when you reach breaking point

COOLTRIKERCHICK

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: surely that is just in theory???

a bit like when the new millenium, they thought all the computers would crash, and planes would fall from the sky etc..

I seen it on the 10pm news about the electricity price hike...

Its suprising how much light you can get from a t light, when we are in, sorry i should say were ( had an accident 2 weeks ago van and caravan written off:o, but thats a dif story) in the caravan, and to save the battery we would use t lights, in one of those cheap lantern style holders...

does anyone know how much it costs to run a energy saver light bulb for an hour?

Popperwell

I'm just happy that you are safe after dropping the information about the accident...the sun story has been talked about quite a lot and they can affect satellites and electrical items...but guessing when a particular bad storm could hit is another matter. I don't always believe the figures given out about how good the new bulbs are.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1476401

crumblepie

In answer to the energy light bulb question. I only have energy saving bulbs in the house - I think there's a mix of 7w and 11w, I've had them years. In winter I leave a light on in the hall overnight, and it costs around 1p. That was taking the reading at night and in the morning but I had the fridge running as well which would have used a tiny amount too.

Found this which has comparisons between old and energy saving bulbs. so for example 40w bulb at 6 hours a day @ 14.3p per unit costs 3.43p per day but the equivalent energy bulb is 8w and only costs 0.69p.

GreyQueen

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: surely that is just in theory???

a bit like when the new millenium, they thought all the computers would crash, and planes would fall from the sky etc..

Unfortunately not. We've already had some very narrow squeaks with solar flares which came out of the other side of the sun but would have caused devastating damage had they hit Earth.

In addition to a Carrington Event, which is regarded as a When not an If, btw, there is the jolly jape called the EMP, electro magnetic pulse. An EMP pulse would fry everything in range not protected by a Faraday cage (essentially a metal box with no gaps). All bombs put a degree of EMPs but some bombs are designed to deliver them. Take one such bomb, load it onto an intercontinental ballistic missile and fire. It wouldn't need to hit anything physically; exploded in the upper atmosphere it would send an EMP pulse over a huge area. You could literally fry all the electrics and electronics for a whole country.

The SHTF community are S scared of them. And that includes engineers and military types.

On a practical level, it might be a good idea to have a small radio in a metal box to protect it from an EMP. It might mean that after the event, if anyone was able to broadcast, you could get some critical news.

Cheerful thought, eh? It's a good idea to still have info in old fashioned dead-tree format because this lovely toy and tool we're using could blink out of existance with no notice.

adelight

I worry that my generation will feel this the worst. We were pushed to choose uni over apprenticeships and are now fighting for jobs (not that there are many going in trades either and leaving work to retrain is nuts and risky fir me when I've only just started) and if /when there are more jobs available in 10 years time they will go to those older than us with more experience or the fresh young graduates. If we are working we haven't been working long enough to buy a home (lack of stability and selfsufficiency) or amass much in the way of savings and every penny goes onrent bills etc. if we lose our jobs we may no longer get housing benefit, were single people without kids so are bottom of the pecking order when it comes to financial help. Our parents are approaching grim looking retirement (that younger people are paying through the nose for -my work quite bluntly tell me I pay 5% pension to make up for them paying 1) and can't afford to support us like the government expects. I can see dorms and workfare scheme becoming common place, a modern day woel house effectively. What with recent talk of the young future mps saying Britain needs to develop a work ethic and culture like China, India etc it is too likely for me to be comfortable with.
I worry I will live my whole life at breaking point

lostinrates

OrkneyStar wrote: »

We no longer use our leccie blanket but I do swear by flanelette (sp?) jammies and a hot water bottle. We are in the Northern Isles and if we have a northerly wind up here, boy does it chill you to the bone!

Because we have had no heating and i have health problems that have symptoms like joint and muscle pain, personal but not room warmth are importnt.

I wear fleece pjs theough the day in winter:o. Under layers of tracksuits. :o often with long johns.

