Preparedness for when

Frugalsod

1Tonsil wrote: »

Actually, none of us foreigners can access our foreign accounts much at the moment due to the cash controls.... Many of the migrants are coming with no papers or ID and are refusing to give details of who they are and where they come from. That would make any access to foreign accounts impossible for them. You are not allowed to open a new account at a Greek bank at all, so it would be impossible for them to transfer funds here without one. In theory, you could use a credit card to get some money from the bank if you were a migrant, but I would have thought it unlikely they would bring them or that they would be valid if they had left the country suddenly. What a bloody mess eh:eek:

A credit card would also identify them.

I think that we should refuse asylum from anyone unless they can prove who they are. Then the authorities will be able to work out who is a genuine refuge. They may hide the fact because they are terrorists trying to get home or be wanted for war crimes back home. This make it near impossible for the Greeks to deal with with no resources.

Next they should be applying for asylum in Greece and then once approved move to where they want to go.

Frugalsod

1Tonsil wrote: »

Speaking of banks , I went to mine this morning to get our weekly allowance. We are limited how much we can draw out each week at the Greek bank. It was packed as yesterday it was closed for a holy day and will be closed Friday for the same reason. They only had two tellers on despite the big queue. Everyone was peaceful and polite and I managed to get the full amount allowed. Just hoping no big, unexpected bills come in, its very difficult having a set amount each day or week if it only covers your food and normal outgoings. If one does arrive they will just have to wait for it..which no doubt they have to do with the Greeks who are in the same situation.

The problem is that all the Greek banks are insolvent and it is only a matter of when they bail in customers. I think that this is the reason why they are stalling withdrawals.

1Tonsil wrote: »

Right, off to sort out my cupboards and assess any food that needs replacing. Going to leave the shopping till all the holy days are over and done with!

I hope you have all you need. Has this thread being of use to you? Did it allow you to put in place a number of measures to cope with the coming changes?

1Tonsil

Great news..my replacement slow cooker from Ama*on has just arrived in Corfu. The courier called me and said they will deliver to my village supermarket on Friday for me to pick it up, as we dont actually have addresses here for the houses ..no street names or numbers. I only ordered it three days ago, excellent service! It has a non stick metal insert instead of the heavy ceramic bowl that is normal.

1Tonsil

Frugalsod wrote: »

The problem is that all the Greek banks are insolvent and it is only a matter of when they bail in customers. I think that this is the reason why they are stalling withdrawals.


I hope you have all you need. Has this thread being of use to you? Did it allow you to put in place a number of measures to cope with the coming changes?

It really helped a lot to have this thread for such good advice and it helps enormously that I can discuss things with you all that would have other normal folk shouting conspiracy theorist and lunatic at me:rotfl: I have been called both for trying to warn folks what is really going on in this world. It no longer hurts and I am a proud prepper.:T

Knowing what was going on helped us to prepare in advance for things to go wrong. It meant we drew most of our savings out and paid our mortgage and bills in advance. This made the cash restrictions easier to cope with and less of a panic situation for us.

The main point of prepping seems to be to look forward and to consider all the possible scenarios that might just hit. I am looking forward to this winter now and trying to get ready for it, even though we are in the middle of a terrible heat wave. This winter is showing all the signs of being horrendous for Greece with the weather, along with most of Europe. I am trying to get the house ready for that at the moment with some forward planning.

No doubt, financially, things are going to get worse in the winter months as well. During the cash restrictions the tourists have kept many families going with the currency they bring into the country. This will ease off sometime next month and stop altogether in October. Then the reality will sink in and the locals will realise what a tough winter they have to look forward to. I am going to check out the preparing for winter thread on here to see if I can get any more ideas.

Frugalsod

1Tonsil wrote: »

It really helped a lot to have this thread for such good advice and it helps enormously that I can discuss things with you all that would have other normal folk shouting conspiracy theorist and lunatic at me:rotfl: I have been called both for trying to warn folks what is really going on in this world. It no longer hurts and I am a proud prepper.:T

So have the locals thanked you for your warnings?

1Tonsil wrote: »

Knowing what was going on helped us to prepare in advance for things to go wrong. It meant we drew most of our savings out and paid our mortgage and bills in advance. This made the cash restrictions easier to cope with and less of a panic situation for us.

The problems will be different for all of us at various times, but it does give us the mental skills to know what to do when things erupt.

Unless there is a change in policy in the UK it might only be a matter of time before we are facing bail-ins here in the UK. Though the knowledge that we can prepare for it and that your example means that it is not a catastrophe means that we will be able to cope.

1Tonsil wrote: »

The main point of prepping seems to be to look forward and to consider all the possible scenarios that might just hit. I am looking forward to this winter now and trying to get ready for it, even though we are in the middle of a terrible heat wave. This winter is showing all the signs of being horrendous for Greece with the weather, along with most of Europe. I am trying to get the house ready for that at the moment with some forward planning.

I have seen lots of interesting solar cooking solutions which might be good for Greece and will also avoid the higher taxes on energy. Wrap yourselves up then you do not have to heat so much of the house.

1Tonsil wrote: »

No doubt, financially, things are going to get worse in the winter months as well. During the cash restrictions the tourists have kept many families going with the currency they bring into the country. This will ease off sometime next month and stop altogether in October. Then the reality will sink in and the locals will realise what a tough winter they have to look forward to. I am going to check out the preparing for winter thread on here to see if I can get any more ideas.

Are you neighbours able to prep or has this gone over their heads?

