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 ?

YANBU - we all saw the gratuitous greed during Covid. I won’t buy into it at all.

If I could afford and had the room to store stuff, I'd be stockpiling certain things. Especially since stuff is going to get even more expensive. As it is, unfortunately I can only afford the bare minimum as it is.

6 months worth is yes extremely excessive. Planning for shorter periods is not gratuitous greed, at all. It's less of us then needing to be helped if there's an emergency, so that what is available can go to more vulnerable households, and less people rushing out to buy items, causing more problems. Also like me households with someone severely disabled with long term health conditions will plan and prepare as they can, and in my circumstances I couldn't care less if people think that's greed (hardly, considering my limited finances anyway)/over reacting or whatever. To me it's sensible, and the fact I never buy anything I won't use normally anyway means it all gets used going forward, so if not needed I'd just be shopping a lot less for quite a while and would have bought a lot of it before the prices rises that are coming, make no mistake about that.

Exactly. I've been limited on what I can afford to do but decided to use the small savings I had in the end to to what's best for my household.

Yes, space is an issue as we don't have a garage and the shed is full, unless we build shelves.

I could store it in the attic but I know it would never get date checked so I'd have loads of expired food in a couple of years.

This is the thing, it's OK for the government advising us to stockpile, but if you live in a flat with no storage space, what the hell are we supposed to do? And I mean "no storage space!)"

Yes, even more difficult in a flat!

Do you have a book case? If you do, behind the books?

Totally get where you're coming from; although we're in a bungalow, we genuinely don't have a lot of storage space. I've had to clear some kitchen cupboard space and it wasn't easy, and relegated some of what was in there to up on top of the wall units. It's not a big kitchen. We aren't allowed to store anything at all in the loft due to insulation rules (new build HA) and being a new build it has literally no other cupboards. I won't store food in the shed which is only small anyway. Totally get though, having lived in small flats, no garden etc, if no space at all it is very difficult indeed.

No bookcase unfortunately...

I suppose I could put tins and water in my mini, but then it would use more fuel due to the weight, so false economy 🙃

Under bed storage?

Yes!! Omg...I've got a bed with drawers underneath. It's only got a load of old paperwork in so I can throw it all out. Omg..thank you! 😅😅

Lol 😅 it only occurred to me because I had to put my food processor in my underbed drawer (I never use it) to make space in my kitchen cupboards for stores

No time like the present...I've just emptied the drawers, which are surprisingly deep. Just need to head to Home Bargains now to get my haul! Sometimes, Mumsnet is brilliant 👏..thank you again!

This

Brett Erikson AT BrettErikson28
MORE: Libya may be set to declare force majeure (cancellations) of oil deliveries after protests in the country have suspended oil production in the country.

While it is easy to try to dismiss this as "it's just Libya", this yet ANOTHER blow to the global energy markets that have seen Ansarallah take effective control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Saudi East-West Pipeline (along with multiple other energy infrastructures) destroyed, Saudi cancellation of September (and potentially October) deliveries to Europe, and a global economy that is short now more than two BILLION barrels of oil as a result of the United States' reckless decision to launch a war against Iran.

We're seeing increasing signs that the global economy is BREAKING under the compounding pressures it has faced over the past 6.5 months, and this is yet another weight that the world will attempt to desperately shoulder

Oh fucking FABULOUS!

I live in the south west, my plumber today said he's been struggling to find diesel locally. I'm not sure if that's just a local blip.

No problem 😊 HB is an excellent choice too

Don't disagree with that- I've said multiple times upthread that if we're looking at a situation of 6 months that's a completely different situation to preparing for a few days/week or so which is the guidance. And if we have power issues, disruption to fuel/food supplies and costs, it could be intermittent periods where having things to fall back on will not be a bad thing.

To be honest even if there aren't gaps on shelves, I think we might be looking at some serious food inflation. So a couple of cheap dinners out of the long life food cupboard might help in January when we're all skint after Xmas and putting the heating on is expensive.

Whatever makes her happy.

Absolutely. This is my logic.

Thank you for another very helpful post. I really appreciate it. 💐

I would be mindful that those bed drawers are often quite flimsy so would likely depress over time with the weight of tins.