Over the weekend and in spare moments ... mostly while waiting for the kettle to boil for cups of coffee, I have been going through my main food store cupboard and checking dates. Not because I have felt any desire to throw away any outdated foods ... although I did find some that were very out of date, luckily mostly tins ... but my reason for the sort out was because I wanted to get the top half and the bottom half of the cupboard organised so that I can use up the oldest items first, and have the things to be used up at eye level, where they stood more chance of being chosen.
I rarely get down to the bottom cupboard as it means getting on my hands and knees to find things, but I do stash away new purchases when there is no room anywhere else. It had been literally packed to the gunnels at the start of the year, but now after my minimal shopping for a while there was space, so actually getting on and doing the sort out that has been on my mind for a while, seemed much more practical and less off-putting.
It was nice seeing surfaces and finding things that I didn't know I had. The best find was two bottles of Aldi mayonnaise ... I had no idea they were at the back of the pasta basket.
At the start of the weekend it was cupboard chaos, but by the end of Sunday afternoon the top cupboard now housed items that need using up this year if possible. So things with a date sometime during 2025 or earlier.
And the bottom cupboard has things with dates beginning in 2026 and further into the future.
Well there's one exception, I seemingly have far too many tins of chickpeas and all the tins down here have either a 2023 or 2024 date on them. They will move up to the next level when I have used the last of the 2023 tins from the top cupboard. Happily the hummus that I made the other week used the oldest of the tins, dated even earlier. 😄
I was feeling really good about my efforts to streamline my food cupboards, and I have been enjoying using things up and then I read this report this morning. UK households urged to stockpile tins of food as soon as possible. Oh well, at least I have made some space for a few more tins of food in the bottom cupboard.
Are you a happy prepper, or do you prefer to live from week to week, or month to month? I was trying to be the latter after years of being the former, but it seems I have just been way ahead of my time ... for once.
Sue xx
There are so many families in the UK currently struggling to buy enough food for the week ahead , I wonder how THEY are going to stockpile a box of emergency food as this politician suggests?
ReplyDeleteThat's a real worry isn't it. I know that I would have really struggled to build a little stockpile back in the day. ☹️
DeleteWe're very much week to week when it comes to buying food. I still remember emptying out Jon's mum's cupboards after she died unexpectedly. She was someone who insisted on keeping a full pantry and it was so sad that she'd wasted so much money on stockpiling food rather than enjoying spending her money on days out and having fun.
ReplyDeleteWhen Covid struck several "prepping" bloggers seemed really excited almost like it was a justification for buying so much food and, in the end, nobody went hungry or couldn't get food. I don't trust anything The Daily Express or a failed Tory has to say! xxx
Yes there's a real sense of 'I told you so' on the prepping YouTube channels at the moment. But I doubt I'll be rushing out to get a dozen of each type of tins of food or gallons of water. But I will have sensible supplies in and not empty my cupboards.
DeleteIn my opinion the Daily Express is just one step up from the Daily Fail, and as Alan frequently says, they are all comics. 🫤
Daily Fail! That's brilliant! xxx
DeleteWe've called it that for years ... strangely enough everyone knows exactly what we're talking about. 😄
DeleteAs someone who has read a lot of apocalyptic books we always have a well stocked store cupboard which includes bottled water! I hadn't read this MPs report, but don't think we will be short of food in this country, is he trying to panic people?
ReplyDeleteThat all sounds very sensible. I wondered if it was an attempt to get people buying more and boost the economy, but then they do ask people not to dash out and panic buy. So, I don't really know what to think. 🤔
DeleteI spotted Sue in the photos that you have marked tins with dates, brilliant idea. Sometimes I can hardly read the dates and as all the tins are in the lower cabinets ( I don’t have any overhead cabinets as I can’t reach them easily ) I’m usually on my hands and knees trying to decipher. So thanks Sue for that tip. June
ReplyDeleteI got sick and tired of grabbing my reading glasses and searching for the dates, so once I found it I wrote the date nice and big, on everything. 😃
DeleteNow though, it looks as though all my food came from the Food Bank, as that's what they do. 😄
It's so easy to put new purchases at the front of the cupboard isn't it. I regularly have to make myself have a sort out of the baskets in the cupboard next to the fridge otherwise there would be so many tins out of date. I usually plan our meals week by week but do like to keep a few tins in stock 'just in case' but I don't understand why the Government seems to be panicking people into stockpiling again. Moderation is the key, I think. Preppers on Utube love this kind of thing because it generates a lot of interest and resulting 'clicks' to make them money.
ReplyDeleteWith my current pounding headache I can't think straight let alone prepare an emergency cupboard ....lol...
Angie x
I'm terrible for just opening cupboard doors and pushing new purchases in. I want to get to a stage where I buy what I want and need for the week, but still have a small stash of regularly used tins and packets to fall back on ... and top them up from the BACK. 😄
DeleteI really hope you get this pounding headache problem sorted out today. 🤒
PS your cupboards are always so NEAT!
