Preparedness for when

maryb

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578806/Pension-age-rise-70-2040-Governments-tsar-says-age-limit-rise-20-years-earlier-scheduled.html

Rather topical in view of what we have been talking about.

Except by then it will be a means tested benefit

DawnW

herbily wrote: »

This page has a little more on proposed changes to pension age:
https://www.gov.uk/changes-state-pension

It says

"The government has proposed that:

• people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach State Pension age between 66 and 67
• people born on or after 6 March 1961 will reach State Pension age when they’re 67 or older

This change hasn’t been approved by Parliament yet."

jk0 wrote: »

Hmm. I wouldn't count on pensions even being paid at the ages they tell you now folks. I suspect the ages will be pushed back every few years as the cost of having lots of generation X's retiring looms ahead as unaffordable.

I was born in 1953, and my current pension age is 65. However, I fully expect that to be pushed back. OH and I are lucky in that we have small pensions from work, and some savings. OH currently gets his pension and I have applied to take mine when I finish my job at the end of April. To be honest I have my doubts whether we will get anything at all from the state. Even though our savings will deplete (as almost no interest is now paid, and we will need to use them in emergencies, if the house needs anything doing etc), even if they remain safe in the bank (which is another question), I would not be at all surprised if they decided to means test the state pension and people in our position who have a small pension from work will be excluded.

And generation x or not, there is still money for bailing out banks in various ways, paying the likes of ATOS, SERCO etc exorbitant sums for questionable 'services', and failing IT systems etc though. Funny that.

Frugalsod wrote: »

I bought a fire blanket recently. It is kept in the kitchen, but I doubt ever using it because I do not use the stove or oven. While a fire extinguisher is an option there is an expiry date on them. So you will need to replace them. Personally I think that if you maintain your electrics and have a fire blanket that might be all that you need. I protect all my electrical items with surge protectors even in the kitchen, so that eliminates them as potential causes. The building I am in has them and so that really covers that if absolutely necessary.

I have a fire blanket - somewhere I must look it out and see what condition it is in, as I have had it for years! Thanks for the reminder. Fortunately I have never had to use it - we did have a nasty fire a few years ago, but it was in an outbuilding and we were not there at the time, so it was obviously of no use. Had we been there the garden hose would probably have been a better bet.

boultdj

Drat! I was resigning myself to work another 23 years, looks like it's going to be 26 instead.
Anyone else getting the feeling Logan's Run is going to end up being real?

Frugalsod

Why are people are worrying about retiring when there may be pitiful private pensions anyway? I suspect that a future government will be forced to increase retirement ages further. With life expectancies so much higher than they were and past governments failing to adjust the retirement age then it will mean that they will inevitably have to keep increasing them in line with life expectancy.

Perplexed_Pineapple

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Orange (or indeed any colour) plastic sheeting won't work for a solar still.

Solar stills require clear plastic sheeting.

As for shelter, since you are carrying it in your car, how about an instant up tent?

BB I've thought about a tent but don't have all much that much space to carry one every day. I don't think that is right about the solar still - clear plastic might be ideal, because it allows the sun to directly heat the ground below, but any plastic sheeting will heat the airspace (I guess reflective or white would be worst). Some guides I've seen do suggest clear, but there are others that don't, this one for example:
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-skills/how-to-make-a-solar-still/
So an orange sheet may not make the best solar still but can at least function as one I think, while a clear sheet would be no use for signalling/attracting attention.
Maybe I'll have to try it on a sunny day.

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

CTC - there is a leaflet published in WW2 under the dig for victory campaign that lists amounts of veg to grow to keep you in veg all year round. I found it here:-

www.earthlypursuits.com/AllotGuide/.../DigForVictory/_/.htm

go to page 2 to 3 in the Ministry of Agriculture Leaflet No1 and it lists amounts to grow. hope that helps. Lyn xxx.

Thanks for the links Nuatha and MrsLW, very interesting. Lyn, your link is broken for me, this one might work:
http://www.earthlypursuits.com/AllotGuide/DigforVictory1/DigForVictory1_2-3.htm

maryb wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578806/Pension-age-rise-70-2040-Governments-tsar-says-age-limit-rise-20-years-earlier-scheduled.html

Rather topical in view of what we have been talking about.

Except by then it will be a means tested benefit

I think if we have means tested pension when we're 70 or older, the best plan might be to save up to retire at 65 (or whenever), then live off savings so as to qualify for the means tested pension when old enough.I wonder what they would include in means testing? Savings presumably. Owning your own home? If home and associated land not included might be best to sink everything into becoming as self-sufficient as possible and minimise living costs. Not easy to plan when they keep changing the rules though :mad:

Perplexed_Pineapple

Frugalsod wrote: »

Why are people are worrying about retiring when there may be pitiful private pensions anyway? I suspect that a future government will be forced to increase retirement ages further. With life expectancies so much higher than they were and past governments failing to adjust the retirement age then it will mean that they will inevitably have to keep increasing them in line with life expectancy.

I'm not sure Frugalsod, there is also plenty of speculation about the need for fewer workers. If we can solve the energy crisis we may well get to a postion where there is not enough work to go around and a few individuals reap enormous rewards while 99% are on the breadline. There may be very little differentiation between those of working age and those of current pensionable age if this happens.

Frugalsod

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

I'm not sure Frugalsod, there is also plenty of speculation about the need for fewer workers. If we can solve the energy crisis we may well get to a postion where there is not enough work to go around and a few individuals reap enormous rewards while 99% are on the breadline. There may be very little differentiation between those of working age and those of current pensionable age if this happens.

Will the 1% be willing to pay the benefits to keep the 99% of us on the breadline? I think not. I suspect that they will use every trick in the book to eliminate their liability to any tax payable and so what will happen is that we all suffer except the 1% who will have moved all their personal wealth offshore to escape any taxation.

At which point governments will simply abandon pensions as they cannot afford them. Private pensions pots might be looking good now but look at them when interest rates have increased to a normal level. Then the value of all their investments will have collapsed and many people will have to carry on working because their private pension will not allow them to retire with a decent standard of living. They will all be dependent on a state pension which is going to be shrinking over the decades, till it becomes comparable with means tested benefits.

Perplexed_Pineapple

Frugalsod wrote: »

Will the 1% be willing to pay the benefits to keep the 99% of us on the breadline? I think not. I suspect that they will use every trick in the book to eliminate their liability to any tax payable and so what will happen is that we all suffer except the 1% who will have moved all their personal wealth offshore to escape any taxation.

I'm sure you are right, but the 1% will still need consumers to sell to. Ultimately it will depend what happens to our energy supply, and if that can't be secured we may well revert to a (poorer) more equal society.

[Deleted User]

PP what you envisage is a return to the Feudal Society of the early middle ages, that old saying of 'There is nothing new under the Sun' still holds true today doesn't it? I guess in that position we would be grateful to have the protection of the rich Lord of the Manor to maybe be able to keep posession of the few pitiful things we do have eh? Lyn xxx
.

Thanks for the revised link hope that works for everyone x.

Perplexed_Pineapple

MrsLW, there is nothing new at all, the oligarchs who control money supply behave just like the robber barons of old. The only substantial difference between us and our feudal forebears is that we are not tied to the land, and are free to leave to seek our way elsewhere. It is a mistake to think these practices belong to the Middle Ages - Russian peasants were serfs, tied to the land and the effective property of the landowner right up to the revolution of 1918, and there are millions today in more or less the same postion due to debt This article I was reading on the BBC talks about debt bondage, and I'm thinking of it as less of a historical anomaly than a warning of how things have been in the past, are now, and will be in future for many of us :eek:.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26513804