CV - Fed up with relentless food monitoring

[DorsetCamping]

Anyone else fed up with the constant mental stocktake their of food supplies and thinking about what to make for next meal?

One of the drawbacks of having everyone home 24/7 (2 adults, 2 teens) is the relentless eating and raiding of food. Between DC and DH they are locusts. At least when everyone's at school/work lunch is one less meal to worry about, but now...!

I also seem to have become a control freak where I am making every meal (even lunch) for everyone because I'm terrified that their couldn't give a shit more relaxed approach means we'd have nothing left within 2 days. Have even taken to hiding bits so they can be rationed. I Hate being so controlling over food

What does everyone else do? Do you just let everyone crack on and then go without when food has run out? Do they make own lunches (or other meals) with rules about what ingredients/food they can use?

Only DH & I here and he is still having to work but he raids the cupboards continually... 🙄

I've asked him to check with me first before using anything, unless he wants to be stood in a queue doing the food shop!

I have hidden a few items, just so he doesn't tuck in immediately he sees them.
Mind you, I can't talk - he brought some chocolate in the other day & I snaffled it!! 😆
Chocolate's different though, right? 🤔

I split the snacks into bags that are in my wardrobe.

I do think we are used to buying what we want when we want.

DD asked me to go to the shop for ice cream yesterday and got really stripy when it was a no!

2 hours to get 2 bags of food!

I haven't gone so far as hiding stuff (yet - it may happen) but I'm definitely mentally "stocktaking" as meals are made and snacks had.

I'm also more conscious of waste too - where previously leftovers might have sat in the fridge 'in case someone fancied them' dd1 has been finishing off for lunches as far as possible & I've been eating my way through the boxes of cereals that neither of the girls have touched instead of them just sitting there.

& if it looks like it may become part of a meal (like the salami in the fridge) then they MUST check with me first so I know there's enough left for the meal I have planned to use it for.

Yes it's very stressful. Had a conversation with DH yesterday about reducing his portion size of cereal because the delivery slots we have booked restrict how much cereal I can buy. So he's going to have to eat less because I need to buy more for the kids. (He's a "lanky bastard" so never really thinks about portion sizes)

I, like a lot of my friends, am trying to eat less so there's more available for my children.

I'm the same. 2 adults and 2 teens.

I feel like the food monitor, but my husband especially, is oblivious to the need to be careful.

I hate to admit it, but I have started to hide stuff.

Yes I'm letting them get on with it. They all know that we will only be going to the shop once a week at the most - when the essentials run out. If they choose to munch their way through all the non essentials before that then they will do without. We've got loads of meal type stuff in and it doesn't bother me what order we eat it in as long as we have the fresh stuff before it goes out of date.

You do know the supermarkets are open? Some of you sound like you're using this as an opportunity to be controlling generally. Food is readily available

E.G I bought 2 tubs of ice cream last week - gone within a day
Similar with biscuits, and any other remotely interesting food

I had Words with one of mine last night. I have 3 teen boys. I have been hiding food for years, but they find hiding places. Usually it doesn't matter so much, but yesterday I found the Sunday treat I had bought at the shops - a 6 pack of Mars bars - had been raided by my 15 year old and he had eaten 3 of them. There are 6 in my family so obviously there was meant to be one each. I nearly cried.

@Lefkosia you really think it's as easy as popping to supermarket for regular top ups

Honestly, as long as they're not eating more than their own share then it's their funeral. My kids have eaten all the treats from our shop on Thursday. So now they will have to wait until something essential runs out.

No real difference here (two teens and two adults), except we do a big shop once a week instead of several small. We've tended to get our own lunch at weekends for ages now but we are in the habit of mentioning what we are having to each other to check it's ok so we still do that and the teens do that if they are snacking on fridge stuff too. I've made clear they are to write down anything they use up on the shopping list so it can be replaced. I'd say the main difference is that the fridge is much fuller after shopping so I am rummaging through regularly to make sure nothing gets past it's use by date.

This is it @Callimanco - they find those darn hiding places and more often that not I forget where those hiding places are!

I’m definitely eating less and being more controlling about snacks - luckily DH is on the same page. But youngest dd poured away three pints of milk yesterday because she thought they were off! Now none left until the milkman (hopefully) on Monday, I’m not risking the shops unless I absolutely have to (asthma) so I’m reliant on getting a supermarket slot.

They should take turns going out for it. Standing in a queue for half an hour just to enter a shop with half empty shelves should make a difference if they're the ones doing it.

Lefkosia

Do you know we are to go least possible trips? That replacing mars bars wouldn’t be classed as essential? Do you know we have to queue for over an hour as the one in one out system kicks in?

I’m risking infection every time I leave the house - all because some one can’t resist the urge to eat a few to many snacks.

Yesterday there was no chicken and no eggs to be found, no flour or pasta.

If we can’t buy essentials I’m not risking it for none essentials.

I find the boot of my locked car is a good storage facility ! Keys kept about my person Ha ha

I like your thinking @Thesuzle

I’m also hiding snacks in my wardrobe 😐 we had a treat takeaway pizza last night and leftovers (large amount) will be the main meal today. The roast chicken I did have for today will be cooked tomorrow and will cover main meals til Wednesday. I’ve also hidden two boxes of cereal under the bed.

The dc know to check with me before they help themselves to anything. I’ve got a list of what we have and I’m ticking things off as we eat them.

The shops round here are definitely improving. Still no sign of pasta, rice, eggs or most tinned stuff, but fresh meat, fish and veg are fine. There is enough food to eat, you may just need to change your usual repertoire of meals.

Yes.

Husband and I were chatting and we've both gone immediately into food poverty mode.

We've always been good about leftovers etc, but we leave the fruit for the kids and it's strict one type of protein per sandwich, less veg, eek out the meat. We have a few eggs left and I daren't use them at the moment, because mentally I'm thinking that's another meal if we need it.

I find it incredibly anxiety inducing, as we have been in real food poverty before and it brings all those emotions back.

Hopefully it will improve once the supply chain sorts it self out and we can shop more normally.

Or they bring in proper rationing. I would be okay with that because at least it's per person! Unlike trying to shop for 5, on a two per item limit.

Yeah, we are definitely used to buying stuff as and when aren't we. I have always had disordered eating, and we often went with hardly any food when growing up; so this situation is pretty triggering, but meal planning is helping, and sticking to one snack a day- but not restricting what it is so it doesn't feel too controlling, otherwise I would regress. DH is away for a few months with work which also helps, as he is a bottomless pit.

I know the shops are open, but I don't want to keep nipping out though and putting myself and others at risk.

We are the same. We cannot get a food shop until our 2 weeks are up (DD had a temp) and although we have enough food for evening meals and lunch, they aren't desirable meals as far as a 7 & 4 yr old are concerned. And we will run out of snacks in about 3 days so the world might calapse! They will honestly think I am starving them!

Weirdly, I think my lot being fussy is helping in these times. It means that our shopping patterns don't tend to break the two item limit as we all have different stuff anyway. Everyone has different cereal for example, any given type of snack is only like by probably two people. We all prefer different types of fruit.