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I hate when the pantry is full
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 7:37 am
So what are thoughts about this?

I need food (obviously 😉) in my house as we live here, BUT I hate when the pantry is full, the fridge is full as it really makes me feel overwhelmed.

My favorite feeling is when I manage to make almost everything empty before the next food shopping session. I found it interesting as most people feel tranquillized when their house contains their needs (as my husband😂).

Any thoughts about this? 🤪

(This is not a rant bH I feel grateful that we have everything we need bH and I wish this for every human being! It’s more a psychological question!)
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 7:39 am
I love when it's neat and full! Smile Hate when it's empty or when it's overstuffed and a jumble.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 7:49 am
It's a chicken or egg thing, isn't it?

Empty pantry cries out to be restocked, full pantry, food cries out to be cooked.

I wonder if a person's answer depends on whether they prefer shopping or cooking.
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amother
Tan


 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 7:50 am
Me too.
I pride myself always on only having what I need and not more in both my fridge and my pantry. I hate opening the fridge in my mother's house and finding all kinds of random stuff taking up space there. I don't buy lots of ready-made stuff because of health but the major side benefit is that I don't have all these things clogging up my fridge. Things that people commonly have in their fridge/pantry that I don't: duck sauce, soy sauce, etc. all kinds of ready-made dairy products like leben/cheeses/cheese snacks.

I use lots of fresh fruits and vegetables which lie neatly in their drawers.
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 7:58 am
There is a famous Jewish Tupperware lady in NY who writes for a couple of frum newspapers about cooking and kitchen storage. Her full fridges and pantries look amazing but it means putting all pantry foods other than food in cans and jars, in matching plastic containers. I guess that is one way of knowing if you are running low on pantry foods because the containers are transparent enough to see if you are low on cereal or pasta.
Personally I have never tried it yet but it looks like a great idea if you have the space because little bags of rice, popcorn, lentils, etc take up less space than half empty plastic containers.
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 8:59 am
Pantry I don't mind- actually I appreciate it- because it's full of nonperishables. I do get mildly stressed when the fridge is crowded, for a few reasons. It's hard to find things, it's hard to keep track of what's in there, it's hard to find space for cooked food, and when it's too full the items in the back tend to freeze. However, this is definitely dh's style, and I appreciate that he does the shopping, so I try to keep my mouth mostly shut Wink
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dankbar




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 9:20 am
What happens if you keep in pantry & fridge only the items you need now & the rest you storage somewhere else. So if you have 3 bags of same pasta, keep one on shelf, other in storage closet, basement, or other cabinet that you open only when you are running out.
Keep one bottle juice, one bottle coke, one bottle water in fridge the rest of case keep somewhere else till you need more & then put in some in fridge for it to be cold.

This way pantry fridge will be neat, you will be able to find everything & use it up before loading up again. You won't be running out of food or low when you need it.
Also you can still benefit of the sales when buying in bulk like in costco.
Let's say if you can only buy there huge box of cereal or huge bag of pasta. Pour a little bit over to a container & rest you storage that way it doesn't get old & stale while you are pouring a plate of cereal for yourself from the huge box that wont be finished so fast.

Keep smaller containers for pantry & larger containers for storage so it keeps fresh.
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dankbar




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 9:23 am
Another idea would be to only buy how much fits into your pantry at once, maybe with lined up labeled containers so you can keep better control. Then restock more often.
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dankbar




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 9:32 am
I make an order once a week. I make a menu first for the week. Then make my shopping list including all ingredients I need for my menu. This way, you don't buy whatever you see in supermarket. Things that are not perishable don't go to garbage. You don't run out of something while you are in middle of making dinner. You don't need to make another run to supermarket in middle of week for the items you are missing, which ends up costing you more, because you are seeing more stuff than you need in supermarket, & end up making more impulse purchases.
You end up saving money this way. Also your pantry/fridge won't be overstuffed & you will have exactly what you need.
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naturalmom5




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 9:35 am
Sounds like fun for the feeble minded TMI
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 9:59 am
This is so interesting.
I hope you don't mind my immediate reaction. (Go the thread ;-D)
Is there anything about food growing up that you think might be impacting how you deal with food, now that it's fully yours to deal with?
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farm




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 10:20 am
Truthfully this is what I picture when I say avinu malkeinu- malei asameinu- the bracha of my full to bursting pantry, fridge, freezer, extra fridge and freezer in the basement... BH!
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pesek zman




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 10:24 am
Respectfully, this title can be a real trigger for people. There’s so many people (in the world and on imamother) who are struggling financially. Who can’t feed their families. Whose pantries are empty.