ReplyDeleteI try to keep them neat, lining things up and ALWAYS forward facing labels. But, it goes to pot every now and then. I think that I have a split personality. 😃🙃
DeleteIt's a good idea to go through the cupboards and see what we have and check the expiration dates (although I don't usually consider canned items to expire exactly on a given date). Well done organizing your pantry. As for stockpiling and being prepared, I do keep a stockpile and prepare for emergencies. I live in an area where earthquakes and wildfires are facts of life. I keep bottled water on hand - a minimum of 3 days supply at the recommended rate of 1 gallon per person per day plus extra for pets. Ideally, one should store sufficient water for one week.
ReplyDeleteOh, none of the out of date cans worry me at all. All the recently made hummus was made with chickpeas dated 2022 and it was delicious. I don't know where I could store that much water, but I guess I should keep at least a couple of bottles of still water. Coffee made with sparkling water would not be nice. 😄
DeleteHere in the US they frequently state that the average household only has enough food in the house for 3 days and that is the same number for how long it would take for the grocery stores to be cleared out. But they also say that about 40% of food purchased is wasted. I think part of the problem is the lack of cooking “from scratch” skills that I see. We live in such an age of convenience that for many there is no knowledge of how what they stuff in their mouths are made or where they come from. To buy canned convenience foods really doesn’t go far if you look at the standard caloric requirements for an adult - 2000 calories per day. That’s a lot of canned goods for a family of say 4, even for a week or two. I do advocate for having a small stockpile and growing it by a few items each week, but it requires thought and acquiring some new skills. Trying to get by on Spaghetti O’s and canned chili would get old fast. I’m lucky enough to have a garden and to have access to fresh produce for home canning but most my friends think I’m crazy to do so much work. But we are able to feed ourselves and hopefully others in an emergency. ~ Carol
ReplyDeleteI agree completely it is very rare for younger people to be able to make a meal from just ingredients, more and more foods are ultra-processed and just require heating up. The supermarkets make it looks as though this is the only way to eat. Even my son has said we are two generations away from people being able to look after themselves in a time of genuine emergency.
DeleteI keep a big bottle of water in the freezer - it works like a giant ice pack if the electric goes off. Although maybe I ought to replace it with a new one as it's probably been in there more than 2 years!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea. :-)
DeleteI keep canned food and liquid for hydration and cleaning because of electrical outages during storms or damaging hurricanes. Last year I had seven days of no electrical service so had to eat out of cans etc.
ReplyDeleteIt just goes to show how vital a store of food is doesn't it, especially foods that can be eaten as they are requiring little or no heating. After a big power cut last year, when I suddenly cottoned onto the fact that we are all electric, so I purchased a small gas canister operated hot plate and a small kettle that sits on it. I cannot do without a cup of coffee. :-)
DeleteI love to see into people’s well organised cupboards-yours a so well organised. I sent a complaint to Waitrose after our delivery on Sunday because two of the main meal items had the next days date on them. I had my money back from them quickly. We rarely buy bottled water as our tap water is good but I think I should have a couple of bottles stashed away just in case. Catriona
ReplyDeleteIt's like food voyeurism isn't it, I love a good nosey too, I wish more bloggers would share. 😀 Larders and bookcases are my favourite way to learn about people. ❤️
DeleteGood for you for getting a refund, two main meals with the next days date is ridiculous!!
I am a prepper by accident and we could survive longer than 3 days with the amount of tins and dry goods I have here (although the meals might get a bit strange 😬 )
ReplyDeleteWe are in this situation because I absolutely detest getting so low on something that I ~have~ to go to the shops whether I want to or not, therefore when I open a jar or packet there is ALWAYS its replacement on the shopping list - unless it is something which was on offer previously in which case I might have bought more than a couple.
I appreciate I am fortunate to have space to store multiple extra items and enough flex in my budget that I can buy multiple items if they are reduced. You very rightly point out that far too many people cannot do that. I heard something on (I think) Women's Hour last week which said that one-third of UK children in cities are living in poverty. I was horrified but not hugely surprised, and if it is happening to that many children then how many older people are in the same position?
I could possibly be an 'accidental prepper' too. 😃 I have rarely gone out with the intention of bulk buying, it just accumulates on me.
DeletePoverty, especially food poverty does seem to be on the increase again. It's a sad situation.
Pretty sure I might be considered a pantry prepper, though I am running a bit low on a few items due to no sales on those things lately. I hope to slowly build those back up over the next while. I think meat wise we are fine for about 5 months, and once the garden starts producing fresh veggies will be readily available. I can, dehydrate and freeze so we should be okay if worse comes to worse. As someone else says meals could be slightly strange, but edible.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I think sales on food items might be few and far between for you in Canada at the moment. It's a good job you did have some supplies built up isn't it, and thank goodness for your homegrown and home preserved supplies. 😀
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