Preparedness for when

Possession

Practically giving myself palpitations tonight.....due to the necessity of downsizing and (very sadly) moving house, I am using up all my SHTF food stocks. As of today we have NO MORE TINNED TOMATOES OR PASSATA! I have had to buy a tin of baked beans and we are down to our last 5 kilos of rice!!! We have managed to use a surprising amount of tinned potatoes but we still have enough tinned rice pudding to feed the population of Norway despite me taking 20 tins to the food bank last week. Since both my children have decided they don't like it food bank parcels may be heavily biased towards rice pudding for a while. One lesson for the future though: the proliferation of value curry sauce in my garage teaches me that I perhaps don't need to stock up quite so heavily on that.

twiglet98

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

As a child, I remember people using a Hurricane Lamp (set at a low flame), to keep outside toilets from freezing, in the winter.

Yep, we did that. I love paraffin lamps, unfortunately my DDs dislike the smell. We used to have coal fires downstairs and an Aladdin heater on the landing, the Pink Paraffin van delivered regularly, until my mother was told the fumes were dangerous, so she got rid of it and bought electric blankets. In 1962, I was the only kid at our little school who had one, and writing about it in my news book somehow changed my teacher's attitude to me. It was a salutary lesson in keeping one's head below the parapet!

DDs like electric blankets but I actually prefer hot water bottles, for targeted warmth.

jk0

twiglet98 wrote: »

. In 1962, I was the only kid at our little school who had one, and writing about it in my news book somehow changed my teacher's attitude to me. It was a salutary lesson in keeping one's head below the parapet!

I felt your pain twiglet.

My teachers seemed to pick on me because I had a 'posh' accent. At my primary school, one harangued me for what seemed like half an hour in front of everyone for being 'arrogant'. He'd put some sums on the board, and said 'let's see how many of these you get right.'

I had the nerve to joke that I thought we'd get them all right.

My schoolmates all remembered the incident years later when we met up.

1Tonsil

After reaching the dizzy heights of 15 degrees yesterday we have the coldest gale force wind ever today. It is great for drying all the jumpers and thermals though. Some places like Crete have huge amounts of snow and ice. The temperature in Northern Greece has been down to minus 22 and it is killing off the citrus and olive trees.


Bring on the summer..... off to make some home made hot soup!:T

Frugalsod

westlothianlass wrote: »

Hi all
I've been reading but not posting much recently, been doing a lot of reading and thinking.
An earlier discussion about pensions really got me thinking, do I trust the banks enough to start putting as much money away as I can for my pension or do I "future proof" by buying well made items for the house (antiques etc). I'm in the lucky position that we have paid off our mortgage but at 46 my projected retirement is over 20 years away now. My husband is older than me and already retired so I'd really like to spend more time pottering at home .
So I'm veering towards living simply so I don't need to work as much as well as getting the house sorted. It's an old cottage we have so everything needs done .
Anyhow enough rambling, hope everyone is well, and we all manage to get some sunshine to lift our spirits.
WLL x

Ultimately it does depend on how much cash you have. For most people they could invest everything in and around the home and not have enough to worry about a pension top up.

While I also do not trust the banks. I do think that investing in the home is a better option. If you do things like insulation and things that can cut your cost of living, such as a food mixer so that you can make even more from scratch, and so cut the costs of daily living then you should fine. What you need to consider is the rate of return or payback from it.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/payback-calculations-energy-efficiency-improvements

Ultimately I expect deflation to dominate and that will mean the fall in all asset values as few will be able to afford to buy them. Also homes and property will collapse when deflation dominates. Japan has seen 90% falls in the value of its homes and it is still not finished. Most housing markets have been pumped up by lots of cheap credit. Without that credit the only buyers of property will be cash buyers and they will be few and far between, especially if many are bailed in. Also antiques will not be a hedge against financial uncertainty, especially deflation. Though if they can be used regularly then they will still have a use and if inflation takes off once day they might actually be a hedge against inflation.

