Page 3 | To be annoyed at my husband's prepping?

Grimchmas · 02/12/2023 23:44

He definitely sounds like a prepping noob who has made rookie errors.

Buying MREs, tins of stuff he wouldn't use normally, and not rotating his stock are rookie errors. It's much more sensible (but less "exciting") to prep by essentially keeping a larger stock cupboard of dry goods, that are still in rotation.

He needs to work with not against you. There needs to be an agreed container for his prep - e.g. 4 large lidded tote boxes in the garage - and his prep must stay within those boundaries. If the larder is his then fine - but if the 100 new tins don't fit in there, then he needs to get rid of older or less important tins until all his prep fits in the larder.

boscabosco · 02/12/2023 23:49

Shadowsindarkplaces · 02/12/2023 22:20

Is he into conspiracy theory stuff too or purely hoarding as 'prepping'
I would hammer out, what he is prepping for.

I agree, what exactly is the prepping for?

Grimchmas · 02/12/2023 23:50

Oh god. I've just googled. If he's buying the survivalist 30 year tinned goods he's spending an absolute fortune. You definitely need to find out how much he's spent.

Aquamarine1029 · 02/12/2023 23:54

Grimchmas · 02/12/2023 23:50

Oh god. I've just googled. If he's buying the survivalist 30 year tinned goods he's spending an absolute fortune. You definitely need to find out how much he's spent.

This. Those prepper kits are very expensive. Your husband is spending a small fortune.

jesterdourt · 02/12/2023 23:55

I agree, what exactly is the prepping for?

Covid was cat nap for preppers, it legitimised (in their eyes) all their prepping. So the reasons are pandemics, civil unrest, zombie apocalypse etc. I don’t really get it, if the world is going mad you aren’t going to be sitting down enjoying your stocks.

Grimchmas · 03/12/2023 00:03

jesterdourt · 02/12/2023 23:55

I agree, what exactly is the prepping for?

Covid was cat nap for preppers, it legitimised (in their eyes) all their prepping. So the reasons are pandemics, civil unrest, zombie apocalypse etc. I don’t really get it, if the world is going mad you aren’t going to be sitting down enjoying your stocks.

Cat nap 🤣

If the world is going mad due to a pandemic/zombie apocalypse/war/whatever, knowing that you can feed your family/ have light/mobile phone battery/have a backpack of basics ready to grab and go in an emergency means one less thing to worry about sourcing during an emergency.

Normal prepping is things like having enough normal food in the cupboards to last you an extra week or month. Making sure you have a torch and batteries. Cheap water purifying tablets. Knowing where your ID and useful phone numbers are kept. It's much more dull and everyday than spending £1000s buying tins of gross food you hope you will never be desperate enough to eat.

Yetmorebeanstocount · 03/12/2023 00:06

boscabosco · 02/12/2023 23:49

I agree, what exactly is the prepping for?

Show quote history

Prepping is trying to be prepared for anything - or at least anything that being prepared-for could possibly help with, which rules out asteroid strikes. 😀

What if there was a nuclear explosion in the middle east, which meant fuel and food rocketed in price overnight?
What if there was a drought in Europe which meant fresh vegetables and salad was unavailable or hugely expensive?
What if there was a chemical spill in your area and you had to stay indoors with windows shut for three days?
What if all the roads around you flooded /snowed-up and you couldn't get to any shop for a week? Two weeks?
What if there was a scare about contaminated baby milk so you couldn't buy any for days?
What if a hurricane knocked out your electricity supply for a month?

What if there was a flood or fire or gas leak and you had to leave your house within the next 10 minutes for an unknown length of time?

What if there was a global pandemic and the government only allowed us out of our homes for an hour a day?

Some people ignore these possibilities because it is just not in their nature to be concerned about unlikely events. Others like to take precautions and make preparations.

It sounds like the OPs husband is either trying to prep but doing it all wrong, or has a mental health problem.

Grimchmas · 03/12/2023 00:07

I mean, if you keep a first aid kit for accidents you hope will never happen, that's prepping. Most normal adults do some degree of prepping as part of normal daily life, even if they think "preppers are nuts".

Buying expensive specialist stuff and taking over all the storage space in the house with it is at one extreme. At the other extreme is somebody who doesn't even have food in the cupboards for tomorrow.

