politics

I just want to add this here, in the hopes that people see this.

From what I have read the shortage of toilet paper during Covid that became a meme representing the whole experience of supply chain shocks is actually misplaced.

The major reason there was a shortage of toilet paper was not really because there was a panic buy of toilet paper that cleared the shelves out, or rather that happened only after there was a genuine shortage cause by the fact that a massive amount of people moved from using toilet paper at their jobs, in their employers bathrooms, bought from a B2B company and delivered by a truck specialized in delivering supplies for businesses... to buying toilet paper from distribution networks positioned to deliver products to consumers in grocery stores and such.

Those are seperate logistics networks with seperate companies, seperate delivery trucks, seperate everything, distribution and sales of toilet paper not smoothly adapting to the shock of Covid was a product of this, not just some purely irrational fear in consumers, there is a legitimate reason it happened and it won't likely happen again unless there is mass unemployment... at which point there are bigger problems....

My advice is if you need something electronic or mechanical and it’s expensive buy it now. I just replaced my hvac last month because I know this summer will be a mess. Most air conditioners are made in Asia. You want an e-bike, buy it now.

The more parts something has the more likely it’s going to be affected by tariffs.

Start growing some food if you can it’s a great way to be more resilient. I’d recommend buying things like coffee and tea and chocolate that are not easily grown in the US. There’s actually a pretty bad chocolate shortage right now I believe.

Also for other stuff, buy used, in thrifts or on eBay. Not only are you recycling, most sellers are individuals rather than big corps. Also, if you have old stuff you are not using, it’s a great time to sell. My eBay sales are up 10% this year.

Buy a chest freezer! It opens the world imo.

It's impossible to know, the economy is complex. Even your example of flour may be affected. Many things aren't done by hand, and if a machine used in producing flour needs parts that's sourced from China, there could be a problem that disrupts production. Many things from China comes by ship there's already been a significant drop in shipping from there. Remember it takes more than a month for a ship to cross the Pacific, and from there it may need to go by rail to where you are. If you live towards the east coast, it will take longer, and if there's disruptions at the Panama Canal, there could be even more of a delay.

Shipping was busy before the tarrifs, companies were frontloading and warehouses are full. But if people start panic buying, that'll empt the warehouses really quick and it could be months before anything new gets shipped in and who knows what the prices will be?

Some stuff that's made in China might be fine if no one panic buys is. Some things made in USA there may be shortages or massive price increases because they need materials from other countries to manufacture them.

So the generic prepper stuff is pretty much the best anyone can offer you. Make sure you have a month's supply of everything you need, more if possible. You'd need to know the specifics of every industry's material needs and also know what people might panic buy to be able to be more specific than that.

This is why Trump's broad tariffs are insane, it's just pure economic chaos that's going to hurt Americans more than it will hurt anyone else in the world.

If you're just worried about the possibility of shortages and not being able to get food easily then stock up on things that will last a long time in the freezer, is something that you will regularly use regardless, and won't break you to buy in bulk.

Even with some of the prices already going up a little bit chicken is a good example, you can go by huge packs of it at Costco for a reasonable price still at the moment and other similar stores, vegetables like broccoli florets tend to hold up decently in the freezer for a little while (4-6months) and there multiple types of bread that deal well with being frozen and then later thawed out if you use bread a lot.

Basically instead of trying to hyper optimize like some type of prepper just look at what you generally go through, evaluate what out of that is something that will last in a freezer for a good amount of time, and then bulk up on it and just continue using your food like you normally would. Worst case scenario you saved tiny bit of money by buying in bulk which usually comes with a slight savings. Best case scenario shortly after your bulk buying price is Skyrocket and you can try and ride it out off of your supplies.

Avoid the toilet paper problem by getting a bidet, I spent money on the nice $300 one it has heated water which I like and now a single pack of toilet paper from Costco is like almost a Year's worth of toilet paper because I only use it to help dry a little faster than the weird but hair dryer does so i use almost nothing

I think the tp during COVID was kind of a fluke. It could have been anything. Laundry detergent, some food product etc. TP was just what the news hung their hat on so it's what everyone thought about when they went to the store.

I'm personally buying rice, beans, and lots of spices to make some delicious meals and wait out the price shocks of food.

Besides that, I mean what do you really need need when it comes to this stuff? I can think of a few things but it's a very short list. Really we're just going to have to ride it out and hope it doesn't get bad bad

Keep in mind that flour might be in abundance now, but if everyone in the country buys it, the supply might drop quickly.

Apart from that, dried beans and lentils are probably a good source of nutrients, easy to store and last for a while.

If it's really like Covid, toilet paper will be the first thing to go.