Preparedness for when

Frugalsod

Just found this on Zerohedge.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-07-28/greek-economy-faces-total-collapse-doctors-flee-retail-sales-plunge-70

As unease spreads, getting ones hands on cash has become a sort of national sport, with businesses from restaurants to car mechanics telling customers paying by card is no longer an option.

So much for a cashless society. Looks like businesses are giving two fingers to that idea.

If sales and also GDP has fallen as much as 70% then the debt to GDP will have easily doubled and any pretence of no haircuts will destroy european unity eventually.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-07-29/complete-collapse-greece-reverts-barter-economy-first-time-nazi-occupation

"Of course, a barter economy is something that we shouldn't aspire to and should be a thing of the past - the last time we had it on a large scale was when we were under [Nazi] occupation."

I wonder how the Germans will be regarded when this becomes common knowledge.

betterlife

Frugalsod wrote: »

The fact that they are rushing through the legislation gives a hint that trouble is expected in the credit markets very soon. There are already signs of tightening credit in numerous markets and if there is a credit event Germany will collapse because of the volume of derivatives owned by Deutsche Bank. Barclays would take down the UK for the same reason. There are numerous concerns that something big is going to happen in early October, and it will be very big. No idea what it that people are talking about but it could be anything.

Hi Frugalsod, without sounding thick (which i probably do sorry) what do you mean with regards to Barclays bank please? thank you

Frugalsod

betterlife wrote: »

Hi Frugalsod, without sounding thick (which i probably do sorry) what do you mean with regards to Barclays bank please? thank you

Barclays has around $50 to $70 TRILLION of derivatives outstanding. These could be for credit default swaps, interest rate swaps etc. These are sums greater than the entire world economy. So how does the government bail out the entire world economy. Also who is a proirity in terms of payout? Depositors are now near the bottom rather than near the top. It used to be employees, tax man and depositors near the top. Now it is derivative holders senior bond holders long before depositors.

moneyistooshorttomention

Rummer wrote: »

Why not put that money into savings and then you can access it if needed or after a period of time use it as another lump off the mortgage?

Not if she's a civil servant - the redundancy payoff alone will probably exceed the £6,000 savings limit the unemployed are allowed. She'd lose it...but do pay off that mortgage capital as fast as humanly possible whilst still in the job.

Double benefit time of "cultivate the garden" if you have one.

a. You are growing food - which will help the food bills
b. It's a way to help cope mentally with the way you are being treated/even worse way you will doubtless soon be treated.

Working for a Civil Service type job does tend to mean that if they want to get redundancies - then their very first thought will be "Oh heck...that will cost SO much money. We had better make their lives very VERY unpleasant indeed and put enormous pressure on them that they will hate the job so much they will 'leave of their own free will' and then we don't have to pay them anything".

So - bargain for being deliberately put through hell at work - as they try their hardest to make life (very) unpleasant for you there. You need mental resources to help keep you strong to cope with the Make Life Hell policy - and gardening is one good way to help you "stay strong" mentally. Others are music/countryside/walks - you will doubtless think of others.

Also get out and as far away from the place as possible during lunchbreaks (do NOT stay in the building and assume you will at least be left alone in peace at lunchtime). Learn to put up a good strong mental barrier around your mind/emotions the second you walk out the door each day and try to totally forget the job as far as possible, apart from arranging to be there again at "start of work time" the next workday. Blank it...blank it...blank it when you are out of the place.

jk0

Thanks MITSTM. I'd never heard of the 'make life hell' policy, but it makes sense. Two of my employers did exactly that, twenty & thirty years ago.

Karmacat

MTSM, thats a powerful post! Thanks for that, sums it up really well.

Cheapskate

I've just skimmed through the 2 ZH articles, but read 1T's article thoroughly, very very troubling things ahead very soon! :eek: It's hard to persuade DH that this could seriously impact anywhere outside Greece, so I'm going to get him to read these articles, so he know I'm not just a tin hatter...well, I am, but I'm not alone, and it's not without good cause!

I'm keeping my eyes open for some vermin-proof tins to store seeds, herbs and spices, etc., in, primarily over the winter, but also to have a means of spicing up a potential bland diet, if it comes to pass. I'm about to send a load of DH's shirts to CS and am debating - do I snip off the buttons and keep for future mending/replacing/new sewing, or leave the shirts as is (they're just about wearable)? Part of me is tempted to cut into useable pieces for patchwork (mostly decent cotton or poly cotton)!

My bank of mattress (not literally!) is healthy, but the anxious part of me is going to add a bit more, and I'm adding things into my food stocks that may be about to suffer price hikes or become more scarce due to poor harvests, such as coffee, cocoa, olive oil, etc.

A xo

mardatha

What about those who live near the Channel Tunnel - do you feel apprehensive about the migrants on the other side? I mean in terms of bringing crime and disease etc?

[Deleted User]

I don't live near the tunnel, but I'm going through it on Monday.

mardatha

Best of luck Bob!