Preparedness for when

westcoastscot

BBB very sensible advice thankyou, and very much in line with my thinking/actions. I'm very lucky in that i've always been fairly self-sufficient - was a crofter for years and still live a very low-tech simple life, as do my grown children. The only downside to this is that there's very little ground to be gained by "giving up" luxuries etc

I have considered moving but since my house is paid for, and I live in a small place with relatively good facilities I think i'm well placed here.

AOT mine is bodywide, I have PsA and OA, but has only recently spread to my feet and my right hand, and it's this that has brought home to me the potential for serious disability. I'm doing all I can to slow progress, but feel it is prudent to make what preps I can, rather than pretend it isn't going to happen - I'm optimisitic by nature but also pragmatic.

I read about the nasdaq with interest - I have a healthy distrust of any kind of institution and prefer to have control of my own interests where possible

WCS

BessieBooBoo

pineapple wrote: »

Just to add to our woes - here is a warning about the precarious state of our computerised age. Of course it could just be a boring day in newsland - but a useful reminder nonetheless. Let's not forget the not so distant banking glitches.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/23/nasdaq-crash-data
I've been a bit lax, running down my cash on hand as well as stores.
Will have to start trying to build both back up

Hello Pineapple

Thanks for this. Also, did you see the other article mentioned at the bottom of this one? About fool's paradise? By RBS personage?

Eek, eek and eek again.....

BBB

(now off to scan the web for a farm....)

BessieBooBoo

ArthriticOldThing wrote: »

Hello everyone. Do you mind if I join this thread - I've been a lurker for a long time. Wish had found it before I 'retired'.

I so understand where you're coming from WCS, my arthritis affects my hands and feet most so I worry about how I will manage in an emergency.

Will have to start following all the good advice on here and get myself prepping.

Hello AOT

Course not! Never too late and all that...

Sorry if I am repeating myself, but, just starting a little bit of prep does wonders for your peace of mind. You know, how you eat an elephant...

So blummin' awful for people struggling to do physical things, frustration, etc to cope with on top of it. Unfortunately, have been there a lot of times with helping others, but then again, I've seen people adapt amazingly well and not just exist, but, learn to thrive... 'Adapt and survive' - hang on, maybe that's not a good one to use!

BBB

BessieBooBoo

thriftwizard wrote: »

Aha! I'd rather wondered whether the "Big Society" was actually an attempt to weasel out of half the things that Governments used to occupy themselves with. I wonder what else they'll consider to be better managed at a local/voluntary level? Education, perchance? Health? How about defence? IIRC income tax was put into place to pay for the Napoleonic Wars, which I have a feeling ended some time ago... But somehow I suspect they won't like it if we point out that that's what we were paying our taxes for, so they won't be needing those any more, will they?

I often think of medieval towns as a relatively sensible & stable living arrangement compared to, say, suburbia, where you have to drive miles to get to a shop that probably doesn't actually have whatever you wanted anyway. I'm sure they weren't all sweetness & light, particularly if you fell foul of whichever bigwigs were currently in charge (cutting your hand off for petty theft springs to mind) but I think they worked for most of the people, most of the time.

Wandering off now to see if I can bodge up an antenna for my colander with an old wire coat hanger...

Hello TW

Well, off the record, maybe I shouldn't reveal this, but my mole from the old work place tells me about the services the LA is looking to reduce e.g. combining sites from 2 totally different, opposing public services so they can close one building down, sell one to off-set the cuts in funding they are undergoing, ad infinitum.

There's only so far LA's can go to sell places off, reduce services, reduce staff, etc., etc. before we suddenly find that a)everything that was free we now have to pay for or b) that service has now quietly disappeared as there weren't enough people aware of it's diminishing returns/public apathy about keeping it/dubious public consultation/questionnaire heavily biased for the LA to justify closures.... (delete as appropriate)

But I'm not bitter/cynical/paranoid - much....:cool:


BBB

metherer

BessieBooBoo wrote: »

(now off to scan the web for a farm....)

We've found several we would quite happily buy, but for the moment the EuroMillions evades us. :mad:

mardatha

Up here I often wonder why we pay CT at all. Apart from the bins being emptied, the septic tank emptied twice a year, and 3 street lights in this village- what else is there? Nowt.
We could probably manage without the binmen for a while as I burn all rubbish anyway. We're on mains water but lots of houses are not.

ALIBOBSY

DawnW wrote: »

I always get a big turkey from a local farm and offer open house to family who are on their own / want to come, and the odd friend too. I also cook a ham or something for Boxing Day when others tend to descend

Supplemented with HG veg, and HM sauces, salads and stuffings, plus puddings, so not a big outlay in the greater scheme of things. Visitors often contribute nice things too

I suspect if we invite them they will offer to bring something. Mum does a great trifle, where I don't bother as the kids don't like it. Sister is veggie so would probably do her own "main" bit and bring some veggie side dishes as well. Will get the electric steamer out and bang most of the veg in there early on. Then can do a quick reheat with butter/dressings as required. I also do JO make ahead gravy which you freeze weeks ahead then defrost and cook on the day with just the addition of the turkey juices, so I suppose not too much work. Not sure how we will all get around the table though lol. Will see if someone has a small picnic type table for the kids I think.

I usually do a starter, but may not bother this year as the kids often can't be bothered-tend to have been munching chocs all day and just want the "big meal". So really just a poshed up sunday dinner. Bang it all in serving dishes and let them help themselves.

I think I am talking myself into inviting them all lol. Sister is a teacher so won't be working Christmas eve, so would probably be available to come down and help with the preps-plus the kids love to help with the veggies.
Hmm will have to see.

Ali x

westcoastscot

mardatha wrote: »

Up here I often wonder why we pay CT at all. Apart from the bins being emptied, the septic tank emptied twice a year, and 3 street lights in this village- what else is there? Nowt.
We could probably manage without the binmen for a while as I burn all rubbish anyway. We're on mains water but lots of houses are not.

Mar I used to ask this every year - we had no bin collection, no street lights, no main water so exempt from that bit - we got nowt.

We're losing services left right and centre here - as they move to chargeable services for the majority then demand initially drops, folks lose their jobs and services go - then when some realise they need the service and decide to pay it isn't there anymore. We have a ridiculous situation here where those who are less disabled are losing their support, only to regain it free when their health deteriorates (often due to lack of support) - costing the taxpayer more in the long run and negatively impacting the life of the individual concerned. it's wicked!!!!

herbily

Don't know if anyone here listens to Radio 4, but at lunchtime today, 12.30, there was a new Rory Bremner quiz, One Question, which asked "Where has the money gone?" If you didn't realise beforehand that the country was up the creek, you sure did afterwards. Half way through, there was an American "financial war correspondent" called Max Keiser, and he seems to have been everywhere the economy collapsed, and err... now he's in London.

It's probably on iPlayer if you want to depress yourself. Having an Eeyore-ish day, it's raining so much I need the lights on.

metherer

Just listening to that now, thanks for letting me know about it.