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How much food do you keep in the house?

85 replies

Owlsintowels · 13/01/2020 18:29

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.

OP posts:
Clymene · 13/01/2020 19:22

She sounds like she's got an eating disorder. That's not a normal reaction to having food in the house.

I've probably got enough to feed us for at least a week, maybe two if I make things with raw ingredients and canned things. I'm not sure it would be balanced meals though!

delilahbucket · 13/01/2020 19:26

A week's worth of fresh and then another week's worth of frozen/cupboard. We wouldn't starve if we were suddenly snowed in.

40somethingJBJ · 13/01/2020 19:28

I get extremely anxious when I see programmes where people have barely anything in their house. I buy fresh food a week at a time, but have got tins/jars/packets/pasta etc and a freezer full, so could last probably a month or more at a push if we had to.

dudsville · 13/01/2020 19:29

My grandparents went through hard times in their early years. By the time I knew them they had full kitchens, they had vast kitchen gardens and preserved and stocked up. That always felt like home to me. We have a well stocked larder and freezer.

WalkAwaySugarbear · 13/01/2020 19:32

I have quite a bit, I buy a lot in bulk. 3kg bag of pasta, 1100 T Bags, huge box of washing powder. Storing it can be a nightmare in our tiny house. I have a fridge freezer and a tall freezer in the garage full of meat, frozen veg, bread and chips. I like to have plenty of tins and rice in too.

blue25 · 13/01/2020 19:34

Very little. Hate food waste and I will be tempted to eat unhealthy food, so don’t have any biscuits, chocolate etc in the cupboards.

We carefully meal plan each week and just buy what’s needed.

PickAChew · 13/01/2020 19:36

Loads. It would get weird after a week but DH and I would be set up for a while. DS2 until we run out of peanut butter (reminds me, I need to stock up on that) or oven chips or spuds suitable for roasting. DS1 would fare less well because his diet is so restricted, currently. He could spare a bit of body fat, mind.

PickAChew · 13/01/2020 19:39

Loads of snacks because ex used to eat loads and I don't. Don't know what to do with those now!

If they have a half decent shelf life, just donate them to a food bank.

PegasusReturns · 13/01/2020 19:43

Loads!

We’d eat fabulously for a week out of the fridge.

Could do another couple of weeks pretty decently out of the freezer(s)!

And another couple of weeks on store cupboards.

I’m fairly confident could keep six of us going for about 6 weeks although the first would be a bit odd by end of that period!

RedRiverShore · 13/01/2020 19:54

Loads, I buy when stuff is on offer and buy lots of consumables like toilet rolls, kitchen towels etc on Amazon. We have 2 freezers and a pantry which are always overflowing. I.put any extras in the spare room, bit mad really as Asda is down the road but I hate going to the supermarket so have most delivered

KenzoBaby · 13/01/2020 19:56

My psycho ex used to just buy whatever out of the reduced section one a day and eat that. He was minted but paranoid re money.

I don't like food shopping. I do an online order once a week (it's just me here). I live in a small town with a massive Tesco within 5 mins walk but I still don't feel safe it I don't have at least 6 tins of chopped tomatoes "in stock" in my flat.

Sally2791 · 13/01/2020 20:02

Lots of stuff. I like to take advantage of offers, and just feel more secure knowing there is a few weeks worth of meals. Not wealthy or poor growing up, but parents and grandparents had the same mentality.

hiredandsqueak · 13/01/2020 20:04

Too much, stems from having a big family and now only three here. Haven't got out of the habit of having a well stocked freezer and cupboards. I'm better on the fresh stuff though as I hate throwing food away.

BlackeyedSusan · 13/01/2020 20:08

Lots. Always have quite a bit but stocked up for October. Will stock up again for December.

Having autistic children means I keep quite a bit in and stock.up before school holidays so I don't have to shop with them.

Oblomov20 · 13/01/2020 20:15

Quite a lot. Lots of pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes. Two freezers worth. I batch cook chilli, spag Bol, curry etc. Saying that it wouldn't last that long, and I'd need to shop for stuff: eg more meatballs or mince to make spag Bol or spaghetti and meatballs. I'd need regular bread, milk, fresh fruit and veg.

I assumed this was the norm. I didn't grow up poor and have always had a job or jobs, since aged 13, so have never struggled for money.

Orangesox · 13/01/2020 20:35

Lots of pretty much everything. I’d say we could easily live for 2-3 months from the stocks although it could get a bit odd towards the end!

It stems from having a feast and famine childhood interspersed with being absolutely piss poor at times despite putting on a good middle class front. It all depends on who was working at what time, so I’ve never felt entirely “safe” relying on both of our salaries. I like to have all the bases covered - probably doesn’t help my waistline though Blush

deplorabelle · 13/01/2020 21:33

I keep a good store of dried and tinned food as I hate to run out of things. Snacks and spices I have lots of so there is variety/choice. But I grew up in a house where food was hoarded and that was horrible. You were never allowed to eat the new food that had just been bought because there was lots of nearly rotting food that needed to be eaten up. Or truly disgusting snack food that had been bulk bought at the market and needed to be got through. The freezer was full of unidentified meat bought purely for the freezer, or gone off fresh food. It was all open frozen in lidless containers so everything stank of everything else.

