Dithering - shall I keep a store cupboard?

PasturesNew

I eat everything I buy ... even though I suffer from doing it. e.g. I spotted a big tub of coronation chicken sandwich filler reduced when I went shopping on Tuesday, so picked up a loaf of bread ... and the last 8 meals have been coronation chicken sandwiches. But I don't learn, I also picked up a pack of 8 sausages, which now were best by yesterday, so today I have to cook all of those and they will be my next 4 meals. So sausage/mash for the next couple of days.

queen_of_string

As someone who had 2 freezers and a giant fridge and a lot of tins(for me and DS15), my lightbulbmoment came recently when I discovered I could emigrate on 14th August, much sooner than I had anticiapted. Since then I have been on a mission to eat all the food, as binning anything would have made me cry!

I have cheated slightly, I gave a big box of storecupboard things we were never, ever going to get to, to a friend and I have given away a lot of booze and some cleaning stuff/loo rolls. This has left the contents of the freezers mostly, I couldn't in all honesty give most of it away, it's been there far too long mostly and there were lots of mystery packages and dodgy HM ready meals!!


When I started the inventory ran to 7 columns of A4, now we are down to less than 2 columns and most of that is herbs and flour!!

It has become like a game, as challenging and as much fun as stockpiling the stuff in the first place. If I can leave the house and only bin a few Whoopsied packs of part used herbs I will be more than happy.

I have found it is possible to run stuff down, feels a bit uncomfortable sometimes, but you can frame it as being as much fun as building it up

Trinny

Hello all - i errr was born at the end of the sixties
We always hoarded because we have a history of debt like many on here. That meant we stocked up "just in case". Its tough to break the habit as i feel safer when i know there is plenty of food in the cupboards.

I am gradually changing - after doing a freezer / cupboard inventory and realising how many of the same item i was hoarding. My OH is just the same - which means our garage is full of odds and ends which "might just come in handy sometime soon".

I try to buy what i need thesedays - only getting a BOGOF if i actually need the item.

It means that the shopping bill is lower and more gets stashed in our current account.

I bet there are lots of hoarders here

Trin

rosieben

I've kept a store cupboard for many years, think it stems from when I was on my own with 2 kids and never wanting to be in the position again of having no money and nothing useful to make a meal with :eek:

I don't have room now to store a lot of cleaning and laundry stuff but have been simplifying/reducing these steadily since I started on my OS journey anyway; for things like wu liquid I like one in use and one spare.

My 'pantry' is a shelf unit on the landing because my kitchen is so small; I keep a good stock of tins, t.bags, dried milk etc and baking ingredients but I've been reducing the amount of each that I keep; I use an inventory and make sure new stock gets put at the back so its rotated properly

I agree that it doesn't make sense to tie up a huge amount of money in stock but I wouldn't be without my store cupboard; last winter because of bad weather and illness I wasn't able to go out for several weeks but I was fine with my pantry!

LameWolf

I think it's a queustion of finding a balance.

I keep a store cupboard, but don't have mega-amounts of any one thing; with non-perishables I keep a couple of tins of each item, and things like soy sauce (for example), and also with cleaning stuff - washing powder, washing up liquid, so so on - I have one on the go and one in reserve, and when the reserve is started, I put the item on the shopping list.

I can't shop on a regular day, as I can't go without my husband's assistance, and we have to work it around his work.

I'm very much aware that if my Mr LW was (for instance) to be unwell for a week, I couldn't shop at all, so I like to have enough in the house to cover.

Ches

JackieO odds and s0ds pie is exactly what mine were made of. My OH used to say 'that was lovely can we have it again soon' little did he know that it would have been impossible to reproduce because the odds and s0ds in it would never be the same the next time round. And Vesta curry. I use to love them.

Thank you for all your replies. I think its back to housekeeping money as the way to go. Doesn't mean I can't keep reserves for unexpected visitors or emergencies but nothing OTT. I do after all pride myself on being able to stretch meals when necessary.

I have often been fasinated by the contents of the shopping baskets of very elderly ladies as they seem to only buy whats needed for the week with no waste. Not forgetting that these ladies did live through the rationing years and probably still have a very restricted budget they do seem to have this shopping/cooking/eating thing sussed.

seabright

I have a store cupboard, and I love it. I don't hoard, but I buy things on offer and also to have a bit more of essentials (pasta, bread flour, baby formula, tinned tomatoes, baked beans etc) on hand in case I can't or don't want to go to the shops.

I started my store cupboard when I became pregnant, as I wanted to buy stuff whilst I still had an income, so I could use it on maternity leave. That worked really well.

Also, I do a trip to Wing Yip (Chinese Supermarket - wonderful!) once or twice a year and stock up on things I love which are cheap & fabulous quality there and expensive & average quality in "regular" supermarkets.

thriftlady_2

I think the answer, as others have said, is that you need a balance. Yes, a storecupboard is a very good idea but there's a difference between having a well stocked cupboard and stockpiling.

There's nothing wrong with stockpiling if that's your thing but if it isn't then make a list of all the things you like to cook regularly and keep in the dry ingredients for those things. Make sure you have some meat, fish and vegetables in the freezer too.

There are plenty of storecupboard lists on this board to look at.

ALIBOBSY

My MIL stocks up alot and has a whole bedroom full of non-perishables lol. Basically she still buys almost what she did when the 4 kids were at home. But she uses this to help all the kids and the grandkids out. FIL would be funny with her if she tried to give cash to the rest of the family as he controls the finances, but has no idea what/how much of household items get used so she can buy extra bits in her weekly shop without him noticing especially as he drops her off to do her shopping and doesn't go in.

We all get a bag of shopping or 2 to take with us when we go around, she sneaks it out so FIL can't see. She also sticks an amount each week onto a christmas savings card at the supermarket, FIL hasn't cottoned on that this is saving up far more than they will ever use (especially as they go away for christmas/new year). She then uses the extra to stock up on stuff she can pass on to us all. She also gets alot of BOGOF and gives us the "free one".

Bless her she has been a big help to us especially a few years ago when money was REALLY tight. Saved me a few times with washing powder and toilet rolls, not to mention bags of fruit for the kids.

Should see the amount of stuff she has though lol. Has a shed load of 100 watt "oldstyle" bulbs as she reckons the "green ones" are not a bright for sewing/reading/knitting. 2 shelves full of bulbs lined up, and she said she is worried as she is running out rofl.

I have a bit of a store from good offers, but not too much. Mind I need to get through the stuff in the freezer and clear some of the older stuff.

ali x

Almo

I guess you need to look at your reasons/motivators for having a store cupboard and decide from there. On the one hand yes, it is a whole heap of money tied up in food, on the other hand at least you know you'll be able to eat should something horrible happen work wise.

My OH went self employed in March and we consciously built up our stocks before that in expectation of having a much reduced income. Yes, we could have just saved the money and used it when needed but we're not crash hot on keeping money in the bank so this was the best way for us. He's now bringing in a full wage again, and we still have a storecupboard - just a few backups of items we use regularly. We also stockpile things but this is because we live in Australia where the big supermarkets have just introduced multibuys and BOGOFs - they haven't quite got the hang of it yet. Today we found some jars of sauce on offer at 1 for $3.28 or 4 for $5 . Usually we make our own but like to have a couple of emergency backups - we bought LOADS at this price. Same with chopped tomatoes - premium brand on offer for $0.50 lower than economy. Got loads.

We only stockpile when it's at an unbeatable price and we use something again and again. We have a stockcupboardwith a spare of most regularly used items.