Do other people think you're being OTT?

[Wellthisismorethanabitgrim]

I am far from a 'proper' prepper, but over the last year since Brexit was first supposed to happen I've been gradually building up stocks so that we can be self sufficient if we need to isolate for 2 weeks, and to see us through the first few weeks of Brexit when it does happen. Nothing dramatic, just a couple of boxes of extra tins / packets under the bed, stuff to make bread, some long life milk, and trying to ensure I have a spare of most things to avoid having to shop immediately if we run out of something important (like coffee!).

However, absolutely no-one else I know is doing this (these are people with the means and space to stock up if they wanted to, I totally understand a lot of people can't). My boss yesterday pissed himself laughing when I mentioned my Brexit box and planning ahead for the shitshow that I'm fairly sure January is going to be. I got the impression he thinks I should be wearing a tinfoil hat. My friends are all like "well the shops will be open won't they". The only person I know that is on board is my elderly mum, but thats because she wasn't prepared for the first lockdown and got thoroughly fed up of not having different things to eat, so she's now stocked up her cupboards.

Have you discussed your prepping with friends and family, are they doing it too or do they think you're a bit odd?!

@BlackeyedSusan

I am beginning to think I am unreasonable and over reacting and bonkers right now. never mind anyone else. this is despite having enough of everything in for lockdown 1 when we had a vulnerable child to protect and could't get a shopping slot until the second week in may.

It is odd,isn't it? I feel/fear I'm being an idiot, despite the timely reminder this year that people panic and some can't/don't have more than a day or twos food in,and people like the Tesco CEO warning it could be choppy for a "few" weeks, and logically know we'll eat it all on time anyway: yet still fear I'm over reacting 🤔

I am also questioning whether my preparation is OTT. In some ways it is objectively. On the other hand, it gives me a sense of control which I need at the moment.
Also, what we are reading suggests that preparing for effectively not being able to shop safely for one to three months, is sensible.
Our problem is (IMO) that this has been hanging over us for so long with the ever changing end date that it is almost a cry wolf scenario.

"crying wolf" is actually perfect description: especially as a wolf did turn up at the end.

I went through our supplies with my OH today, fully expecting him to tell me I was bonkers.

He asked me if I was sure we had enough pasta and rice.

He is the most sensible person I know.

I tried to talk to my friend about food preps back last year around Brexit dates. Her family are not good with money and they have zero extra food in their cupboards beyond what they eat that week. She laughed at me.

Then when Covid kicked off, I finally convinced her to do a little prepping. She keeps a two week emergency box. I’ve tried to sway her into bulking it up but she won’t think about it.

I have not told anyone about my full stocks, although people know I am ‘organised’. I don’t do it for the shit hits the fan scenarios like the apocalypse, i just like the security of knowing that i can keep fed in the event of food shortages, ill health, job loss. This is feeding into my ‘financial preparedness’ preps etc.

I don’t talk about it irl because I feel like a bit of a loon tbh. I do think that my prepping is rooted in my anxiety and I don’t want to be judged for that so I keep quiet. But, it’s been an extremely effective way of managing my anxiety too. I don’t think I’ve been as badly affected by the reality of coronavirus restrictions as a lot of people because earlier in the year I was working out contingency plans for much worse scenarios. Wearing a mask, keeping a bit of distance and not going to the theatre is only a minor inconvenience compared with the collapse of civilisation, looting and rioting, overwhelmed hospitals, corpses in the street, death of family members that I was expecting. I don’t fixate on those things but they do cross my mind and I think that isn’t normal because most people seem to have a psychological mechanism for avoiding those thoughts. But because I do, packing an emergency bag and building a stash, puts my mind at ease. I’ve done what I can and que sera sera.
Honestly I find it baffling that other people don’t prep at least a bit. Even with Christmas, why would you put yourself through the annual madness of low stocks and uncertain delivery times any year, but this year in particular? But I know that if I mention that I buy early I’d be seen as the weird one, so again, I keep my mouth shut.

This is me. I don't expect the collapse of civilisation or even anywhere close, but variations on that theme have happened to others who didn't expect it, and assuming we're somehow exempt from the possibility because of where we live is utterly naive. I think it's likely that things won't get anywhere near that bad (for anyone not requiring meds and/or specific foods) but it feels so shortsighted and the worst sort of privilege to not accept that it's at least a vague possibility. Spending a short amount of time & potentially a small amount of money to plan for worst case scenarios feels logical to me, and helps me feel a little more control.

I haven't really told anyone. I'm from the sticks, so grew up with a well stocked larder, in case we got cut off by floods, snow etc. That well stocked larder got us through the weeks of panic buying and queuing - we only popped out once a week for fruit and lived off frozen and tins until things calmed down.

I then decided that, in addition to the well stocked larder, we should buy a few weeks more supply, in case we had to keep self isolating. It's gone from there and I think we're good for 10-12 weeks, food, toiletries, cleaning products.

