to lessen the effects of possible shortages of fuel or heat? The Brexit Survival Journal prompts you to think about these questions and provides some ideas on how you can prepare, at the least cost, to ensure you do not go cold or without warm food.

Yellowhammer

The Yellowhammer report predicts that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the planned removal of all tariffs from oil (and other goods) entering the UK, will make the UK’s fuel industry unprofitable, which could mean the closure of two oil refineries. Whether this could lead to fuel and heating oil restrictions is not known, however, lorries moving through ports are thought likely to experience up to 2 days of delays, which will reduce the level of all road transported goads entering the UK.

Oil is usually transported by boat to the UK and by road tanker after refining. Coal is also usually imported by boat and distributed throughout the UK by lorry.
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The Yellowhammer report, or at least the details released so far, does not predict shortages of oil or coal in the event of a no-deal Brexit, although it does predict the closure of two oil refineries and the loss of 2,000 direct jobs. This could lead to protests and strike action which could affect oil supplies.

There does not appear to be any mention of electricity power cuts or gas supply disruption.

Quite apart from any possible difficulties in importing oil to the UK, it is paid for in US dollars. It is predicted that if the UK leaves the EU on a no-deal Brexit, the exchange value of the pound sterling against the US dollar will drop considerably. This will lead to an increase in the cost of heating oil and vehicle fuel.

Build Up Stocks Where Possible

While shortages of heating fuels and vehicle fuel does not appear to be predicted as a high possibility, it is possible that there could be some disruption to supplies. There could also be sharp price increases due to a possible drop in the value of the pound sterling against the US dollar, so where it is possible to build up fuel stocks ahead of time, it may be prudent to do so.

Stay At Home

www.brexitsurvivaljournal.comHome

For most people, staying at home is the easiest and safest option in troubled times and it is assumed that this is where you will be.

If you want to stay within your home and not have to go outside to get supplies, you will need to make sure you have enough stuff to last you for about 3 weeks at least, possibly even 6 weeks. You may not use your emergency supplies all the time, you may just need to call on them when there are shortages and then stock them back up again when fresh supplies come in. But isn’t it good to know that you will be able to feed yourself and your family and have some comforts if necessary?

Hopefully, any troubles will be over and supplies will be back in local stores again, within about 6 weeks, though there may be shortages and some items may take a lot longer before supplies are available whenever you want them.

Shelter

Your first priority will be shelter. But with Brexit, hopefully, this will be your own home and with any luck you will have your normal utilities, water, electricity and a cooking stove.

If you need to move out of your home, other preparations will be needed ahead of time, this is dealt with later.

Staying in your own home is the best bet in most cases but you will need to prepare in case any of the utilities (like water, gas and electricity) are interrupted, as well as store food that your family can eat: and store drinking water.

Cooking

How do you cook meals at present?

  • don’t – eat takeaways or eat out
  • electricity
  • piped gas
  • cylinder gas
  • solid fuel stove
  • couple of different methods

Your Plan

Think of how you could manage to cook if the power goes down, or the gas or fuel are delayed. If you have only electricity for cooking, for instance, you will need to think of another way of being able to cook. Maybe you have a coal fire? Maybe you need to buy a portable camping stove? Think about what you need to DO in order to be able to cook. Perhaps you need to stockpile some more gas cylinders or more coal?
What is the Plan……………………………………………………………………………….
When will you do this? ……………………………………………………………………….
What is the Budget? ………………………………………………………………………….

Take Action

The Important Stuff

There is a journal available with check sheets that you can fill in and use to save recipes and stuff ahead of time. Knowing what’s important allows you to budget for any expenditure and find a place to store stuff, keep it fresh and rotated and keep everyone up to date on the plan and how to work it.

Having A Cunning Plan

When an emergency is announced, the shops are besieged, everyone runs round like a nest of ants that has been dug up, saucepans or bathtubs of water are stored and very few eat properly. A few days later the water is emptied out, the bread is stale and everyone goes back to their ordinary lives, apart from the few who got caught out and those who were really prepared.

Which Do You Want To Be?

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Prepared

The prepared person has a plan that everyone knows, has stores of food that they and their family like and will eat, that can be used if necessary and that will not be wasted if they are not needed just now. They have clean water, medical supplies, ways to keep their pets safe, a working car and a safe home to go to if they have to leave.

Unprepared

The unprepared person ends up cold, hungry, sitting in the dark or maybe a local community hall, without their pets or medications and no clean clothes.

You need a plan that will:
● Help you keep in touch;
● Keep you sheltered;
● Keep you fed and watered;
● Keep your pets safe;
● Keep your transport working where possible; and,
● Keep your medications current and more……

But It Will Only Work If You Take Action!