Try to reframe: BH your pantry and fridge are full. Full stop. BH BH BH

When our cabinets are full my husband and I feel blessed. We know we are lucky (despite our sever hardships) and we say it out loud to each other after every shopping trip.

BH your pantry is full.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 10:51 am
pesek zman wrote:
Respectfully, this title can be a real trigger for people. There’s so many people (in the world and on imamother) who are struggling financially. Who can’t feed their families. Whose pantries are empty.

Try to reframe: BH your pantry and fridge are full. Full stop. BH BH BH

When our cabinets are full my husband and I feel blessed. We know we are lucky (despite our sever hardships) and we say it out loud to each other after every shopping trip.

BH your pantry is full.


I think your reaction is shared by many. But OP is entitled to her feelings. And since she recognizes that her feelings are unusual she wants help sorting them out. So what other angles can we approach this from?
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amother
Gray


 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 10:56 am
yes I can relate,
I get scared when I have too much food in my house
yes I am weird ...

I know it has got to do with my childhood home , my mother always bought way too much food - really really huge waste of money
maybe it also comes from thinking I have to eat everything and I had an eating disorder for 15 years, also I am scared to throw out
I litterally dont know how to deal with so much food I go crazy
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dankbar




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 11:17 am
Thanks for the inspiration for organizing my pantry now. I put all my bags pasta now into the containers, which wasn't done yet after pesach.

There are people who organize pantries professionally. Once they set you up with the right containers & labels for each food item, it's neat & easy to find everything. Another thing they put the amount that fit into your space so then you cant overbuy, you have to keep to that system.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 11:43 am
Why are you worried, OP? You're entitled to run your house and pantry as you see fit. Assuming you shop often enough that you have no problem feeding your family, who cares whether your pantry can see you through a long, harsh winter or only through next Tuesday?

I see you as a minimalist who enjoys open spaces and hates clutter. Too much stuff, even when neatly organized, is still clutter, and food is no exception. Less stuff means easier cleaning and less chance of pantry moths and other pests. I imagine you're also big on the idea of fresh food rather than food that's been in storage a long time. This, too, makes complete sense. Again, less chance of pantry moths and other forms of spoilage.

Unless you often find yourself running out of food or having to make emergency shopping trips, what's the problem?
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 11:50 am
ra_mom wrote:
I love when it's neat and full! Smile Hate when it's empty or when it's overstuffed and a jumble.


This - but I also get OP. I also kind of like it when the pantry/fridge are empty before the next shopping. I think because it feeds into my minimalist aesthetic preferences. I hate clutter and I like seeing ordered spaces. A cluttered, haphazardly stocked fridge is a nightmare.
Also I think it gives me a feeling that our buying and consumption are appropriate and under control: we buy pretty much what we need - not too much and not too little - and by the time the next week's shopping comes around we truly need more food. That's the way it is supposed to be, no?
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 11:52 am
pesek zman wrote:
Respectfully, this title can be a real trigger for people. There’s so many people (in the world and on imamother) who are struggling financially. Who can’t feed their families. Whose pantries are empty.

Try to reframe: BH your pantry and fridge are full. Full stop. BH BH BH

When our cabinets are full my husband and I feel blessed. We know we are lucky (despite our sever hardships) and we say it out loud to each other after every shopping trip.

BH your pantry is full.


I agree that we should thank Hashem for the over-stuffed pantries and over-flowing laundry baskets but many people save money on food using the "pantry principal" which means buying pantry items on sale and making menus based on what is in the pantry.
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dankbar




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, May 24 2019, 12:31 pm
Before you make another order check out what you already have that way you're not buying doubles of stuff
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