eternal
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Post by eternal on Jul 20, 2010 5:28:06 GMT -5
One of my problems is food clutter. Every so often I do a big shop, either online or at a store, and stock up. Because there is a delivery charge, or a petrol cost, I feel that I am saving money by buying in bulk, so I won't have to pay another charge for a while.
In reality, I don't save money. I waste money. I am a bit of a hoarder, and I don't feel happy using the food I have. I like to buy new food and use that, so that I can keep the food I've already got. Eventually, the food I have reaches the best before date and then I can throw it away. Basically, a large percentage of the food I buy is stored, then thrown away. It makes me feel bad to admit that, but it's true.
I have decided to try to stop doing those big grocery shops and buying in bulk. There are a few companies in my area who deliver groceries bought online. I've signed up for the one which lets you pay for a years worth of deliveries in advance. As all my deliveries are now free, I no longer need to buy more than one of everything. If I run out, I can book a delivery for the next day.
I'm hoping that I'll get used to seeing how much I use and need and stop buying extra. I'm hoping that I will be able to use the last packet of something, if I know I can order it quickly. I hope that I won't buy any more food than I can store in normal places (i.e. not covering the whole work surface). I don't know if it will work. I have done the first shop, and already have bought too much, but maybe it will take time to break the habit. In the end, it should save me quite a lot of money, as I won't be throwing away mountains of decaying fruit and veg and other uneaten food.
How do the rest of you who have food clutter problems manage it? I know the answer is easy: buy less food! But I find it difficult to get into that mindset.
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Post by bigtimetroubles on Jul 20, 2010 5:54:12 GMT -5
Ok this is good...I do not have food storage problems but I understand yours well enough to say that you made a good choice....for wasting food is wasting money and I am all about not wasting what little money I have....Eternal I am assuming from the word use of Petrol that you might be in Brittan or UK or Australia..not sure where you are...but the fact that you have to drive far or have food delivered is interesting...I never have had food delivered except pizza or Chinese fast food....but that service is something that makes it easy to over shop....if you set out a plan in advance can you stick with the plan...? I am thinking you are shopping online for this food....never used an online food service but we do have them in my home town USA....I had friend who worked as the food delivery manager once.....for store in my city or the stores in my city because they are everywhere here....we have grocery around every corner in most of my city...so I know that is different for you where you are...makes it easy for me to go get food...my choice is to eat at fast food or other places that prepare the meals for me....so I suffer a huge budget of food each month...$300 for one man....that is high isn't it?
well go girl for your goal...give it an opportunity to work... make shopping list and stick to it,,,maybe set spending limit for the delivery...like $50 or something easy to manage....hugs bigtimetroubles
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eternal
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Joined: September 2008
Posts: 57
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Post by eternal on Jul 20, 2010 6:22:06 GMT -5
Thank you, bigtimetroubles. It's not a long drive to shop, but it still takes petrol and time. When I shop in the store I'm tempted by the offers, and I buy things I don't need. If I do it online, I can take things out of my trolley before I check out if I've spent too much. I think you are right that a list and a spending limit would help.
I do buy fast food sometimes, but it's expensive, and usually there isn't enough fruit and veg.
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 20, 2010 7:38:10 GMT -5
Hi eternal, up until the last year or so I have always had a large stock of food in the house--I didn't waste much of the pantry food, but once it was in my fridge I let a lot of it spoil because I decided I didn't want that food, I had a taste for something else.
The reason I stock up is because I can get really good deals when I combine a sale with coupons--so if I can buy 6 of something for 75% of its usual cost and I'll be able to use it before it spoils, I think it's foolish not to.
I'm now in a situation where I'm not earning nearly as much money as I once was, so I have to watch every penny. This is causing me to use up any food I open, so I've just made myself eat whatever is in my fridge instead of opening something else. I'm still stocking up when there's a sale and coupons, but I'm a little more selective--I make sure it's a spectacular sale.
Maybe you could make up an "emergency" kit--the canned and packaged foods you would need for say, a week, if for some reason you couldn't shop. Set that aside somewhere (I don't know how much storage space you have, but it shouldn't take up too much room) and then use your actual food storage space for just the groceries you order that week--make up a menu for dinner for the week--just the main dish (like Sunday-lasagna, Monday-chili, etc.) so you are reminded of what you had planned. Then try to use those groceries up completely that week. Having those "spare" groceries may satisfy the need to have emergency food around "just in case", but if it's in a separate place you may be able to practice using up what you buy each week.
