Preparedness for when

jk0

This appeared this week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ibcORs4I4

fuddle

I still dream and will always dream of croft living up in Scotland Ragz but it's a romantic idea because I know trying to forge survival up there would be hard and bleak at times. I'd quite like WCS and Mar's life but I think it's more to do with admiring their spirit more than anything.

thriftwizard

I'd go west every time - mind you, as London's pretty far east, that describes about 90% of the rest of the UK anyway, including all of Scotland! For affordability, basically the further away from London you go, the better, with pockets of more expensive places round the coast and around the major cities & transport networks. The most important factor, though, is people; could you bear to be far away from your family & friends, if fuel becomes prohibitively expensive & communications are uncertain?

Things grow perfectly well in Scotland - it's famous for raspberries, oats & potatos, not to mention any amount of kale... (ducks)

VJsmum

fuddle wrote: »

I still dream and will always dream of croft living up in Scotland Ragz but it's a romantic idea because I know trying to forge survival up there would be hard and bleak at times. I'd quite like WCS and Mar's life but I think it's more to do with admiring their spirit more than anything.

Nah, too damn dark and cold. And they eat their porridge with salt - not syrup <also ducks> :rotfl:

Perplexed_Pineapple

jk0 wrote: »

Have you ever read Mary Croft's book, GQ?

http://thecrowhouse.com/Documents/mary-book.pdf

What you said above reminded me of what Mary mentioned on page 52 regarding even people who think they own their houses outright:

"You own no property; slaves can’t own property. Read the Deed to the property that you think is yours. You are listed as a Tenant."

Tbh she seems a little bonkers, although there's nothing wrong with that. Technically all land in England and Wales is owned by that nebulous concept "the Crown" (not by HM personally). Freehold is holding the land without reservation and indefinitely, but if someone dies without anyone to inherit, for example, ownership reverts to the Crown.
Out for blackberries today, got a few but there's an abundance of sloes. Does anyone know of anything to do with sloes othe than sloe gin (which is fine but limited).

ragz_2

Yes not having a support network of family like we do now would definitely be an issue at the moment, while the children are young. In laws are looking to move to the welsh border, near welshpool, we have considered going that way. My Dad lives in Scotland, near Stranrear (west coast) and the cottage next door is owned by his girlfriend who is Californian, so if we were that way they would be there. I grew up in the welsh valleys, so rain is not an issue lol and we didn't even have electric or water a lot of the time so I can live 'rough' pretty well.
Short term, we are fine here, but in the long term, especially as children will likely have to stay at home well into their twenties I am looking at getting more space and land enough to at least supplement our diet with home grown stuff.

jk0

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

Tbh she seems a little bonkers, although there's nothing wrong with that. Technically all land in England and Wales is owned by that nebulous concept "the Crown" (not by HM personally). Freehold is holding the land without reservation and indefinitely, but if someone dies without anyone to inherit, for example, ownership reverts to the Crown.

To be fair to Mary, she is talking about North America.

JayneC

short_bird wrote: »

However, the way the debt is being repaid - if it actually is being repaid - is somewhat suspect and the measures to "reduce" the debt appear to have a disproportionate effect on some people living in the UK i.e. those least able to afford it.

The debt isn't being repaid at all, it's increasing. It's the deficit that is allegedly being reduced. Which basically means, if you use the analogy of repaying your credit card, they are getting nearer to being able to make the minimum repayments but can't manage even that!!! Anyone one else would be bankrupt!

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

I think they need to start thinking way outside the box as the country cannot afford to keep running as it is.

Maybe something out there like you can have a one off lump sum and you sign that you will never claim any benefits for the rest of your life?

Some of that massive amount of land stuck in "land banks" across the country is confiscated by the government and each family can apply to have a piece at least as big as a lottie, or perhaps 1 acre each to grow your own food and you give back an amount of food each year to be redistributed to older people/disabled/on benefits as part of their "benefit" payments.

But as long as we have the current system based around the push for cash and interest payments and constant unsustainable growth that will never happen.

