Preparing or Hoarding?

[Marine Cpl]

What’s the fine line? When does preparation become hoarding? I see it here. One member claimed to have about 100,000 rounds of a caliber. There is no way you can possibly shoot that much. Hell, my platoon never expended that much in an actual war.

Then there is the whole toilet paper fiasco. I know someone that has enough toilet paper for years. Years!

Is it a sickness? Or is it that people really do not know what they need to be buying for preparation?

 

[spat]

What’s the fine line? When does preparation become hoarding? I see it here. One member claimed to have about 100,000 rounds of a caliber. There is no way you can possibly shoot that much. Hell, my platoon never expended that much in an actual war.

Then there is the whole toilet paper fiasco. I know someone that has enough toilet paper for years. Years!

Is it a sickness? Or is it that people really do not know what they need to be buying for preparation?

Depends on how neatly it's stacked

 

[GOPerfect]

I started preparing years ago. Preparing for what? I have no idea. This has turned into an almost obsession for me over the past year or so. I have so much stuff now, not sure what to do if nothing bad ever happens.

I am not sure where the line is drawn. Nearly all the food that I store, we eat normally, I just have a lot of it. All of the water, we drink that as well.

The ammo, I will never run out of ammo to shoot and if nothing really evil comes, I can sell it.

I have a rather decent supply of poop paper, I poo everyday, so I guess I will use what I have.

It is a good question though, fine line???

 

[GOPerfect]

Is it a sickness? Or is it that people really do not know what they need to be buying for preparation?

I have spoken with some co-workers whi have recently gotten on board the train. When I find out what they have purchased, it is almost laughable. No clue what they are doing and less of an idea of why they are doing it.

 

[Marine Cpl]

I think with non perishable food, the fine line is when the amount of years you have to eat outlives the expiration date. For example. If you have 25 years worth of Mountain House that has a 25 year shelf life, then you should more than likely stop. For me personally, 5 years is enough.

With ammo, that is subjective but in my opinion for me, it should be what you normally fire per year and times that by 10. That way you have enough for training and use for well over 5 years. No SHTF will last longer than that.

Stop wasting your money.

 

[GOPerfect]

I think with non perishable food, the fine line is when the amount of years you have to eat outlives the expiration date. For example. If you have 25 years worth of Mountain House for your family that has a 25 year shelf life, then you should more than likely stop. For me personally, 5 years is enough.

With ammo, that is subjective but in my opinion for me, it should be what you normally fire per year and times that by 10. That way you have enough for training and use for well over 5 years. No SHTF will last longer than that.

Stop wasting your money.

Not sure if it is really wasting money. I am all set for retirement, I have near zero debt. The ammo, I can always sell the excess down the road.

Some of this, for me, is kind of a hobby. I do not go out often, I rarely partake in adult drink. I do not party, too old for that. This is part of my entertainment. I learn as I go. I have some really cool shit after all of these years and I have become wiser.

Sometimes, my wife thinks it is a waste of money, but then again, who does not waste theirs?

 

[Acer-m14]

Hording i would say is a mental disease .. hoarders keep everything that's non useful .. house stacked floor to ceiling to wall to wall with just junk ..

Prepping or Overzealous think i would be the better comparison

 

[Marine Cpl]

Hording i would say is a mental disease .. hoarders keep everything that's non useful .. house stacked floor to ceiling to wall to wall with just junk ..

Prepping or Overzealous think i would be the better comparison

Well one can hoard useful things as well. I think there is a line someone crosses when they turn from prepper to hoarder. This guy at work buys as many large, family packages of toilet paper he can whenever he goes to BJ’s. He has no plans on selling it or shitting that much but he just has to buy more.

He was what inspired this thread. It makes no sense since he doesn’t buy anything else for survival in that quantity.

 

[Acer-m14]

Well one can hoard useful things as well. I think there is a line someone crosses when they turn from prepper to hoarder. This guy at work buys as many large, family packages of toilet paper he can whenever he goes to BJ’s. He has no plans on selling it or shitting that much but he just has to buy more.

He was what inspired this thread. It makes no sense since he doesn’t buy anything else for survival in that quantity.

when i lived in South Carolina .. there was a guy there had a field of old cars .. like old model A's just rusting away .. wouldn't sell a part from them ..

BTW i can wipe with a Maple leaf ..

