DH has always been the one to do the shopping, (now online). He has always had a tendency to overbuy. We have kitchen cupboards, a pantry under the stairs, a shelving unit in the utility, part of an upstairs wardrobe full of groceries, not forgetting water, squash etc under the model railway in the garage. Oooh and paper goods secreted in odd cupboards upstairs. He has always had this tendency to stock up which became exacerbated with Brexit and Covid. I have just bought a slow cooker in order to cut down on electricity and this has warranted a rearrangement of kitchen cupboards. This has brought home to me just how much stuff we have! I have also realised that he is just the same with medicines. Two of the large shelves in the kitchen wall cupboards, plus four of the shelves in the small cupboards are full of medicines, both prescription and other, plus plasters etc. You may wonder why this has come as a surprise to me? Well, DH has always done a lot of the cooking but since I had my pacemaker fitted, as we have an induction hob, he has done nearly all except for baking.
So I suppose I shouldn’t complain really!
Tinned stuff should not have a USE BY date. Maybe Best Before, but that is for stock rotation. Tinned goods will keep for years, as long as the tin is not dented or rusty or “ blown”. The texture may deteriorate but the product will be safe to eat.
I would suggest going through all the tinned food and checking the use by dates. Be honest with yourself and those tins, still in date, but near to the use by date which you will not use, donate to the local food bank.
The food will not be wasted and your cupboards will be less full.
Yes, a tendency to hoard!
Those old enough to remember when goods were not easily available, probably do tend to stock up, "Just in case"
And the stock is a good insurance against when the press say that "something" is in short supply, triggering a spate of panic buying.
MawtheMerrier
I think stockpiling can also be a sort of security blanket- insurance against dodgy times to come.
That’s my excuse for my retail habit anyway.
I do like to keep a few lot of toilet rolls in stock.
Perhaps it's because I remember the shortage in the 1970s?
DH calls it my "Brexit stash"
Talking about stash - don't mention yarn.
Lucca
Yammy
Lucca
in the 50's and 60's they always bought things in twos even packets of nylons
Really ?!!Yes in the same colour then if one laddered in each pack they still had another pair you could get boxes with two pairs in.
What,everyone bought everything in twos ??
I didn’t.
Maybe you didn't but at the beginning of the 50's everything was still on ration and if product came into a shop and my mother was allowed two she would buy them and give one to my gran or keep them for herself when her stocks were low.My aunt must have been one of the first who practised organised cupboards like we are told today ,she put the date bought on the tin with a marker pencil before tins were marked with use before dates. My mum kept her tins in rows and always put the newest at the back.
Perhaps as we did not live near any big towns or cities things were in short supply. Long after rationing was stopped my gran still sent her ration book list to the Co op for her weekly delivery.On line shopping?
I think stockpiling can also be a sort of security blanket- insurance against dodgy times to come.
That’s my excuse for my retail habit anyway.
Yammy
Lucca
in the 50's and 60's they always bought things in twos even packets of nylons
Really ?!!Yes in the same colour then if one laddered in each pack they still had another pair you could get boxes with two pairs in.
What,everyone bought everything in twos ??
I didn’t.
MawtheMerrier
icanhandthemback
My stepfather finds working the online shopping more of a problem these days and relies on one of their shopping tools of what he has bought previously. Unfortunately, he keeps forgetting to remove items he doesn't need so we are drowning in cleaning stuff. He is very independent in that he doesn't want help with the shopping so I do a lot of sighing and find new homes for as much as I can sneak out.
Given current inflation I would lose little sleep over this.
Cleaning stuff keeps for ever and you’ll be the ones laughing wen it has all doubled in price!
Just a bit worried that too much bleach might be a problem. I let him keep the disinfectant. It tickles me because he is a man who does as little cleaning as possible.
Purplepixie
My dad used to say that tinned foods had a lot longer life than the manufacturers say. Possibly for us to throw them away and buy more.
Having thought about it I think your husband is wise to build the cupboards etc up. We shortly wont be able to feed, cloth or heat ourselves in this country!
So do I , he will be the one laughing when the rest of us are moaning about inflated prices.
Lucca
*in the 50's and 60's they always bought things in twos even packets of nylons*
Really ?!!
Yes in the same colour then if one laddered in each pack they still had another pair you could get boxes with two pairs in.
My dad used to say that tinned foods had a lot longer life than the manufacturers say. Possibly for us to throw them away and buy more.
