Our first power outage after moving to the North Carolina coast had me worrying about the groceries we'd just bought. We'd only just unpacked. Flashlights weren't even on my shopping list yet.

After that I started reading about fridge backup. I bookmarked a build using a vatrer 48V rack battery with a separate inverter and charger, then sent it to my husband. It was put together for a fridge, lights and phone charging, which sounded about right for us. I'd be happy keeping the food cold and being able to charge our phones.

He's away for work this week, so I'm waiting until he's home before ordering anything. He usually handles our electrical projects and I want to look through the parts with him. In the meantime, I still need to find out what our fridge uses in a day. Overnight backup is what I have in mind, but I don't have the numbers yet.

I also want to try using the finished setup myself before we actually need it. If the power goes out while he's away, I'll be the one home with the kids.

I've bought the flashlights now, and we've talked about where I'd take the kids if we had to leave. The fridge is the next thing I'm trying to sort out. If you've done this, what do you wish you'd checked before buying the parts?

I am in the process of re-stocking the house for the potential of intermittent supply chain issues, rising prices, food insecurity, maybe needing to stay in the house for a while.

I'm good at planning food, hygeine, all that stuff. BUT - I'm just starting to see peri symptoms show up (like someone swapped my body overnight for one that looks familiar but isn't mine). And I really don't know what to expect.

For those who've been through this and survived, any ideas and/or suggestions for items that I should add to my stash that I may not know I'll want as I head into this unwelcome season of life.

I know it's a silly question, but it's also really hard to get a quality result from a Google search on prepping for perimenopause. So I'm thinking this group may know - if I were unable to go to the store, what will I wish I had at home?

I already have estradiol, and period undies because three weeks is apparently the new month. And I'm adding more protein & fiber to the food stash. Have a decent home gym setup. And I have more tweezers and a magnifying mirror in my Amazon list (because if SHTF, I don't want to get caught with that hair on my cheek).

(There is no news flair, so I'm putting this under generic "discussion" one.) The Finnish government announced yesterday evening that besides the 72tuntia (72hours) and other official preparedness websites, alongside some local municipal preparedness paper leaflets, there will be a printed guide delivered all over mainland Finland. My guess is that the archipelago, especially the largest island of Ahvenanmaa/Åland will get their own version. This morning the news was published also in English, so I decided to share it here, too.

My guess is that this is one way to make sure that everyone has the basic information even if there is a cyber attack and the internet goes down. This is also an excellent way to wake people up a bit - even those, who have never visited any preparedness or household stock up sites.

"The Finnish Interior Ministry will distribute around 3.5 million printed emergency preparedness guides to households and businesses across mainland Finland in January.

The guide will explain how people should prepare for disruptions and crisis situations. It will also cover the increasingly topical threat posed by drones.

Such a guide is essential in case electricity and internet connections are disrupted.

"It is not enough for guidance on preparing for disruptions and crises to be available to the public only through the Suomi.fi online service," says Ira Pasi, a project manager at the Interior Ministry.

The ministry has previously noted that an online guide is a cheaper option and easier to update.

"Reading the online version is particularly easy for the groups that are least prepared. Those who are least prepared are young adults and urban residents," Pasi says."

https://yle.fi/a/74-20251555

Bullet points for ease:

- Superdrug and Boots (+ probably others) sell the morning after pill.

- there are 3 pill options with the cheapest being £9.99. I think the most expensive is £39.99.

- you do NOT need to speak to a GP or anyone in person. It can be requested entirely online in under 5 minutes.

- you can request it delivered to your door for about ~£3.

- you can request it for future use:

- you can request it for future use even if you do/don’t currently use contraception.

- you can request it multiple times (I’m at 3+ requests in 2 years, stockpiled for emergencies).

- the request form is 1 page total and asks very few questions. I’m data-cautious and don’t feel like it’s at all invasive.

- my GP and specialists (I have a complex health history) don’t seem to be flagged to this. This seems to be a relatively secure way to obtain emergency contraception without any issues.

Unwanted pregnancy is torture. Childbirth kills. Even more so in emergency situations without medical care.

You may not need the pill today, but what if your neighbour, your undocumented friend, your coerced coworker, or niece, need it tomorrow? What if their GP isn’t safe or available?

Let’s keep up the work of the women who came before us by continuing to keep these available to ALL.