I found though, that to be warmest in bed it was the electric blanketand naked ness, so i was getting into a warm bed. I would put a clean set of clothes, long johns (or pjs) t the foot of the bed to warm through over night, then the cats would wedge in under the covers as close to me as possible and we were snug through the night

COOLTRIKERCHICK

GQ..... you have really put the heebeegeebees up me now:rotfl:

so this will take out anything electrical yes? but nothing else?

so what if you leave a wind up radio in the back of a van?

I think it is wise to have a stash of candles etc anyway, and even a spare car battery somewhere, my parents and grand-parents allways had them in the cupboard, but thinking about it, it was the 70's with all the strikes, and power cuts etc....as a kid I used to like it:cool::D

I should imagine the electricity price hike announced yesturday, the other suppliers will follow soon, and i have noticed fuel has crept up a penny or two a ltre...

To try and cut back, I bought the @SDA basic plate/bowl set, think it cost me around £4 odd for 12 piece set... the main dinner plates are alot smaller than a normal dinner plate, I found it was all well and good cutting portion sizes, but I felt as though i was being 'robbed' with a smaller portion on a big plate.... now it still looks like a plate full, ( well it is, but just a smaller plate:rotfl:

katieowl_2

adelight wrote: »

I worry that my generation will feel this the worst. We were pushed to choose uni over apprenticeships and are now fighting for jobs (not that there are many going in trades either and leaving work to retrain is nuts and risky fir me when I've only just started) and if /when there are more jobs available in 10 years time they will go to those older than us with more experience or the fresh young graduates. If we are working we haven't been working long enough to buy a home (lack of stability and selfsufficiency) or amass much in the way of savings and every penny goes onrent bills etc. if we lose our jobs we may no longer get housing benefit, were single people without kids so are bottom of the pecking order when it comes to financial help. Our parents are approaching grim looking retirement (that younger people are paying through the nose for -my work quite bluntly tell me I pay 5% pension to make up for them paying 1) and can't afford to support us like the government expects. I can see dorms and workfare scheme becoming common place, a modern day woel house effectively. What with recent talk of the young future mps saying Britain needs to develop a work ethic and culture like China, India etc it is too likely for me to be comfortable with.
I worry I will live my whole life at breaking point

I'm worrying for your generation too

I've three kids who are young adults. Two of them have degrees which have proven to be of no use, now one of them works in Ald! and the other is working in a cafe... The youngest having seen what happened to the oldest is doing a woodwork course at a local college, but even he is struggling to find someone to take him on, as the building industry here has died the death.

My advice to you youngsters is to build your life skills, learn how to bake bread, forage for food, gain some basic medical knowledge, clean water etc... and keep your knowledge in 'dead tree format' (I like that )

I now longer think it's a case of IF the SHTF but WHEN the SHTF, you guys are going to bear the brunt of it unfortunately.

Kate

Butterfly_Brain

I fear for my two children - young adults but with no hope of finding a decent job. DS has another year at college doing engineering and then he has to look for an apprenticeship, DD has just left college but has only been able to find a job on a four hour a week contract and that is 8 miles away, there is nothing at all around here so after bus fares she is left with £15 a week, but it is something and she won't ever go to the job centre again she described them as a bunch of Nazi T****rs not to mention that..... yes you guessed it our job centre has closed and is now 8 miles away with a return bus fare from here of £7.80 :mad::mad::mad::mad:

Popperwell

crumblepie wrote: »

In answer to the energy light bulb question. I only have energy saving bulbs in the house - I think there's a mix of 7w and 11w, I've had them years. In winter I leave a light on in the hall overnight, and it costs around 1p. That was taking the reading at night and in the morning but I had the fridge running as well which would have used a tiny amount too.

Found this which has comparisons between old and energy saving bulbs. so for example 40w bulb at 6 hours a day @ 14.3p per unit costs 3.43p per day but the equivalent energy bulb is 8w and only costs 0.69p.