I waste a lot less food now, plus our building has installed a compost bin, so when I do have spoiled fruits or veggies I feel a little less guilty about disposing of them!
Diane
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Post by Rory on Jul 20, 2010 8:05:12 GMT -5
Food hoarding was one of my big problems and it is still one of the first signs of trouble now I am in maintenance. For me it is associated with childhood habits and overeating.
I order food to be delivered but I chose what I want carefully i.e. things which are heavy, cans of tomatoes and cartons of UHT milk. Also I get household supplies on the same order. This had been important to me since I was ill and could not carry heavy loads.
I buy frozen meat and fish at the shop where I can see what I am getting and all fresh meat and fish and fruit and veg.
What I do seems to work well now. I usually have a lot of milk which amuses friends and a few too many tins which doesn't matter.
My grandfather taught me about stock control. Where did his knowledge come from? Well in WW1 he was in charge of an ammunition dump and they had to use the oldest first before it deteriorated.
Wishing you well with it.
Rory
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Post by messymimi on Jul 20, 2010 9:27:50 GMT -5
Dear Eternal,
Rory is right. Set your pantry up in such a way that you can rotate your stock, just like they do at the store.
If you are down to two cans/tins of tomatoes, and you order two more (in my house, I like to have 4 in the pantry), pull the two you have forward and put the new ones behind. Then grab the one in front next time you need to use canned tomatoes.
It also helps you see how much you have, so you can soothe the part of you that worries when supplies get low.
Maybe it would also help to make a list of what you normally use, and how many of each item you want in the house at any time to feel comfortable. When you use a couple of items, order more. Eventually, you may decide to lower the numbers of certain items, seeing that you aren't using it as much as you thought.
messymimi
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Post by eagle on Jul 20, 2010 11:07:24 GMT -5
My suggestion would be to try NOT to order anything at all for say, 2 weeks, using what you have on hand only. Then limit your purchases to 50% of what you normally order. Then NOT order anything again for 4 weeks. This is just a suggestion as to how to reduce excess ordering and using up what you have on hand.
You could institute a rule similar to the one I have in my household. I have a One-In-Two-Out rule to help me reduce excess in all kinds of categories of things in my home. For me that means, if I bring one book into the house, two books have to leave. You could do this with foodstuffs, by making sure you use up 2 boxes of mac'n'cheese (or whatever) before you order one box of the same or similar item. Diligence and self-discipline is key in such a plan, however, as it doesn't work if you don't stick to it.
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Post by Chris on Jul 20, 2010 13:45:01 GMT -5
This is a fantastic thread. I like all the ideas here! Eternal I think it's great you set things up so you can get groceries delivered whenever you need them! I like idea of a list and a budget too. I want to add something that I can't take credit for, I have to give my Mom the credit for this: Menu It has helped me to have a menu. And in this I do not mean that I plan out what I will cook/eat each day -- that would never work with my/our rapidly changing plans and such. But I do a basic menu for what types things we are going to be cooking and I work around that. It helps me to get the right amount of stuff. I am a big soup maker -- so I have to keep up with things like potatoes, carrots, green peppers, onions, garlic, celery, etc. etc. It has really helped me to put a little thought into what we want to cook during the upcoming 2 week period. For instance I may realize we're going to make spaghetti at least once during that time frame, and we're wanting to also eat a specific casserole and 3-4 different soups -- then I list what I need and check my on hand supplies of sauces, pantry stuff, etc. When my mom first "started on me" about having a menu I thought she was nuts until she explained that I didn't have to nail it down to specific days -- just make sure that what I wanted to eat/cook matched what I had on my list and/or in my fridge and pantry. It sounds so simple -- it's probably supposed to be. But I only recently got where I do it real well.
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Post by success19 on Jul 20, 2010 13:51:25 GMT -5
Make a list BEFORE you go to the store. Shop for REAL food - not canned or processed - most of this will last a maximum of a week. Get someone else to shop for you.
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eternal
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Joined: September 2008
Posts: 57
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Post by eternal on Jul 20, 2010 15:11:44 GMT -5
Eagle, the trouble with leaving four weeks between shops is that the fresh food won't last that long. Up until now, I have been leaving a long time between shops, which means I end up throwing out fruit and veg, then buying more before the next big shop. I thought that by paying up front for the deliveries I could shop more frequently and so I'd buy less fresh food (and eat it before it went off).
Chris, I do do something like at that moment, but I've had a habit of having crazes for certain types of food. For instance, I'll take a liking to Thai food (for example) and cook it all the time for a few weeks. Then suddenly, I'll go off it and have a cupboard full of lemon grass and sticky rice, while I'm living off Italian food. I'm trying to stop doing that! I love your mom's idea about not having to stick to the days.
