Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

To be disturbed by the "Prepping" board.

845 replies

TheoriginalLEM · 07/11/2015 21:03

Is this a thing now?

Is there really a need to be stockpiling food, medicines and creating a bolt hole?

Am i missing something? Seriously (this is not a light-hearted thread), i suffer from anxiety and this is really disturbing me.

Hopefully people have just been watching too much walking dead.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
StrawberryTeaLeaf · 07/11/2015 22:19

If there was a family who kept themselves to themselves during a seriously dire crisis, I'd suspect they had better supplies than me (definitely, I don't do 'prepping') and dp would probably go and hold them at gunpoint for their supplies!

So safer to go scavenging just for show, then? Grin

You okay lem?

DontHaveAUsername · 07/11/2015 22:21

The person who posted that they'd just hold others at gunpoint for supplies is like hearing someone say they won't bother getting house insurance, they'll just rely on others to finance their losses if they get robbed.

winchester1 · 07/11/2015 22:21

Hi there
We.q consider ourselves preper in rl but we are prepared, plus we have guns and ammo and are both ex military.

Come and have a go if you think.your hard enough Grin

Seriously though if you live in the city have a few days water and food um and keep your head down.

winchester1 · 07/11/2015 22:22

That should have said we don't consider ourselves prepper in el

GreenWalls · 07/11/2015 22:22

That's why MN is such a good place to 'talk' about prepping. Because it's not a great idea to talk to lots of people in else about it.

GreenWalls · 07/11/2015 22:23

In rl about it.

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 07/11/2015 22:24

Our local supermarket has shut for four days for a refit. There are other supermarkets in town.

All fresh food was half price and there were punch ups and people,dragging others down the aisle. If that happens just for some half price cheese I dread to think what will happen if there's a worry that food may run out for a bit.

Savagebeauty · 07/11/2015 22:25

Am I missing something? I understand some folks might be scared of a terrorist attack but zombies?
Tell me that's just a joke? Shock

hedgehogsdontbite · 07/11/2015 22:25

I have a nuclear shelter in my garden. They're quite common round this part of Sweden, a legacy from the cold war. It's full to the rafters of spiders. Great big hairy fucking spiders and all their millions of baby spider extended families. In the event of nuclear holocaust it's the last place I'll be. I'd rather take my chances with the zombies/mutants.

Chippednailvarnish · 07/11/2015 22:27

I have a little tykes cottage my garden. I doubt it's nuclear war ready, there aren't any spiders though!

Dulceetdecorum · 07/11/2015 22:28

Candles, matches and some food in the cupboard. That's the extent of it in our house. Oh and an old fashioned phone which doesnt require electricity to work.

Being realistic, we dont need to plan for anything more than some snow, a power cut or flooding in the UK. Maybe those of us who lived through the power cuts and petrol shortages years ago are a bit more laid back about things. My parents ran a pub then and everyone coped just fine. When the village had a power cut, everyone came to the pub, chatted and had a drink by candle light. When candles ran short, we were told to make them from margarine and string.

Justanotherlurker · 07/11/2015 22:28

you must be joking Donthaveausername if it gets to point where extreme prepping is necessary, being 'humane and civilised' is the last thing on the list of survival, after the supermarkets have been looted your next on the list.

Make sure you have curry super noodles though as I don't like any other flavour.

IndiaRaine · 07/11/2015 22:28

I don't need to prep.

I've been watching Bear Grylls and frankly I'm ready for anything ??

DontHaveAUsername · 07/11/2015 22:29

"Am I missing something? I understand some folks might be scared of a terrorist attack but zombies? Tell me that's just a joke?"

Yes it is a joke. Most people just prepare to make their life easier in a crisis. For example while we all probably would live through suddenly needing to evacuate our homes, it would make life easier if we already had a go bag we can just grab and leave with. We can physically survive without any food at all for over 2 weeks, but it would be better to have a supply.

howtorebuild · 07/11/2015 22:30

Do you remember Black Friday last year, now that was scary.

