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?

I'm frankly disgusted with the people who used to throw away food and are now realising the value of it. How did we as society get to this place?

I meal plan, only buy what we need, only recycle things like cauliflower leaves or onion skin. This is how I live all the time, not just because of coronavirus.

I hope this is a lesson to us all about using/needing less.

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

You might find this becomes quite helpful. In the past they probably relied on the fact that you would just nip to the supermarket to top up during the week. If they have to wait a week for the next lot they might begin to think twice.

In your shoes I'd also maybe think twice about buying this sort of stuff at all.

I also agree with pp that I'd prefer proper rationing if need be based on number of people in a household.

Many years ago when I didn't have any money I lived very frugally, just me. Im a vegetarian which helped (though doesn't now as I live off lots of tinned and dried stuff like tomatoes, butterbeans, lentils, which have gone).

But the responsibility of feeding a family of four with two growing teens feels massive right now.

Not having this experience at all to be honest. But there was a thing on Facebook from someone in the Navy about living in close proximity to others and coping with it. The key point they were getting across was how important it is to respect boundaries and respect the rules. Maybe rather than trying to manage your family by stealth it would be better to openly say “this is how it is. This is what you each need to do to make it work”?

Cheese, ham, bread and milk are my constant worries. I have dinners mostly sorted so not worried about those but my lot love sandwiches and toasted sandwiches. I've put all snacks in a bin bag in a non child accessible cupboard and every day I open the 'tuck shop' and they choose an item. They actually really look forward to it and these are children that are part human part piglet so it's doing them good!

If you shield people from the consequences of their behaviour you deny them the chance to learn from them.

They won't starve to death. Let them be hungry and change their ways on their own.

Judy you make a good point.

When I was little my mother would do a weekly shop at Kwiksave. We'd have one tub of ice cream, one bag of crisps, one packet of biscuits etc.

We knew that once they were gone that was it until payday the next week.

We never knew any different though, so guess it's about reeducating ourselves and changing patterns.

We have agreed that we will only go shopping once a week so we are limiting hot drinks and having less milk in drinks and cereal to make it last longer. We are eating items from the freezer that have been there a long time. I am doing all the cooking and making the recommended portion size (so less oven chips than normal per person). If the kids are hungry I direct them to the fruit bowl which shuts them up!

@Lefkosia I'm on foot when I need to go for a shop...that'll be fun lugging a weeks shop home, on my own

I dint buy treats! But I’ve bought flour (there is some again), some choc chips and they are welcome to bake their cookies/cakes/scones.

This seems to help a lot with the ‘raiding’ of the cupboard.

In your shoes I'd also maybe think twice about buying this sort of stuff at all

This is what I did several years ago when mine were teens, the more I bought the more they ate.
Until one day when I just stopped!
No juice, crisps, biscuits,chocolate etc.
If anyone wants it they had to buy their own out of pocket money.
They just stopped and it became as it should be, a very occasional treat.
I tend to have a homemade cake on the go but thats it.
Words were had with DS who is living with us about portion control but otherwise we are all eating regular meals, no snacks .

I agree about the weekly shopping. I’ve always done that and my dcs know that once the biscuits/fruit juices are gone then they will have to wait. It probably means that they are more careful about not eating everything all in one go which helps.

Do you have a car? I'm stashing stuff in my boot.

I'm monitoring closely but just to make sure we get the most out of what we have.

I only have one child who is old enough to help himself and I showed him what we have and what he can eat whenever he fancies. Rules are all meals must be eaten, get what you're given, but if he wants cereals, crackers, fruit or yoghurt this is what there is and we don't know when there'll be more.

I won't be going out unless it's genuinely essential so as long as there's meals I won't queue for snacks and treats. I'm a prepper so we hopefully won't run out of essentials 😂

I have teenagers. I have hidden my treats and snacks, I could not care less if they eat all theirs in one day. I am not getting more. They don't tend to eat the things I have for meals so much as that involves cooking.

With 2 adults and 2 teens in the house, surely you are only responsible for 1 dinner in 4?

I've quite enjoyed that with everyone at home they're all doing their bit and we're having some different meals. The only thing I'm "controlling" is that stuff that will go off quickest gets used first, but I always do that.

It is possible to get most food easily enough again now. I'll admit I am protecting a small stash for if there are further shortages of if we can't go out for 14 days but you can buy what you need for a normal weekly shop, if you're a little bit flexible, atm.

I've always only shopped once a week. If it wasn't on the list they are used to waiting till next week. I don't buy a lot of treats so there are no issues over those. DS1 is doing some baking.

Worst culprit in this house is teen dd and her fancy, healthy lunches. Salad bought as a side for evening meal eaten for lunch. But it's ok cos she didn't want dinner anyway. Peppers bought for a recipe chopped up and dipped in humus as a snack. Wraps bought to make tortillas used as a lunch time snack. Well 1 out of 6 that then went mouldy cos they had been opened.

Ds is 6 and has eaten all his crisps for the week already. Dh is a fucker for 4 slices of toast for breakfast. Then moans when non left for lunchtime.

I also have a Corona Cupboard I have hidden chocolate and treats in and am rationing them because the greedy fucks will scoff the lot then when I fancy a bit of chocolate or a nice biscuit there will be none left.

I literally want to go shopping as little as possible (new experience!)
We live in a rural area, I care for my extremely vulnerable DM and DH has shown CV symptoms. We are all self-isolating and my Tesco delivery isn't until 7 April.

Food may well be more readily available but not ideal if you can't access that food.

We are in self-isolation and haven't been to the shops in 13 days.

I am definitely being frugal, reducing my own portion size when serving up (DH does the same when he cooks).
When cooking things like bolognese or casserole, I have added extra stock, and managed to get a whole extra meal out of it compared to normal.

I have been limiting how many slices of bread we can use per day (2 per person) and have told DC to pour less milk on their cereal.

No snacks - but we all now sit down together with a cup of tea and a single biscuit at 3 pm each day. (and I have been saving teabags by using a teapot with 2 bags for the four of us.)

I am looking forward to getting out to the shops once we are out of isolation, but a bit concerned about what they will look like - there were no restrictions in place at all last time I went.

Do none of you have local shops? Are you forced to do once weekly trips to a huge supermarket?

It's proving expensive too- i'd usually use something from the freezer once or twice a week but now I don't want to dip into freezer supplies in case we need to isolate.

I've been fairly kind in my thinking towards Ocado as they've had an impossible task but yesterday, everything that nearly always is on offer (2 for £4 ham, cereal etc) is suddenly full price. (or only expensive organic versions left.) Not really necessary is it...?

We have been in isolation too, not been to the supermarket since Saturday before last. Friends have popped a few bits around but couldn't get a delivery in that time.

People who haven't been in isolation yet have a rude awakening coming!

Do none of you have local shops? Are you forced to do once weekly trips to a huge supermarket?

I don't understand this logic. Every trip to any shop, "local" or otherwise, is an increased risk of catching and spreading the virus.

DP only wants to shop once a week because every time you go into a supermarket/shop you are putting yourself at risk of catching the virus, it's got nothing to do with availability or lack of shops.

Also we have to queue for up to 40 minutes to get into our local Tesco then it's slow and time consuming when you get in there. Then when you get home you have to stand in the garden and clean all the stuff before taking it indoors.

This is why people want to shop as little as possible.