To be genuinely concerned about the next few years

[YellowDuck1]

Or have I been spending too much time online?

I am the sort to bury my head in the sand/avoid the news as I find it quite difficult to be so out of control. However I still seem to end up seeing a lot of it.. How we are going to be impacted because of everything that’s unfolding in Iran.

Should we be prepping? Stockpiling?

We should all have an emergency supply of food to see us through a 7-10 day window. Even the government recommend we do.

I keep a stock of long term shelf stable food. Dried mash, tinned veg, corned beef, hot dogs, tinned ham, tuna, pasta and tinned toms/passata, dried milk, cordial, tinned fruit, oats , dried fruit, flour, dried lentils, split peas, chick peas. And plenty of herbs and spices . Plus my cupboards are always full and so is my freezer. I have a camping stove and 8 tins of gas. A bbq with a big bag of Charcoal. A water butt and a reverse osmosis unit (I keep fish). Tons of candles. If the shops all vanished off the face of the earth I’d be perfectly fine for maybe 3-4 weeks. Then I’d be ok but eating some weird mixes for another 2-4 months as I’ve also got a greenhouse and it’s currently full of seedlings. I’ve got fruit plants and bushes…. Cherries, apples, blueberries, blackberries and a few staggered lines of carrots. I know hope to preserve food. I make my own sourdough. I’d quite enjoy it as a challenge.

"vote for politicans who have a cohesive plan for improving/saving the economy"

Is there one?

I live in Spain and I actually like our PM - I'd much rather have him than Starmer! Weirdly I've become more left wing with age. I'm impressed by how quickly he acted to reduce VAT and taxes on utilities and fuel. Fuel prices are still higher but manageable. Food prices are high here anyway as I'm on a tiny island (Mallorca).

Also him telling Trump to do one over the war filled me with joy. I wish more European leaders would be so brave.

I find these threads quite fascinating. I’m prone panicking and worrying about things but I have noticed that the pure fear from people on here does not reflect real life. I work with the public, I treat patients all day, from all walks of life and backgrounds and all ages etc. People come in discussing their holidays they’re planning. They talk about their kids and what they’ve done for Easter and what university their kids are at and what jobs they are starting. I have people telling me they are retiring soon and have lots of holidays planned. People tell me about new jobs and moving house. Occasionally I get the “bloody petrol prices” being thrown in there but that’s it.

I also do an expensive hobby occasionally. There are still people throwing hundreds or thousands at it every day on the forums I read about it. No one mentions the fact that in a few years we’ll be living in some apocalyptic world.

I remember during Covid though and people on here saying things would never go back to normal. That big events would be over forever. Never again would anyone attend a concert or get crammed into a train. Handshakes would never happen anymore. But here we are. I’ve got 3 huge arena and stadium concerts booked over the summer. And I’ll likely be wedged under someone’s gross armpit on the tube to get there.

So while I agree we might be in for a few tougher years than we’re used to, I’d be very surprised if we really are going to have totally empty supermarket shelves and zero petrol or alternative ways to travel.

I know what you mean. I have friends who are selling their houses and upsizing atm who I have broached the subject with re interest rates etc but they are quick to move the conversation on/no concerns. I think a lot of people have zero awareness of what is actually going on in the world. Good for them tbh, I’ve been an anxious mess today and I need to get myself back into a positive mindset. Was half hoping everyone would tell me I was being unreasonable

remember the day we went into lockdown being in the office with a friend and telling her we will be working from home permanently and it will be for a long time and she was baffled and did not believe me whatsoever

My prepping is the normal winter measures - cartons of UHT milk, a 16kg sack of flour and enough dried yeast to last a couple of months. I have 7 days meat/fish/greens in the freezer, dry goods in the cupboard and a few pots of home made jam.

I've planted the veggie bed with beans, leeks, salads, and stocked the greenhouse with tomato, courgette, cucumber and chilli plants.

It won't feed us for long, but it's all I have room for.

Meanwhile in the UK, Rachel is raking it in with the higher VAT revenue from higher petrol prices and still sticking to her plan to raise fuel duty later this year.