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 00:17

What if there was a nuclear explosion in the middle east, which meant fuel and food rocketed in price overnight?

You would pay more like now with inflation not helped by Ukraine etc

What if there was a drought in Europe which meant fresh vegetables and salad was unavailable or hugely expensive?

Pay more or eat alternatives

What if there was a chemical spill in your area and you had to stay indoors with windows shut for three days?

Use the food at bottom of freezer & back of cupboard which in normal times nobody wants.

What if there was a global pandemic and the government only allowed us out of our homes for an hour a day?

Go to the shops or get deliveries like during Covid

Some people ignore these possibilities because it is just not in their nature to be concerned about unlikely events. Others like to take precautions and make preparations.

I think there’s far more nuance personally. For me I have enough random food to tide me over in the event of emergency & if there was such a fallout that food really was scarce for days & the gov didn’t/couldn’t intervene then law & order would break down which would be a bigger concern to me 🤷🏻‍♀️

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 00:19

Cat nap 🤣

😆😆

Katej82 · 03/12/2023 00:21

Laura199 · 02/12/2023 20:04

My DH is a prepper. He has tins of food stockpiled in our pantry to last for years. He knows I'm not really on board with it, but each to their own and I'm fine with jt as long as it doesn't impact on our household finances/ life/ space.

I also think we should be rotating his "stockpile" and not leaving things there for years. He says all of his tins are fine for 30 years.

He buys things we don't eat like tinned chicken??? And army ration packs (we have a full suitcase of this).

He's just had a delivery this evening of another 100 tins of food. We have no space for this and I'm at the end of my tether. Aibu??

Sounds to me like he's lost trust in the government years ago much like myself but this is a problem it's OCD he must have terrible anxiety living this way. Do I think something might happen due to the cost of living due to wars maybe if it does we have to deal with it head on..things are happening as another poster said there are food banks in need and in my local area we're now getting homeless there's no where for people to live due to landlords selling up etc cost of living. Has he seen the GP ? He sounds like he needs some medication and therapy. Can you talk to him about it? X

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 00:23

If the world is going mad due to a pandemic/zombie apocalypse/war/whatever, knowing that you can feed your family/ have light/mobile phone battery/have a backpack of basics ready to grab and go in an emergency means one less thing to worry about sourcing during an emergency.

Well the mobile networks were suspended during 7/7 so surely you need a satellite phone for all eventualities. Where would you be heading with the backpack of snacks?

Museum10660 · 03/12/2023 00:58

plus in the event of a national security issue, all motorways in uk would be restricted to military and emergency traffic only

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 01:05

@Museum10660 quite!

Violinist64 · 03/12/2023 01:08

This is beyond prepping, It is hoarding. My husband does this with toothpaste, liquid hand soap and many types of cleaning products, although he never seems to stock up on Toilet Duck which I use every day for some reason. He cannot resist a special offer or bargain and thinks he is prepping for a time when we cannot afford them as prices are going up all the time. It is a very real concern.

Fionaville · 03/12/2023 01:09

I'm a bit of a prepper. We have a stockpile in a cupboard, although not as extreme as your DH. All things that we actually will eat and I rotate about once a year. Some stuff isn't stuff we'd use normally, like tinned potatoes and tinned veg. So when I rotate them, I donate them to the food bank (they're still within date)
I think most preppers suffer with anxiety in some form. For me, it's just one less thing to have to worry about. When Covid hit, I didn't have to panic about food supply because I knew that we'd at least have food and drinks (and plenty of toilet roll ironically) Obviously, it wasn't really needed but it was just one less worry.
Ours is out of the way, so not encroaching on living space. When I casually mention that I have 'a few bits put away' to other people, it's amazing the amount of people who open up and say they do too! They have spreadsheets and everything!
Some people keep their stocks in an attic, is that an option for you?

PencilsInSpace · 03/12/2023 02:34

jesterdourt · 02/12/2023 23:55

I agree, what exactly is the prepping for?

Covid was cat nap for preppers, it legitimised (in their eyes) all their prepping. So the reasons are pandemics, civil unrest, zombie apocalypse etc. I don’t really get it, if the world is going mad you aren’t going to be sitting down enjoying your stocks.

