Preparedness for when

mardatha

We live in interesting times when the Chinese - who make steel far cheaper than us and are therefore indirectly sort of responsible for the workers' jobs going - get invited to Buckingham Palace and Chequers while the steelworkers get invited to sign on the dole.
MrsL I think getting a real open fire or at least a stove is the one most useful thing any of us can do. And then start foraging for wood to burn in it.

Alloneword

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Given that jobs are being shed like falling leaves all across the UK and people are really going to be hard put to find future employment what is the MOST Useful tip you would give to get by on an extremely limited income particularly if we are going to get the sort of really cold winter the media is suggesting this year. What would be the thing you'd do to get most use of your money and save most expenditure in the future months?

A lot depends on your situation i guess, in my case i live in small 1 bed flat with Econemy 7 which is crap and that's is being polite, however i also suffer from type 2 diabetes which mean i suffer with poor blood circulation to my feet and hence they get cold all the time, so in my slippers i put an insole that has a foil bottom to it so it reflects the cold of the floor and it works, also i spent alot of time at my desk and i use something that normally tilts your feet to help with posture but for me i keep it flat and again keeps my feet of the floor, ok i use something made for it but even a few planks of wood sanded down and glued to gether will raise your feet of the floor and would cost almost nothing.
I do tend to be up at weird hours 2-3 am so sometimes i make spag bol sauce as electric is dirt cheap at that time and store it in plastic boxes and freeze them, also any charging of phones/batteries etc try to do over night and turn your phone off while you charge if you can, and if all that fails rig the damm meter

That was a joke by the way.

All1

Mojisola

Alloneword wrote: »

i also suffer from type 2 diabetes which mean i suffer with poor blood circulation to my feet and hence they get cold all the time, so in my slippers i put an insole that has a foil bottom to it so it reflects the cold of the floor and it works, also i spent alot of time at my desk and i use something that normally tilts your feet to help with posture but for me i keep it flat and again keeps my feet of the floor, ok i use something made for it but even a few planks of wood sanded down and glued to gether will raise your feet of the floor and would cost almost nothing.

We have a little heated mat designed for pets under the computer desk. It warms up feet and legs very nicely.

ivyleaf

Fuddle I hadn't heard about the boy who's arranging the party but I Googled it. What a lovely lad

Mardatha Interesting times indeed - disgusting isn't it :mad:

[Deleted User]

It seems to me that the government is so intently seeking to reduce deficits and manage the economy that they haven't looked outwards at the real world for quite some time or looked at the great British population with eyes to see the real situation some folks find themselves in. I wonder just how much IS being spent on the visit from China, it appears to be very lavishly organised and I so hope that future trade deals do recoup the expenditure of this visit and cement better relations with China. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

maryb

Make a thermal bag slow cooker - Memory Girl has a tutorial you can get from her blog. She had a post on her blog saying that she had helped a friend to make one and the friend reported back that it had made a real difference to her electricity consumption. (She was on a key meter so really noticed how often she was having to load money onto it).

Hot water bottles. One under your feet and one to hold. If your feet are warm, the rest of you feels much warmer.

If you are a knitter, learn to knit socks. Nothing is quite as warm!

A jug thermos keeps the last bit of water in the kettle warm. Pour it back in the kettle next time and zizz it back to boiling. If you have a sunny windowsill, then a black painted thin camping kettle will also preheat the water surprisingly hot.

RAS

maryb wrote: »

Make a thermal bag slow cooker - Memory Girl has a tutorial you can get from her blog. She had a post on her blog saying that she had helped a friend to make one and the friend reported back that it had made a real difference to her electricity consumption. (She was on a key meter so really noticed how often she was having to load money onto it).

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4934041

maryb

OOH thanks RAS, I'd forgotten that thread and it has given me some more ideas. I can vouch for the pilau rice BTW. no burnt bits on the bottom of the pan at all and beautifully fluffy separate grains.

I've blagged a large sheet of insulation from the builders that they were using to protect a glass roof and I might have a go at carving out the shape of a casserole to make another thermal cooker

mardatha

Not sure if anybody will be able to help me here but I will ask anyway
My cooker runs on Propane, from a big cylinder out the back. Although Propane isn't supposed to freeze, it does - or at least the rubber regulator at the top of the cylinder does, and we have to pour over hot water to thaw it. Can anybody think of a good way to keep the regulator warm and dry so it doesn't freeze? It's an awkward shape.

Frugalsod

My finances are already prepped for unemployment. I keep my spending on the utilities and basics including food to under £200 a month. I have not included rent because you will be able to get housing benefit even if it takes some time. Also keep the bank balance below £6000 because that start to get into the realm of means testing.

For me I would open curtains to let the sun heat the place up in the morning if possible. Then close at sunset to stop the heat loss in the other direction.

Switch to cooking from scratch as it is cheaper. Get food from markets if possible. Grow it if possible as well. Raid yellow sticker bins regularly and make use of a freezer if possible. Batch cook if possible. Plan ahead, if you freeze meals use sunlight to help defrost rather than microwave. Try to use microwave or gas as much as possible. Electric hobs are expensive to run. Open fridge and freezer as infrequently as possible.

Make your own bread it will be at least half price compared to the shops and will be so much better. Same for pizza. Ditch the takeaways completely.

If you are prepping for potential unemployment then concentrate on home improvements that will give you the best return on investment such as draught proofing etc. Then boost food stocks as much as possible. If you have a big old TV and watch TV a lot then switch it over to a new more efficient TV. It will save a lot of energy if you use it a lot.

Prepare your smartphone with job hunting apps and get a library card. It will allow you get books out and use the library computers to job hunt.