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 borderline type 2 diabetes, and managed to find some suitable low GI brown bread on Thursday. Lost it with DH this morning, when I discovered he'd eaten the last two slices.

Ok let’s look at the logic.

You go to the big supermarket

There are many more people going there. You probably have to drive outwith your local area to get there. There’s a bigger infection risk.

You load yourself with a full week worth of food. This is not the way you normally shop. Normally you too up a few times weekly but now you panic you must buy everything in one go.

This puts additional pressure on the supply chain and results in less stock for those who go after you.

The law is very clear you need a reasonable excuse to be outside. There is nothing that says once a week is all that is allowed. You can go buy milk and bread, even top up snacks unless you are one of the shielded in which case ignore all of what I just said.

If you are not, this is really not a healthy or helpful approach. Even in complete lockdown in China you were allowed to the shops every three days.

I genuinely think 80% of people have lost the plot entirely atm.

And yes I forgot, my local supermarkets have huge queues. My tesco local and my corner shop are using the same distancing measures but there is no queue at all.

I used up a whole packet of sausages in one meal last night and I got all panicky wondering when il next have sausages to make my home made McMuffins

I agree with the pp who says that they always monitor food and meal plan. This is no different!
We're on a tight budget and have always planned rigidly for the food we need. It's not that difficult.

I understand though, we have teenagers with huge appetites. With regards to snacks, when they're gone, they're gone. Don't buy more until your next weekly shop. They will soon learn.

Big boxes of cereal, toast and peanut butter are good go to snacks that last well. Also you can be resourceful with a big bag of porridge oats, making a batch of flapjacks or similar.

Your family will adjust and the penny will drop eventually when they have to go without. Everyone's stressed and worried so I can understand why you don't need this as an extra source of arguments.

You are allowed to go out everyday, twice a day I suppose of you can prove it's for essentials. Thing is people don't want to go out every day because we are supposed to be doing it as infrequently as possible, it's a risk every time you go out, and tbh it's a pita to stand and queue for 30 to 40 mins to get in.

That's why people are trying to limit going out.

I may be being blasé but I really don't think you need to wash down all your shopping before you bring it into the house!

Bring it in, wash your hands. Put it away, just like normal. Wash your hands again. Continue as normal - so washing fruit and veg before you eat them, but no need to Milton your strawberries.

Then just be sensible around washing hands before and after preparing food (just like normal) and that will be an appropriate set of precautions.

Agree with rj. Our local shops have no of small queues in and out. Our tesco has a system which is like the queuing system for rides at a theme park. Just seems more logical to go more frequently and quickly just buying what us needed for a few days. I also shop for a 90 year old and its managable.

RJ
Ive always done bulk buying of dry goods, pet food, loo rolls etc and shop at my local butcher, green grocer, baker once a week.
We use our freezer well.
I meal plan and there is little waste.
I didnt constantly "top up" then and Im certainly not doing it now!
No one needs all these crappy, processed packaged snacks.
They are usually refined carbs, the more you eat the more you want.

This has shown how greedy a lot of people (including teens) are. Before this MNetters were always encouraging/defensive of their teens being able/allowed to eat 3 bowls of cereal for breakfast or making a massive bowl of pasta for supper (after a full meal 2 hours earlier).

Maybe you have nice local shops RJnomore1.

Reports on our scheme say to avoid. Neds ignoring social distancing and jakeys kicking off as buckfast went up in price because they've stopped producing it. Local shop has no security, no cleaners. Give me the big supermarket queue over aggro with people going out every day for rolls and bucky.

Well quick if you’ve always done bulk buying then you are not changing your shopping habits, so you’re not contributing to the issue are you.

So your point is?

There are people on here complaining about their teenagers eating salad and vegetables and rationing milk at the time when the official guidance is to eat as healthily as you can and to exercise if you are well to keep your immune system strong.

At the same time people are asking about washing strawberries in bleach which I have yet to see any guidance at all on from official routes.

People have well and truly lost the plot. Be sensible, stick to the guidance and stop making up shite to add to the drama.

Again if you are in quarantine I apologise because that’s a different situation.

Sharpie fair enough, some places best avoided at the best of times eh.

Nothing has changed that much for us. We only do a proper shop every 4 to 6 weeks so always have lots of food in the house. We buy fresh fruit and veg roughly once a week or less if it lasts.

We don't really eat snacks apart from fruit and occasionally a biscuit. I don't work so almost always have breakfast, lunch and tea at home and DH always has breakfast and tea and sometimes lunch so I am used to planning what we are having.

We had lots of food in before all this started and DH has been to a supermarket once since then but only to buy fruit and veg. This morning he went to a local farm shop to get some.

We get our eggs from local people that keep chickens and, so far, we have had no problems getting them

I'm finding this thread really helpful as I too have got fed up with 'monitoring' food.

I mean, like some i always did it for budgeting reasons, having been through food poverty and like most, here not wanting to waste food. Also DD vegetarian and a teen so wanting to watch a bit what she was eating i.e. enough protein,iron etc.