 

[GOPerfect]

Some people just buy what they have heard that they should buy. The TP is a great example. Female coworker, she was convinced, because of the media, that if she did not buy more shit paper, she may never have it again. She lives alone and told me that she has over two hundred rolls. Two freaken hundred.

Holy shit! I have a lot of shit, but I can justify nearly all of it.

 

[Acer-m14]

with the TP she has she could start a business now with kids and adults .. lol

40 Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts for Kids and Adults

Put those toilet rolls to use with these super creative toilet paper roll crafts! Learning activities, games, and more ideas for kids and adults inside!

fabulesslyfrugal.com

 

[Marine Cpl]

Some people just buy what they have heard that they should buy. The TP is a great example. Female coworker, she was convinced, because of the media, that if she did not buy more shit paper, she may never have it again. She lives alone and told me that she has over two hundred rolls. Two freaken hundred.

Holy shit! I have a lot of shit, but I can justify nearly all of it.

On the same token, many here do that with guns. They keep buying lowers and other guns because one day they won’t be able to. Meanwhile their pantries are bare and they have no money for a rainy day. You can’t possibly eat all those guns.

 

[Acer-m14]

I got 2 rolls left in the b-room .. but i do have a maple tree in the lawn lmao ..

 

[Marine Cpl]

As long as my shower works, I can wipe my ass. I can also hand wash rags. That’s what the people of old did.

 

[Acer-m14]

On the same token, many here do that with guns. They keep buying lowers and other guns because one day they won’t be able to. Meanwhile their pantries are bare and they have no money for a rainy day. You can’t possibly eat all those guns.

but with the right spices .. all game taste like chicken

 

[Acer-m14]

As long as my shower works, I can wipe my ass. I can also hand wash rags. That’s what the people of old did.

now your going to piss off the disposable diapers fan base LOL

 

[Acer-m14]

btw why was there not a mad rush on buying them . or depends LOL .. i dont think i seen that in the news lol

 

[GOPerfect]

Pooping paper

 

[spat]

Hoarding is a specific mental illness.

It's only hoarding if it interferes with your life and you aren't able to control it.

It's like the difference between drinking and being an alcoholic. It's not about quantity It's about whether you're in control or if it's an obsession.

You can be afraid of rattlesnakes without it being a phobia (they are legitimately dangerous). It's only a phobia if you are unable to overcome it with rational thinking.

You can dislike flying without it being a phobia (It's a PITA now).

You can choose a strict diet without being anorexic.

There are many other examples.

 

[Deplorable Me]

Over stock is barter goods. You have to prep from multiple perspectives. You have to prep for multiple scenarios. Ammo is high priority but not the only priority. More fun than toilet paper hoarding.

Money will only carry you so far.

 

[Blimey]

Hoarding is a compulsive, irrational behavior. Anybody hoarding 100k rounds of ammunition for end times would certainly fit this bill.

Often people forget the opportunity cost of things they buy. To be a debbie downer about it: if you spend $100 now on something that does not appreciate in value, it could have been worth $400 20 years from now in today's dollars, if you use a century worth of stock market appreciation.

$200 spent just on matches to use as barter is stupid but not going to really impact your life in the grand scheme if that's the only silly thing you did. $30k in supplies in the basement when you have not yet started saving for retirement is unwise. Smart prepping should always spend more focus on things with a higher chance of happening (e.g. retirement vs mad max scenario).

 

[Criticalt]

Ive been in the collecting world for nearly 4 decades. I have and do collect many things. From about 12 years of online forums, conventions and shows, I can tell you there is a difference between hoarding and collecting....and amount of an item has NOTHING to do with it.
@spat is correct in my expierience.
For instance.....I have collected and created smoking pipes for about 20 years. Most here would be shocked how much money is involved.
First, handmade, one of a jind smoking pipes can command alot of money.....like $30,000.....for 1 pipe.
I know guys who have several thousand high end pipes with several hundred thousand dollars invested.
These guys also buy 100s of pounds of out of production pipe tobbacco.....it just gets better with age......even decades just makes it better.
Anyways, there are 2 kinds of collectors. The ones who have the cash and spend it because they want to and can afford it. Then you have the guys who are constantly buying, selling and trading to get that one piece they want. These guys will spend their mortgage money on pipes and tobacco.
I see this in the Hotwheels world even.
The sickness comes when youre selling your kids toys to make the next purchase or youre living in squalor because you cannot afford repairs and your drug of choice.....stuff.
There is a bit of illness in all collectors but the ones who cannot afford it is where you see the problems.

