Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

jk0 wrote: »

Good morning GQ,

Last year, my local authority in their wisdom decided to start charging for collecting green waste.

I told them what would happen: People would just start having bonfires to get rid of it, and that is exactly what has happened. Every week now, someone stinks out the whole road for hours with one.

Tell me about it.

A lot of people don't allow the stuff they're burning to dry out and then you get loads of smoke and the whole fire takes a lot longer.

As an allotmenteer, I'm bound by the no-fires rules from beginning April-end Sept, a rule which I rigourously keep, but I was carefully drying stuff out for a couple of months beforehand and then had the fire while the weather was still warm and dry in early Oct. I have more stuff to burn but it's all sopping wet atm, so will follow my pattern on previous years and have a burn in late March, when it's going to be drier.

People call us up pretty frequently, complaining about neighbours' bonfires. There's a popularly-held belief that there are rules about domestic bonfires. There aren't, at least in England. The LA can't intervene unless there are clouds of noxious black smoke, such as some fool burning plastics.

Of course, p*ssing off your neighbours is never good psychology, whether they're neighbouring the allotments or in suburbia.

Re charging for green waste, I can see that from the outside looking in, it appears an outrageous impostion of the LA onto the householder. From the other end, it looks like this; green waste is bulky and goes into landfill. Landfill taxes are high. LAs are cash-strapped in a time of rising costs and frozen or near-frozen council tax, along with the millions which central government have stopped giving them each year. How do you pay for it?

Funnily enough, this subject came up at w*rk last week. Now, customer services don't make policy, we just get shouted at if the public aren't happy, but it doesn't mean that we don't have opinions. The paid-for green waste collections are a bliddy nuisance to us day-in and day-out and one of my colleagues pipped up that wouldn't it be better just to stick another £50 or so a year on everyone's council tax and collect it for free?

I whipped round like a flash. Council tax is a sore spot for me as I already work one month a year just to pay the wretched thing. I pointed out that flat-dwellers like me don't have gardens so why should we pay for other people's green waste collection when we don't even get to enjoy the amenity of having a garden? Then someone else said, what about putting it on tax bands other than band A, as that would protect flat-dwellers like me? And someone else pointed out that there are Band A houses in our city, because they have one, and so it goes.......

There are no easy answers, I'm afraid. If you know how to make £1 do the work of £5, pls email your personal LA immediately.

mardatha

I'm watching the govt closely, feeling that things are going on behind closed doors and that I won't like them. Just a feeling, making my wee antennae rotate lol. I think they've got away with so much that they think they can walk on water now.

happydays89

When I was in poundworld the other day I decided to buy some battery operated led fairy lights,I thought I would wrap them around the bannister,and was amazed at how bright they were.They would be great in a power cut and would be safe to be left on all night,they had 10 AA Panasonic batteries for a pound.I have had them lit for 24 hours,I am going to leave them on until the batteries run out to see how much the cost would be.They could be hung on door handles,I have put some in a glass vase and they look good.I have also taped some as under unit lighting in the kitchen,so they can be just switched on when needed.They might work out to be cheaper and safer than candles,even cheaper if you have rechargeable batteries.

pineapple

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

We have a small and very expensive Co Op here in the village too and I'm wondering if it will stay or be sold on to someone else in the long term.

There is a Coop in the nearby village - which put the small independent grocery store out of business when it expanded. It is indeed quite pricey though a friend says she saves money using it simply because it is much closer plus she is less likely to come out with tempting 'extras' than if she had gone to a big supermarket.
It's a shame about the bank. Not so long ago it was being touted as one of the more ethical banking choices :huh:

ALIBOBSY

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

thank you I am honoured I have achieved Enlightenment and True Wisdom... by seeing right through this government, and blaming them for everything... even if my light bulb blows:D

Over the last few years we have cut back, to the point where we thought we could cut back anymore, but this year will be one of the cheapest Christmases ever for us..