Having thought about it I think your husband is wise to build the cupboards etc up. We shortly wont be able to feed, cloth or heat ourselves in this country!
icanhandthemback
My stepfather finds working the online shopping more of a problem these days and relies on one of their shopping tools of what he has bought previously. Unfortunately, he keeps forgetting to remove items he doesn't need so we are drowning in cleaning stuff. He is very independent in that he doesn't want help with the shopping so I do a lot of sighing and find new homes for as much as I can sneak out.
Given current inflation I would lose little sleep over this.
Cleaning stuff keeps for ever and you’ll be the ones laughing wen it has all doubled in price!
And practise stock rotation?
Hoarding is sensible at a time of inflation. Successful hoarding depends on tidy and adequate storage space. It's nice that your husband has spare money to buy stuff he does not immediately need.
As a matter of interest, does your husband keep his stores in order so he knows how to find an item when he needs it?
It sounds like a fear of running out of things. Fine until it gets out of control storage wise .
Cabbie21
It took three skips to clear the debris from my parents’ loft, garage and outbuildings, that’s after endless trips to charity shops and things dispersed amongst the family, including tins of food.We vowed not to do the same to our children but it will happen..
Oh dear. I said to DS that he'll need a big skip here one day and he said he'd need three!
My stepfather finds working the online shopping more of a problem these days and relies on one of their shopping tools of what he has bought previously. Unfortunately, he keeps forgetting to remove items he doesn't need so we are drowning in cleaning stuff. He is very independent in that he doesn't want help with the shopping so I do a lot of sighing and find new homes for as much as I can sneak out.
As to why do they do it?
Rationing, thriftiness, fear of running short.
Spend now, save later.
Buy in bulk- used to be cheaper, now, not always.
Make do and mend attitude, means keeping things in case they come in handy, for parts.
Love of quirky collectibles, which might one day be valuable.
Lack of energy to deal with the accumulation.
In DH’s case, not wanting to face up to the reality that he is not immortal.
It took three skips to clear the debris from my parents’ loft, garage and outbuildings, that’s after endless trips to charity shops and things dispersed amongst the family, including tins of food.We vowed not to do the same to our children but it will happen..
You are describing my husband exactly ! If we bought nothing else for 6 months we would still have enough food to last us till Christmas. And it isn’t just food it’s the loft and garage that are full. I can only just squeeze in to open the freezer!
I console myself that he isn’t a womaniser, drinker or mean, so I better just get on with it.
Our son says when we die he will get a number of skips in and bin the lot. What a wise lad ?
I think you should keep your thoughts to yourself
Well, that comment probably applies to many posters on GN in general then.
in the 50's and 60's they always bought things in twos even packets of nylons
Really ?!!
midgey
There is an excellent app called olio, the idea is that you can give away food that is not wanted. I know my son has given away part jars of unwanted things. May be of use to OP
I am surprised that anywhere would accept opened packets or jars in case they had been tampered with.
Not saying your son would, of course, but someone just might.
Calendargirl
We are always reading on GN how shocking it is in this day and age that people are having to resort to food banks, so if the OP is throwing good food away simply because her pantry, fridges and freezers are rammed with so much food that it’s out of date, then yes, I stand by my comments, judgemental or not Thistlelass.
Surely she must have been aware of how much foodstuff her husband has been acquiring? If he’s having memory problems, then she needs to help him sort out their food requirements.
I think you should keep your thoughts to yourself, the Op has enough guilty feelings without you adding to them. Would food banks welcome gifts of out of date food. If the poor chap has a problem then he needs help ,it's probably just a hangover from what his mother did in the 50's and 60's they always bought things in twos even packets of nylons.
Would you tackle your husband about his hoarding behaviour if he is doing most of the cooking. I think the op is probably doing it in the most diplomatic way she can ,and just wanted to let off steam and a bit of encouragement. So many posters are quick with the knives these days on gransnet. Et tu Brutus.
He’s doing a grand job in doing the cooking but I think you might have to go through all of the stuff and maybe give some to a much needed food bank. Try and look at the dates and eat the older stuff first etc. It would drive me mad to have DH doing the food shopping and the cooking as well. He does cook now and again but I totally do the food shop and our cupboards have plenty in them and not overstocked. When my youngest son was at uni he used to take a lot of the stuff with him and it was great to see it going to a good home.
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join the discussion, watch threads and lots more.
Register now »Already registered? Log in with:
Gransnet »Get our top conversations, latest advice, fantastic competitions, and more, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
