Preparedness for when

nuatha

GreyQueen wrote: »

Nice to see you posting again, nuatha, I'd been wondering if you were around and hoping Herself is doing OK.

Thank you, I've been trying to keep up with OS most days but mainly lurking.
Unfortunately Herself is no better, we're still awaiting a diagnosis though hoping today's scan might be helpful in that direction.

My instructions to my next of kin are blunt; cut me up for spares and plant me under a tree in the natural graveyard. For giggles, I'd like to be interred with a lead plaque embossed with the legend If you can read this get out of my freaking grave! as I'd like to make some as yet unborn archaeologist laugh so hard they'd wet themselves. But it would be a waste of useful materiel so not compatible with my green(ish) core values.

You could go for a ceramic plaque, aside from anything else I believe its even longer lasting than lead, and is basically mud so less wasteful of resources.
One of my favourite book coves is a picture of a dinosaur fossil holding a placard "End nuclear testing now" (Strata, Terry Pratchett) Your idea raises a similar chuckle.

As a single householder, my pal and neighbour SuperGran holds a spare key (as I do for her) and we each have next of kin contacts, as does my employer and social landlord. Parents also have my door key as I do them. SuperGran has been a trusted friend and keyholder to a number of people at the Towers over the years and this has enabled at least one life to be saved and a few sadly-deceased persons to be discovered sooner than they would have been otherwise.

Having lived alone for large parts of my adult life, especially with health problems, I've found having a trusted friend with keys and an informal checkin schedule a vital lifeline, possibly the first item of conscious prepping I ever did.

Lawdy, grim in here, tonite, innit? I see an interesting overlap between the Hoarder thread and this one; being efficient and uncluttered helps prepperish matters along.

Righ, reckon my meal is cooked so toodle-pip for now.

I don't see it as grim, though that might be because I'm warped
A lot of my prepping is for things that might happen, being prepared for things that I know will happen seems only more sensible to me.
(Though I'm far from being uncluttered, thought, if I deny being a hoarder, does that confirm I'm a hoarder)

vanoonoo

we're full steam ahead for our house move so I am torn between preps and stores and running stocks down so there is less to move.

its been good to see the thoughts from people about preparing for a member of the household moving on - its an awful thing to consider but will be so much easier if practical things are dealt with to allow time for emotional things to be worked through

love and hugs to all - nuatha i hope you get some positive news super soon - lots of GoodVibesTM being sent to your partner and you x

keep warm everyone - the gales here are really whipping up a storm and rattling my arthritis!

meme30

Vanoonoo:= Good luck on your move, it's supposed to be very stressful so take lots of chocolate to help you along.:)

pineapple

For those of us truly on our own - ie like me - parents dead, no brothers and sisters and no kids (cue violins) - just a scattering of cousins spread around the universe ... Age UK has a 'lifebook' where you can record important details http://www.ageuk.org.uk/home-and-care/home-safety-and-security/lifebook/.
But of course let's not forget that it may not be death we are talking about but hospitalisation or a range of health conditions.
On a cheerier note my spam folder was full of sparkling goodies this morning - I now have a free f*ckbook account, I can be paid to watch !!!!!! and have been offered a range of body enhancing medications.
Oh and 'lovebug' has sent me an 'easy e card'! Where to start.... :rotfl:
Greyqueen I'm impressed you don't have a teli. I have a little (lilac!) CRT hooked up to Sky Freesat and keep telling myself I will bite the bullet when my TV or equally ancient Skybox expire. Meanwhile they provide an endless source of amusement for visitors with those 'new fangled' flat panels
On with the preps - just taken delivery of some raw organic cold pressed virgin coconut oil and raw organic honey. You can do a ton of things with these - especially with the former. But I can't tell you about that before the watershed...;)
On the subject of chocolate, Choceur from Aldi is F A B U L O U S and imo knocks Cadburys into a cocked hat.

Cheapskate

I've enjoyed (if it doesn't make me sound odd!) these end-prep posts; it's something DH and I need to do, too. My mum's got a lasting power of attorney that we're going to enable soon, as she's worried about how her memory's deteriorating, and has a case with all her important documents somewhere accessible. Our paperwork is in such a state that we'd both be useless if that sort of SHTF! :eek: Going to sort out making wills soon, mirror wills like my parents had, so quite simple. We still have 2 young children, so need to factor them into will, appointing guardians etc. All sounds slightly morbid, but I also find it interesting as a practical exercise!

