Preparedness for when

pineapple

Doveling wrote: »

I'm coming to the same conclusion about quarry tiles, Pineapple!!!

In my last house some previous eejit owner had laid tiles throughout the entire ground floor. They were ice cold and sometimes you got condensation on the underside of the rugs.
I'm assuming they were 'on something' and thought we were in some hot mediterranean location and not a Yorkshire Pennine cottage. :mad:

Doveling

[QUOTE=moneyistooshorttomention;69718793

For instance - I know it used to be possible to buy a pair of Marks & Sp*ncer slippers for around £15 and they would last years. These days - one can still go in there and buy slippers for £15-£18 BUT they wont be "anything like". [/QUOTE]

And their knickers have gone the same way :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Frugalsod

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Everywhere will have some problems, I don't think that Utopia exists anywhere on the planet and if it did humans would move in to it and it would be spoiled. Talk to the Irish posters and I'll bet they paint a picture with difficulties as big as those that confront us every day, they may be different problems to those that annoy us but they'll still be problems. The trouble with thinking of relocating is you tend to only see in your head the good parts and the positive parts of the place when you're looking and discontented with where you live now and it's not until you arrive there that you find out what the downside is and by then it's too late, you're stuck. Problems or not I'd rather stay in the UK where I know how the whole system works and how to deal with the problems I already have, life's not bad and being able to access easily the things I might need should I ever have a problem that's a big one is reassuring and there is no language barrier to get through either. Not perfect but having experience of living in another country and trying to navigate the health system which was so very different to here, I'd rather stay with the UK warts and all.

I agree. Ireland has many problems as well. While house prices might seem lower the wages there are disproportionately lower as well. So they have a big housing bubble again in Dublin and few can afford to buy. They still have significant problems from their banking sector and bail-ins are just a matter of time. The Irish government will need another bail out at some stage so the prospects for Ireland are not so rosy. Estate agents will always tell you things are better than they really are.

As you said at least we have an idea of what we can face in terms of support here whereas abroad it is a whole new ball game. Then there are changes to come that could completely upset the applecart. If there are big changes to the currencies can you afford to stay there?

moneyistooshorttomention

Southern Ireland would worry me re any possible change to the Euro.

Add the fact that I believe its still more difficult to deal with matters of arranging contraception/abortion as necessary in Ireland if you are child-bearing age. I believe that there are Irish women still having to cross the waters to England to get abortions if need be for instance (in 2015)???:eek: I must admit I thought that was "all sorted" and all of that "as per normal" until I read a recent article about Irish women still having to do that...

fuddle

I suppose we should throw into the mix the scientific knowledge of our modern era. Who knows what concoction of seemingly ordinary materials can by found to make x,y,z.

I think the make do and mend mentality has long left a lot of people. I think the vast majority of non OS/frugal type folk expect to progress. Anything less would probably be thought of as regression and I just don't think that acceptable to expectations of a consumer driven society.

Either way, it's all very uncomfortable isn't it? :cool:

[Deleted User]

Hey FUDS we're all hard core rebels against lots of things on here, we won't change and because of that I guess we'll always be looked on as fossilized dinosaurs by most of the rest of the population.....but.....when the chips are down and we're all facing hardships and deprivations in the future I know we'll have a whole lot better time of things because we know our old style old fashioned frugal make do and mend ways, because we don't see posessions and status as important as living in a sustainable way and because we can ALL think outside the box and usually come up with a solution to whatever the immediate problem is can't we? I know what I'd rather be and it isn't on the outside!!!

moneyistooshorttomention

We've actually agreed about something fuddle - to an extent.

I would say the "vast majority" of everyone (ie not just o.s/etc) type people expect to "progress" - for instance if they aren't financially straight yet and/or their Lives not sorted out yet to a reasonable extent.

I'm pretty "make do and mend" - but, even at my age, because I'm not financially straight yet I have a list of "whats left to find money for". It's gone down a lot and can now be written on two pages of my small 2016 diary (split between "urgent" and "when I can") and I tick things off the list as the money comes in for them. In the main - its work remaining to do on this house until its completely finished (still awaiting garden fully sorted, a conservatory and my new kitchen).

So - yep....most of us DO expect to "make progress" if we aren't "sorted" yet.

:rotfl:I have to keep that List of things still needed personally - as otherwise I might be rather inclined to just plain "blow" my money. So it helps keep me on track personally (and absolutely focused on ensuring I remain aware of when other people are trying to make excuses to get any of my money out of me when its not due....LOL).