Ali x

The people on benefits account for a small proportion of the expenditure. More money is spent subsidising the banking system. The Bank of England are effectively printing money to give to the banks and the government are backing it with our taxes. As long as society continues to worship the god of economy without question nothing will change. It's all about the money, making it, moving it, defrauding us basically. the government is not trying to get 'us' out of the mess - it's trying to keep this system alive at whatever cost. What does it matter if we have a fabulous GDP if all the citizens are starving, ill, homeless. If the roads go unrepaired, the bridges collapse? This is what is happening because the government is fixated on money and counting everything in cash terms. The banking system is corrupt, they are in effect compulsive gamblers and they're getting money printed for them to continue gambling with.

And breathe....

metherer wrote: »

An exchange from Fbook last night, started by my friend Mrs L.


"Here was I thinking Mr L was being romantic asking me to put candles on the shopping list, but no, he's doomsday prepping for the supposed national grid failure later this year!


Comment 1 - Mr L. Watch it Mrs L our wedding anniversary is still to come lol


Comment 2 - Mrs L. You'll be stocking up on tinned food next ha ha!


comment 3 - Me. Get thee to Ikea, the best prices on candles!

comment 4 - His friend. You'll need an underground bunker in the garden too and weapons in case fights for resources break out amongst the survivors."


I thought it interesting that
a) He's thought of as daft for wanting to keep some light in the house, in the wake of all the news reports about the grid.
b) His friend immediately took it to the far end of a sparrow's f*rt.

interested me most, as I think that seems to be the common perception. Rather than just making sure you're prepared if A happens, people tend to think you're prepping for B through to Z as well, no matter how unlikely they are to happen.

Maybe his friend was being serious, sounds like a good plan to me;)

JayneC

Regarding owning your own home. Although I now 'own' my home I lived in social housing for 6 years (after having our first home repossessed in the 90's but that's another story) and have to say it had a lot going for it. Any repairs were done as needed. Heating not working? We'll be round this afternoon to sort that. Need a gate? you'll have to wait a few weeks but we'll get to it. They even replaced the windows and painted the doors without me having to ask.
Fast forward to now and I have no hot water in the summer cos the thermostat on the immersion doesn't work and I can't afford to get it fixed (it's ok in winter cos I have a back boiler on the stove for hot water), I spent that horrid winter of 2010 with no heating cos the boiler broke and was declared irreparable. I got my wood burner the following summer, but am still paying for it:( The lights on the landing and in the front bedroom don't work cos the electrics are !!!!!!ed but I can't afford to get it fixed. One of the hinges on the bedroom window has snapped so we're having to improvise with bubble wrap as the window won't shut.... It goes on.
My point is that as well as having the mortgage you have all of the upkeep and it's not cheap. I sometimes think I'd be better off selling up and renting somewhere, but the mortgage is really cheap at the mo so I'll stick it out... for now! And probably no-one would want to buy it cos it's such a state!

jk0

JayneC wrote: »

Regarding owning your own home. Although I now 'own' my home I lived in social housing for 6 years (after having our first home repossessed in the 90's but that's another story) and have to say it had a lot going for it. Any repairs were done as needed. Heating not working? We'll be round this afternoon to sort that. Need a gate? you'll have to wait a few weeks but we'll get to it. They even replaced the windows and painted the doors without me having to ask.
Fast forward to now and I have no hot water in the summer cos the thermostat on the immersion doesn't work and I can't afford to get it fixed (it's ok in winter cos I have a back boiler on the stove for hot water), I spent that horrid winter of 2010 with no heating cos the boiler broke and was declared irreparable. I got my wood burner the following summer, but am still paying for it:( The lights on the landing and in the front bedroom don't work cos the electrics are !!!!!!ed but I can't afford to get it fixed. One of the hinges on the bedroom window has snapped so we're having to improvise with bubble wrap as the window won't shut.... It goes on.
My point is that as well as having the mortgage you have all of the upkeep and it's not cheap. I sometimes think I'd be better off selling up and renting somewhere, but the mortgage is really cheap at the mo so I'll stick it out... for now! And probably no-one would want to buy it cos it's such a state!

I replaced a thermostat in an immersion on Tuesday in one of my BTL flats. It's a doddle. It took about ten minutes, only required a small screwdriver, and the thermostat cost £2.25.

Have look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td3SuGeTefM