In early 2020 the world was going mad and I was sitting down enjoying my stocks (and quite a few cat naps 😃)

As others have said though, OP, your DH is doing it wrong.

chappoi · 03/12/2023 03:19

Fionaville · 03/12/2023 01:09

I'm a bit of a prepper. We have a stockpile in a cupboard, although not as extreme as your DH. All things that we actually will eat and I rotate about once a year. Some stuff isn't stuff we'd use normally, like tinned potatoes and tinned veg. So when I rotate them, I donate them to the food bank (they're still within date)
I think most preppers suffer with anxiety in some form. For me, it's just one less thing to have to worry about. When Covid hit, I didn't have to panic about food supply because I knew that we'd at least have food and drinks (and plenty of toilet roll ironically) Obviously, it wasn't really needed but it was just one less worry.
Ours is out of the way, so not encroaching on living space. When I casually mention that I have 'a few bits put away' to other people, it's amazing the amount of people who open up and say they do too! They have spreadsheets and everything!
Some people keep their stocks in an attic, is that an option for you?

That's good though being prepared for actual life having a back up of can't get to shops or like Covid happens. This other prepper is spending money and time to plan for a future life that probably won't happen. But ruins their actual life.
To me if a nuclear attack happens however prepared you are the food only lasts a few weeks and it's no life. I'd rather live now happily and die before starving on rations in an apocalypse

Snowdogsmitten · 03/12/2023 06:59

He needs to get some support. Can you self-refer for talking therapies where you are? It is becoming more widespread now.

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 07:07

In early 2020 the world was going mad and I was sitting down enjoying my stocks (and quite a few cat naps 😃)

Baking banana bread isn’t my definition of mad! There wasn’t any civil unrest etc & I don’t know anyone who had any issue getting most food items after that initial one day of panic buying. The only thing in short supply near me was yeast but I don’t use yeast! Most people I know put on weight because of overeating & not doing much! 😆

flowerchild2000 · 03/12/2023 07:15

Honestly...I don't think it's that bad yet but at some point soon you might be grateful for it. A bit premature though, I do think it will be awhile before climate change impacts our food supply in a major way. I'm in the US and when 2020 happened it wasn't just Covid but a total upheaval of our society- it's hard to explain in a MN comment but it's been like civil war, plus neverending warnings from the CDC on our food supply poisoned by industry runoff, heavy metals in baby food, my kids traumatized by active shooter drills in their school, I could go on and on. I do have anxiety and I'm not a prepper, but shit really hit the fan and it's not getting better. I do have a feeling like 2020 is going to happen again. I just never feel safe. I used to see preppers as silly, but now it does make sense, or at least at some point soon it will. I would be rotating it like you said. Usually preserved food only lasts a year or two? Canned chicken is terrible though, it's somehow very wet and very dry at the same time. I think he should at least let you have some opinions about it, and start rotating. If things do get dire at least you'll be fed!

flowerchild2000 · 03/12/2023 07:23

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 07:07

In early 2020 the world was going mad and I was sitting down enjoying my stocks (and quite a few cat naps 😃)

Baking banana bread isn’t my definition of mad! There wasn’t any civil unrest etc & I don’t know anyone who had any issue getting most food items after that initial one day of panic buying. The only thing in short supply near me was yeast but I don’t use yeast! Most people I know put on weight because of overeating & not doing much! 😆

Really? It was only recently that our stores had fully stocked shelves again. I'm in the US and we had a major crisis in food supply (supplies in general actually) for a long time. It was mainly staple foods too, things that were shelf stable. Pasta and rice were treasured items. Some cities weren't as impacted, and I would drive quite far (two days driving each way) to shop for certain items and stock up. I realize we're on different continents but we're all connected, so don't discount how bad things were or could get again.

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 07:33

I realize we're on different continents but we're all connected, so don't discount how bad things were or could get again.

Im talking about my experience, don’t extrapolate yours to everyone else’s.

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 07:37

The biggest impact on my shopping has been the col & resulting inflation & my local shop at one point rationed eggs but I don’t need to buy multiple boxes of eggs a week so not an issue & I eat less crisps which is a positive!

jesterdourt · 03/12/2023 07:41

But if prepping makes you happy you do you!