What is the “total cost of ownership” of supplies? keeping a stockpile fresh requires ongoing maintenance. In addition to direct cost and space required, you regularly have to devote time and attention to it. It just doesn’t seem practical, specially a large supply of fresh water.
An additional cost is the hassle of moving/selling/giving away your stockpile if you move. If you have deep roots in the place you live, this might not be a large consideration, but I’ve moved at least once every 6 years all my life, some times considerably more often (future projection: even more often). “Unnecessary” stuff like this just adds an extra burden to an already burdensome time.
How would you say the value of having supplies changes as you reduce from 14 days to something smaller? It’s non-linear for sure, so maybe there’s a lower point that’s a good compromise, e.g. 3 days of food and water. Another way of phrasing the question: where does the “two weeks” reference point in your post come from?
The ongoing maintenance for food and water is pretty low:
For food, when I open containers of non-perishables I take them from the front of the line, and when I buy new ones I put them at the back of the line.
For water, 14gal/person is two 1ft^3 water containers. I’ve set a recurring reminder to swap the water out every five years.
An additional cost is the hassle of moving/selling/giving away your stockpile if you move.
For water you can just dump it out and refill at your new place. For food it’s pretty small compared to the rest of what you’re moving, maybe two ~1ft^3 boxes per person?
What is the “total cost of ownership” of supplies? keeping a stockpile fresh requires ongoing maintenance. In addition to direct cost and space required, you regularly have to devote time and attention to it. It just doesn’t seem practical, specially a large supply of fresh water.
An additional cost is the hassle of moving/selling/giving away your stockpile if you move. If you have deep roots in the place you live, this might not be a large consideration, but I’ve moved at least once every 6 years all my life, some times considerably more often (future projection: even more often). “Unnecessary” stuff like this just adds an extra burden to an already burdensome time.
How would you say the value of having supplies changes as you reduce from 14 days to something smaller? It’s non-linear for sure, so maybe there’s a lower point that’s a good compromise, e.g. 3 days of food and water. Another way of phrasing the question: where does the “two weeks” reference point in your post come from?
The ongoing maintenance for food and water is pretty low:
For food, when I open containers of non-perishables I take them from the front of the line, and when I buy new ones I put them at the back of the line.
For water, 14gal/person is two 1ft^3 water containers. I’ve set a recurring reminder to swap the water out every five years.
For water you can just dump it out and refill at your new place. For food it’s pretty small compared to the rest of what you’re moving, maybe two ~1ft^3 boxes per person?