Well most days(or is that nights)I have one light on overnight...either the energy saving one on the landing that shines into every bedroom/bathroom/tolilet/landing/hall as I leave the doors to the rooms open, though I have two bin bags of old fashioned bulbs I should use up. I prefer the light from them to be honest but now using a higher wattage energy bulb has improved things.

Then again if I have to, I'll use candles and tealights...and sorry if I repaet myself, every person I have talked to at the call centres at at leats 4 enegery companies all admit they cannot afford to use the energy they are selling us the public. I do all that and many on here do.

They turn lights off and use candles, wear fleeces, blankets, dive under the duvet, wear layered clothing, pj's, dressing gowns etc...to keep warm and they are working, so we're all in this together alright, we're in the brown stuff and trying to survive. And with the changes afoot quite a few of us will be struggling avoid sinking...

GreyQueen wrote: »

Unfortunately not. We've already had some very narrow squeaks with solar flares which came out of the other side of the sun but would have caused devastating damage had they hit Earth.

In addition to a Carrington Event, which is regarded as a When not an If, btw, there is the jolly jape called the EMP, electro magnetic pulse. An EMP pulse would fry everything in range not protected by a Faraday cage (essentially a metal box with no gaps). All bombs put a degree of EMPs but some bombs are designed to deliver them. Take one such bomb, load it onto an intercontinental ballistic missile and fire. It wouldn't need to hit anything physically; exploded in the upper atmosphere it would send an EMP pulse over a huge area. You could literally fry all the electrics and electronics for a whole country.

The SHTF community are S scared of them. And that includes engineers and military types.

On a practical level, it might be a good idea to have a small radio in a metal box to protect it from an EMP. It might mean that after the event, if anyone was able to broadcast, you could get some critical news.

Cheerful thought, eh? It's a good idea to still have info in old fashioned dead-tree format because this lovely toy and tool we're using could blink out of existance with no notice.

Sadly, GQ is right and has put it well, we've come close quite a few times and I have heard it said for years, it has affected things here and there but I suspect been kept quiet. This is not one of those scare stories with no baises in fact.

adelight wrote: »

I worry that my generation will feel this the worst. We were pushed to choose uni over apprenticeships and are now fighting for jobs (not that there are many going in trades either and leaving work to retrain is nuts and risky for me when I've only just started) and if /when there are more jobs available in 10 years time they will go to those older than us with more experience or the fresh young graduates. If we are working we haven't been working long enough to buy a home (lack of stability and selfsufficiency) or amass much in the way of savings and every penny goes onrent bills etc. if we lose our jobs we may no longer get housing benefit, were single people without kids so are bottom of the pecking order when it comes to financial help. Our parents are approaching grim looking retirement (that younger people are paying through the nose for -my work quite bluntly tell me I pay 5% pension to make up for them paying 1) and can't afford to support us like the government expects. I can see dorms and workfare scheme becoming common place, a modern day woel house effectively. What with recent talk of the young future mps saying Britain needs to develop a work ethic and culture like China, India etc it is too likely for me to be comfortable with.
I worry I will live my whole life at breaking point

Adelight,
I'm in the middle of all this, neither old enough to get the help my parents did and I thought that I may but not young enough to even attempt to save for my retirement(and care)and illness means that I depend on the State but in reality that is you...but the help I get is likely to be taken away or reduced. So in a way your fears are my fears.

I might have been able to save but if I did I am penalised and unless you are really "Well off!" your savings can be gone in approx 12-18months on average and you have to go cap in hand to the Government and hope you'll be helped again. It was meant to be a temporary stop gap to emergencies but now for many it is the only way to survive. And let us not forget wages are so poor, rents, ct, travel costs and the new bt coming in many have to try and make claims when they have a job so you are still needing help from the state.

It's a worry if you have a partner/family but no less a worry if single, it still costs the same to heat a room, light a room, cook a meal etc...