Preparedness for when

muffin_man_7

Snowing here in northwest was meant to go out today but i think i overdid it yesterday spent 3 hrs tryingto get everything wrapped before i got picked up to go to eldest daughters for tea i can definatley say its the best xmas day ive had for a long time no family hassle etc been good

Mojoworking

This is fab have snow.and no need to go anywhere. Dd has been out in it got soaked and now all onsie-d up ready for the boy in a dress. What more could I want?

thriftwizard

I was doing sooo well at not wanting to buy things - but now I need to bulk-buy haricot beans! I've made baked beans before, and they were lovely, but it was a much more complicated recipe so I've never done it again; I think that's about to change. Thank you, Caterina!

Had a lovely relaxed day today, mostly lazing about with the stove, finding out more about controlling it so that we can use it as economically as possible, cooking chestnuts on the top, and working out how else we can use it for everyone's benefit. When we're running it slowly, as it were - one small log an hour-ish - I should be able to raise dough on the hearth beside it, which gets pleasantly warm. I know I can cook baked potatoes wrapped in foil in the ashcan, and simmer casseroles (or maybe beans) on the top at the front - it's hotter at the back, although it's only a little stove as it's a little room, so things placed there might well boil dry. Now I'm wondering whether I can use one of my thin baking sheets as a kind of griddle, to do drop scones; might try that out tomorrow.

I think OH is finally getting on board with it; he's just been discussing where to store & season wood for it, and even offered to go & collect some from a friend who has some to spare. I could never get him to understand the need for some kind of organisation in the woodshed when we just had an open fire, and often ended up trying to burn damp or green wood, so this is a big step forward. It may have taken every last penny, but I think it's going to have been worth it.

Softstuff

Thank you for the recipes Caterina, will be giving them a go.

GreyQueen wrote: »

I'm always amused about the idea of meal planning, as my plans are highly flexible and dependant on what bargainous things turn up. I had a lot of those lovely mini waxed faloured cheddars in January last year, courtesy of Mr T as 8p each. Wouldn't have bought them at £1.25 but they tasted lovely at 8p each.

I don't meal plan at all normally, it doesn't suit. Sometimes if I'm heading near a supermarket in the afternoon, I'll have no idea what's for dinner. That way if something does turn up reduced, it's dinner, if nothing turns up reduced there's always something in the house that can be put together otherwise. The exception to this is if I'm trying to clean out the fridge and freezer, which I do periodically. Then I'll make plans involving using everything that's in there and minimal other stuff until it's gone. And start the sales game again.

We've been pretty generous with our grocery budget since we paid off the mortgage (still half of other people locally, but not low for us), but that may have to change this year since major plans are afoot. We pay a large body corporate fee here (a fee paid when you have a flat in a complex in Australia to cover building and grounds maintenance, building insurance etc.) and it has annoyed us for a while since we're paying for things I could easily do. Not only that, but at the rate we're paying it, we could make better use of the money.

So we might be planning a move this year. Unfortunately it'll be a larger house than we need (they all are here), but we can make good use of the space - take in temporary lodgers, cook to sell on markets, have a productive garden, maybe have chickens, put in solar power. All of which will be good long term moves. In the short term though, another mortgage (I can't abide debt, so we'll be going super frugal until that ones gone too). So I guess we'll see what happens.

[Deleted User]

We've had a dash of snow overnight.

Only about half an inch, which has settled on the cars and grass, but struggled to settle on the roads and paths.

moneyistooshorttomention

I'd go for moving to that bigger place if I were in your shoes Softstuff personally. Darn to having a mortgage again, after you so carefully paid it off. However, with this large fixed fee cost of staying where you are that you, presumably, have no control whatsoever over then it would be as well to put yourself in a position where other people cant "spend your money for you" iyswim.

Good luck with this.

BettiePage

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2888039/How-North-Korean-cyber-attack-cripple-Britain-Jets-falling-sky-Drinking-water-poisoned-Nuclear-reactors-ablaze-chilling-realism-war-historian-imagines-happen.html

Mojoworking

BettiePage wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2888039/How-North-Korean-cyber-attack-cripple-Britain-Jets-falling-sky-Drinking-water-poisoned-Nuclear-reactors-ablaze-chilling-realism-war-historian-imagines-happen.html

Wow! Bit wee-d off that they killed us all off in the north west but very thought provoking .....

Karmacat

GreyQueen, Softstuff, I'm very pleased to find that the two of you don't meal plan either. I never have, and I'm not going to start. I keep loads of the basics in, obviously,and for me its just a question of ringing the changes on each ingredient.

That DM article looks interesting! I've got it open in another tab, will read it soon.

All I can at the mo is think, because of lurgy, but at least I'm well enough now to write down what I'm thinking I have half a dozen or so lists for next year, one in each of the areas I want to work on - house, garden, pension income, that sort of thing. My prep list is split into two - physical projects, and research. The research one is quite long but its the sort of thing I love doing. Off to do more in a bit

Hope everyone's having a good holiday weekend.

jk0

BettiePage wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2888039/How-North-Korean-cyber-attack-cripple-Britain-Jets-falling-sky-Drinking-water-poisoned-Nuclear-reactors-ablaze-chilling-realism-war-historian-imagines-happen.html

You know, it's stories like this, that make me wonder why TF vital infrastructure should be connected to the internet. Even I wouldn't be that daft.

Also, surely, things like nuclear power stations, and air traffic control systems should certainly not have USB sockets for people to connect possibly infected flash drives.