Preparedness for when

Wyre

Morning folks, just back from volunteering at the school. I only started last week 2 20 minutes slots in the mornings but they asked me if I could stay longer today which was great.

Popped into the pound shop on the way home and picked up another torch and a headlamp. We need to get some batteries but as a high consumer (use quite a few in larp kit) I know from experience that *generally* the cheaper the battery the quicker they run out and the last thing I want is to be stuck in the dark as the batteries have died. I'll do a price check and see where I can get the black and orange ones cheapest. Though knowing my luck (and my gas cannister experience over the weekend) I will find somewhere much cheaper just after I have bought them!

Tomorrow I plan on going round some charity shops on the way back from the school, see if they have any blankets or the like. Not in the big town this time though, I really need to brace myself for that experience. I'll hop off the bus nearer home in the smaller town that isn't quite so scary!

Wyre

Fuddle and MrsLurcherwalker: at the bottom of the road used to be a chemical plant (turned into student living now!) and they had all sorts of different alarms for different scenarios. Each house was given a card an explanation of each on and what to do - close the windows, evacuate and so on. Fortunately I never actually heard them used.

On the other hand last year Mum and I were geocaching not far away, just down by the river when we heard this very loud, very scary alarm coming from the powerplant / industrial estate the other side of the water. No idea what it was about, but it was very worrying. Noone else seemed worried and I guess it was probably mile away across the river but it still disturbed me.

ALIBOBSY

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

I Had a rare moment, and done a bit wondering round the cheap shops, and 'go outdoors':eek::eek::eek: at go outdoors, WOW I thought they supposed to be cheap...

Poundland I bought some little carry case type plastic boxes for the car/vans and got some bits to go in them... Also went into home bargains and got a Led head tourch and batteries.. I know we have got one somewhere, but it was easier to buy another one.. Tried Looking for the garden solar lights, to try and see what they would be like bringing them indoors in the night, but couldn't see any ( I know wrong time of the year) so might have a browse on the internet, to see if there is any on sale... at the moment I cant justify spending £16 on each of those lights in Ikea..

We have solar lights in the garden and if we have a power cut-pretty common here, we do bring some in. The kids like to carry them to bed as its more a glow than a bright reading light. Where the wind up touches are brighter. Certainly fine to move around with, but not as great for reading and such. We got a box of 10 for £10 last year on sale in B & Q.

Plus they look good in the garden the rest of the time.

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

Some interesting points, on here recently. I think a fair few of us are a similar age-almost 42 here.

I had a similar experience to others that my parents started off fairly frugal like their parents, but them embraced to "new world" so to speak and took credit cards, mortgages, new everything and that want it now idea.

My mum until recently was still talking about how you stretch yourself when you first buy a house an get as big a mortgage as possible as "wages go up and your mortgage goes down".

That worked for them, but the wheels are falling off for us now.

During our teens and twenties the whole of the media/advertising/banks and society itself were pushing the idea that debt is fine and normal, you want it new and you want it now and "you are worth it".
Now at the end of the day we have to deal with the results of our own actions, but millions of us were duped into believing in a world that didn't exist and it still feels like all the "boom" that was created around that went to anyone but our generation and the bill is left for us and our children to sort out. The whole idea that we could have cheap products and clothes made on the back of cheap often little better than slave wages abroad whilst changing all our "work" into service industries was never going to work an seriously immoral.

Then we spend wodges of tax payers money on stopping the same factories that made or make our "cheap goods" from shipping in "fake" cheap goods. What a joke.

Only 2 days till the US default and they still seem to be arguing, what are they doing.

Finally feeling better than I did, not right still, but getting there. Been a great help having stores for meals etc. Meant we could manage with OH just nipping out for a few bits and we could stay out of the cold-he has got the same chest infection but without the asthma I have on top.

Keep warm

Ali x

Butterfly_Brain

Finally got the surveyor coming next week for the multi fuel stove, £2,000 fitted don't need building regs because the company we are using are on the council list of approved installers and it is all above board, defra certificated etc. The trouble is they can't fit it until after Christmas The showroom was packed so there are a lot of people who are fed up of being held hostage by the utility giants. Plus if the power goes out at least people will be able to keep warm. Anyhow the surveyor should be round next week to tell us if we need to install a new lintel and how deep we need to go out with the hearth.
This is the stove that we have chosen

[Deleted User]

Oh well done BB, you'll never regret having the stove, it will become your best ever buy and you'll never ever be cold indoors again. I always wanted a woodstove and I still after all the years we've had ours get that Mmmmmmmm feeling every time we light it up, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!! Cheers Lyn xxx.

greenbee

I miss having a stove I've got a jet master grate in the fire in the new house, but really wish I had a stove. However a new boiler, radiators, kitchen, bathrooms etc are on the list first!

GreyQueen

Great news, BB; I know in my council call centre we're taking a steady stream of enquiries from residents wanting to install woodstoves or multistoves in city properties. It's mostly do-able, too.

ALI, glad to hear that you're on the mend, nasty go-round you've had there. Heaven knows what the US gubbermint think they're doing, apart from making themselves an international laughing-stock, of course.

Been keeping close to the homestead apart from a quick poke around the c.s. and running an errand for SuperGran, who's been right poorly this past weekend but it slowly getting there. Bliddy arthur again........

I had the heating on for the first time this season last night; I have a fixed monthly service charge to cover heating and hot water and it's the same winter and summer. I still don't over-use it, tho. For one, it's still a fossil fuel and they're running out, and for another, too much heat indoors can make you a bit soft, IMO, although the poorlies and those with immobilising conditions need as much warmth as they can get.

Tonight I go play wiv me bows and arrers up at the sports centre. Twang! I also noticed that I developed a lovely "archer's kiss" after last week's session; the nickname for a particular kind of contusion bruise on your forearm if the bowstring smacks into your forearm above the guard.

Sure sign of your forearm being in the wrong place, btw. You can see how these things got their nickname; looks like a lovebite....:rotfl:That's a variaton of the kind of injuries I used to get doing aikido; friction burns on my elbows from skidding across the mats and fingerprint-shaped bruises on my wrists.

Used to have to do some explaining to interested parties that no, my life is nowhere near as exciting as you might be thinking.

There's some chitter-chatter on ZH that the big banks in alliance with European governments might be lining up for a "one-off supertax" on people's bank accounts to bail themselves out of a crisis. Anyone seen anything about this elsewhere?

Someone, I think it was a comment on FerFAL's blog back in spring, said that if bankers weren't soon swinging from lamposts across Europe after the Cyprus-ing that this would be a template for future confiscations.

Better to have your money in a stove and other preps, I think.

ETA; just went to a charity shop and got a double cellular blanket for 75p! Whizzing around the washing machine even as we speak. Preptastic.

westcoastscot

Thriftwizard, just a note to say that you can claim benefits even if living rough - I have clients that chose to live in tents in the woods, and they manage just fine.

WCS

craigywv

LYNN, thanks for the advice on the flour, I managed to get some from next door neighbour shes a baker too so alls well xxx