Preparedness for when

pineapple

Helen2k8 wrote: »

I am finding bargains that will really be useful long term. Would you stretch now and reap the benefit later, or do without and risk paying more later?

I think the answer is 'it depends'! Is it something that might come in really useful should TSHTF otherwise you are unlikely to use it?
Or is it something you need now and will use and reap benefits from w.e.f. day one?
I'm doing a similar cost v benefit analysis for myself right now. Money is tight so I have to choose. So far the pressure cooker is winning over the bug out tent but we are all different and there is no right or wrong answer.
It's the sort of prioritising only you can do.

BigMummaF

GreyQueen wrote: »

....
Yup, I have concerns that we may end up with a version of the NHS where you pay more towards your cost price of your meds. My lifesaving meds used to cost the NHS about 40P for a prescription and I use 4-5 prescriptions a year. Then somebody bought up the license to produce them and then started charging about £44 for the same amount.:mad: Having to pay the price for vet meds makes you realise how damned lucky we are to have the NH$...I see prescriptions are going up 20p again next month; it seems this bliddin lot are taking glory in kicking the most vunerable when they are already so far down, the cowards that they are won't front up to the Big Boys tho

Because they can. Think about the consequences of paying market price when things like that happen. There is an alternate med which does the same thing and I've been tried on that and had very bad reactions. I dread the NHS turning around one day and saying you can't have your usual, you must have the alternate. And we don't give a toss about the severe insomnia you go through which sends you to the verge of a breakdown....This are the problems facing the many who are told they are 'fit for work' when going for "medicals" to prove they're [STRIKE]liars[/STRIKE]really sick. You have a condition that keeps you from employment > you are prescribed medication to help alleviate the symptoms > meds have debilitating side effects but hey, that don't matter you silly thing!

***Lots of beans ekeing out a small amount of grub.

....we don't end our days in the workhouse.* ....* Give 'em time. There's prolly a think tank on it right now. Barstewards. We think alike, My Friend, we think alike

....

Sorry to hack one of your posts GQ, but several things struck home with me & *best Hiya sinth Bucket voice!* I had to give my opinion *lifts bust with folded arms a la Lez Dorson * I was incensed a few weeks back when our glorious leader was on the box, cheerfully announcing "750,000 more women in work"...errrmmm..just a thought...wouldn't it have been more impressive to say 750,000 jobs for any gender? And does he think 3.5hrs a day as a cleaner/ dinner lady/ tea lady in a care home, is actually that impressive & will help repair the commony? The deluded fools!
My whitterings are not intended to disrespect those kinds of jobs--far from it! where would we be without them--but they do not pay enough to support a single person let alone a family, so I reckon they should not be used to massage the numbers on the dole queue come election times.



Going back a bit, with all the talk of forgotten skills & things on here, got me thinking that some of that erosion must be because so many wives/mothers work outside the home now. I don't mind what your choice is (or has to be) but it seems bringing up your own children is frowned upon these days. Wouldn't it be luvverlee if a job paid enough for one parent to stay at home with the sproglets as it once was, either ma or pa there to play hopscotch on the way home from school instead of being scurried quickly away, to see kids ride their bike to school & the awkwardness of said parent trying to get it home again What is so wrong with wanting that kind of easy living for your children?


***I would like to start eating more beans & pulses--have done since waaaaay before Neddy got involved--so would value some direction of best places to look for recipes etc. I use red lentils to s-t-r-e-t-c-h mince already, but assume when you talk of lentil curry etc, it is made with green/puy varieties? Complete novice here, so...be gentle with me :laugh:

[Deleted User]

I buy if I find things I know I will use at a good price, the downfall is finding something that you 'think' you will use. That's where the whole thinking unravels as you are probably going to find it in two years time out of date and unused at the back of the cupboard. If It's something I use regularly it comes home, if not I keep my cash! Cheers Lyn xxx.

Hardup_Hester

Mumma, google Rose Elliot recipes, I have a couple of her books that are still in regular use, I've had the books about 20 odd years.

Hubby received THE LETTER yesterday, he's undecided as yet, does he stop claiming or does he wait for someone to tell him that his retinal scarring has suddenly disappeared? That if he tries really hard he'll be able to see again, the jury is still out.
Hester

westcoastscot

I can't really afford to keep more of a store cupboard than I do - we could manage for about 3 months I think, but after the first month it would be pretty boring. It's complicated for us as we have serious food allergies, so getting protein into traditionally-thinking men can be challenging! We do manage 3 meat-free meals a week though! I'm hoping to try the dragon-pie mentioned by, I think, Katieowl - but cannot get the right beans here - will need to wait until i'm citybound. That would add a further meat-free but substantial meal to our arsenal if its enough to fill up my fisherman.

