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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be more scared now than I was of Covid?

264 replies

Thesupercosyquilt · 23/09/2021 22:29

I know IABU. I need to get a grip.

I wasn't frightened of Covid. The first few weeks were scary, all the uncertainty etc. But once my kids school closed, life for our family kind of carried on somewhat normally. DH and I were both out working at that point. I never thought we would catch it, we're all relatively healthy. I understood people felt differently and was sympathetic towards that, despite some of the more extreme opinions.

But now, with fuel price hikes, food shortages and now petrol being rationed, I am actually scared. It feels like all the panic of March 2020 all over again.

Don't worry, I'm not going to panic buy five million loo rolls. But I have such a sinking feeling knowing this is the start of really crap times ahead unravelling right before our eyes.

OP posts:
RickJames · 23/09/2021 23:16

I remember the 2000 shortage! Fortunately I had a 1 litre Corsa at the time and ran on fumes but I do remember queuing up for an hour and a half to get tanked in Chester-le-street coming home from work Grin

No shortages at all in Germany now but we have far fewer shopping options in supermarkets anyway. I always feel like I'm in Las Vegas or something when I go in Asda or Tesco in the UK - so many out of season fruits and vegetables, so many types of product and each product has 5 or 6 types or brand choices. Greengrocery is mostly seasonal here and produced within a 30 mile radius. Boring but consistent.

Itsnotallaboutyoubaby · 23/09/2021 23:18

I think the press would love to whip everyone up into another frenzy. They can fuck off

lannistunut · 23/09/2021 23:19

I reamin very worried about covid, especially so now they are finally admitting the risk to children just as we are about to infect record number so fthem.

But I an also worried about inflation/price rises, fuel shortages, food shortages and labout shortages - all caused by Brexit.

If you voted for Johnson, thank you for the worst PM in Britsih history
If you voted for Brexit, thank you for the general shit show

trappistkepler · 23/09/2021 23:19

@FWBNC
Try listening to the people who KNOW what the problems are instead of just blaming brexit. EUROPE has a shortage of HGV drivers too FFS

It is Brexit. Not criticising Brexit, but whilst Covid didn't help, it is Brexit - if not I am wondering what you think it is? And less of the FFS, a quick google will give you numerous articles as to why Britain is harder hit:

trans.info/en/there-s-a-europe-wide-hgv-driver-shortage-so-why-do-uk-supply-chains-seem-more-disrupted-254524

lannistunut · 23/09/2021 23:20

I don't drink but my post makes it look like I do, too many typos to correct Blush

nosafeguardingadults · 23/09/2021 23:23

Well I live in London and in my opinion it is not a great place to live anymore.
I won’t go into details out of Respect but anybody who follows the news will know what I’m talking about when I say it is not a Safe place to live.

London bad place for vulnerable. No good support or help and vulnerable not allowed safe homes. Example for domestic violence victims in London. Victim Support 2 month wait for help. Other organisations tell women to just call police or just leave no understanding or no caring if victim vulnerable or frightened. Is big reason why so many women murdered or suicide.

BrendaBubbles · 23/09/2021 23:25

Inflation is the fun one. It is literally your salary and back account going down before your eyes. They say it’ll hit 4% by the end of the year but it’s a laugh how they measure it.. we’ve all felt a lot more than a few percent rise in our bills this year haven’t we. That’s money taken from us. And more of that to come.

Crikeyalmighty · 23/09/2021 23:27

We moved to Copenhagen in October 2020– partly because of Brexit which we are both very anti but partly because to us the UK with this gvt in charge doesn’t feel safe— it feels like the Wild West , totally corrupt and that the gvt are raiding the coffers for their own ends and those of their mates and we hated the whole vibe (we arentcradical lefties by the way- very much in the centre) I am alarmed at the news in the UK on a regular basis— please dont believe the shit the media and BBC print by trying to disguise why the UK has issues and implying it’s global . We simply don’t have the same issues— fuel has gone up slightly - and that’s it!! Everything else functioning and all those HGV drivers— lots of them are here!!

Caplin · 23/09/2021 23:28

It is going to be shit for a few years. But remember there is food, there is energy. Just not the drivers to move things about.

We have had an unprecedented period of cheap energy, at some point this was always going to happen.

But….. for most of us, it will be fine. A bit shit, but hardly blitz style rationing. If anything for those that are ‘ok’, we need to do more to help the people at the sharp end, people on universal credit losing their uplift, people on low income who are the backbone of our nation.

earsup · 23/09/2021 23:33

20 min queue tonight for petrol at Asda so i filled up which should last me a few months but need car to see unwell aunt and do shopping...also gone up 10p a litre since a few weeks ago...

chickenandchipsinabasket · 23/09/2021 23:35

@Thesupercosyquilt

I know IABU. I need to get a grip.

I wasn't frightened of Covid. The first few weeks were scary, all the uncertainty etc. But once my kids school closed, life for our family kind of carried on somewhat normally. DH and I were both out working at that point. I never thought we would catch it, we're all relatively healthy. I understood people felt differently and was sympathetic towards that, despite some of the more extreme opinions.