My prediction is that another lockdown will be announced at the beginning of the new year which will invoke more panic buying with not much to replenish the extra shelves, due to Brexit. I think shopping will be difficult for most of Jan, possibly into mid Feb. I'd like to avoid the supermarkets for the first few months of the year. It would be nice if we could still buy fresh food locally, like we did in April, but I'm not counting on it and have frozen, dried and tinned fruit too. Along with vitamin tablets.

Note - wasn't expecting hairdressers to close for so long last time,so I've got extra root spray in for the new year!

I fear I’m being an idiot as well. And sometimes I cannot believe that I have spent all this money. And I tell myself it will be fine.

And then I remember the fact Tesco was empty in March. And I think I’m not being stupid. Then I think I’m being stupid again.

But. I have food. So I’m happy.

I've only got things we will eat anyway, so best case scenario if things carry in as normal, we have a supply of tinned, frozen and dried goods that will last until Summer. It's not wasted money, it's either our food shop in advance for Jan /Feb/March, or it is all tinned, dried and frozen food until June. Thankfully we all like UHT milk, although we only have it in hot drinks or in porridge.

We had an old friend round yesterday, he does delivery driving for Waitrose, he's prepping too, focusing on the things he sees Waitrose are stocking up on. I'm really hoping it'll not happen, but I've never been this worried, I'm a very optimistic person.

I have at least two months perhaps 3 of food stocked. Probably 8 months of coffee. Toilet rolls but most were bought for brexit last year.
Which I was grateful for in March. Having a husband with IBS we go through a lot. I sometimes look at all my tinned things and think I am going loopy.
Then I think this makes me feel a bit more in control.
My husband has lost most of his work through covid. We can’t see it picking up in the New Year so we have a buffer of food.
We can manage on my wage but it is tight. So a few months of cheap shopping will be a boost.
My pessimistic side just thinks we will have panic buying and a low selection of food come January.

It is completely bonkers that we are even thinking about having to stock up. Completely utterly bonkers.

@BlackeyedSusan

It is completely bonkers that we are even thinking about having to stock up. Completely utterly bonkers.

It is but it's the govts fault not ours. I have no trust at all in the despicable fucking Tories and would rather stock up than starve. And at least we are not being ostriches.

It is but it's the govts fault not ours. I have no trust at all in the despicable fucking Tories and would rather stock up than starve.
And at least we are not being ostriches.

Honestly I had a weepy moment at the weekend because I was checking the stockpile and I was just thinking "I can't believe I'm parenting a small child through a very badly managed pandemic AND I'm having to make sure I have months of the right balance of food to keep her healthy if Brexit tanks everything the way I think it will." These were not the days I planned

@summerstorms

*It is but it's the govts fault not ours. I have no trust at all in the despicable fucking Tories and would rather stock up than starve. And at least we are not being ostriches.*

Honestly I had a weepy moment at the weekend because I was checking the stockpile and I was just thinking "I can't believe I'm parenting a small child through a very badly managed pandemic AND I'm having to make sure I have months of the right balance of food to keep her healthy if Brexit tanks everything the way I think it will." These were not the days I planned

Oh, bless, I know, it's all very Third World dictatorship atm, and there was me a few years ago thinking the UK was a stable country. [Hollow laugh] I would have emigrated at the beginning of this year if I had been able to.

@Tana433

People may be laughing now but if things get really bad in the future, they are going to remember you and then you could be in for some trouble. Hungry people with hungry families are not going to sit back quietly and starve.

You sound like you’ve watched far too many films!!

We will probably starve but I have plenty of toothpaste, soap, toilet roll and washing powder!

[quote OverTheRainbow88]@Tana433

People may be laughing now but if things get really bad in the future, they are going to remember you and then you could be in for some trouble. Hungry people with hungry families are not going to sit back quietly and starve.

You sound like you’ve watched far too many films!![/quote]
I think you are underestimating the seriousness of the situation.

@Tana433

Maybe I am, as I can’t see how we would starve. May have to eat things I don’t particularly like and get by on things I wouldn’t normally eat but not starve and rob people of food

Hi anyone in NI will be ok. The supply of goods from Ire to NI will still flow as now.
NI is actually still in the EU, and the UK.
It's the goods from UK that EU doesn't want making their way to the south.

Urging us not to stockpile

mol.im/a/9048673

[quote Dugee]Urging us not to stockpile

mol.im/a/9048673[/quote]
Eww, you linked to the Daily Heil without a warning. That's not on. I have to go and bleach my eyeballs now.

I had a Tesco delivery this afternoon and the delivery guy actually advised me to start prepping and stocking up.

He'd not delivered to us before so he didn't know we've been sticking up for over a year and the spare bedroom is full of tins

Pressed post too soon.

*stocking up, obvs

He told us that he'd delivered 95 bags of pasta to a family the other week. Don't know if he was pulling my leg with that one, but he was definitely genuine in his advice to get plenty of non-perishable foods in.

I've not really mentioned our stash to anyone else though. And I do feel a bit bonkers when I look at it. But I'd rather have it and then be able to give it to the food bank if it's not required here, then not have anything at all.