No disrespect there. No offence.jennyjj01 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 17, 2022 10:28 pmjansman wrote: ↑Thu Dec 15, 2022 1:18 pm As a result of now being off work,our combined income will drop viciously. I am sure there are other members here who will be in a similar situation,and also sure they will have top tips!I am planning on getting better and spending at least six months at home,before moving along to do work. Got to have a plan! So whilst waiting for treatment,I am not being negative,but trying to make positive plans for us.
I hesitate to post this. It's not meant as any kind of personal attack on Jansman or anyone, while he's down.
I know Jansman was a bit dismissive of a few frugal shopping discussions, recently. Sorry. Jansman, inflation wasn't your priority then, I understand that and it might not be a big deal even now. You said something along the lines of 'whatever happens,and whatever we can hustle for... we will do our best under the circumstances'?
But we can all discover a new fondness for such frugality. My own grocery budget is approx £100 per person per month. That's getting squeezed by inflation and unfortunately this is a fixed income household. So, there's no current opportunities at boosting income with overtime or side hustles.
We are OK at the moment, but looking at a five year inflationary world, we could be in the 'heat or eat' crisis just as old age starts to sink in. Hence my frugality lately. No offense to Jansman, but you might be in for some shocks when planning scenarios. E.g. If MrJJ pegged it, my reduced household income would not cover council tax, energy, and food half as well as it does now and savings are getting devalued by inflation and stock market gyrations. Maybe, (again, no offence Jansman) an inheritance might be just down the line, which might help. Or maybe a big cost like a car failure or domestic crisis could kick in. Suddenly having six months pantry and a fishing and hunting lifestyle might not be enough. Our prepping is only about buying time, isn't it. Setting up a few options and escape routes.
Jansman does right to revisit and address his current domestic budget situation. Just as he helps me with my dumb-a55 veg growing questions, I'll happily nudge him with my frugality tips, until he tells me not to
One BIG domestic budget drain has recently woken me up. Not something I suspect affects everyone here, but certainly common in my wider family..... The frequent Costa coffee and cake on the garden centre visit. I realised that these recreational wanders round the mall or shopping centre, or visits to the Range, or wherever were a significant and growing expense. £15 to £25 was disappearing most weeks as 'invisible spending': Simply visiting the Garden centre or the mall or the Range, AFTER having a light lunch at home has had a big impact on spending.
Next week, I'm going to be restarting my use of the 'Too Good To Go' app. That used to feed ME for typically 3 or 4 meals for £3.80 Mr JJ laughed and was not so keen on some of the dietary lucky dips. Needs must.
In a rapid one week ,my ,OUR ,life has changed dramatically. Any financial problems will happen and each will HAVE TO BE DEALT WITH! It is true survival. The whole ‘prepping’ movement has had many different ideas ,but currently ( and we have others here at UK Preppers too in the same situation )we are dealing with serious illness and trouble. That’s the ‘problem’ in our personal life.
Bluntly,I have physically worked my knackered body into the ground over 40+ years ,but that’s the way it is.I am not moaning about the scum bag,nasty financial industry wastes of real work,but my pension( s) are a rip off ,blah blah . This week,I have done the organisation of finance for Jan if I suddenly die, sorted so she can drag it. Along with her current earning,she’ll have a fifth of a million quid on top ,owns the house, and a few other bits I have stashed.
And NO DEBT.Not a fortune by ‘modern’ demands , but our demands are not either. That takes me to that last paragraph of Jenny. We don’t waste life going to Costa ,the Garden Centre etc. To *us* it’s a waste of life.
