With the deadline looming for when the UK leaves the EU – 29th March – and lots of things being discussed about Brexit in the news daily, it seems like a good idea to have a think about the impact that it will [might?] have on our country for the foreseeable future.
It looks more and more likely that we’re heading for a No Deal Brexit, which means that we don’t have any kind of deals in place when we leave, which could have an impact on certain things post Brexit. One of these being food and what might be available or not. Of course, at this point no one has any clue what is actually going to happen! Which again could be a potentially scary position to be.
But, there could be shortages in how much food we can import, due to hold up at borders. Fuel shortages could be an issue, especially in bigger cities. Medical supplies, including various medicines could be in short supply. Loss of jobs might be an issue, plus many items could go up in price.
So, lots of things to think about.
But, should I be stockpiling food for Brexit? Maybe.
Having a stockpile of some description is definitely something to try and plan to have, if you have the space and the means to do so. I’ve written a post before about starting a stockpile and what things to have in there. You want your stockpile to be full of products that you use and find useful. There’s no point in buying lots of things on sale if you never use them in the first place. Remember, your stockpile can also include household items and toiletries, if you want it to. You also need to keep it organised so it works best for you.
Things have already started to rise in price, little by little. Who knows how much more that could rise after Brexit? The uncertainty isn’t helping either; people don’t know what is going to happen but don’t know how much to prepare for. And there’s certainly a lot of scaremongering in certain news publications.
So, if you can build up your stockpile, then I would do so. I think that having some extras in just in case cannot be a bad thing. If you need to use them, then you already have the items at home and if you don’t, then you just have more to use up over time. There’s nothing bad about that scenario. If your budget allows it, then I think there’s no problem at all in stockpiling for Brexit!
Some things for you to consider stockpiling are:
- tinned tomatoes
- basmati rice/risotto rice/pasta/spaghetti
- cheese
- tinned beans
- tinned soup
- tinned sweetcorn
- tinned tuna
- jam and peanut butter
- lentils
- olive/vegetable oil
- UHT/Almond milk
- toilet rolls
- toothpaste
- hand wash
Things that you would regularly use anyway as there’s no point in buying extra things you know you and your family wouldn’t use. Having a stockpile that works should save you money in the long run. This is just adding that extra bit of security and peace of mind, if you need it. Also, make sure you have a good tin opener handy – nothing like getting a tin of soup and not being able to get into it… (speaking from experience on that one!).
Are we stockpiling for Brexit? Kind of! I’ve been buying some extra tins of things, like tinned tomatoes and beans, just in case. We use these things week in, week out so there’s no harm in that. In fact, if our extension work wasn’t starting imminently, I would probably buy a bit more but we don’t have the space.
What about you? Are you stockpiling for Brexit or not bothered?
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Olive oil is worth getting now as the harvest in Italy was 57% down last year due to early frost and the bug attacking and killing the trees. This means the shortage will likely cause prices to rise in 2019, with or without BREXIT.
Emergency tin opener – up end tin and rub it hard on a concrete path. Turn the thermostat way up and squeeze the sun des gently. The top will pop off.
As a mature over 50 I will not be stockpiling for after Brexit. I will just keep up my usual stock levels. I think there will only be shortages if people panic. The plus side is we can purchase goods from UK suppliers to help boost trade. I think everyone should have a certain level of tinned and dried food stocks in case of illness or freak weather conditions.
I heard a colleague say the other day that with a no-deal Brexit the UK will run out of toilet paper in supermarkets within 24 hours. Not sure if that is just fearmongering, but I can definitely see why stockpiling some essentials in the case of a no-deal Brexit could be helpful.
Taking my lead from the supermarkets which are holding much bigger stocks than usual. My cupboards are well stocked. It’s fine to say that we’ll just buy more British stuff if we can’t get imported foods, but so will everyone else and we simply don’t produce enough to sustain a higher demand. Not only that,but many things produced in the UK still rely on European base ingredients. I sincerely hope that the supermarkets are wrong, and that I am too and my stockpile won’t be needed. However it will be there if I. Need it, and if not then it will keep me going for some time to come.
I think, Eloise, that’s known in the business as a win/win and pretty much exactly what I’m doing. And as a bonus if things really do seem dire, people like us won’t be cluttering up the supermarkets when those who never prepared are actually panic buying.
We are watching the Brexit situation with great interest here in Canada. I suppose that having extra provisions in is always a good idea. Then, if they’re not really necessary, you can just slowly use them up.
I’ve seen all the protests in London, but what is the general feeling in other parts of the UK?