My preference would be to clear any and all debts. They will have a guaranteed savings for you in the rate of interest that you would be paying. If there is deflation you will have even more leeway to pay them off. Remember wages are crushed in deflationary scenarios so the trick is to cut your fixed outgoings faster than your income falls. In fact the only thing that holds its value during deflation is cash, but if it is bailed in by the banks then it is gone. Which is why I would suggest investing in things around the home.

westlothianlass

Hi all,
Thank you frugalsod for your thoughtful post.
I plan to put aside some savings to act as a buffer for any unforeseen emergency but after that the house is going to get more attention and some DIY tlc .
It feels strange to have no debt or mortgage but it's what we've been working towards for a number of years so I should probably chill a bit .
I've found a gardening website that sells edible hedgerow so I'm sitting with a cuppa trying to work out how many sloe's or pears I could fit into the spaces beside the garden fence.
WLL x

RAS

westlothianlass wrote: »

Hi all,
Thank you frugalsod for your thoughtful post.
I plan to put aside some savings to act as a buffer for any unforeseen emergency but after that the house is going to get more attention and some DIY tlc .
It feels strange to have no debt or mortgage but it's what we've been working towards for a number of years so I should probably chill a bit .
I've found a gardening website that sells edible hedgerow so I'm sitting with a cuppa trying to work out how many sloe's or pears I could fit into the spaces beside the garden fence.
WLL x

Depending on which way the fence faces, you could just consider cordons - piccie towards the end of this article http://www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk/index.php?page=growing-trained-fruit-trees

Contrary to some articles I see, this is really more suitable for apples and pears rather than stone fruit. Given your location, this might be useful as it lists good varieties for your area http://www.tweedvalleyfruittrees.com/

Frugalsod

westlothianlass wrote: »

Hi all,
Thank you frugalsod for your thoughtful post.
I plan to put aside some savings to act as a buffer for any unforeseen emergency but after that the house is going to get more attention and some DIY tlc .
It feels strange to have no debt or mortgage but it's what we've been working towards for a number of years so I should probably chill a bit .
I've found a gardening website that sells edible hedgerow so I'm sitting with a cuppa trying to work out how many sloe's or pears I could fit into the spaces beside the garden fence.
WLL x

It does not have to be what most people would consider a conventional investment. You could put some money into knitting or sewing machine. Either could generate an income or cut your living costs further. If you have a decent stash of fabrics then you could make dresses for years. The same could apply to a spinning machine or loom. You have looked at plants, and if you have a large garden and a greenhouse you could look at aeroponics to provide even more food for yourself or to sell. If you have a decent sum spare you could put solar panels on the place and be a net energy supplier, and while that might not save you much money now it will insulate you from any future price increases. You can also ensure that if you have paid for it yourself that you are not without power if there are power cuts, and that you can use the energy that you generate.

You could use it to help family members clear student debts etc, or even invest in a business idea that someone might have.

Frugalsod

Tink_04 wrote: »

Hi we have a very small flat with me DH & 2 kiddies 5&15m - I have a box that I want to use as an emergency box for a 24hour ICE box - space is limited we have food stores etc - does anyone have any ideas what I can put in? So far I have 2 torches (one wind up) and some candles/lighter & matches - our first aid box is separate with all our meds ect but a bit stumped. Can think of big things but I don't have the space - any help will be gratefully received xx

Toys and teddies to keep the kids happy.

Sweets for the kids.

Copies of important documents in case you have to bail out.

List of important phone numbers for the same reason if you have lost a phone.

Karmacat

Frugalsod wrote: »

It does not have to be what most people would consider a conventional investment. You could put some money into knitting or sewing machine. Either could generate an income or cut your living costs further. If you have a decent stash of fabrics then you could make dresses for years. The same could apply to a spinning machine or loom. You have looked at plants, and if you have a large garden and a greenhouse you could look at aeroponics to provide even more food for yourself or to sell. If you have a decent sum spare you could put solar panels on the place and be a net energy supplier, and while that might not save you much money now it will insulate you from any future price increases. You can also ensure that if you have paid for it yourself that you are not without power if there are power cuts, and that you can use the energy that you generate.

You could use it to help family members clear student debts etc, or even invest in a business idea that someone might have.

Frugalsod, some *excellent* ideas there, I'm at a bit of a crossroads myself. I like these