So all the 'non essential moaners' what do you class as non essential

[HoppingOnSteppingStones]

Because I've just been to tesco and brought a kettle. I've just had a bloke when I was stood in front to pay. Mumble about an 'essential kettle'

Did he know why I had to buy it. Did he plums!
It's not so I can go home and have a relaxing cuppa. Its so I can make formula for my baby. Because last night our kettle went bang!
We had to get hot water off the neighbour for this mornings bottle so I could then run to grab one.

What's essential to some isn't to others.

Yes I think there's prob a fine line but I wish people wouldn't judge

A kettle is definitely essential, especially in your circumstances. He was a pick.

Lots of things you couldn't get quickly in last lockdown I think were essential in the right circumstances. Kids clothes being one of them, non essential if you have plenty but pretty essential if they grow out of shoes or ruin their coat.

A kettle is needed to make Tea .. surely we need Tea more than ever

@Christmasfairy2020 it isn't snowing everywhere - it was a balmy 6 degrees in my bit of the SE today.

What a plonker. How did you stop yourself taking the kettle abs hitting him in the face with it?!!
Judgemental nob head.

Never mind kettles. What about collecting a sperm donation - is that essential?
It seems some women are stalking potential sperm donors and arranging meet ups in car parks and train stations before heading off to the public loos to attend to a bit of turkey basting. Honestly this thread has shocked me in so many ways. Don't they even realise there's a pandemic, and they should not be travelling not to mention they are taking mad risks with their health.

Not sure why they call it at home insemination when most of the action appears to happen in public loos! In lockdown!

At Home Insemination - Buddies? The story continues.... http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/donor_conception/4112636-At-Home-Insemination-Buddies-The-story-continues

Everything is essential if you need it.

Yes some people should just F - off with their assumptions

You were in a shop wearing a mask, abiding by rules so you can buy what you like as long as you’re not stock piling which you weren’t AND if a kettle was classed as non essential then they’d have closed off that area as they did at one point when trying to stop people from shopping for non essential things In order to speed up the time customers spent in the stores.

A-holes always think they know everything about everyone’s life instead of keeping their mutterings to themselves

A kettle would have been essential if it was only used for tea of coffee

SIGH...non-essential items can vary. Right this minute I would consider a six-pack of individual servings of pineapple juice to be essential. I'd kill for one! But the urge will pass, and that will become non-essential again. I think. I hope.

We could all eat grass and drink rainwater so technically nothing is essential! If the shop is selling it then buy it, I bought paper for my printer today as the kids have soooooo much to print off for school, I also bought a calendar, now THAT is hardly essential at the minute

Those who say you can boil in a pan, all true
But
It tastes different, don't know why or how but it does
My kettle died 2 days ago, spent 1day boiling in a pan and could taste the difference
New kettle, all normal again

A kettle? - Wow, that man had little to worry to about if seeing someone buying a kettle annoyed him. I think a kettle is essential - what a prick he was. Put him out of your thoughts and use your kettle for the essential job of looking after your baby.

I cannot understand visiting twice a day, to have that level of loneliness.

Pray you never do

@squeekums

Those who say you can boil in a pan, all true But It tastes different, don't know why or how but it does My kettle died 2 days ago, spent 1day boiling in a pan and could taste the difference New kettle, all normal again

It's also not very safe and I doubt many people want to be waiting around at 2am for a pan to boil during which time their hungry baby is screaming.

Could you not boil water in a saucepan?

Essentials are different to everyone.

I grow the family fruit and veg to save on bills as we are low income. So to me seeds are essential as they are our years food. To others they are seen as non essential.

@Secretsquirrelsbuddy

A coat is essential

I work in a small village shop, and the number of entire families that pop in on the hour every bloody hour of the day for a single bag of crisps, one bottle of pop, a pack of chewing gum, then come back just before we close, again in groups, for alcohol, really angers me, we have no windows, no ventilation and I personally feel they are putting anyone else in that shop at unnecessary risk

I think it just shows that what’s essential to one won’t be essential to another.
I could live quite happily without a kettle, I don’t drink hot drinks and don’t have a baby or any need for a kettle.
But I wouldn’t expect anyone else to go without because I deem it non essential.
People need to mind their own business and just get on with their lives!

I agree OP. I think at the end of the day, whatever individual items we’re buying, food and drink (and the means to cook it) are essential. It doesn’t matter if I’m buying cakes and biscuits, frozen ready meals, or organic pulses, I need to eat something. 🤷‍♀️ People need to stop judging.

To those that keep saying boil in a pan, yes you can, I have before till I could afford to get a new one but when your over tired or distracted and trying to do it it can be dangerous and trust me it hurts, I know as I've managed to spill boiled water on myself before doing this, no hospital trip for me though, whacked my hand under cold water for 20 minutes but not something I'd wish on anyone.

My MiL's kettle broke. She is 88 with very poor eye sight. She was boiling water on a pan and then scooping it into mugs to make her and FiL cups of tea. She was at grave risk of scalding herself. I would say that, for her, a kettle was an essential purchase.

@DuesToTheDirt

pre covid I LOVED looking in people's trolleys,

Me too, I'd never comment, but I'd think, "Why does your your shopping consist of 5 lettuces and 6 bottles of beer?"

That's how we Brits make a cocktail now that brexit has stopped imports of teeny little cherries and nice liqueurs..

This Pandemic has brought the nasty side out in some people. It's very negative and I blame the media for hyping up the hysteria around Covid and Lockdown rules. I can't watch the news anymore or listen to the news on the radio in the car. It's actually quite worrying that people are willing to buy into this constant misery fest to the point that the guy in the queue at Tescos near you thought it was fine to mutter that judgemental comment to you over a ruddy kettle!! I wish I had the money to go on holiday out of this country ......Dubai looks great ..It's a misery fest in this country.

Who thinks we are now living in a misery fest in this country with the media to blame for hyping up fear over Covid and sensationalising it? I can't watch the news anymore or listen to the news on the radio in the car...every five minutes ...its just all about ruddy Covid😵