As far as 100,000 rounds of ammo.
Who gives a shit.
Can you afford it?
Did you spend your kids college on it?
In the right circumstances my ammo is worth more than your dumb precious metals that so many seem to think will save them.
There are many more possible situations where ammo will be more valuable than gold.
Id rather have way too much ammo than just enough.

 

[Elwood]

The line is somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd storage unit.

 

[MillidotShooter]

I think the difference is when you start spending money you don't have on things you have too much of already. If you are not realistic about actual usage quantities of a given item, then it becomes hoarding. For instance... TP... If you are a house of 2, UNLESS you are one of those that use TONS of TP, a 36 pack roll of paper should last at least 2 months if not 3, give or take. If you are buying to last a year... That's prepping... 20 Years... That's Hoarding.
The same goes for ammo... If you shoot once every 6 months and go through 500 rds in that day, there is no need to buy 100,000 Rds. But if you are like me and spend at least 1 day a week, sometimes 2 at the range and go through 2000 rds a month, then 100,000 is a 4 year supply. Personally, I keep a minimum of 500 rds of every caliber I use, which equates to 3,500 rds at a MINIMUM. When I hit 500 of a specific type, I buy. But I never keep more than 2000 at any one time... Until recently that is. And only because it is becoming ever more difficult to find. I have even stopped ranging every week, and I am down to once a month just to conserve. I think Prepping is replenishing due to usage. Hoarding is extreme prepping without actually using... And like Elwood said... If you are needing storage units, I think you already crossed the line...

 

[technicalgadget]

A hoarder is a label a lefty uses for a prepper when they discover a prepper has more shit than they have.

 

[Deplorable Me]

If hoarding and prepping are a mental illness then so is waste and failure to prioritize your life. If my owning three hammers and three shovels is an illness then you're sick too for not owning one because you overspent on useless things in life. Some of us have sacrificed to be what we are. Don't put your nose in my business or it'll get broken.

 

[JaguarJaguarGolf]

I'm set up to deal with winter storms. If I had to I could probably stretch everything in the house out to last 45-60 days.

 

[fresch]

Well one can hoard useful things as well. I think there is a line someone crosses when they turn from prepper to hoarder. This guy at work buys as many large, family packages of toilet paper he can whenever he goes to BJ’s. He has no plans on selling it or shitting that much but he just has to buy more.

He was what inspired this thread. It makes no sense since he doesn’t buy anything else for survival in that quantity.

sounds like you didn't buy tp !

 

[fresch]

Ive been in the collecting world for nearly 4 decades. I have and do collect many things. From about 12 years of online forums, conventions and shows, I can tell you there is a difference between hoarding and collecting....and amount of an item has NOTHING to do with it.
@spat is correct in my expierience.
For instance.....I have collected and created smoking pipes for about 20 years. Most here would be shocked how much money is involved.
First, handmade, one of a jind smoking pipes can command alot of money.....like $30,000.....for 1 pipe.
I know guys who have several thousand high end pipes with several hundred thousand dollars invested.
These guys also buy 100s of pounds of out of production pipe tobbacco.....it just gets better with age......even decades just makes it better.
Anyways, there are 2 kinds of collectors. The ones who have the cash and spend it because they want to and can afford it. Then you have the guys who are constantly buying, selling and trading to get that one piece they want. These guys will spend their mortgage money on pipes and tobacco.
I see this in the Hotwheels world even.
The sickness comes when youre selling your kids toys to make the next purchase or youre living in squalor because you cannot afford repairs and your drug of choice.....stuff.
There is a bit of illness in all collectors but the ones who cannot afford it is where you see the problems.

As far as 100,000 rounds of ammo.
Who gives a shit.
Can you afford it?
Did you spend your kids college on it?
In the right circumstances my ammo is worth more than your dumb precious metals that so many seem to think will save them.
There are many more possible situations where ammo will be more valuable than gold.
Id rather have way too much ammo than just enough.

Reloading parts and equipment.
never mind how much lead I have.

 

[BDinPutnam]

I'm set up to deal with winter storms. If I had to I could probably stretch everything in the house out to last 45-60 days.

Same, basically.

This last storm did get me thinking, though - usually when we have multi-day power outages its cold out so I just crank the fireplace, bundle up, etc. My portable generator is quite enough for the winter time- but 7500 watts isn't going to run central air in the summer, which may seem soft on my part but my wife has some health issues. So looking into standby generators.