Preparedness for when

nuatha

VJsmum wrote: »

I am one of these. Using pension monies to buy buy-to-lets. But what do I do? Leave it there for the gubment to take or be proactive and take care of me and mine without relying on state aid should we lose our gainful employment? We know that if we both lost our jobs, we could just about survive on other income. I guess I can also justify it by saying that those houses will provide our children with a start up the property ladder.

Hello, I am back froml my holibobs, where a small SHTF situation has left me rather crippled for a while (an incident with me, a boat and a wet slippery jetty - who knew I could still do the splits:eek:). Am hobbling round like an arthritic 80 year old.

Accidental splits is not fun - take it easy.
What you're doing makes sense to me - and if you lose your jobs it keeps you from relying on the state. Certainly sounds like sensible planning to me.

mrsmortenharket wrote: »

Thanks MrsLurchwalker.

I'm also going to start growing some veggies and fruit. I can kill a plant by looking at it, so all tips would be great. I've no idea what I'm doing, have never gardened properly before!

x

Several other posts suggest veg, I started with soft fruit. Locally most of the veg were fairly cheap and I decided I'd put the effort into things that were harder to find or more expensive and hence the currants, gooseberries, alpine strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb. The following year I added three apple trees, one of which didn't thrive. It was another two or three years before I started down the veg route.
The soft fruit require some pruning, but generally thrive on not having much done to them.

What would you like to grow? I'm sure that between us there will be advice to help.

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

We wouldn't see this as our main "job" so to speak, we both work self employed so would likely continue with the work elsewhere to cover the cash only type bills.

Ali x

Being self employed means the benefit system works against you rather than help you, developing self sufficiency with a possible income stream from surplus crops sounds like the ideal prepping from my POV. Hope you can make this work for you.

Possession

nuatha wrote: »

Several other posts suggest veg, I started with soft fruit. Locally most of the veg were fairly cheap and I decided I'd put the effort into things that were harder to find or more expensive and hence the currants, gooseberries, alpine strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb. The following year I added three apple trees, one of which didn't thrive. It was another two or three years before I started down the veg route.
The soft fruit require some pruning, but generally thrive on not having much done to them.

That's my kind of gardening, plants which don't need much done to them. We put an apple tree in last year and it had quite a few apples on when we bought it but has only one spot of blossom at the moment so I presume it's going to have a settling in period. I have some new ground opened up by a new fence, and I think I'm going to put in tayberries and raspberries to grow horizontally along the fence, but I wonder if there's anything which could grow low under them (and not look unsightly as it's the only part of the garden in direct view from the house).

On a side not the author of the Experts series of books is DH's friend's uncle and he has done VERY well out of those books. He doesn't need to be frequenting frugal sites, put it that way.

[Deleted User]

VIVATIFOSI Ikea make a solar lamp called SUNNAN they cost £17.99 and for each lamp bought here they donate another to a third world family with no power source. We leave ours on the window sill upstairs, turned off of course, and the solar cell charges up in daylight, doesn't need direct sunlight except for the first full charge. They are worth their weight in anything you care to name and give a clear enough light to read by. Ours hold their charge very well and are still illuminating the room, albeit not so brightly after being on for 12 hours. Well worth the investment, Lyn xxx.

D&DD

Possession step away from the tayberries!!!! lol I tried growing these for years and now um wish I hadn't as my 'thornless' varieties have turned out to be evil boogers! The fruit is lovely BUT grow them somewhere out of the way


You could try a stepover apple underneath or strawberries,rhubarb,row of perennial herbs??


I agree with Nuatha soft fruit is perfect for beginners or peeps with not much time to faff about.Raspberries and loganberries pretty much look after themselves and crop brilliantly for the space they take up.


I'm really pleased with the jostaberries as well lots of fruit on there this year.Our currants are loaded too.


