| My up until recently sane mother has fully fell down the prepper rabbit hole and is for some reason convinced that it is likely that we will see a severe food shortage in the U.S. within the foreseeable future. Over the past few months she has spent thousands stockpiling food and supplies. Am I wrong for thinking this is completely crazy? |
| We’ve already been told by the “experts” it’s coming. Pay attention to current events. It isn’t even a serious question, OP. Start learning how to grow something you can eat. |
Few people own enough land to grow food to sustain their families; and your "neighbors" would take it from you anyways. |
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I am mostly sane, but I too have begun prepping. Each week for the past several weeks, I have spent an additional $100 dollars on items to store. I plan to continue this pattern until my garage is full. I have also resumed shopping at Walmart instead of Giant. There is no getting around that Giant prices are now beyond what I view as reasonable. $100 goes far at Walmart vs. one bag at Giant.
If nothing happens, then I will have a ton to donate to a food kitchen. We all win. |
| Even without a serious food shortage, she has dodged the inflation bullet by socking away food a few months ago. Good for her. |
Ok, I can see a shortage like what we experienced during the pandemic;but she actually thinks that the stores (in Virginia) are going to run out of food, and that she might have to protect herself from people trying to break in her house to steal food! |
Your mother is apparently better informed than you. |
| Maybe I should also mention that she's mainly buying freeze dried food. So it's not even like it's something she's going to want to eat, if/when she gets over this phase. |
You really need to educate yourself. |
| If you have the space and you like having lots of stuff. I own only enough to fit in my car, and I live wherever the wind takes me. I don't need much to survive quite cheerfully. It's the old-school American way. |
| Absolutely not nuts. I had a vision of the US/global food system collapsing entirely. Grow a garden and have non-perishable staples on hand - as many as you can fit/afford. |
That’s how I was at 19 - single and carefree. |
I'm doing the same. I am intentionally buying food that my family would only eat if we were starving. This method prevents them from going into the emergency stash for routine snacking needs. My kids insist that they would "never eat that!" And I tell them they certainly would if they got hungry enough. Hopefully, it won't come to that, but chance favors the prepared and whatnot. |
| Hoarding causes shortages. Stop it. |