What are you doing to bring positivity to our increasingly desolate lives?

[UsernameInTheTown]

To counter my recent threads expressing my pure anger and despair over the way life is heading in the UK in 2022, I am trying to do what I can to improve things and safeguard my family and community over the hard times ahead, however futile this may seem

I grow much of my own food as I am lucky enough to have land (an acre, so not a huge amount). I always over plant to share produce and give others the chance to grow their own food.
I am aware that buying the stuff to get growing can be ridiculously expensive, with no guarantee of success. As such, I have set up a seed library, where folk can take what they need or fancy for free, and if they have and spare seeds, can leave them in the library.
I am over planting tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, rhubarb, micro greens, peas, beans, rocket, many herbs and also peonies, bleeding hearts, hollyhocks, dahlias and more. I can lose myself in growing and find it so good for my mental health, so am a bit evangelical about it.
I am adding to our local towns' community orchard stock and giving away surplus plants.
I am also making draft excluders from our old pillows and bedding and will make a few extras.
This is certainly not a "when I was a lad we had one candle and a lump of coal to last us a week" type thread.
Positive and upbeat vibes only please!

I have a a yellow jacket and sometimes people smile at it when I pass them on the street.

They may be laughing at me or with me, I care not.

I like this Afflt. Bright colour and smiley people are always uplifting.

Starts a thread referencing "our increasingly desolate lives"

Asks for positive vibes only

Fwiw I don't think our lives are 'increasingly desolate'. Lots of things aren't good, some are getting worse, and geopolitics and energy prices are scary. Vs the year 2000, UK life expectancy has increased, median real incomes are up too. We live in a country where OP can own an acre of land without having to survive off that, and where people like you with seeds to spare will share at a community library, which is a great thing.
Having grown up in a broke family in a poorer country, I feel like many of us in the UK have got used to a life that is very luxurious, in a way that actually isn't sustainable on a global scale (daily meat eating, houses heated so you never need a jumper indoors, driving short distances), and many of us could get more positive vibes by acknowledging that our lives are often more blessed than desolate, and using our energy to support those who truly have been left devastated by recent price rises and conflict. Food banks, seed donations and money saving good in the short term, politics and demonstration likely more effective in the long term.

I have set myself a personal challenge to get my home and my family as prepared as possible for next winter, starting now. DH and I have a number of ideas and plans which we review regularly together. I am seeing it as an opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills, which I enjoy.

So far I am putting thermal linings in the curtains which need them, and picked up a door curtain half price for the front door. We did an energy bill review and worked out that 25% of our electricity bills went in running the fridge freezers, so we have decommissioned two and a half of them for now. That will knock 10% off our bill.

I picked up some electric blankets very cheaply on ebay (better now than at the start of next winter) and bought a 1300W halogen oven which will save on using the main oven (£38).

I am exploring haybox cooking to save on energy (no hay required, see youtube). I have also found that if I am boiling vegetables, potatoes or rice, if I bring it to the boil with the lid on, turn the ring off and place folded up towels, oven mitts etc on top to insulate it, the contents will cook in the residual heat. I think that's probably saving about 60% of the energy I used before.

I am hoping to obtain some secondhand solar panels and set up some small solar generating stations in the garden to experiment with. There's loads of useful information about this on youtube. I'm investigating the costs of electrical battery storage ( expensive).

Sometimes it's the little things that can make a big difference. We bought a torch so we can actually see to change the timer for the central heating and the water, so we will do it when required! If buying thermal curtains isn't an option, throwing a blanket over the curtain rail to keep the heat in might be.

I know next winter will probably be tough, but I figure it's better to do what you can, and I'm enjoying the challenge of working out what will help the most.

I turned off the news/ignore all news outlets. If it comes on the radio I switch over. I read, cook nice food, generally enjoy the simple things in life. It does help.

We're fortunate that financial difficulties aren't biting us too hard (yet) but we live simply anyway. I bake a lot if I get stressed as it focuses the mind on something productive.

I am also about to retrain as a teacher in order to give back to the community in some way (I am training in SEND). Not sure if that counts?

PS I have also bought an Outbacker camping stove with an oven, and we have tried it out in the dining room fireplace today. It kept the room cosy and our lunch was delicious! 😊

@HopeIsNotAStrategy

PS I have also bought an Outbacker camping stove with an oven, and we have tried it out in the dining room fireplace today. It kept the room cosy and our lunch was delicious! 😊

@HopeIsNotAStrategy

Can I suggest you double check if your camping stove is ok to use indoors. Generally, they're not, due to carbon dioxide risk

We dont have a massive garden but we've created a couple of beds to grow fruit. I want my kids to enjoy a range of things that grow well locally so we have raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, blackcurrant and strawberries.