Trees come in all shapes and sizes as well now and seeing as we have such a tiny plot and have managed to cram in most sorts if you have a larger garden you're laughing


I have deposited two kamicukes into the greenhouse and they look happy as larry so I moved the rest of the peppers,chillies etc out too.The salads are cutting well now and the herbs are motoring along into growth.
Strawberries are flowering well so MrT will see a drop in profits again soon once they start to fruit!
Loganberries won't be far behind I reckon,can't wait it saves me so much on my shopping bill..

mardatha

D3 you always make me feel guilty I've got far too much grass but neither the RV or I have the strength or energy to dig it up and plant stuff.
There are tayberries growing wild on a big farm estate near here - once many years ago when I had working legs and strength we walked over there and came home with a bag full. God they were lovely
Re planting tatties, whoever it was who was asking, mine don't go in until end of this month and I always get a good crop, so there is time yet.
I've got wild strawbs growing mad all over the front border and on the path, but I leave them for the birds. I was wondering if I could do them in a planter type thing? They would be cleaner up off the ground. They do grew very well and have spread even into the mint, so they must be tough.
All I need is a) lots of money and b) a landscape gardener. It's not much to ask !

ealdous

Long time lurker delurking... Talking about buying land etc. I though you might be interested to see how we managed it.

We moved all our pensions into SSIPs, the SIPP then bought a couple of acres of agricultural land which it then rents back to us at agricultural rates (ie peanuts). You can also buy woodland this way.

As we only rent it it doesn't count in any benefit assessment

D&DD

Mar I should come visit with a shovel lol..seriously though I would hate to add up the hours our tiny plot takes up so would have to extend the hours in a day if we had anything bigger!
I'd just like a bit more room for spuds but when you think what we get cropwise out of this space we don't do badly I just like to dream,digging it all is another matter!!!


I'd try transplanting some strawbs Mar and put them in different places eg in a hanging basket,tub and different spots in the garden and just see where they're happiest?
I'm dying to see if these transplants/runners are white or red ones..

Frugalsod

Perplexed_Pineapple wrote: »

Evening all.... haven't properly caught up yet but came across a bit of good ol' tin hattery regarding energy shortfalls on AEP's blog as we might expect:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/10781229/Europe-braces-for-gas-showdown-with-Russia-helped-by-Japans-nuclear-restart.html
Personally I'll continue to work on making the house more energy effficient (the summer is a good time to pick up cheap/free insulation) and building up a woodpile. No wood-burning stove yet but if the gas gets cut off I think we have some trendier neighbours who would be willing to share their facilities if we could supply fuel

That will probably have a lot higher rate of return than saving the money, plus will significantly reduce future outgoings.

Have you considered one of these. I have one on my wishlist.

http://www.biolitestove.com/homestove/overview/

jk0

The Slog made me laugh today:

http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/the-wizardry-of-os-gordon-bornebrown-and-george-brownborne/

Especially the guy who wrote this comment:

I can accept the sheeple swallowing political and economic B-s once or twice, especially when it is propagated and legitimised by the MSM. What I cannot accept is that they do it again and again and again. Quite honestly I think that anyone who votes yet again for 99% of the current MPs should be permanently disenfranchised as too stupid to be allowed a vote.

Possession

D&DD wrote: »

Possession step away from the tayberries!!!! lol I tried growing these for years and now um wish I hadn't as my 'thornless' varieties have turned out to be evil boogers! The fruit is lovely BUT grow them somewhere out of the way


You could try a stepover apple underneath or strawberries,rhubarb,row of perennial herbs??


I agree with Nuatha soft fruit is perfect for beginners or peeps with not much time to faff about.Raspberries and loganberries pretty much look after themselves and crop brilliantly for the space they take up.


I'm really pleased with the jostaberries as well lots of fruit on there this year.Our currants are loaded too.


Trees come in all shapes and sizes as well now and seeing as we have such a tiny plot and have managed to cram in most sorts if you have a larger garden you're laughing

We have a small garden unfortunately, and much of it given over to large rabbit enclosures! Oh no, so thornless tayberries aren't really thornless? I haven't bought them yet so still time to change. I have a thornless raspberry I put in last year that I've had to move, and that's still thornless at the moment. But I don't have anywhere out of the way so I don't really want any evil plants! I have lots of herbs in pots already but the children like rhubarb so could do that (personally I think it's Satan's fruit). What's a stepover apple, do tell!