I read today that food prices have doubled and we can expect another £200 on our power, electric and gas, bills. This isn’t because of the recession, although it has not helped this is because of the deliberate policies of our governments to increase taxes via energy taxes. Businesses as well are stretched with taxes and, unlike us, businesses just charge more for their services. Thus prices go up via that route as well and our wages are stretched even further. Businesses get called greedy by duplicitous politicians ensuring the blame is not put on them. Unlike luxury goods we cannot do without food and power. The more they cost us the poorer we are. What can we do?
First of all we should try and reduce our requirements on energy anyway. Everything we do that we can do without external power saves us money, reduce tax takes, and makes us less dependent on others.
For those of you who have not started yet it is not too late to start a garden. Many vegetables can still be planted, consumed and the seeds harvested for next time. Some vegetables can be grown in a matter of weeks. This saves on our food bills and again makes us less dependent on others.
Why is it that everybody is increasing their dependence on others? Food from supply chain, power from the utilities and service from registered suppliers.
Yes, you guessed it. I have to take the car in to a garage because the designers have made a system that is so far removed from a basic diesel engine that it uses a computer to run. This is a simple diesel engine that has been complicated so much that you need a PhD in electronic engineering and a bank of electronic gear to fix. All so we have to rely on registered dealers and home mechanics are unable to do fix. So next on my list is a rough and tumble car, with simple engine design as Mr Diesel intended, which you can maintain yourself. I wonder if Mr Lamborghini makes one like that.
This is yet another ploy from our government to force us into spending our money so they can get the tax. They insist that only registered fitters can install electric or gas systems. They charge big money to install systems that home owners did themselves for a long time. The suppliers think this is great and then complicate the systems so that the fitters now need training courses for a specific system. No longer is it one training course but different ones for different systems. All which we need to pay for.
So check your systems carefully, washing machines, fridges, freezers, cookers, boilers, some systems you can still buy older user maintainable systems. Make sure the one you buy can be. Make yourself less dependent on others. If enough of us do this then the manufacturers with basic systems will thrive. Unfortunately, people love their toys so the best we will manage is to encourage smaller manufacturers and make sure we have enough spares and the knowledge necessary to fix them.
Anyone know a maintainable vehicle nowadays?
There is no way to get back to the time of simplicity. The computer age has completely done us in. Everything has some kind of chip in it, including the dog and pretty soon they will try to stick one in you.
I think that if I wanted a simpler life it should be my choice. Not the government nor the utility companies foisting it on us. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think giving up some or most or all the new fangled crud that is out there is going to hurt us one bit.
But we are being forced to do so. Forced.
Do I resent it. At times. But I think it will do us for the better. Just figuring out how to live completely like our ancestors is the problem. And getting the TOOLS to do so.
Maybe I am glad they are using force to cause self reliance. Maybe their ploy is going to backfire on them. Sure as heck hope so.
Hope you find the vehicle you want and pick up some extra hand cranks you may need them.
“Anyone know a maintainable vehicle nowadays?”
Not a new one, no. To go maintainable, you need to look at vehicles that are at least 20 years (or more) old. There are other advantages to old vehicles – you can insure them as classic, which will cost less, and if you go as old as 1974, there’s no road tax either.
Of course, they can be money pits, too. Having said that, my shiny, new(ish) double-computer-controlled Volvo that can send me emails has cost far more in maintenance than my 22-year-old Talbot. You gotta find a good one.
An old school land rover defender is your best bet. Only problem is they are known for their reliability now so they’ve been holding their value and despite thief age can still fetch a good price.
There’s a mod website that sells army surplus landy’s, which from what I know of the army’s equipment, they should be pretty well stripped down to basics. Even military laptops used in combat zones run on old software as these generally have the least buggy software and hardware.
Ellen,
It has its advantages. But everything in life is a double edges sword. We have to live with the consequences.
I read a good book once from a author called Patrick Tilley. He wrote about 9 in total. This one was called Fade Out and was about a field that stopped electric currents. It expanded regularly until it covered the globe. The story was the impact and our reactions. It was good. Don’t want to go there though.
Luddite, Steven K,
Agree. That is why a Land Rover is high on the list as well as a couple of other ex military bits of kit. No fancy computers there. Even the high tech versions have less computing than my phone. I’m keeping my eye out.