So, I've been thinking about food a lot these past few weeks (aka: every second of my entire life, but I mean MORESO these past few weeks), and I've been trying to be more critical of myself. I don't just mean not buying the really awesome looking package of licorice that's on sale for practically NOTHING because the KIDS would love it (seriously...they were practically paying ME to take it! But I digress...). I mean looking at the crap I already have in my house, and wondering what the hell?
There's dog food in here from the dog I don't even have any more.You people have pantries, right? I have one. It's overflowing. But don't worry...I'll still go grocery shopping at least 2 more times this week and add to it. However, right now, I'm going to take you through it a little, as a way of talking out some of my crazy.
Do we have enough BBQ sauce?? And packages of plastic cutlery? I hope so!
#1. Why can't I walk past a can of Chunky Soup on sale without buying it? Is it because I think that the inner debate over whether to eat it with a fork or a spoon might burn calories? Is it because it's just SO damn chunky? Is it because it eats like a meal? I don't know, but man...I buy a lot of that crap. But I don't eat it. I feed it to my family. Because apparently, their sodium levels are of no concern to me. I suck!
#2. I own more pasta than anyone ever has in the history of man. We eat pasta maybe once a week. But if I see a bag of reasonably-priced bow tie pasta, I just have to have it. I HAVE to!
Thank gods, I'm not running out of jars of Alfredo sauce any time soon!#3. According to my pantry, clearly I fear that someday soon, there is going to be a shortage of mayonnaise and mayonnaise based products. No worries, sandwich lovers; I am covered!
#4. Jello. So...when I had my surgery, one of the things on the shopping list was jello. Because there's always room for Jello! Want to know what I hate? JELLO! And I had like 10 boxes of it in there anyway! But I bought MORE, because why? They told me to? Well, at this point, I could pretty much encase one of the children in jello if I wanted to. Maybe that will be a summer project.
#5. I have more boxes of cereal than the good folks at Kellogs. This is just a small sampling. I have a problem. 
Upon closer inspection of the pantry today, I discovered that I have food in there that has moved with me twice. And I've lived in this house for 11 years. I wouldn't even donate that to the food bank at this point. And yet...there it sits. Looking at me. Judging me. Eff you, Mr. Christie! You make good cookies, but STOP LOOKING AT ME!!!
Discuss.
I still shop like I can still eat the same stuff you buy-pasta-soup. I had 3 boxes of fiber cookies though and they disappeared. Guess my son took my advice to "get it out of the house so I wouldn't eat it" to heart. Make the jello for the kids. Mine used to love it. I hate it.
ReplyDeleteThe leftover dog food is just sad. I see your green bin filling up this week.
I forgot to add to your last post that I don't eat leftovers either. Blogger was down on Friday when I was planning to comment on everyone's blog (wink, wink). My hubby will eat leftovers for a week. He does ask if they are still good. My reply--yup, although I'd never eat them. He's still alive so I guess I was right.
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh.. I feel ya on most of this! I also don't like jello, but every once in awhile I get a craving for it. so I buy like 10 boxes. I make one. I end up donating the rest to the food pantry. A year later, repeat. Yeah. I pretty much am crazy.
ReplyDeleteI buy all kinds of canned soups. I don't eat it. My daughter doesn't eat it. My hubby will maybe once a year. Still, I have it. And pasta? I could go head to head with you.
Canned tomatoes is my other big one. My husband is Italian. His mom seems to think we make sauce 5 times a week, so she buys me cases of canned tomatoes. What do I do? Buy more when I'm at the store. Why? Because they are on sale, or I'm not "sure" we have any at home (really??)
My goal this year is to streamline my pantries (umm.. yeah, I have 3. They aren't huge, but there are three of them).
Oh.. just so you know, I don't eat leftovers either OR the first slice of bread after the heel. :)
I have 30 boxes of pasta......yeah I admit it.
ReplyDeleteMine was like that too. Cleaned it out like crazy last summer and now I 'accidently' leave the pantry door open so people can see how awesomely neat and organized it is (=
ReplyDeleteOh. my. gosh. I have about 10 boxes of Jello and pudding. I just went through my cupboards at the beginning of the spring - it was desperately needed. I too had food that moved with us (only once, though) and expired in 2008. That's 3 years now. I get it from my mother. At one point she had something like 20 boxes of cake mix. I think it was on sale. Too funny!
ReplyDeleteAnd about that food weirdness. I missed that post, but I figured I'd comment. I don't eat leftovers. The only way I eat spaghetti (if I'm at home) is if I can add the sauce myself separately (and at restaurants I request extra sauce, on the side). I love bananas. I have to seriously control myself, or I'd eat a whole bunch every day. My favorite vegetables are green peppers, but I will absolutely not eat them if they are cooked. I hate beans. It takes me 20 minutes to eat a bowl of chili because I spend most of the time picking out the beans (and green peppers). I like my steak more on the rare side of medium rare. It should still practically be mooing to be honest with you. Um, other than that I'm not too picky at all (lol).
I used to be like you - but I'm nearly over it now. I went through everything in our pantry - I think we had pantry moths or something - there absolutely had to be an outside impetus to make that happen - and we threw away anything remotely, possibly, questionable and anything beyond the date. And since there were plenty of things that had dates like 1997 (before we lived here or had children) it was easy to just toss it all. But really the thing that helped was my 10 year old - he's taken it upon himself to look at expiration dates with the precision of a drill sergeant. He throws stuff away left and right and keeps us totally in line. At first I wanted to stop him cuz - come one - that's my stuff and I might need it one day - but then I was come to terms with my sickness and now I just say thank you to him no matter what it costs me.
ReplyDelete