Thank you all for your tips.
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Post by WestsideStory on Jul 20, 2010 16:10:48 GMT -5
still a problem for me, too, eternal. I think the genetic instinct to keep food around for those times of famine and the emotional instinct to keep food around to soothe and comfort can be found in me and some others here. thanks for starting this post. have read people's replies with interest. I just spent the last week or so going through spices and tossing and organizing them, and going through canned goods. Some had expired, but fewer than the last time I did this five years ago. For me, it is less sales and coupons than it is buying at Costco (warehouse store). I still often buy more fruits and vegetables than I can use in a week ... I can plan to eat at home and then end up eating out more than I thought I would even if I don't over buy to begin with. When I have fruits and vegetables which are on the verge, I have used up vegetables in soups, and have grated carrots and/or apples and put them in whole grain pancake mix with cinnamon and bits of walnuts to use up vegetables and fruit and add a little health to breakfast. I am not a morning person, so I make a stack of the pancakes and keep them in the fridge and can grab one to reheat briefly in the morning. Where I live fusion food is all the rage, so when I read your last post I had visions of sticky rice risotto. Let me know if you try it! Iced lemon grass tea would be a great accompaniment. Westsidestory
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Post by eagle on Jul 20, 2010 23:40:16 GMT -5
Lemon grass. Mmmm. So hard to get here where I live. I have decided to grow my own and planted some seeds. I'll have to keep it inside during the winter, though.
Yes, that is a problem with the produce. Being a vegetarian who eats loads of fresh produce, I do understand completely.
There is another option, that I did not suggest because I don't think it's what you want to do, but I do this. I walk to the store and buy only as much as I can carry home in a back pack. Not all my shopping do I do this way, but during good weather, it helps me get my 10,000 steps per day in, limits what I purchase and helps me stick to my list. I have an insulated backpack for keeping food cold + another fabric bag I can use for additional items. The second bag can sling over my shoulders backpack style & I may look like a hunchback walking the mile home, but it does the trick.
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Post by DJ on Jul 21, 2010 1:50:42 GMT -5
we -really- like to cook. we like to cook a very very wide variety of food. things that work for me- space saving storage methods- spices and really any dried goods go into ziplock baggies that are labeled and that takes up way less space than bulky jars. i set up a bin for each category of food. this helped us for when we go on food crazes.. We too will go o a thai food craze, an italian spree, a greek week, an armenian extravaganza... i have smallish bins for each category... i apologise because i know this isn't the photo forum but it is the easiest way to explain. these are from when i redid the pantry- it's a bit different now but that concept's still the same... the dried items are stored like the herbs and spices now... one type to a bin.. so a nut bin, seed bin, dried fruit bin... the baking stuff is similar, types of chocolate, vanilla chips, butterscotch chips.. all that kind of stuff goes into plastic ziplock baggies labeled in the upper right hand corner and then into the appropriate bin for it.. some larger quantity dry goods go into their own totes. i have one for wheat flour, one for white flour, jasmine rice, sticky rice, sweet sticky rice... anyway. having the space allocated out like that gives me some room for each type of food, but it's a finite amount of room and i know i can't get more than fits in that area. the fridge is allocated out in the same way. there's a produce drawer where the produce almost always has to be kept. a dairy shelf. a meat/left over shelf. and the top shelf has 4 plastic baskets divided by type. condiments, salad dressings, mustards, indian condiments the milk and soy milk have to go there and then there's a bit of room for whatevers. the door shelves also have their own allocation. i know it is obnoxiously orderly and regimented but otherwise our food situation can rapidly involve hundreds of dollars worth of waste and a rotting mass in the fridge. this system allows us the variety that we vastly prefer and keeps it sane...
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 21, 2010 7:30:21 GMT -5
Yes, very impressive pantry--I've started to use plastic containers/bins in my fridge and pantry, I can't believe how much it helps. I can just slide out the bin instead of rummaging past stuff on the fridge shelf.
Diane
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Post by eagle on Jul 21, 2010 9:19:17 GMT -5
I know this is off topic, but responding to the plastic bins in the fridge idea. I do that too, but I re-use the throw away lettuce tubs and styrofoam vegetable trays that come from the grocery store. They don't last as long as hard plastic, but I come by them so easily it seemed a good idea to use them awhile first.
Hubby's lunch fixing go in one. Glass jars of condiments in another, etc.
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