Preparedness for when

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Our business landlord put up the service charge by 28% this year, plus the buildings insurance up to 3.5k

So you can see why places are empty, our landlord will have 2 extra empty units in the next week or so..

GreyQueen

If you wander around the centre of my hometown (25,000 pop) on the surface it doesn't look too bad. Then, when you look a little more closely you see the following;

1. Many shops are empty, but their windows have been covered over with printed film of local scenes, so you can't see anything inside. They have been empty for years. Potemkin Town.

2. A lot of the shops are chazzers.

3. Of the remaining, there are few thriving local businesses, the bulk of the retail activity is pound shops and the cheapest chain clothing stores.

To me, this isn't how this town used to be, when the population was much smaller, and I have memories of these shopping streets which go back until the early 1970s.

And many of the units in the precinct are owned by big insurance companies who are quite relaxed about them staying empty.

Doesn't look to me like a healthy economy. And in my city, which is in a prosperous part of the country overall, there is a lot of poverty. You can buy a Bentley and the dealership will be cheek-by-jowl with impoverished people in social housing. You can dine in a Michelin starred restauarant and walk past the beggars on the street outside.

There's money about, but it's in too few hands, IMO. The inequity is dangerous for society as a whole. Not going to be a lot of fun being wealthy if you need to send the missus or daughter out with a pair of bodyguards, or hire urchins to stop your car being keyed when you park it.

AnimalTribe

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

IAs a final backup we have a firepit from a local guy who makes them out of old washing machine drums.

I'm still pages behind but just wanted to say thank you for mentioning this. I happen to have an old washing machine (as I wanted to use the glass door as a large bowl), but haven't got around to taking it apart yet. When I do I'll try the fire pit too. I might not post much but I read all the posts (eventually) and you are all an inspirational bunch.

GreyQueen

AnimalTribe wrote: »

I'm still pages behind but just wanted to say thank you for mentioning this. I happen to have an old washing machine (as I wanted to use the glass door as a large bowl), but haven't got around to taking it apart yet. When I do I'll try the fire pit too. I might not post much but I read all the posts (eventually) and you are all an inspirational bunch.

AT, if you do an internet search for WM drum brasiers etc you should get some good ideas. Cookerwars.com is always entertaining.

Frugalsod

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Our business landlord put up the service charge by 28% this year, plus the buildings insurance up to 3.5k

So you can see why places are empty, our landlord will have 2 extra empty units in the next week or so..

It is not helped by the fact that they have such low interest rates to content with that they can easily keep a sizeable slice of their portfolios empty as it will still cover the interest payments. Should interest rates return to normal then they will be very expensive follies.

Frugalsod

GreyQueen wrote: »

There's money about, but it's in too few hands, IMO. The inequity is dangerous for society as a whole. Not going to be a lot of fun being wealthy if you need to send the missus or daughter out with a pair of bodyguards, or hire urchins to stop your car being keyed when you park it.

I agree but such imbalances will be righted it is just a matter of time.

1Tonsil

Thought you might like to have a look at this. While I am no fan of his forecasts, or the paper, I do think we need to accept this winter is going to be a harsh one. I also think it will arrive earlier than we expect.http://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/602694/Britain-braces-snow-winter-weekend:money:

We will be in the UK for Christmas and New year but we are going dressed in our warmest for them. We have already discussed getting our first ton of olive wood in early for this winter, and we need to top up the heating oil. Since we had the solar panel installed in October last year we used less than half the normal amount of oil , even though it was our worst winter here in 21 years!

I was interested to read that so many of you have cut down on eating meat. Four months ago my husband was told to cut down on meat and to eat healthy. No red meat at all and more fish, fruit and veggies. It suited me as I would rather eat that way anyway. I have long spells of not wanting to eat meat at all. My OH has got used to the healthy eating now and prefers it. Our food bills have come down despite the ten percent rise in vat on many foods.There is a glut of fruit and veg due to the very hot , humid summer we have just had, so we are making the most of them.

Had a nasty moment when I discovered my small freezer had inadvertently been turned off and defrosted, but we used up all the food over the next couple of days. Thank goodness it wasnt the chest freezer, which is full to the top.

We often have cuts in the electric due to storms in the winter, so have got used to managing without it. We always have wood for the fire or cooking, extra gas for the hob and heating, candles and storm lamps etc. I am waiting for the car boot sales to start again at the end of this month, and will be buying thick long curtains for over the front door and the arches in the hall way.

I am thrilled with the new slow cooker that I bought, so much better than my old fashioned heavy one, which has now been relegated to cooking lentils and chickpeas.

Off out for a nice dinner for our anniversary tonight to a local hotel. Going to check out the menu and quality as we are thinking of going there for my MIL s ninetieth birthday later this month.

I am really enjoying this thread, keep up the good work:T

1Tonsil

I have just received this. Remember he is speaking to an audience in America. when he posts the shows he mentions making today, I will share them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7EzbCSpDsE&feature=youtu.be

Very interesting stuff, especially about the CERN facilities, which disturb my sleep patterns and those of my friends when it is running . The end of the video talks about the crash of the world markets and it seems he is going to predict it happening very soon. I agree with him on this one. I used to think the descent into chaos would take months, but after seeing the chaos in Greece and now Europe with the constant arrivals of the Migrants, I agree with him that it will happen very quickly. Keep prepping folks and ignore those that think we are crazy. This is going to be a month of major changes:eek:

moneyistooshorttomention

Interested to hear your comment Itonsil re Cern disturbance to sleep pattern. Can you explain more on that?

I've not watched the video yet - just seen the other video mentioned on side re Nostradamus reckons Cern is going to be It = End of.

Actually, that makes 2 positive things happened so far today in my book then. First - being a friend popping in to cheer me up and bring unexpected little pressie (neighbours at it bigtime:cool:) and if Cern spells The End, then "Oh well will it be instant?" Make mine:beer: at a personal level then - end of worries/stress/etc -:T

Third positive thing - night out tonight with a friend/potential new friends and should be a good 'un by sound of it.

Three pluses for the day is a good total:)

1Tonsil

That sounds like a great day.

When CERN runs at night we can hear it, it makes a curious sort of noise, a bit like humming deep in the earth, and sometimes sounds like harmonics. I tried to record it , but my batteries went and I only got a very short clip of the sound. Then someone sent me a recording of it at the cern facility in Switzerland and it is exactly what we hear.

When it is on a run, which is in the middle of our night, I am wide awake from when it starts. It does wake me if it starts when I am sleeping and the run takes two or three hours, but sometimes lasts for six or seven hours. I have tried everything to help me sleep, but nothing helps. When it broke down for a few weeks I slept like a log. Since then I have discovered it disturbs quite a few of my friends, many of them getting bad headaches with it as well.

On the day after a big run, we get a lot of static affecting us here. I have been told it is the same in other countries close to it. There are cern facilities in other countries as well. It seems to affect our electrical equipment despite the surge protectors we use on everything . We now unplug everything at night , besides the freezers and essentials.