Preparedness for when

calicocat

I travel around 60 odd miles a day for work, but am nearly mortgage free, and squirrel away what I can.

I was thinking of replacing the car soon, but all things considered the whole job thing isn't very secure and I could be jobless by next April. So have decided to ditch that idea, as the one I have now will do to just tootle about if not working for a while.

If I still have a job, then can rethink that scenario, continue with the mortgage ditching and saving.

I think a caravan is a good idea as alternative home if the SHTF, a friend and I have thought about getting one initially for weekends with the dogs, but also as a bolt-hold if needed. That will have to wait for now though.

A friend is selling up his house and possessions, and buying a motor home to travel around in for a couple of years....this means I could well end up with some goodies for the prepping as he has a water butt (so won't buy one myself yet), and probably lots of power tools and other handy things , which I will be able to get at a low cost. He's already said I can have his laptop....i am quite jealous of his fab trip, but also excited at the prospect of ransacking his home for goodies for me.....will have to make sure I don't go overboard though or i'll end up back on the hoarding thread again.....lol.

maryb

I can recommend letting your hair go grey if you want to be invisible. It's quite true, people stop noticing you. A few months ago I decided I could have a go at dying it. I always had a problem before as I was very white on top and crown but still black at the back - and I thought that looked quite distinctive. But once the last bit of black had gone more salt than pepper it became feasible to go a medium brown.

Didn't like it at all and even though I used a semi permanent - they lied!! Finally grown out now and I'm sticking with my grey. But the interesting thing was, I was on holiday in France and I passed a Frenchman who gave me an appraising glance. Coo! (I won't say admiring but you've got to settle for what you can get, hey?) I probably wouldn't have even noticed but my DDs thought this was hilarious! Thanks girls! I can safely say no-one French or otherwise has spared me a glance since I went back to grey (other than the nice teenage boys who give me a seat on the bus, who look like complete Kevins and are probably the sort who are bashfully good with babies and small children)

GreyQueen

I'm letting my red hair turn colour au naturel. We have a familial tendancy to have dazzling white hair, and it looks like I've inherited the trait. It's quite interesting watching the colour change and if there's the bonus of invisibility on top of it, that's all to the good. Grey women, here we come.

Besides, dyeing your grey or white hair doesn't make you look young, it makes you look like someone with dyed hair and an ageing face/ neck/ hands/ teeth. If folks are uneasy about ageing, they may be happy to see you dyed and pretending, but you're not fooling anyone, and when will you ever stop?

I'm 50 this autumn and my hair is about 20-50% white, lighter at the front and much darker at the back. And I really don't give a monkey's what anyone thinks about it; I keep it trimmed, combed, washed and conditioned and that's enough work.

Frugalsod

GreyQueen wrote: »

I'm letting my red hair turn colour au naturel. We have a familial tendancy to have dazzling white hair, and it looks like I've inherited the trait. It's quite interesting watching the colour change and if there's the bonus of invisibility on top of it, that's all to the good. Grey women, here we come.

Besides, dyeing your grey or white hair doesn't make you look young, it makes you look like someone with dyed hair and an ageing face/ neck/ hands/ teeth. If folks are uneasy about ageing, they may be happy to see you dyed and pretending, but you're not fooling anyone, and when will you ever stop?

I'm 50 this autumn and my hair is about 20-50% white, lighter at the front and much darker at the back. And I really don't give a monkey's what anyone thinks about it; I keep it trimmed, combed, washed and conditioned and that's enough work.

Also stressing about it makes it worse. I am regularly confused for someone much younger by as much as 15 years but I never worry about getting old apart from the senility but doubt anyone will notice when that happens to me. The best way to avoid ageing is to avoid the sun, do not smoke, and drink modestly. All of these thin the skin which is the biggest cause of ageing. I never use sun creams preferring to limit my exposure to the sun as much as possible to no more than 30 minutes of UV, though clouds allow me to stay out almost all day. Still love the booze but am a very modest drinker, so that is not harmful.

jk0

Someone on Zerohedge linked to this. You guys might find it interesting, entertaining and shocking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DCwafIntj0&feature=kp

GreyQueen

I'm the original low-maintenence woman; soap and a flannel, splash of cold water. No creams, ever. And I look a good decade or more younger than the years on the clock, and people who've only ever worked with me over a phone line are shocked when we f-2-f eventually as they always tell me they thought I was in my early twenties.............which bearing in mind I've been talking to them for a decade, would mean I'd been hired whilst still in school.......:rotfl:

I can't help but think that putting petrochemicals, inc preservatives, perfumes amd dyes onto your skin every day is a bad idea.

I'm alternating a bit of interwebulation with refilling the second big water carrier. Have got 39 litres hidden in the living room alone, and that's only one place I keep water stashed. Nothing is gonna get between me and my morning cuppa, if I can help it.

[Deleted User]

GQ Last Light moments including reports of the possible terrorist explosion of the Ukraine gas pipeline and also reports of a large oil tanker blowing up unexplainedly a few weeks ago also gave me to think as it were!!!

The very best way to keep the world and his wife at bay is NOT TO WASH AT ALL!!!

VJsmum

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

People are hilariously funny in what they do consider to be thier needs, one of my immediate neighbours has over the years we've been here bought a second hand yacht ( staunch members of the sailing club) which they took out once, it stood for 6 or 7 years on its cradle in the front garden and then got sold on at a huge loss, next came a camper vam which they used a couple of times and then that stood there for a few years not being used and was sold on again at a loss now they have a large caravan which was purchased secondhand along with a very large and ostentatious Rover car, just to pull the caravan you understand which they've used twice. A couple of weeks ago a strange man was knocking on thier door when we were in the front garden weeding, he called up to us 'are they in?' and we said 'Don't know' so he knocked again and then called up 'are they in the garden then?' again 'Don't know' 'When will they be back?' 'Don't know, why?' and he said 'Oh I buy and sell caravans and camper vans and wondered if they'd sell it?' ' Shouldn't think so' we said 'They've not had it long and they use it' and away he went. When they did come back we told them and they wheel locked it and put on the immobilisers as they'd been having phone calls asking about selling it and thought it might not be there next time they came home. Us? we have a very old (some 25 years) tatty and patched after many rebuilds garden refuse trailer which we've never been asked to sell to anyone, I know what I'd rather have!!! Sometimes being visibly tatty and threadbare is a much better prospect in life isn't it?

If I didn't know roughly where you live, mrs LW I would have said you were next door to my inlaws. They cannot keep money and must hav the Newest, latest everything. They have sky, they have iPhone 3000 or whichever is the newest model, they have gym memberships etc - and they are on a much lower income than we are on. We don't have any of those things but they had the nerve to say "it's alright for you - you have savings" :rotfl: wonder why?

We do have a caravan but ours is second hand and fairly basic - I don't go on holiday to spend it inside the caravan. But have always known that in a SHTF situation we could bunk out to it and have heating, cooking etc facilities for a while and get the flock out of here if necessary. I am thinking of getting a solar panel for it.

fuddle

What makes me laugh about sun cream amongst the girls I work with is that they think they are medical items... I do a little internal giggle when I think of the profiteering of the marketing companies for their hard graft in getting the general populous to think such a thing

daz378

Had the shift from hell.... today asked to help out in a location had never worked before and the guy helping had only 2 week experience... management did come to rescue after a dinner.... cant relate specifics ..confidentiality etc.... but glad to be home.... might buy that maplin charger tomorrow.... if not sorted out for winter may be on electric rationing. got the day off tomorrow as thurs on a works course ..then on to regular location to work till past 9pm..... stay safe