We've also added small plum, apple and cherry trees.

Perhaps rather than using hyperbole such as “increasingly desolate lives”, have a think about what life in Mariupol might be like right now. I should imagine desolate barely begins to cover it. I cannot bear the self righteous, dramatic and frankly spoilt title and tone of this thread.

@OverTheRubicon sums it up perfectly.

Not everyone’s life is increasingly desolate. Mine certainly isn’t. Things are very much on the up for me.

First world problem?

Pray.
Give to charity.
Count your many blessings.

I crochet small toys and leave them for people to find, same with painted pebbles.

My life isn't desolate. This weekend I went for cocktails with friends and brunch out. This week I'm taking DS to the farm and then a long weekend at a holiday camp.

I donate to 5 different charities as I'm aware not everyone is as fortunate. I enjoy life.

You lost me an ‘an acre, so not a huge amount’….

Erm to take the post seriously though, I volunteer with Girlguiding. An association which gets roundly slated on here weekly but I give my precious free time to do lots of fun/learning things with girls and no matter how you are feeling about the world, a couple of hours doing an activity with them of an evening or a weekend at a camp makes you feel so happy and upbeat about the world and the future. There are so many gorgeous young people out there with so much potential.

I also get paid to work with (as in my career involves) working with vulnerable teens and young people, many with disabilities I like to think I make a difference in the trajectory of their lives and make their families lives a bit better by my work. Even when they tell me to fuck off and that I’m a dick etc they usually backtrack and it ends up that I’m just a punching bag/sounding board for what they’re going through. I hope that makes their lives easier and they achieve things they thought they couldn’t, in part because of my role 🙂

My life isn't desolate. Although I spent the day at Beamish village last week and it definitely felt like life had taken a turn for the worse. 😄
I'm on a low income, I rarely put the heating on and live quite a frugal life. If I get cold, I put on another jumper. I have a roof over my head, a telly and broadband. I can go for a walk on the beach or in the countryside or, not too far away, into the hills. I can go shopping or meet up with friends. I have access to free books and cds through the library and can update myself on any issue through the Internet. I've received a good education and just had free eye and dental check up. I can get free medical appointments for any issue I'm worried about. There are the widest choice of food stuffs in the shops. I live in a safe, democratic country. My standard of living is so much higher than most of the world's population. I'm pretty bloody lucky actually and feel far from desolate.

Meet up with friends, split a take away or buy a coffee to support local businesses,
Shop locally,
Donate toys and books to charity shops
Use the library
Chat to people

I love your seed library, that’s fab

I’m sorry your life feels increasingly desolate. I’m a pessimist but conscious I am very lucky, if that makes sense. I help out with elderly neighbours but I’ve always done that. I can’t help with heating bills though.

I think little things like thanking the bus driver and passing the time of day with people who want that, make a big difference.

I don't think our lives our desolate in the slightest compared to 90% of the rest of the world. Not saying we can't complain and realise times are tough for some people but I don't think things are yet at stage where they are universally desolate.

OP it’s not clear to me how your life is increasingly desolate and that doesn’t reflect the lives of most people that I know. With some limited exceptions, we are very fortunate in this country!

@HopeIsNotAStrategy

PS I have also bought an Outbacker camping stove with an oven, and we have tried it out in the dining room fireplace today. It kept the room cosy and our lunch was delicious! 😊

Love this!! Where’s did you get it?

Personally nothing because my life isn't increasingly becoming desolate but thanks for asking.

Not because I'm rich because I'm not. I'm retired and live within my means (which means no holidays or a car or new clothes) and prefer to live a positive, happy life rather one of doomladen negativity which some people appear to impose on themselves.

Good grief OP. You're a little ray of sunshine. My life isn't increasingly desolate. My life is good because I have my health, a job, a roof over my head and friends and family. Any changes that need to be made because of the cost of living increases will be made but my life will be good. It's a state of mind OP.

@orangeisthenewpuce

Good grief OP. You're a little ray of sunshine. My life isn't increasingly desolate. My life is good because I have my health, a job, a roof over my head and friends and family. Any changes that need to be made because of the cost of living increases will be made but my life will be good. It's a state of mind OP.

We don’t know OP situation though, might be terrible financially rather than “I read news and think we’re all doomed”. There’s some dire financial issues for many people.