Preparedness for when

maryb

That article is followed by another which says that greek mainland branches of Cypriot banks won't be affected but that they will be sold to a Greek bank. I read that they are doing that to stop bank runs spreading to Greece.

You wonder, though, if ordinary Greeks have anything left to pull out.

And how do they define savings? Is it just credit balances at a particular point? What if your salary had just gone in but your mortgage wasn't due to be paid until Monday? Will they find themselves with a shortfall?

JayneC

Hello all,

Scary stuff about the banks in Cyprus. Kinda makes me glad I have no savings. Good point maryb about how they define savings. I have long said that it's out of order that we are forced to have a bank account and if we are then really it should be a public service and not a private business, it was always going to end in trouble:(
This is why I'm planning to cancel my pension payments - I really don't believe they will be there in 20 years, even more convinced now. I'd rather invest in actual tangible stuff or increasing my skills. Think that will be more use to me when the SHTF. I won't be keeping my money in the banks either (if I ever have any that is!)

Re the LETS scheme - I am aware of LETS but was thinking of something a bit more informal - a more of a pay it forward type thing. Where you can just ask for assistance 'as and when' and you don't need to keep a tally. Just know that if you help somebody out then when you need assistance you can be confident that you'll get help from someone in the pool when you need it. Anyway I'm still pondering...

I watched one of the utube links from first page about BOBs and then about making MRE food packs, so am having a think about what sort of food I could put in my BOB (2 cereal bars seems woefully inadequate:o)and making up some food packs. Anyone done this? What have you put in? the guy had put in some stuff that needed rehydrating but I thought what if you were in your car like the people stranded in the snow recently, you don't want to be lighting a fire in the snow at the side of the road to make your noodles now do ya?

Jayne x

Popperwell

I'm just repeating a post I posted on another thread about this...

I know that I woke a few minutes ago and heard this on the radio. It is to be discussed in parliament there(and probably approved today)Roughly 10% levy on savings if you have 100,000euros(£86,590)or more and around 6.75% for those upto 100,000euros.

So naturally people are attempting to withdraw cash. It does make you wonder how safe anyone's money is across Europe...even here.

I don't want to really get into the immigration thing and recent worries of the influx or possible people from Europe coming here as it always turns into racism or attacks on people who depend on benefits or whether jobs are taken away from others etc...

But another report on radio the other day showed how the population in Bulgaria are suffering and I looked it up the internet. They are in real trouble too(we hear of Greece, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Ireland)rarely Cyprus/Bulgaria.

So in Bulgaria they have been protesting at the price of electric but it has escalated to other problems such as the cost of food etc...and some people have been so deperate they have set fire to themselves.

So that's 7 member states out of 27 in real trouble. There will be more.

Popperwell

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

This is what I keep on hand, in case of a household emergency.



Actually, the 2 bags of tealights are less than half of my stock. I have 5 bags (100 per bag).

I also always have at least 1 month's supply of food and drink, 5 canisters of gas for the stoves, and 4 Litres of paraffin for the Hurricane lamps.

Also, 32 AA and 32 AAA batteries for the LED lamps and DAB Radio, and (in case of a very long power failure ), a wind up radio.

I like the idea of the hurricane lamps(don't know if the Housing Association would)I may look into that but hey, they are for emergencies and if you don't mention it:silenced:but they are probably safer than candles etc...how easy is it to buy the parrafin at present? I have candles, tealights, one stove and 8 cannisters(I think)have batteries(could do with a wind up radio)

If I used the stove I'd go outside or make certain windows/doors are wide open.

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Mine's not exactly exciting.

Mostly packets of Pasta and Sauce, tins of soup, beans (could be bad news in the event of a nuclear attack ), spaghetti, bags of rice, pasta, instant noodles etc.

Similar stores and many items could be eaten cold.

2tonsils wrote: »

Pops, I don't see why olive oil would go up in price...its still grown on the same trees they have been growing it on for thousands of years...and labour is cheaper now with no minimum wage here in Greece...

I heard this on the radio the other day but did a quick search and found this

Popperwell

Some of what I posted had been covered by the rest of you, sorry:(

Buying parrafin is more difficult too...a quick search suggests that B&Q sell it? As I can only use public transport I probably would have difficulty being allowed to bring it home(but any way)even using a car it has to be transported some how...but fewer people of course.

I saw Homebase mentioned too...but outlets are becoming fewer. Perhaps some hardware stores have limited supplies?

Update:More internet searching suggests...Parasene is just a brand for paraffin. Some BBQ lighter fuel is in fact clear paraffin. Wilkinson's own BBQ fluid is and comes in 1 litre bottles. At the end of Summer they often reduce the price, oh and B&M have their own version...

Popperwell

We'll all end up needing anti depressents or needing to get drunk at this rate...

mrs_lds

As we do not have the euro here I reckon we are going to see hyperinflation take place in the uk.what is happening in Cyprus will happen elsewhere. A few years back Eric Cantona yes the footballer advised folk to take their money out of banks.

thriftwizard

It's downright scary, and it's also daylight robbery. And I have a feeling that it's not going to work, anyway; ever since I saw a video about the mechanics of growth & debt, it's been clear to me that the entire system is completely unsustainable. Massive debt grows massively, even exponentially, as many of us here have cause to know, and people's savings will only be a drop in the ocean of what will be required next time the debt collectors call on the poor Cypriots. It may have kept the wolf out of the door one last time, but he'll just come down the chimney instead, or worse still, huff & puff... Getting the crash over & done with might have limited the damage for the Cypriots, as in Iceland a few years back, but might also push the world markets over the edge that they've been teetering on since 2008.

And our debt makes theirs look like peanuts... I am now beginning to wonder if our previous gub'ment saw this coming, and realised that the only real asset in a rapidly-changing world is a cheap workforce, hence packing our small islands with so many people, and encouraging all of us into debt-slavery. But I'm probably just being completely paranoid!

Popperwell

Posted this elsewhere(there is a specific thread about this)but it also fits this one too...

http://t.co/vWUJfbL25p

[Deleted User]

Popperwell wrote: »

how easy is it to buy the paraffin at present

Not too difficult.

There's a local hardware store (less that a mile from my house) that stocks it in 4 Litre plastic cans, and a number of fairly local (and not so local - one is very near to where I work) petrol stations stock it.

Popperwell wrote: »

could do with a wind up radio

I've had one of these for a good 5 or 6 years.

Cost me £3 back then.