Just think the whole food thing pushes my buttons anyway and with the extra challenges trying to secure essentials like eggs and with the food price hikes at local shop i.e. four potatoes in a bag suddenly costing a quid - it feels like an extra, exhausting chore, which is not doing my mental health any good. So I'm trying to approach it differently and try to laugh at myself about it. There is a deal of resentment in there though...

A friend said to me - there are people round here going to food banks and the stuff we have in our kitchen - i.e. wholemeal bread/tins etc some would be grateful for...and yet my DD takes it for granted almost...

I don't think I'm over the top though as I remember as a single parent what it is like when one of us gets ill - even with normal flu, or some other health challenge - and to get through it the last thing anyone wants to do is to be worrying about food. Or cleaning...

I've kind of got a clear 'survival list in my head - first place gas and electric, second place food, third place bills/telephone to communicate with outside world...' not often much left over for luxuries...I'm not moaning - as i know plenty are worse off...but in that sense - the virus survival thing not much different than what I've always done as a single parent...maybe that's why I feel in denial

The news that intensive care units only have 50 per cent surivival rate at the moment is just not going into my head.I also haven't heard from 'distant' family members - so don't know if some have died...that sounds awful...but the post isn't working properly...it's all topsy turvy..crazy times we live in

mid

We've just been sensible ensuring that we eat or freeze short dated food. Snack wise we can eat whatever we want but we have a 3year old so we've explained that what's in the house is all we have and have been sharing more often but there's still plenty at the moment.

Agreed. 😂

I'll be spending in there once this is over though. Owner is doing a service. We're a good walk from a supermarket.

My dc are 3 and 5 so too young to raid the fridge, but old enough to ask for food constantly. Implementing a food schedule has done wonders for my mental health. DD will now stand under the clock and shout at it to go faster rather than nag me for snacks! 😂

RJ
My point is that weekly shopping is the norm for most people.
Constant top up shops 3 x weekly is not what most people do and its irresponsible to be pushing this right now.
People were complaining their DC are scoffing all the treat food, one person mentioned salad.
Just get rid of all the crap, its a good time for the nation to look at their eating habits

The law is very clear you need a reasonable excuse to be outside. There is nothing that says once a week is all that is allowed. You can go buy milk and bread, even top up snacks unless you are one of the shielded in which case ignore all of what I just said.

It's not about what you're "allowed", it's realising that every contact is risking catching and spreading the disease. Do you genuinely not understand that?
Our local shops are even worse than supermarkets in terms of people being squashed in together. I guess you've got the option of standing outside and waiting until the shop is empty but you could be there a while.
It's not the location of the shop or whether you walk in an open street or drive alone in a car to get there. It's the number of times you leave your house and risk contact with others.

Bring it in, wash your hands. Put it away, just like normal. Wash your hands again.
Things you are going to be touching frequently, like plastic milk bottles, should be washed down before putting away imo.
I leave 'ambient' stuff out in the porch untouched for a day or so if I can before putting it away.

DD will now stand under the clock and shout at it to go faster rather than nag me for snacks! 😂

Snacking goes hand in hand with being stuck in the house I think. I have a store cupboard with a lock on it.
It won't do people any harm to run out and only have stuff in that has to be cooked. Don't just repeatedly go to the shop.

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

Yes, but many of us are properly isolating as we have someone with symptoms in the house.

Wait until you are in quarantine and relying on what you have for 2 weeks.

It really grates when your meal plan says ‘tuna pasta bake’ for a day 12 family meal and you are really running low but someone ate the tuna for a late night snack sandwich, despite there being cheese and peanut butter for that purpose.

I am trying to make best use of what fresh fruit and veg we have to make sure everyone gets Vitamin C every day. Using half the fruit for one person to experiment with smoothies is an issue.

We are back to rationing, and that is actually about fairness. Making sure everyone gets what they need.

It doesn’t have to be ‘control’.

And eating in a way that means people constantly pop to the shops for the readily available food is adding to the infection risk.

It sounds like there need to be a lot of conversations around manners and entitlement. Bit flabbergasted as to how many DC and DH's think it's fine to eat what they like and the magical food fairy will just replace it.

I think this might be a good time to teach some lessons in taking responsibility, self-control and consideration.

Plus local shops are usually more expensive than the supermarket.

The change from a once a week big shop to regular trips to a local convenience store is likely to significantly increase costs or if you stick to a budget you get a lot less for your money. That will cause significant problems for anyone on a tight budget.

I bought a couple of items from a Co-op yesterday that would have probably cost a total of £1.50 in a large supermarket, but they came to over £4. I sucked it up because it was only a couple of things and I didn't want to queue for Aldi or Lidl (we were going out to help a relative who has to stay in and we passed all these shops on the way so not like there was a petrol cost saving).

OP, you shouldn't have to spell these things out to the rest of your household, but they need to understand that 'just buy more whenever you fancy it' is not an option at the moment and you will only be shopping once a week and if they want treats at other times they need to use their own time and money to buy what they want, treat it as part of their permitted daily exercise to walk to the shop, but they also need to be aware that in some areas the police don't consider walking to the shop for crisps to be a necessary trip and they could be fined.

rugbyobserver.co.uk/news/essential-shopping-trip-to-buy-bag-of-crisps-among-unbelievable-excuses-heard-by-police/