Katymac · 07/11/2015 22:30

The year before we moved into our house the village had a power cut for about 4/5 days, combined with being snowed in

A helicopter dropped bread & milk in to the field by the school

This was in 1999/2000.......so I keep a fair supply of food in

Also I look after other people children, so in case I get snowed in with them I have stocks of food

Nearest shop is 1.5 miles away, nearest supermarket 10 miles away - when fuel might be short I'd like enough in that it won't worry me - I might get bored of the food I have but I will be fed Wink

& there was a week one winter (before I lived here) when DH, DD & I all had a bad flu like cold.....so no-one could go shopping

It's not crazy - it's just life

FindoGask · 07/11/2015 22:33

when I was put on anti-anxiety meds back in 2008 I was reading a lot of stuff about prepping Thing is, I was also depressed so although I was obsessing over this stuff, I also lacked any real motivation to do any of the actual work involved, so I just read about it and fretted. Fun times!

DontHaveAUsername · 07/11/2015 22:36

"you must be joking Donthaveausername if it gets to point where extreme prepping is necessary, being 'humane and civilised' is the last thing on the list of survival, after the supermarkets have been looted your next on the list. "

Yes I suspect almost everyone would steal from others if it was a choice between that or watching a loved one starve to death. But it was the fact that this user couldn't even be arsed prepping themselves, they are happy to make NO effort whatsoever to look after themselves, but would be happy to steal from others the minute things went wrong. To me that is an inexcusable level of entitlement, it's like not bothering to have home insurance then expecting your neighbhours to fund you the cost of replacements if you get robbed.

warmastoast · 07/11/2015 22:37

YABVU and either misreading the tone of the board (and latching onto a few tongue-in-cheek comments) or being extremely sensitive. For the most part the discussions are practical and related to realistic scenarios and experiences, NOT about prepping for armageddon or the apocalypse.

The posters who are calling people crazy nutters for storing water are the ones who are reacting in a bizarre and hysterical manner imo. It's nice that you've never had to contemplate the need to plan ahead for shortages but in fact that's a very privileged position to be in, in the grand scheme of things.

For the last two days I've had no gas for my stove (and none available to buy locally) - an eventuality I wish I'd been prepared for and will try to make sure of in the future. Yesterday we went to a large and busy restaurant where the electricity cut off at least twice for several minutes, with no candles on the tables to help us navigate our meal during the blackout. I always mean to carry a torch in my bag but am forgetful- a basic 'prep' though for the context I'm in. I'm not complaining, I see myself as pretty comfortable altogether, but at the same time I'm not about to apologise for finding conversations about water filters and solar panels interesting..

As others have said there are many threads on MN that have disturbing and likely triggering content- perhaps if you are especially anxious the concept of preparedness could also affect you, but for the vast majority I think it's very unreasonable to start worrying over people who talk about things like cheesemaking and gardening with a self-sufficiency approach rather than simply under the hobbies section.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 07/11/2015 22:39

Er, 'stockpiling antibiotics' - how is this done?

I thought antibiotics were prescription only and you have to take the full course. How would people do this?

OfaFrenchmind2 · 07/11/2015 22:39

Somebody mentioned the looting. Indeed, a good prepper has to have some weapons ready in case a ill-advised and ill-prepared person tries their chance with their reserves.

Honestly, if I knew a real hardcore prepper, I would never try to loot them, because I would be assured to get a face-full of lead. Sorry Ninja, I am no prepper, but if your hubby tried it with me, he would be stabbed. Possibly to the death.

Mintyy · 07/11/2015 22:41

Keeping dog, fishing and cycling are all perfectly normal hobbies though, aren't they.

Discussing Doomsday and whipping yourselves up into a frenzy of anxiety over something that is 99.99% unlikely to happen is decidedly niche, and unhealthy.

Katymac · 07/11/2015 22:41

We have emergency supplies of both anti-biotics & steroids for DH & DD and as our surgery is over 3 miles away they also ask us to keep about 2/4 weeks of all our meds, in case

MitzyLeFrouf · 07/11/2015 22:42

Keeping a few weeks supplies of toilet paper, candles, dried food, and crossword puzzle books? Sensible.

But serious discussions on the best location in the UK for a prepper home in order to be prepared for Things That Might Happen? They seem less on the sensible side of things.

MitzyLeFrouf · 07/11/2015 22:44

'If there was a family who kept themselves to themselves during a seriously dire crisis, I'd suspect they had better supplies than me (definitely, I don't do 'prepping') and dp would probably go and hold them at gunpoint for their supplies!'

And this is what would happen. No it's definitely not cricket but all bets will be off and it will be each person for themselves.

Sp prep for the CakeNinja family coming to steal your beans!