I don't send cards... not even birthday cards.. waste of money.. you can say happy birthday, or merry Christmas... I use to buy and write cards, and end up not seeing the people, so I would have abox full of written xmas cards .. Plus just think of all the trees and energy you are saving. ( and the money) I don't buy tags to go on presents, I just write the name on the wrapping paper. I did buy a LOAD of crimbo paper years ago for 50p ( big commercial rolls, at the stage before they are cut up to be packed) in the end I had to buy different paper, as the kids were moaning they had the same paper every year on ALL of their presents:cool::rotfl:

No Turkey for us this year, unless there is one stupidly reduced on xmas eve, we will just have our own pork or Lamb that is in the freezer.

present wise, its got to fall into a category of can they wear it, use it or eat it... no stupid silly novelty crap..

I have already posted about us cutting back and our crimbo plans, and we have now agreed with both sets of parents not to exchange pressies. TBH my Mum seemed a bit relieved, less about the money and more about knowing what to get and going out to get it-both Mum and Dad are starting to struggle more getting about, and in laws have simply stuck some cash in a card for us each year anyway, so easier all around.


Hoping that Aldi do the Mirror voucher thing again this month so I will use that probably twice-once on the day it comes out when we will buy the paper to get it, and MIL saves it for us so we can use that the week after as it runs for a full 8 days.


That will stock us up for December and will include a few treats for the kids. Then its just a few bits at the farm shops and we are done.


The kids have one larger item they asked for and the rest is bits picked up on the way so to speak, got a couple of games in the CS locally and will keep an eye out for other bargains.


We have the stockings from previous years and a great little local to shop that does loads of those stocking filler type stuff for very little. Been doing another sort and clear out of clothes so will bag up and take to the cash for clothes place near the toy shop and that cash will go towards the stocking fillers.


So if the government think they will be getting a massive rise in consumerism from us they are sadly mistaken.


Just reading the prepper book someone recommended on here called "lights out". Really enjoying it , despite the American thing of all the guns lol.


I really like the fact that unlike other prepper type books/films it wasn't normal one day, chaos the next. The police and authorities are there although struggling to cope and its a slow change from normal to the new post event world.


Ali x

Alisonpennypincher

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

Hoping that Aldi do the Mirror voucher thing again this month so I will use that probably twice-once on the day it comes out when we will buy the paper to get it, and MIL saves it for us so we can use that the week after as it runs for a full 8 days.

As far as i know the Aldi mirror voucher is out next Thurs (28.11)

HTH

ALIBOBSY

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Morrisons are selling 12.5Kg sacks of unwashed potatoes, for £4-99.

I make that under 40p a Kilo.

Good price for a supermarket, but worth looking around for any local farm shops if you can, I got 12.5kg of local Maris Piper spuds for £2.75 at my local farm shop and for £4.95 could have had the full sack ie 25 kilos and they weren't the cheapest spuds they were selling. The farmer reckons been pretty good for spuds this year around here so hopefully prices will stay down for spuds.


Mind you had to give em a good scrub before use as they are still covered in the lovely rich soil they grew in lol.


Ali x

ALIBOBSY

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Another prepping thing I have found out today... either have spare batteries for your weighing scales, or have an old fashioned one... yep in the middle of batch cooking, weighing out stuff to make pastry and the batteries in my weighing scales decided to give up:mad: went over to A$da ( literly a strong throw away) the batteries were 4 for 2 and the basic manual scales were £2.50, so I bought the cheap one:rotfl:

Motto of this don't forget to check all things that use batteries in your house to check you either have back up/spares, or have a manual replacement ready to step in..:D

I have a manual spring balance scale I got from Aldi, think it was pretty cheap £2.99 I think, and its gone on for several years.


I also know as per my gran as I have small hands-like she did, a full handful of any dry stuff ie. flour/sugar etc is pretty much 1 oz. Also have cups for American recipes as a backup/alternative.


Worth thinking about especially this time of year when many of us start baking stuff for crimbo.


Ali x

parsonswife8

mardatha wrote: »

I'm watching the govt closely, feeling that things are going on behind closed doors and that I won't like them. Just a feeling, making my wee antennae rotate lol. I think they've got away with so much that they think they can walk on water now.

Well, they are close to the river Thames, Mar.

mardatha

Yessss....hmmmm. Wouldn't it be fun making them walk the plank and letting them try it?