All this has left me with a horror of too much stored food that isn't caused by an eating disorder. (Not my eating disorder at any rate)

MrsDilligaf · 13/01/2020 21:39

We'd probably be okay for at least two weeks (might actually try and live out of the freezer in February Smile).

I've always got at least the basics in the cupboard..pastas, jars of sauce, jam, marmite, tuna, tomatoes general tins and dried stuff. Got lots of herbs spices, oils and condiments and always a spare butter and cheese in the freezer.

Oh and loads of alcohol. Anyone want a bottle of Campari? Southern Comfort? Lambrini?

LolaSmiles · 13/01/2020 22:07

We have around 4-6 days of fresh food in and could probably last around a fortnight on food in the freezer (range of frozen meal portions, frozen vegetables etc) and cupboard (pasta, rice, canned tomatoes etc).

I don't like stockpiling as I find some stuff doesn't get eaten and it's a waste so at least once a month we have a few days of running low to force us to eat things up.

If we had more freezer space then I'd love to have more frozen portions of food and would buy fish more.

Bluntness100 · 13/01/2020 22:13

Max three or four days, we only eat fresh, no frozen, (except veg), and no tins.

Shaking and teary is an unhealthy odd reaction, I'd be concerned about them,

BarbaraofSeville · 13/01/2020 22:29

Shaky and teary because of the relief of not having to worry about where the next meal is coming from, or something else?

We have a ridiculous amount of food in, we could probably go for a month or more, but obviously the combinations would get odd after a while and the fresh food would run out in a few days.

I'm trying to use it up, because there's no need for it, and some of it has been hanging round for years.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 13/01/2020 22:42

I like a full freezer so that if bad weather hits etc we have enough for a good few weeks. I don’t tend to stockpile tins and dried goods but have enough for a couple of weeks at a push.

Welltroddenpath · 13/01/2020 22:48

I normally have about six weeks worth of food in but the kitchen is tiny! I’m trying to use it up now. I periodically try to completely depleat my stash so I can do my once a year expiry dates. It’s no fun digging through ten tins of chopped tomatoes to find the ones right at the back.

I feel like I need a stash mostly in winter due to being rural and snow trapping us in the past. It’s a good mile to the corner shop. That’s my main reasoning.

bumblingbovine49 · 13/01/2020 23:02

Loads.of tins ( mostly pulses and legumes and tomato's but also some fish).

Lots of dried food ( lentils, black beans, black eyed beans, chickpeas, split peas, oats, multiple.tyoes of pasta, , 4-5 different types of rice, flour for baking bread and cakes, dried breadcrumbs, cous cous, cracked wheat, etc etc)

Nuts, dried fruits and seeds ( lots of types)

Several jars each of jars of olives, different pickles, curry pastes, pesto,

At least 1-2 spare in the cupboard of olive oil,. mayonnaise, tomato ketchup,. Different vinegars, lemon & lime juice, peanut butter,

Fresh food in the fridge and vegetables etc we mostly get through in a week, though sometimes longer lasting veg ( eg squashes and potatoes) run over a few weeks

Enough fruit to last a couple of weeks usually.

What we don't have is much snack or.ready tom eat food ( unless you count tins .of.chickpeas etc). We sometimes have a packet of crackers to go.with cheese and we buy a breakfast bread or pastry for one breakfast most weeks.

Snacks tend to be bread/ crackers with cheese/ pickle/hummus or fruit or nuts or yoghurts,. That is pretty much the only quick snack food.on the house.

NoraBarlow111 · 13/01/2020 23:47

I 've got it down to a fine art

I have a master list of all food, cleaning products & toiletries we use on a regular basis with the price.

I figured out how much we use and only stock pile when those items are on special offer.

We always have certain meals every week steak, pizza, curry and buy fruit & veg as and when needed, depending on whats on special offer as its usually seasonal too.

my food & drinks inventory at the moment is

Freezer

4 tikka masala sauce
3 steaks
2 chicken fillets
6 chilli con carne -
1 butter
peas
green beans
pizza sauce portions

Larder

1 tin baked beans
2 tins hot dogs
2 x 500g red lentils
1kg box sugar cubes
2 packets all bran cereal
2 jars thai green curry paste
6 x 1 kg tilda rice
5 x 500g linguine pasta
1 x 150g tomato puree
1 x 350g sushi rice
1 pack of nori
250ml olive oil
150ml chilli oil
150ml rice vinegar
150ml soy sauce
150ml fish sauce
750ml grenadine syrup
1kg flour
red onions
2 bulbs garlic
fresh ginger
wok oil
coconut powder
1 egg
apple syrup
20 packs nespresso capsules
earl grey tea
boxed set hendricks gin & 6 bottles fevertree tonics (2016)
2 bottles of wine

Fridge

butter
clarified butter
herb butter
olives
jalapeno peppers
yeast
mustard sachets
golden syrup 2 individual portions
sweet onion relish
tamarind paste
bacon
mayonaise
curry sauce
gherkin slices