Irrational fear of empty cupboards

Doom_and_Gloom

My ma has this problem very badly. For example at the moment there are 22 jars of crandberry sauce in this house and that's AFTER she gave me 4!!! I've found that crandberry sauce and peanut butter sandwiches are rather filling and cheap due to this :rolleyes: .
The freezer is JAM packed at ALL times at my parents as are the store cupboards. The fridge at the moment is the only place that isn't packed to bursting and that's only because they aren't here but they still left it half full for my BF and I and we are only here for the weekends!! My ma has a nasty habit of spending £100 odd a wk on my dad and herself for food without take aways added to that. My dad knows that they could reduce the food shop drastically but doesn't have the heart to say anything to my ma as she is likely to break down if he does. They could easily last 2-3 months on the food already in. I think people who "hoard" food like this are awaiting a food shortage and are so worried about it happening that they constantly reasure themselves by always having full cupboards, freezers, fridges etc. I could be wrong but that's how it seems with my ma.

Personally I would look at what is in and what meals are lurking around with it.

OP for example you already have ricepudding and fruit or custard and fruit for desert. Main meals like lasange made with pulses and tinned veg you have in, tuna fish rissoto, curry using the coconut milk or even shepherds pies made with pulses, tinned veg, soya mince and the like. Breakfasts also look like they are sorted for quite a long time with cereal you have in.
If I'm very much mistaken you could easy make a months worth of meals without buying much at all. If you have a debt or debts the money you would usually spend on food can go towards paying the debt(s) off sooner which would make you feel alot better over all. That or you could save up for a well deserved holiday or repairs that are needed etc.

recovering_spendaholic

I thought I was one of the one people who had overflowing cupboards! I think I am like this because as a child we didn't have alot of money and our cupboards were always nearly empty with Mum buying what we needed to eat on the day. I am terrible now and have a real thing with not running out of stuff - I tend to get a bit panicky if I don't have a few spare tins of tuna, sardines, corned beef etc in. My freezers (I have two large ones) are the same - full to overflowing. I have decided that I am going to try and only buy toilet rolls, bread, veg, milk and dog food until I have made some inroads into my stockpile of stuff. I like nothing better than a stroll round a supermarket browsing and putting stuff in my trolley, which is why I am fat and in so much debt I suppose!

lynzpower

OP for example you already have ricepudding and fruit or custard and fruit for desert. Main meals like lasange made with pulses and tinned veg you have in, tuna fish rissoto, curry using the coconut milk or even shepherds pies made with pulses, tinned veg, soya mince and the like. Breakfasts also look like they are sorted for quite a long time with cereal you have in.

Or use the coconut milk instead of normal milk in a baked rice pudding, and shave some plain chocolate on the top to melt - to make a "hot bounty pudding" Deeeeeeelish!

Doom_and_Gloom

lynzpower wrote: »

Or use the coconut milk instead of normal milk in a baked rice pudding, and shave some plain chocolate on the top to melt - to make a "hot bounty pudding" Deeeeeeelish!

Oo now that's something I could do as I don't and can't have animal milk. I've never thought of using coconut milk to make rice pudding before :rotfl: and some dark chocolate on that sounds very yummy .

mumoftwo

I don't want to be contraversial but I don't see anything wrong with having a food storage! Strange things happen, weather wise, floods, power cuts and the likes and groceries are bound to get more expensive because of it, with the threat of terrorism as well. When there was a lack of petrol a few years ago, people started panick buying and the supermarkets were emptied before lorries were able to get through. So, if you have the room and you rotate your stock regularly, (you just need to be a bit organised with expiry dates etc) I say: Go for it... (sorry maybe not what you wanted to hear) but I am only one with a little opinion ) Hope I didn't cause upset...

Doom_and_Gloom

mumoftwo wrote: »

I don't want to be contraversial but I don't see anything wrong with having a food storage! Strange things happen, weather wise, floods, power cuts and the likes and groceries are bound to get more expensive because of it, with the threat of terrorism as well. When there was a lack of petrol a few years ago, people started panick buying and the supermarkets were emptied before lorries were able to get through. So, if you have the room and you rotate your stock regularly, (you just need to be a bit organised with expiry dates etc) I say: Go for it... (sorry maybe not what you wanted to hear) but I am only one with a little opinion ) Hope I didn't cause upset...

You do have a fair point. Supermarkets run on a supply and demand system for most to all products meaning that if they can't get the product because of a shortage it's purely unavailable. Having stock enough is the best way to go about things I'd say.

sallyrsm

it's funny though as me and my Mum take the mick at Chrimbo and Easter of those people that have the siege mentality and buy two trolley fulls... after all the shops are only ever shut two days tops...
It's not like the petrol thing because lets face it your car can only run on petrol - you can't put anything else in, but I go mental buying every kind of food.... I've got cans and cans of crabmeat because one day I might cook crab linguine... there is no rhyme or reason to it. BOGOF's are my worst nightmare coz they fan the flames. I really am going to only buy milk and veg next week.

Mrs_A_4

Thank god other people suffer from this too! We should give our disease a name, "Compulsive Cupboard Filling", "nofooditis" ... or something.
For me it stems from OH being out of work for prolonged periods in last few years. He has a steady job now and I can't help feel guilty every time I buy "frivolous" stuff that I couldn't consider before. I still have the memory of feeding two people for a week on less than a tenner etched on my memory.
Sometimes I wish my storecupboard was bigger so I could see everything rather than piling it up and buying duplicates because I think I've run out of something. Definitely need to use stuff up rather than buying more!
Other people in my family, who have never had that complete lack of money issue, never keep much in their cupboards. They don't understand my cupboarditis.

TAG

Oh thank god I'm not alone :j

My DH (no.2) thinks I'm a bit nuts as I have to have the cupboards, fridge and freezer jam packed full at all times. trouble is that once they are full I don't like to use it too much just incase.:o So will therefore go and buy that nights meal.:o However I am improving.... I can tolerate 3/4 full on occassions.

I know where it all stems from though. When I was married to dh no1 and I was expecting DS1 we literally had nothing one week. DD and I survived on a 1000 and 1 ways with a loaf and a half of bread for 3 days. No fun at all. Never gonna allow that to happen ever ever again.

doddsy

mumoftwo wrote: »

I don't want to be contraversial but I don't see anything wrong with having a food storage! Strange things happen, weather wise, floods, power cuts and the likes and groceries are bound to get more expensive because of it, with the threat of terrorism as well. When there was a lack of petrol a few years ago, people started panick buying and the supermarkets were emptied before lorries were able to get through. So, if you have the room and you rotate your stock regularly, (you just need to be a bit organised with expiry dates etc) I say: Go for it... (sorry maybe not what you wanted to hear) but I am only one with a little opinion ) Hope I didn't cause upset...

Ummm will confess now that I agree with mumoftwo. I stockpile making use of bogoffs. For example when tuna packed in tins of 4 are on bogoff I buy enough for 6 months (for us about 52 tins:eek: ) . I am organized in my storage and hopefully will never therefore pay more than 1/2 price for tuna. I do this with all tinned goods and pasta, tea, flour etc. as well.

I may sound mad but an old friend of mine goes even further! I have some brilliant stories about her extreme saving measures:D