I don’t joke when I tell you what a simple life we live. Honestly, before my illness,our treat was a takeaway curry ,and there was zero time to do ANYTHING else . Aside from my bit of fishing etc,which was not frequent enough at all ,at all ,in my personal ideas of Simplicity. Therefore,our change isn’t a worry where lifestyle is concerned,at all. I cannot emphasise that ,truly. Too much spending on crap is half the problem of folks. Stuff will be more expensive. Income will be less. Folks may not believe it when I say that we will have my wife’s income ( part time) ,along with my 100 quid a week sick for the next six months,and cover all costs ,with money still to save from that. Not as much
but nevertheless,it’s positive. If I went from here now,worrying about anything more,it could add to the speed of death. Then it would be , well , gone,nothing, totally irrelevant. Our Prepping or rather,rural working attitude has meant we are able to deal with this. Yes ,not richly or fancy ,but independent,pretty much. Simplicity and a life of calm and ease is now the most important. Buying SH*T means absolute zero. We would sooner sit in front of the fire together,reading,listening to music and the like. It makes a good difference in many ways ,as suddenly one realises that stuff changes very very quickly. A car crash by a chap four doors down last week has killed him ,sadly. He is gone. His family grieves now, and his wife told mine that now,she will be changing a lot of the way she lives ,as her attitude has changed. Right now ,neither Jan or me are dead ,and we’ll live as calmly as possible. We need money - yes. How much? Well that is personal,but our life needs calm, warmth,shelter,food and the attention of God himself.Nothing else is important- just like most of the world outside of the Western World! We will manage ,as ironically the life I have worked our lives towards has made us as secure as possible,within our boundaries. Way back in the days of our very young family,Jan stayed at home in the proper way. I paid everything from my work and for a year ,we had left only £5 each week. We managed! I cannot comment upon real poor folks - and they exist in our village. My wife deals with a lot of this through school,and trust me,it’s out there for real. Moaning about not being able to go coffee drinking and mooching to the latest outing is not The Real Need for people. I won’t go on.
So cost? Personal spending and what on is just that: personal. So I’ll comment on us. We have lived a simple country life when we compare to other folks to be honest. Rather old fashioned I gues.
Our 32 + year graft paid the cottage. Small,secure and maintained. In fact as an ordinary country boy, paying it off was my ONLY ambition. That made me happy,and my wife can do as she pleases with that in the future. There is a fund to help that if needed to maintain- not massive- but there.We have a community that can help there,indeed one mended a door for Jan whilst I was in hospital Sent Ian a message bless him,and he nipped round. Cost? Sunday dinner today and a couple of hours chat he says!
During the cold weather ,and boy it’s been cold hasn’t it , we have simply lived how we have always done too. Animals come and go,we wear warm clothing ( not shorts and vests!) so that we can come and go .Albeit modern layered stuff etc. Hardly difficult! Rather like the elderly man who lived in our house did from birth,in the old fashioned country way. Tough as you like! If we want to heat a room, we can turn on electricity,and later light a stove. Then it gets PROPER warm. Boy do we have fuel,and enough for next Winter. Paid for! You get the idea. Folks are ,frankly ,inthe main,not tough enough. Sorry,but as a species ,mankind is weak - in The West particularly.
Food: After housing and heating,this is the big one. Bigger if honest. Rang my old Indian restaurant last night. Boy we’ve had some nights down there in ten years. Told them I’ll be in touch as I can afford it. End Of! Ironically,he sent my meal out and wouldn’t charge me ! I tried,but he wouldn’t take money. That is community. Most important.
Yesterday we went and did our shopping at our local supermarket. We have worked out meals - not by daily rules - but it gives us an idea each week. We eat simply. However, my diet has changed a little,and for a very nutritious diet too! I feel so much better,and our waste is rapidly declining. Waste is massive in this country. God himself knows I have seen that in 40 years on a Christmas week ,along with REAL greed. If Folks started watching spending- not starving - and waste,then they would be better off,for sure.
I will be in charge here as I get better ,and we will use pasta rice and potatoes. I know they are increasing,but they are still cheap. Not wasting is massive,it’s important. Waste is so easy,and makes folks comment that ‘stuff is expensive’ when that happens. The idea of what we bought yesterday we cut by £10 for the week ,and ironically,nutritionally better off! Vegetables will be massive too. And the garden will supply that too.
Saving money , well as we drank tea in our warm bedroom, Madam showed me her old fashioned way of saving money - on a paper list! You know what? there’s still room. Modern life is in need of having a look at itself.
It's good to work for things, to a reasonable level - you see it at modern zoos, they don't just give the animals their food, they hide it in ice lollies in the summer, or in balls that they bat around, or fixed at the bottom of their pools, etc ad infinitum. Some level of struggle is good. Everything-on-tap doesn't work for long.
Bliss. A good list, shared over a good cuppa tea.