A xo

ClootiesMum

Oops - have just clicked & bought "Survivors".........now have task of howtoexplaintohubby.com

I know - I'll blame you lot

Must log back on to work now to earn back the money I've just spent

GreyQueen

ClootiesMum wrote: »

Oops - have just clicked & bought "Survivors".........now have task of howtoexplaintohubby.com

I know - I'll blame you lot

Must log back on to work now to earn back the money I've just spent

You tell him it was all siegemode's fault, OK? I din't do nuthin an I've got an alibi.

Honestly, it's worth the price for the fashions alone, as a child of the 60s-70s I was walking down memory lane and cringing at those haircuts, those shoes, the clothes and the cars.......

Gosh, bad enough that TSHF, but that mass-production of clothing etc stopped at such a vile point on the fashion cycle.... You'll love it.

Re not having TV, what everyone says who's given it up entirely is that they don't know how they ever found time to watch it and don't miss it.

Of course, you're assumed to be a dirty rotten liar by TV Licensing and they are pestering me yet again this week. Yawn.

mardatha

It's just another aspect of prepping, I don't see it as morbid at all, just something that needs to be done. My dad was an orchestra violinist and had tons of sheet music he had copied out over the years, plus loads of old photos of our family. They all got flung out when he moved and I was away in Ireland.
Am thinking people will start moaning like hell this year as the new lot of cuts come in. Wouldn't mind if it was actually helping the state of the country, but for every penny this shower take off the the sick they are spending two on Atos and the like. Borrowing seems to be going up not down. It's not saving, it's re-distribution of wealth - and not in our favour.
The changes in how benefits are paid will mess up thousands of people who are scraping along the bottom doing their best in difficult circs - just so the govt can look tough and like they know what they're doing. I am so mad.
Signed Red Mard. Gimme a barricade.
Or a guillotine.

thriftwizard

I cannot get OH to make a Will, which has worried me for years. But in that time he's gone from "over my dead body!" (ermmm, yes, actually, that's rather the point...) to "sort out an appointment with someone to talk about it" but he's never actually free! Now the kids are technically almost independent (youngest 17½) I don't think he can see any point. He did once ask a solicitor if you can leave people money on condition that they only spend it how you want them to, and was most upset when the answer was a gentle laugh. I have a nasty feeling he would rather the government got it all (such as it is!) than us unpredictable & quite random relatives/loved ones - we'd only waste it!

He'd be in a complete pickle if I went first; not a clue how the household finances are organised, how much things cost or how often they need restocking/replacing. Or even where anything lives, to be honest - after 20 years in the house. But then I'd be in an equal pickle if he went, as my earnings amount to generous pocket money, really, and I couldn't keep 6 people on it. Though I suppose I would have options that I don't currently have, like properly letting a room, the last lodger having been a displaced family friend who basically just chipped in to cover the cost of his food.

Needs sorting, in other words. We are both 54 now & I need to get a grip - quite possibly round his throat!

ginnyknit

Good morning all. Mar I actually have barricades in front of my house as we speak but sadly its to stop me falling into the newly concreted drive, I may ask if we can keep them though :rotfl: We always talk about pulling up the drawbridge but it used to be to keep the crazies away now its to stop the brown envelopes from the DWP.

I firmly agree with all the planning for loss of a loved one. Its essential. I cared for Hubbys maiden aunts for many years and the eldest worked with me to arrange everything, they even paid in advance and planned their funerals, their flat was cleared of all those things you dont really need and paperwork was neatly stored in a folder. They passed away within a year of each other after living together all their lives and it made the hard part much easier as all their wishes were written down. Im trying gently to get Hubby to make a will, but he is a little reticent at the moment, however Im sure he will do it soon. he did one when he went to work in Iraq just before the first conflict but the solicitor it was lodged with retired and closed down the office years ago.

We have sunshine here and its lovely to look out on. I think I will still put my woolies on when I go out though as theres a nip in the air.