But now, with fuel price hikes, food shortages and now petrol being rationed, I am actually scared. It feels like all the panic of March 2020 all over again.

Don't worry, I'm not going to panic buy five million loo rolls. But I have such a sinking feeling knowing this is the start of really crap times ahead unravelling right before our eyes.

I feel a bit this way. Not of the covid any more but the fuel price hikes and shortages etc...I rather like not having to choose between whether I heat my home or eat.
earsup · 23/09/2021 23:35

@BrendaBubbles

Inflation is the fun one. It is literally your salary and back account going down before your eyes. They say it’ll hit 4% by the end of the year but it’s a laugh how they measure it.. we’ve all felt a lot more than a few percent rise in our bills this year haven’t we. That’s money taken from us. And more of that to come.
Am sure its much higher than the 4%...many items gone up quite a lot recently...and savings accounts and ISA's only paying 0.01%...its not worth having any cash savings now if you got the spare cash that is..!!
tttigress · 23/09/2021 23:39

@Antiqueanniesmagiclanternshow

Bp have closed a small number of petrol stations. There is no mention of rationing.
This. You are looking at the worse scenario, not what is actually going on.

Was in a supermarket today, it seemed more or less normal.

The media are just moving on to the next story to get over excited about.

Brindle88 · 23/09/2021 23:40

YANBU the shit is hitting the fan in this country.

User3456 · 23/09/2021 23:40

YANBU. The Tories have made a hash of everything, including 'austerity', Brexit and covid. I reckon they're quite pleased about covid because they can hide behind it and blame it for all the other problems too. The Tory voters are so gullible they will suck it up.
In the meantime, we can only do so much as individuals to safeguard ourselves and our communities. Look out for each other, do the basics of reducing energy/fuel consumption if you're not already, and do what you reasonably can not to catch or spread covid as we head into winter. Because an even bigger covid spike is the last thing we need if everything else is struggling already. I think it's going to be a bumpy ride over winter, hoping things will improve by Spring.

tttigress · 23/09/2021 23:48

@RickJames

I remember the 2000 shortage! Fortunately I had a 1 litre Corsa at the time and ran on fumes but I do remember queuing up for an hour and a half to get tanked in Chester-le-street coming home from work Grin

No shortages at all in Germany now but we have far fewer shopping options in supermarkets anyway. I always feel like I'm in Las Vegas or something when I go in Asda or Tesco in the UK - so many out of season fruits and vegetables, so many types of product and each product has 5 or 6 types or brand choices. Greengrocery is mostly seasonal here and produced within a 30 mile radius. Boring but consistent.

Lol, I spend a lot of time in Switzerland. Germany feels like American levels of choice / consumption relative to Switzerland. So the UK is on another level!

If one line is out in the supermarket, just choose something else from the incredible number of options. No one is going to starve!!

ifIwerenotanandroid · 23/09/2021 23:54

'Bp have closed a small number of petrol stations. There is no mention of rationing.

This. You are looking at the worse scenario, not what is actually going on.

Was in a supermarket today, it seemed more or less normal.

The media are just moving on to the next story to get over excited about.'

Well, what went on for me today was that I went to my local BP station & all the pumps were coned off. They had no fuel & didn't know when they'd be getting any.

Iamthewombat · 23/09/2021 23:59

I just filled up on the way home and was surprised. I didn’t know that there was a problem until I discovered that the Esso petrol station only had two functioning pumps. The bloke on the till says that he is expecting panic buying chaos tomorrow morning. Reminded me of the 2000 petrol shortages. I hope it is an aberration!

RickJames · 24/09/2021 00:07

@tttigress

Yes, at this time of year its like shall I spend 3€ on a sweet pepper from Holland for a bit of excitement or just figure out how to base meals on kohlrabi, potatoes and pumpkins Grin and all that with no Oxo cubes unless someone posts me some.

We haven't died of malnutrition yet!

NannyOggsward · 24/09/2021 00:13

I think people should be a little concerned, when we are getting to the stage where farmers are dumping food(including animals) because they can’t get it to the shelves, where manufacturers are unable to staff their factories let alone get the trucks in and out and where retail are saying they’ll have empty shelves then the government need to start listening.

We need visas and incentives for foreign staff, to not double tax them, and to get the U.K. lazies off their arses and working. And we need to civil service to buck their ideas up, cut paperwork and start getting back to full speed on things like HGV licenses!

BREXIT plus Covid is a perfect storm, and it’s not getting fixed.

IsEveryUserNameBloodyTaken · 24/09/2021 00:28

It does seem to be a daily thing in the news about shortages and price rises.

PieMistee · 24/09/2021 00:32

Blame Brexit and the dickhead Tories that pushed it through.
They will be significantly better off in the next few years. Laughing at the gullible twats that allowed it to happen.

ALongHardWinter · 24/09/2021 01:47

Not everyone uses petrol
Maybe not,but most of us rely on its use to transport our food etc around the country!

Ohthiscantbeit · 24/09/2021 01:52

Luke 21:7

Gimlisaxe · 24/09/2021 02:11

I figured out that the bare minimum for costs rising is going to be £40 a month, doesn't sound much, unless you are on your bare bones now. Trying to find £40 extra might as well be like trying to find a million