Frugalsod

fuddle wrote: »

I suppose we should throw into the mix the scientific knowledge of our modern era. Who knows what concoction of seemingly ordinary materials can by found to make x,y,z.

I think the make do and mend mentality has long left a lot of people. I think the vast majority of non OS/frugal type folk expect to progress. Anything less would probably be thought of as regression and I just don't think that acceptable to expectations of a consumer driven society.

Either way, it's all very uncomfortable isn't it? :cool:

I also think that most people will be very angry if they are told by politicians that things are improving and yet they still seem to be standing still or going backwards. This is enough to explain why there is a huge surge in anti government feelings all around the world. It explains the surge in white middle class suicides in the US, as well as the increasing mental problems here in the UK.

I do think a make do and mend attitude can be compatible with a consumer society in an age of environmentalism. If goods are made with the ability to be fixed easily or upgraded then yes a price premium is possible. Though many have been pushed to get the cheapest because that is all we can afford.

Try telling kids as they leave school that it is downhill for them in terms of prospects, and that today is as good as it gets for them. This is why mass migration is going to be a serious problem. Look at the numbers here discussing prospects elsewhere such as Ireland. Some might have been economic migrants moving to Wales from the other parts of the UK but they are no different from those travelling within the EU from Poland, Greece or Romania for the same reasons.

I have always kept my basic living costs low in case of unemployment or some crisis. Being frugal and learning OS methods has meant that it has been easier to keep my basic monthly costs manageable and gives me more scope to save when needed. I am also noticing a trend to doing things OS amongst people I know. Some might be doing it for financial reasons others for health reasons which was my initial reason, but I am not seeing a change in the supermarkets attitudes. It seems as if they think that the current crisis is just a blip and we will be out spending like crazy when the economy recovers. I do not think that they appreciate that the economy has been stagnant for the last decade and that when the economy does try to rebalance itself it will be at a much lower price level. When that happens wages will fall significantly, so getting the big changes done before they are forced on us is all that we can do.

fuddle

Whole swathes of people could have our fossilized mentality Lyn but part of me doesn't want to wish that on people because I fear in this day and age it's likely to be born out of SHTF.

We do agree MTSTM - to an extent. I strive for contentment not to progress or to get straight. I just want to be contented in my here and now but I will admit that it's out of necessity that I have learned that way. If there was a glimmer of getting a little more straight in terms of stability I think I would jump at the chance.

fuddle

Frugalsod wrote: »

I also think that most people will be very angry if they are told by politicians that things are improving and yet they still seem to be standing still or going backwards. This is enough to explain why there is a huge surge in anti government feelings all around the world. It explains the surge in white middle class suicides in the US, as well as the increasing mental problems here in the UK.

I do think a make do and mend attitude can be compatible with a consumer society in an age of environmentalism. If goods are made with the ability to be fixed easily or upgraded then yes a price premium is possible. Though many have been pushed to get the cheapest because that is all we can afford.

Try telling kids as they leave school that it is downhill for them in terms of prospects, and that today is as good as it gets for them. This is why mass migration is going to be a serious problem. Look at the numbers here discussing prospects elsewhere such as Ireland. Some might have been economic migrants moving to Wales from the other parts of the UK but they are no different from those travelling within the EU from Poland, Greece or Romania for the same reasons.

I have always kept my basic living costs low in case of unemployment or some crisis. Being frugal and learning OS methods has meant that it has been easier to keep my basic monthly costs manageable and gives me more scope to save when needed. I am also noticing a trend to doing things OS amongst people I know. Some might be doing it for financial reasons others for health reasons which was my initial reason, but I am not seeing a change in the supermarkets attitudes. It seems as if they think that the current crisis is just a blip and we will be out spending like crazy when the economy recovers. I do not think that they appreciate that the economy has been stagnant for the last decade and that when the economy does try to rebalance itself it will be at a much lower price level. When that happens wages will fall significantly, so getting the big changes done before they are forced on us is all that we can do.

Just to pick up on this point. I don't have my two girls believing life will be better than it is today when they leave school. My two are parented to do the best they can to give them a better chance at keeping their heads above water. We encourage that life can be good with attitude and appreciation but that isn't in terms of progress or gaining.

Maybe I'm too much of a realist, possibly even a pessimist :eek: in my parenting but SHTF and often if you make poor choices. I want for my girls to be aware and avoid poor choices but I don't want to burst their excitement for adult life. It's a fine line really.