No sign of Starmer nor Reeves reducing VAT to help the beleaguered hospitality industry unlike other countries who have a lower VAT rate for the sector.

Bay of Pigs anyone?

I think a lot of people have zero awareness of what is actually going on in the world.

I think many just get on with it & don’t think about the shit until it’s at their door.

But in a lot of cases what good will worrying do you? You can stock up on food for a few months, but if things get so bad there’s literally no food left you’ll still run out. And let’s face it the person with the biggest weapon is who will do best not the person who planned well. You can invest but if there’s a huge crash (or as some seem to think almost an apocalypse) you’ll potentially lose shit loads. You can buy a house but if there’s a property crash or you get ill you could lose the house and everything it was worth.

I used to have a friend who tried to plan for all sorts of issues. She was so frugal in life because she was panicked there wouldn’t be a pension in old age and she thought property prices would crash so she’d gave absolutely no money in old age. She saved and invested every spare penny. She died at 49 of cancer. She had never had kids or got married so I think her brother got all the money and likely spent it.

Quite honestly if I worried about everything that goes on in the world I’d make myself ill. So yes, in all honesty I’ll worry about something when it’s at my door (or getting close to it). I cannot plan for every single eventuality without giving up actual life right now. You need to live as well as plan. Tomorrow is never guaranteed.

@Smoosha i’m not disagreeing, I was disagreeing with the point about zero awareness

Well they've set up a website giving advice on how to prepare for an emergency - not sure what else you are looking for ?
Get prepared for emergencies - Prepare
I still have the daft leaflet that was posted through everyone's door in the early 1980's telling people what ot do in the event of a nuclear war (paint your windows white and hide under the table, if I recall correctly). see Raymond Briggs' book 'When the Wind Blows' for the more accurate scenario.

How many people are actually searching for this information though? I can guarantee most people are non the wiser. Not everyone has access to the internet I’m sure you’re aware?

I was responding to your comment that the government is providing zero guidance, which is incorrect. Whether everyone has the means to access it - the majority of the population will - or simply can't be *rsed to look for it - and the majority won;t - is another matter.

Have they provided any guidance in relation to this unfolding situation?

Prepping is a waste of time. If the apocalypse happens, do peppers think they’re going to be sitting pretty with all their food stocks, not to mention sauntering into their garden to pluck ripe fruit, dig some potatoes or harvest a few lettuces from the greenhouse?

I think maybe, just maybe, they will have to be prepared to fight off marauders, and cooking? It had better be smokeless and scentless otherwise every hungry angry human will be storming their house of plenty.

What about food shortages not relating to an apocalypse ?

Assuming that you are referring to Iran and that you are in the UK, what sort of additional guidance over and above that website do you think the government should be providing, other than the Foreign Office guidance on which countries they currently regard as being unsafe to travel to ?

Perhaps telling people not to panic buy petrol, but knowing the general public that would probably have the opposite effect.......

Or are you referring more generally to climate change, cyber attacks by Russia and others, Trump going competely doolally and nuking us etc.....

Even that would be better than nothing. It’s no wonder so many are completely unaware when this issues are not highlighted by those who are meant to lead us

But what type of food shortages? People can’t get some avocados or smoked salmon or tinned peaches for a year or so, or people are actually starting to starve due to actual real lack of food? If it’s the second one then the same applies. Those with the biggest weapons or who hide best will get to eat. If people really are starting to starve in the streets and people are looting and stealing to survive you are pretty much in am apocalyptic situation,

The gov have taken an antiscaremongering approach, because the know the British don't respond well to it. Other countries have brought in fuel preservation measures, the UK gov refuses. The message is 'business as usual' despite the fact that even economically we are on track to be the most negatively affected G7 nation. They are so laid back they are horizontal, so you can't blame people for matching that energy

I’ll be a bit happier if tonight (or this week) passes without the orange fart or his people going nuclear with Iran tbh. Surely someone would stop that.

(and yeah, you need a community to be a proper prepper)

He’s insane. I am worried what news we will wake up to tomorrow

I’m based in the Middle East (and I know people will come and tell me it’s all my fault etc etc), but agreed.