Preparedness for when

mardatha

Thriftwizard the weather is the same up here. Constant wind and battering rain, roads closed all over the north east and power out. Not on the news because it's Scotland.
Re surveys I chuck them all in the fire. I mind my own business so they can do the same lol

mardatha

Does anybody else get the feeling of ... how can I put this lol - like being 9 and on your bike, flying down a steep hill and realising that you're going far too fast and have no idea how you're going to stop? lol - That's where I am now! With govt, politics, the world iin general.

calicocat

I was reading last night about all the food shortages that could be upon us with this weather. Also that things will become more expensive.

I think i'll beef up my food stores of dried/tinned/bottled goods a bit as these have long dates. I'm going to go through the medicines too, and take stock of what I have/need.

Might stock up a bit more on stuff for Asbo-cat too.

Still teaming it down here, this could kill off the box hedge I planted last year. Still, if that's all I have to worry about i'm lucky in the grand scheme.

Karmacat

mardatha wrote: »

Does anybody else get the feeling of ... how can I put this lol - like being 9 and on your bike, flying down a steep hill and realising that you're going far too fast and have no idea how you're going to stop? lol - That's where I am now! With govt, politics, the world iin general.

I do, I have the sense of unstoppable forces now in motion, thats true: the refugee crisis and the events that led up to it, climate change/global weirding, credit madness, the greediness of the banks, extremism (including the 1% grabbing more and more) ... a lot of things coming together.

I'll control my own downhill-flying bike for as long as I can but none of us is invincible ... I'll do what I can, and the things that aren't up to me, well, we'll see.

[Deleted User]

daz278 wrote: »

wonder if its standard practice for various government depts especially benefit depts to check facebook for discrepancies

They won't get far with me, as I don't have a FB account.

pineapple

Oh gosh MTSM
There were several questions I didn't like. Such as having to give the actual address of your workplace, the address of any place where you spend more than 30 days a year, some visitor details, where you were staying a year ago. I seem to remember they were very interested in how many bedrooms you had! (surprise surprise). In fact they were mainly questions that didn't apply to me, it was just the principle of it.
Plus the Census is now part of plans for a European Superstate

pineapple

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

What sort of questions were they asking Pineapple? I tried to find info on that re Google, but couldn't.

Found it
https://census.ukdataservice.ac.uk/media/50966/2011_england_household.pdf

twiglet98

Happy New Year everyone. 2015 was a year of extreme troughs - bereavements in my wider family, and loss of some precious pets too, a different grief but no less real - and the joyous highlight was my eldest's marriage. All three offspring were successful in excellent job applications or promotions, and are in happy relationships.

I plod on earning just over minimum wage, to the offsprings' despair and derision, mainly because it's close to home and pretty easy going. My various work pensions could kick in this year, when I hit 60, but state pension will now be 66 and I foresee still working beyond that and for as long as I'm able. I cannot imagine being debt free in 6 years, and I must sort out another 0% balance transfer this evening. Also a stack of things to list on eBay, having tried unsuccessfully to sell on Facebook. And looking at where else to cut down spending.

I've done an inventory of all my food stocks in the cupboard and pantry, still have to do the freezers, and have it on a spreadsheet. Sorting into date order, the oldest dated item is yellow food colouring from 2001, probably the last time I made a birthday cake for one of my kids! Items too old to have dates are limited to gelatine sachets and cream of tartar (two tubs - why??)! There's nothing that causes me concern about its age, I used the 2007 chestnut puree before Christmas and everything else is 2011 (custard powder) or newer. But its a reminder that I don't need any more for a while, now there's only me here, and even irresistible whoopsies on the packets and tins trolley can and must be resisted while I nibble at the mountain. My biggest weekly spend is often feeding the dog, cat and wild birds, I stock up when it's on offer but their food is so rarely whoopsied!

I keep 50 litres of stored water, a mixture of 3 litre and 5 litre bottles, usually refreshing three bottles on the first of each month, and this time I have emptied all of them into a clean (ie no rainwater) butt, from which I refill the hens' drinker but could use the water for washing if the mains went off. I no longer have large livestock here so the worry about not having enough water is considerably less than it used to be. Ancient terrier, cat, hens and myself don't get through so much. DDs aren't far away, we all have the same water supply company but it's probably unlikely, though not inconceivable, that we would all be without mains water at the same time.

I have heating oil but room for another delivery when the price is right, only using it for hot water so far this winter, also lots of firewood cut and stacked, and pallets available from work for kindling. Paraffin lamps, solar table lamps, candles and matches, gas canisters for the camping stove, torches and spare batteries, I'm pretty much sorted except for a solar radio. My neighbour has a spare generator that I can use for my chest freexzer if necessary.

Filling the car at least hasn't been quite such a nightmare as the prices stay fairly low. I got a portable compressor last summer as one tyre keeps going down and it has already paid for itself, compared to 50p a time to pump it up at the only petrol station I pass daily.

Re surveys, I do the online YouGov surveys which offer a very small incentive, and am surprised at just how intrusive some of their questions are. I don't answer them all ...

Keep safe and dry, my heart goes out to anyone in a frightening situation with the extreme weather in the north - I believe the south west is getting it today. We've got off lightly.

[Deleted User]

twiglet98 wrote: »

I keep 50 litres of stored water

Same here, but I keep it in 2x25 Litre containers.

Paraffin lamps, solar table lamps, candles and matches, gas canisters for the camping stove, torches and spare batteries

Me too.

I'm pretty much sorted except for a solar radio.

I've got this one, which can also be charged by winding, or plugging into a USB socket.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002D9FKDS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

It's pretty good for the price, of £12-85.

thriftwizard

"Tipping it down" has now turned into "monsoon-like" and the drains in our road & the main road at the top aren't coping. And the water is bubbling up out of the potholes down towards the end of the road; always a bad sign! We're on a bit of a rise, but the town centre shops aren't...