Your post really made me think, because when I am out and about doing my tightwadd-y shopping, I am occasionally bothered by the fact that it appears I’m taking the last four cans of sale chicken off the shelf. If I’m just adding to an already-full larder, I could be taking it away from the single young mom who’s bound to come along hoping to discover the same deal. So while I used to think “Yes! I just grabbed the greatest bargain around!” I now think, “Do I really need this, or do I just want it because it’s cheap and adds to my feeling (not substance) of security?”

OTOH, there are things that it would be just as well to have. For instance, cash. Can you imagine what would happen if there were indeed a general financial system failure and people realized that these “debit” cards they carry around aren’t really money, and that all the “money” they think they have in the bank is not, in fact, there? There would be a general run on cash. And there’s not really that much out there…compared to all the electronic digits that say how much should be there. Is it OK to ask for cashback at the grocery store when the clerk always has to run and get more money? Are you taking cash away from somebody else who might need it more than you? This discussion can get pretty esoteric regarding blankets/used clothing/other non-food items. Good discussion, tho.

I do disagree with how you describe the rice situation – the shortages, at least in the US, came first after suppliers from places like Thailand and India stopped exporting rice. Which meant that warehouses stopped receiving as much rice as they’d like. There was definitely a “run” on rice, with people trying to ensure their supply, and possibly some people bought it in excess of their perceived needs – but most of the stories I heard involved areas with large Asian populations, where people go through large quantities of rice in a short time, and often where people have living memories of food shortages. So I actually don’t think that this was hoarding – it did make it difficult for people who wanted to buy rice and couldn’t get it, but there was plenty of pasta and bread and everything else – so I don’t think the case can be made that people were genuinely harmed by this.

I agree it is necessary that people be sensitive and adaptive in their storing – but right now, whether new or used, buying all the safety pins pretty much hurts no one, and if it makes people feel better – not to worry.

Sharon

The issue here I think has to do with whether your fear, and need to stash stuff away, deprives others of the ability to do so at reasonable cost. If you for instance hit the thrift store daily and snatch up all the good blankets and sheets they put out, that will deprive others from buying them at a reasonable price. Some people may be able to buy them new at the store but others will just have to do without. Some people can’t get to the thrift store exept on Saturday for instance as they work all week, and if it is cleaned out of everything all week long, little will be left to put out on Saturday. The same with any other thing, be it safety pins or rice or whatever. Rice shortages only started happening recently when people started snatching up way more than they normally did, thus precipitating a shortage.

So I am not saying that it is not ok to have enough blankets for your perceived needs, allowing for cool conditions and lots of houseguests, but there is a difference between that and enough blankets for the whole town. Buying used stuff in particular, which is good environmentally and sutainability- wise, does not add to the impetus to a shepherd to increase their flock size or a blanket maker to produce more so far as I can tell- buying new would do that. I do think there is a point beyond which it does become hoarding, and I do think one should keep in mind the need to share with others when it comes to used goods at reasonable prices, allowing others the chance to buy these items as well. I’d have to concurr with MEA that canning what you grow would not be hoarding, but rushing out and cornering a humongous supply would be.

I will never forget that winter, and I am afraid of being that cold again, despite the fact that I am generally more comfortable in cold than heat. That’s too much cold, thank you. And because if that, I’ve been watching the thermostat, keeping it as low as possible to keep our heat bills low so that there’s no risk that we won’t be able to have it. And this winter we will have a woodstove as well.

So I admit, other than making sure their shoes fit and are in good condition, this is not something I lose sleep over.

Ani, I’m with Sqqqrl, I’m not sure why it would be a bad thing to buy all of X you need for a lifetime? What’s wrong with it? If I buy all the safety pins I need for a lifetime, I never need to shop for safety pins again, and I get safety pins at 2008 price, not 2038 prices – what’s the downside. Not everyone wants to do it, or deal with the stuff – I hate to sew, so I think I probably have a lifetime worth of safety pins but that’s one box – but why worry about what other people store? We have a lot of beds, and don’t heat the bedrooms, so it would be a long way before I had more blankets than we can possibly use so I don’t qualify, but I also don’t worry about it. Particularly if people are buying at yard sales and thrift shops – in many cases, if things don’t sell, they end up in the landfill – I’d much rather see the blankets in someone’s house.

Sharon

And in a more general sense, I would like to ask what exactly is so wrong with fear. I am afraid that someday I won’t be able to turn up the thermostat. I’m afraid that maybe my mother will be here and need a big pile of blankets too, especially since she is older and sleeps very poorly when she’s cold, and then even if we had only a temporary guest we suddenly wouldn’t have enough blankets. I’m afraid that my wonderful but flaky neighbors might suddenly find that the nights are feeling a little chilly and I won’t have anything to offer them. I consider these fears to be reasonable and healthy responses to an unpredictable future. I feel no need to talk myself out of them or suppress them.