I prefer to keep my skill-set practised, so that if we had to we could live on a bit less, albeit at what we would consider subsistence-level foodwise. I always keep an eye on my real bottom line, and try to make sure we could manage that for at least 6 months - but it wouldn't be much fun. Better than the alternative though.

GreyQueen

Helen2k8 wrote: »

How is everyone doing today?

I have a bit of a dilemma - at the point where cash is soooooo tight, I am finding bargains that will really be useful long term. Would you stretch now and reap the benefit later, or do without and risk paying more later?

It's not an easy one to call, is it? I know I've kicked myself when I've seen something which has gone up 50-100% overnight and I'd had the money to stock up if only I'd've known.

The brutal fact is that the pound in your pocket is losing value. Heck, the pound in your savings account is losing value. Goods are going up and up and up. These are the facts not subjective opinions. Soooo, logically, if you can buy something now and store it for future use, it will save you money.

Howsomever, if it was as easy as that, we'd all be at it. I decided to do the aforementioned stock-up on soap (and don't expect to be buying soap until the 2020s btw) because of the following reasons;

1. The price hike was visible.
2. The product will last indefinately.
3. It was a product I use all the time.
4. I had room to keep it.
5. The purchase wouldn't leave me with no money for bills.

With foodstuffs, there is a finite date. We can use stuff past the BB dates and I have never taken any harm from using a cooking oil 12 months past it's date, or tinned goods past their date by more than a year. I would make a case-by-case judgement call when using old stuff.

But many foodstuffs have a shelf life counted in months or even weeks and can't effectively be stored. If you get into freezing stuff, you have the capital costs of purchasing the freezer and the on-costs of running it. With leccy quite expensive, using a freezer to store YS bargain bread rolls may not be cost effective.

There's also what economists call "opportunity costs" by which if you spend your money on X now, you can't spend it on Y later. If the Y turns out to be the rent/ mortgage/ credit card bill/ emergency car repair, your pre-purchasing of stock could see you come a cropper.

It's a hard call to make. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for things which will be useful in an emergency (candles being on my shopping list, secondhand prices only) and will be stocking up on some more t.p. as I can keep that and the beggar keeps going up and up and up.

I'm well-stocked with household textiles such as sheets and blankets and towels and teatowels but if not, I would be laying these in when spotted at a reasonable price. I'd also consider warm clothes when spotted for a song (got a fleece gilet for 50p last week).

Ultimately, it's a very personal matter as we all have our own individual lifestyles and incomes.

Oh, sugar and salt don't rot unless they get wet, so they're good to have. Salt will outlast it's container by centuries once mined or refined.

Righty, have spotted a jumbly kicking off in 5 so will rejoin you anon. Wish me luck!

esmf73

Stocked up last night on plain flour and just add water mixes! Also bought some meat, so have made burgers and chicken Kievs this morning. Am keeping my biggest freezer spoil free, so if the sparks fly and it dies or the electricity goes then the contents won't spoil. Put more into my store shelves too. Was thinking that cakes are always welcome specially when people are feeling a bit hard done by after a few months on rations so will bake and put aside. Need to restock my pasta mountain as its more of a molehill at the moment!

[Deleted User]

Hi BIG MAMMA I'd second HH's idea and find a second hand copy of Rose Elliotts book 'THE BEAN BOOK' which I have also had for years and use all the time. If you aren't used to the flavour of a particular type of pulse my best bet would be to get a tin to use in the recipe rather than buy a big pack of dried and find you don't like them. If you do like it, buy a 500g pack, soak it up with bicarb for 24 hours and cook in the pressure cooker to save fuel. Drain the beans completely, cool them completely on a baking tray or two and make sure they are completely dry before putting them in the freezer on the trays. When they are frozen bag them up and you will have free flow cooked beans ready instantly. You've saved all the fuel for individual cookings too. All pulses freeze well. Cooked lentils obviously can't be free flow, but they are so quick to cook anyway it's not worth cooking them ahead. Hope that helps, Cheers Lyn xxx.

boultdj

In my case,same as Mrs LW, with the exepion of seed's and plant's, I'm always trying to shoe horn more plants in, gave in to temptation this week and got a damson and a cherry tree, just hope they like it where I'm going to plant 'em.

[Deleted User]

Envy,envy,envy BOULT I WANT A PLUM TREE TOO!!!!!!!!!! Lyn xxx.