How much food do you keep in the house?

[Owlsintowels]

Following a recent chat with someone who had a really strong reaction to having lots of food in the house, she was shaking and teary at the thought of having more than just a day or two of food, especially food which can be eaten straight away without cooking, I'm interested how common this is.

I'm the opposite, I sleep easy knowing if the shit hit the fan brexit my family would be fine for the best part of a month without visiting any shops, and I assume most people are like me, space permitting.

The person in question is someone I love, I'm not trying to criticise them at all, I am ken to understand how common this is and if anyone is willing to share their reasoning for it. I think this one is related to a fear of overeating and regaining weight which was lost a few years ago. For context the person in question is a lovely healthy weight, neither over nor under, so there definitely isn't anything like anorexia in the picture.

Definitely the opposite here. I don't keep stacks and stacks but there's always a good few days of fresh ingredients, and then key basics like pasta, passatas, rice, herbs, a few tins and bits int he freezer.

So we easily have enough food if we couldn't go shopping for a few weeks if needed such as illness, bad weather or whatever

Far too much.
It stems from having very little a few years ago and I've never got over it.

We brexit stashed and so could easily go for 4 months without buying anything if necessary.

Ordinarily in non brexit times I reckon we could last for a month

I don't keep a lot for a few reasons - one, there is just DS and I living here so we don't need loads, two, I cannot bear food wastage so I only buy what I know we will eat, and three because we live in a flat and I don't have the storage space.

I keep lots of food in. I get twitchy if I don't have about 10 different types of pasta in! I think it stems from two things, being very poor in the past and just really loving food.

Loads. My sons' friends think I'm a secret prepper having seen my larder.

I've two freezers full, a well-stocked fridge and lots of tinned and dried foods. We'd be fine for a good few weeks.

Yeah, I keep a fair bit in. Also, I often forget what I've got so end up doubling up on things which is really frustrating.
It's just me, DD and DDog and I reckon we could last a good 3 weeks, if not longer.

Very little. I just stop at the shop every few days and pick up what I fancy.

I do have a tin of soup and a tin of rice pudding though.

I have lots of tins and things so i think those would last a week or two plus meals in the freezer but id struggle for fruits and fresh veg if i didn't go shopping

We could probably last a couple of weeks

Yes I'm the opposite too, I Iike to know we're Ok if we can't get to the shop and I avoid going shopping more often than necessary so there's always a week's worth in after a shop.

I don't think anyone would starve for at least a month, although the meal combinations may become odd

I'm currently eating all the food as we are having our kitchen done next week. I've only had to do one weekly shop all month we had that much food in. I've still got tons of tins and pasta to get through. I might rethink my hoarding of food when I have to put things back. I also grew up poor and we only had meals and no snacks when I was a child so I like to have enough food at home.

I keep very little food in the house (eg snacky food) otherwise I just eat it. I batch cook and keep a big pot of chili/curry etc for my evening meals but that's it.

If I kept nice food in the cupboard/fridge I'd just binge. Sad, but that's just the way it is (former bulimic). I do enjoy a meal out though and a cake occasionally, just can't keep food in the house.

A weeks worth - Small fridge and small freezer 3/4 full and one small cupboard for dry food

Lots.
I think I could last 3 months apart from milk.
Also have several months-a years worth of toilet rolls, shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste.

Not much. Fridge is empty and freezer is full. Loads of snacks because ex used to eat loads and I don't. Don't know what to do with those now!

Four months, six if you eked it out with veg and bits.
Grew up very poor.

Thanks for replies. I'm not surprised most people would choose to have a lot of food in, i think that's why I was so surprised and don't understand her reaction.
snorkmaiden what is your reasoning if you don't mind me asking?

buttmachine thanks for sharing, I suspect something like this is going on, but I'm not aware of any history of bulimia per se.

Is life hard having to go to the shops so often to get food for your family, assuming you have children to feed? Or is it all part of your routine now?

I think if I kept only minimal food in and popped into shops every day or two then I'd buy myself a treat every day or two! Maybe having kilos of lentils and potatoes is a way I control myself as I'm not likely to binge on those I do try to avoid having hundreds of packets of crisps, biscuits etc in as I get tempted, I will often eg bring a box of chocs I got given into work to stop me eating them all in an evening

Loads. A freezer full of various things, a big kitchen cupboard with all the "day to day" food like sauces, cereals, pasta etc. Then another large cupboard full of tins, bottles and cans, tea bags etc etc.

I think we could probably last for about a month or so (4 of us).

I think it depends on where you live. If you live in a city or large town and within a few minutes walk of various supermarkets/corner shops then it’s very easy to pop out whenever to get what you want.
If you live in a village or very rural then it’s much more of a faff to go and get something we are about a 10 min drive but some of my friends are up to 30 min from a shop. Plus it’s also much more likely of getting snowed in/flooded in/car breaking down and not being able to get to any shop.
Space also makes a difference. People in flats with tiny kitchens aren’t going to be able to store much. We have a chest freezer in the conservatory and out kitchen has a large walk in cupboard (similar size to a downstairs loo) which we use as a larder ( I assume it always has been a larder) so we have space to stick lots of tins etc.

Apart from milk and fresh fruit and veg we could probably last a month (with some imaginative meals) and have plenty of flour etc for bread and baking.

Literally prepared for nuclear war in our house. And if anyone needs bleach or toothpaste in your woman!
Our beat friends keep nothing in and go to the shop every day. Can't think of anything worse.

8 full sized cupboards of spices, seasonings and baking supplies, a Billy book case full of dry goods, full sized North American Fridge freezer and a 6 foot chest freezer .
We are good for a while, 8 weeks at a push

I too keep plenty in. Its just hubby and myself, and we cook from scratch the majority of meals. If I see something on special, then I'll grab it. Our kitchen is quite small, and I've even got food in the spare room cupboard (only because space is limited in the kitchen). Tins of legumes, baked beans, mushy peas, pasta, tuna etc. I try to have a spare tin at all times, as hate running out of something mid way through cooking!
We bulk buy from the meat and fish markets, then bag up 2 person meals into the freezer. I also have the fridge bursting with fresh veg all the time.
I have no reason to stock up, other than trying to get a bargain when I see one- especially if its food that keeps for months.

I’ve got several meals in the freezer , a fair bit of soup , pasta and cupboard basics and about 3 dinners in the fridge , I don’t like stockpiling as I find it tends to not get used and ends up going out of date . I never do a ‘big’ food shop as I prefer to get stuff as and when I want it .

This thread is just inspiring me to stock up more! I used to have Costco bales of flour, tinned Tom's etc, but now it's more one big bag in use and a spare in the cupboard. And we were dangerously close to running out of loo roll the other day 😱
Might have to go back to the glory days