London Newbie, longtime low level prepper

[GettingPreppyWithIt]

Thank you. You touch on an interesting point I am not too clued up in - personal economic security. Do you mean if the banks and systems (I have nsi bonds) crash it renders someone potentially poor? Should I be relying on cash? A lot of our wealth is tied into our property (acts of war not covered in home ins) so this does not bode well. Any sage advise greatfully received.

[jansman]

Thank you. You touch on an interesting point I am not too clued up in - personal economic security. Do you mean if the banks and systems (I have nsi bonds) crash it renders someone potentially poor? Should I be relying on cash? A lot of our wealth is tied into our property (acts of war not covered in home ins) so this does not bode well. Any sage advise greatfully received.

Cash, long term storage food,another way to earn money ( that’s a big one), owning your property/car outright- if you can- a bit of a cash stash for emergencies , precious metals, anything to make you independent. You get the idea.

[Arzosah]

You touch on an interesting point I am not too clued up in - personal economic security.Do you mean if the banks and systems (I have nsi bonds) crash it renders someone potentially poor? Should I be relying on cash? A lot of our wealth is tied into our property (acts of war not covered in home ins) so this does not bode well. Any sage advise greatfully received.

Some of the possible safeguards of our finances:
- home made faraday cage - find a good instruction source though, and make sure you understand the science.

- one of my personal favourites, in case of a worse eruption from Iceland than the one that happened back in 2011 or whenever - enough clingfilm to wrap your devices in, after which they can be popped into your faraday cage and left alone. A cheap phone, quickly bought at the start of the emergency, would be good enough for a few months. The problem would be that volcanic ash is sharp, and it can destroy delicate electronics if it drifts inside the body of a machine. Like the way some aeroplanes had problems at that time.

- download your statements from banks/ISA providers, credit card providers etc. If your computer's backed up (see below ) you'll have proof that your finances are what you say they are.

- keep paperwork for a good long while. Self employed keep it for 7 years, you might not want to go that far, but a couple of complete years would be no bad thing.

- back up your home computer regularly, on an external hard disc drive, that can be disconnected.

- keep a paper copy of important phone numbers and account numbers. Very, very securely!

- your NSandI bonds are backed by the government - if they go bust, we're all done for it's about as safe as you can get. But you need some cash. Imagine your car was out of action, you got an emergency phone call to get to the hospital in the next county where one of your nearest and dearest has been taken after something-or-other. There's a cyber attack. You need a taxi, a train, maybe a B&B, hot drinks, more food than you can easily take with you, etc etc. That cash would be crucial.

Actual financial advice about *where* to stash your money ... nope

- if most of your money is in property, this won't apply to you in particular, but check out this little article by Martin Lewis of moneysavingexpert fame https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savin ... whatcounts bank mergers over the years have made it difficult to know whether you can be fully compensated for a banking loss. The article and interactive tool make it clear.

- also about the property wealth - make sure you fulfil every requirement from your home and contents insurer. Nearly all of them will try to wriggle out of their commitments.


One of my credit cards was defrauded recently, and while it was absolute hell on earth, I made dated notes of every single conversation I had, and also made notes on what I could see on their website, because funny little bits changed on there, not just the fraudulent amount. Their habit of taping conversations can be a help, but your own notes give you more power.

Sorry it's so long - I don't think we pay quite enough attention to finances. And good finances let us buy more stuff, after all

[Rusty74]

welcome to the forum,i myself would think more towards an emp or cyber attack these days than an nbc attack,shows how far we have come in technology in last 40yrs this is something peps here dont know about me im a vintage toy collector so over a 40yr span iv amassed a collection worth a few bob,always said its for the kids when im gone to argue over but in a shtf its firewood basically

[PreppingPingu]

Hullo and welcome aboard. Yes we are living in interesting times, fluid and unpredictable. Prep for the worst and hope for the best is a motto I live by. You'll find loads of useful info in the forums here and lots of folk who have given thought to one thing or another. Yes nuke/EMP is an area I have never thought too much about until this week though, the EMP side of things I did think about after reading the "one second after" books some years ago. If nothing else, prepping in what ever capacity is good for your mental health in that it make you feel that you are doing something, and something is better than nothing. If it can give you a few days edge on the folk around you during a crisis, then maybe that's all you may need.

[jansman]

Hullo and welcome aboard. Yes we are living in interesting times, fluid and unpredictable. Prep for the worst and hope for the best is a motto I live by. You'll find loads of useful info in the forums here and lots of folk who have given thought to one thing or another. Yes nuke/EMP is an area I have never thought too much about until this week though, the EMP side of things I did think about after reading the "one second after" books some years ago. If nothing else, prepping in what ever capacity is good for your mental health in that it make you feel that you are doing something, and something is better than nothing. If it can give you a few days edge on the folk around you during a crisis, then maybe that's all you may need.

The boost to mental health is an angle I never considered. That’s a good observation,thanks. Makes sense.

[GettingPreppyWithIt]

Yes I agree the mental health issue is important. At least the semblance of regaining some control is reassuring in difficult times. The last few days I’ve felt a bit like a character in Dont Look Up on Netflix, where no one will admit to let alone consider threats to safety. Like someone just said, isn’t it better to prepare just incase. Can’t do any harm. Thank you all for your comments.

[Jerseyspud]

Hi and welcome!

No harm in prepping for the absolute worst at all. This forum is full of amazing info a d support from lovely people

[pseudonym]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.