AIBU to think my friend is overdoing emergency stockpiling?

[bagpuss90]

I get that we have been advised to stock up on essentials, though I think it will encourage panic buying. I will probably get a few days worth of stuff at some point . My friend however has, at least in my opinion gone ott about it. She’s stocking up a six month supply of food. She’s bought head torches, a camping gas stove and various other stuff. She thinks I’m being naive …Am I missing something here ?

I don’t regard living rurally as being “lucky”!

For the low cost and the small space it takes up, a gas camping stove and a few cans of gas are a good thing to have if you rely on electric for cooking and lose supply for a while.

Do you actually like her?

Or is this one of those Mumsnet friendships?

You’re asking the question in the wrong place.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/preppers

I've never bought bottled water in my life. Do I need to start now? Surely you'd need loads even for a week? Can you buy it and just keep it for years? Does it go a bit musty if you don't use it? So many things I'd never thought about. I know if I lived very rurally I'd need to think about these things because of possibly being cut off in winter but I don't, so haven't ever thought of it. We are absolutely a household that regularly runs out of basics and goes to small shop regularly to top up. I'd like to change this anyway as it's an annoying and expensive way to live. Not sure I am quite ready to go full on the other way though.

No I like her. I like her a lot. I’m just wondering if I’m naive or she’s ott ! Not quite sure what liking someone has to do with it tho 🤷‍♀️

We've moved house and have a second fridge freezer for the first time plus the corner shop is a 20 minute walk away. I'm gradually stocking up on things we eat regularly that we can freeze or have a long life. Buying double or a few extra cans etc.

We're in for a long stormy winter with food supply chain issues and price hikes. But as others have said, it's hardly Armageddon.

Oh it’s very common on Mumsnet

“my friend”

and then what later follows is an absolutely character assassination

How about… wait for it…. Neither

Just different approach.

how many people would you have to stockpile for @bagpuss90 ?

We don't buy or store bottled water. We have about 1000 litres stored outside in sealed water butts which we would treat (water purification tablets if for drinking or cooking, boiling if for hygiene use) but obviously this is only an option if you have a garden. We also store tap water inside in emptied and cleaned out large milk containers and a couple of water containers, the fold down variety. I use this up and refill it every couple of weeks so its not stored too long.
Having a good store cupboard anyway though as you've said would be cheaper than quick top up shops, regardless of any possible emergency situation.

I already have slight hoardng tendencies, I don't want to start on a prepper tangent, so I think I'll take my chances.

Head torches and gas stove helpful for power cuts.

six months worth of food is a lot.

Sorry what are we preparing for? I haven’t got shit, I could probably raid my partners fishing bag and strum up a few torches but I’m shit out for everything else.

Thanks for your reply, I think I might start doing the tap water thing you do too. Buying water bottles that may never be used seems wasteful but the washed out milk bottles with regularly changed water seems like a good plan. Thinking about it, I do have a big water container somewhere that we used to use camping so I will dig that out too.

Your partner fishes? Oh you’ll be ok!!

I used to be like that. I was a full on prepper.

Until one day I sat down and thought, what the fuck for? If the shit hits the fan, what use is all this to me when people are going to go nuts, looting and worse?

Now I have nothing. I don’t care anymore. I gave it all to food banks and charity shops years ago.

Just let her get on with it, she’s not harming anyone.

Why didn’t you eat it?

I’m not going full prepper but i will be buying those masks, N95? And lots of tinned food. We love the beans and lentils anyway so I’ll just buy more. Lots of bottled water as well, I’ll keep that in the shed.

I didn’t want a shit load of tinned food in the house. I lived in an old Manor House at the time with an out building with all that shit in.

I called a couple of food banks and they were really happy to take most of it.

I didn’t want to live off tinned food for the the next few years.

Do you live alone?

you had stockpiled for years??

I’ve got camping stove, gas, water stored and about 4-6 weeks of ambient stored supplies. But that’s mostly because I like camping and I’ve also got a compromised immune system and get sick easily. So makes sense to have enough food in that can be eaten easily while I’m sick/recovering. I’m also looking at getting a portable power bank that can run my CPAP/fridge/charger my phone as we have had a leak this week due to a broken goer and it’s blowing the fuse box at random times day and night. My medication is in the fridge and it’s like £2k a month cost to the nhs so I need to be able to run the fridge and the machine that keeps me breathing at night. I think that’s just sensible tbh. Then I can use the power bank to go off grid camping too. Win win.

No. I had a husband and son with me at the time.

Is there a problem with me giving away the majority of it rather than living off beans on toast for the next decade?

Every other European country regularly gives this advice. Why is it only here that it's"governments creating panic where none is needed"?

Not in the slightest
It was a question

op the real question is could you take her in a fight? If yes then let her crack on, you know where she lives.
im going to buy extra, it’s certainly in the back of my mind, going to pick to some extra gas canisters at some point but we have loads of torches etc.
however i live on a small cul-de-sac mainly full of pensioners , if it comes to it i can raid their garages !