[Deleted User]

We've just been to Mak*o and they have an offer on for 32 roll packs of Cushelle Toilet Paper for £14,95, buy one get one free. So 64 rolls for that little money is better value by far than buying it in 12s isn't it? Have also bought washing powder, dishwasher tablets, rinse aid and salt, big pack of brown sugar, big pack of black pepper, big pack of crushed chillis, big pack of red lentils and a pack of 50 1 litre freezer containers (like the ones from the chinese with takeaways) and the whole lot was just under £84. I know that's a big sum but it would have cost me so much more buying small packs and now I know I have enough to see me through to the spring, whatever the weather throws our way.

1Tonsil

Just about to unplug all my electrical things as we have a nasty storm about ten minutess from us. It hit Corfu town earlier with high winds, hail and torrential rain. I only remember one other summer when we got storms before the end of September. That year, it broke in August and the storms continued into the winter. Fingers crossed that it will not do that this year, we cannot cope with ruined grape and olive crops and a loss of tourism.

Just read this, it echoes my doubts as to whether the deal will go through.. http://en.enikos.gr/politics/33626,Will-Germany-derail-Greece-bailout-deal.html

moneyistooshorttomention

That old Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times"...

I must admit right now to thinking "It would be very useful to read how the Romans perceived things back at the time of the Fall of the Roman Empire". I think their scenario boiled down rather to "barbarians at the gates" didn't it???

Running out of resources/half the World clambering "at the gates"/etc and peoples greed added with the Mass Media's downside of seeing more clearly how things are in the rest of the World and it aint a good combination for societal stability.

Its perfectly possible for people in the same country not to be that aware of how things can be in other parts of the same country (and I've now seen that from both sides of that equation...) but the Mass Media does give a pretty fair idea of how things are Elsewhere (one way or the other) and I guess it was pretty inevitable that people in parts of the world with Less would get the general idea of how things are here....and that would not be good news for us....and we would come onto the whole "But we've paid for it/worked for it/its OURS" scenario that some of us genuinely have "done our bit" towards and are entitled to the "rewards" at the end of it and other people either needing or wanting a "slice of the cake".

Add on - what can ya do when some of British people honestly haven't paid for it/worked for it but they get it anyway (be it access to benefits/to our NHS/etc) - so there is a logic in why some others would think "Well - some of them haven't paid for/worked for it and they get it. So why shouldn't we - even though we also haven't paid for it/worked for it?"

My head hurts again...

Frugalsod

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Add on - what can ya do when some of British people honestly haven't paid for it/worked for it but they get it anyway (be it access to benefits/to our NHS/etc) - so there is a logic in why some others would think "Well - some of them haven't paid for/worked for it and they get it. So why shouldn't we - even though we also haven't paid for it/worked for it?"

My head hurts again...

The problem is that this is the argument for an insurance system. If we allow the government to turn our NHS into an insurance system all that it will do is create a massive two tier system for the rich subsidised by everyone via tax breaks but are unable to afford it themselves. Millions in the US have no access to health care.

Also with globalisation and hundreds of millions of jobs globally being replaced by computers and robots who will get any health insurance or even any benefits if they cannot get a job? You might think you are on the right side of the equation now but over time you will also find your access to benefits, pensions, and health care eliminated. In a generation it may be considerably worse. Look at how few are actively working in the US. Secondly you completely miss the economic benefit of those on benefits. They spend every penny they get unlike the super rich and they maintain many businesses. They also allow businesses to maintain low wage rates because of the fear of unemployment on their workforce. Governments since Thatcher have described mass unemployment as a price worth paying. Also with benefits in Spain being limited to two years this means millions will be without any form of support, which means they become tempted by extremist parties who might decide you are not the right sort of person needed in the country.

Longer term without access to many of the things that we take for granted the super rich and the elite will be dangling on nooses from lampposts or the guillotines will be very busy separating useless heads from the bodies of the elite and their cronies. You only have to see what triggered the French and Russian revolutions as well as the Arab spring and countless civil wars.

So maintaining decent levels of benefits and access to services maintains social cohesion for the nation. Without it you will need to radically rethink everything. Just ask people in Iraq or Syria about that.

moneyistooshorttomention

I follow that argument - and I do wonder whether we need to have a (very very nominal indeed) payment into an "insurance scheme" in theory as a way to stop people taking advantage of our NHS.

Some creative thinking is needed all round to deal with the fact that some of us have played by the rules and "done our bit" and others (even amongst ourselves) haven't.

Even as a child I could follow the very simple logic that my father put - which was "Whilst you are a child - if you need something from the NHS then you will get it because I have paid in my stamp/taxes etc for you to have it. When you are an adult - then you will pay your own stamp/taxes for you to continue to have it". A very simple way of putting it for a childs benefit - but...yep...basically cant disagree that that's how things should be and we should get what we require from the State because we "have done our bit" as best as we are reasonably capable of to pay for "our share we wish to claim". If we are genuinely/really unable to "do our bit" as an adult for a good reason (ie too ill and/or cant get a job for love nor money - despite genuine attempts to do so) then we get covered.

Otherwise - do zilch = get zilch.

Guess we need some of that blue sky thinking as to how to ensure the tryers get what we have tried/paid for and the free-riders (whichever country they are from - and that includes our own) don't. Admits that if I were in a "If I ruled the world" set-up I'd get together a panel of the best brains in our society/put them all in a room together and say "Right - brainstorming time. What way can you think of between you to deal with this?"

Back to the "If you feel entitled to something - then are you really?" position. If you've done your bit to the best of your ability - then you are entitled. If you haven't....