does anyone else over-buy groceries?

[IcyMist]

Afraid that I am one of those persons that overbuys on a lot of things. Not just food, but EVERYTHING!!!! I must have 10 boxes of white sandals and 5 boxes of black sandals that have never been worn. I have at least 12 purses and we won't even go check out my closet.

I honestly believe that I overbuy because of not having much as a child. I had one pair of shoes when I was little and those were worn until they actually had holes in them or the heel would start flapping when I walked.

Foodwise, I will purchase shredded cheese because I have been testing out recipes and I would forget if I need a certain cheese and if I have enough, so I will purchase more just to be on the safe side........I am now safely loaded with shredded cheddar cheese. I have at least 10 packages of just the cheddar and now I have to come up with ideas for a lot of cheese appetizers.

I also purchase items at the store for certain recipes and then not make the recipes. It really drives my mother buggy when she sees all the stuff I buy.

When I was making jerk chicken, she couldn't understand why I went to the expense of purchasing boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs to grind up. To me, I would rather spend the time that it would take to struggle to debone all that chicken on something else. Was much easier to just wash the chicken, cut it up and grind it than it would have been to debone and skin, removing all that extra fat too, washing, chopping and then grinding up the meat. So what if I purchased 25 lbs of chicken for 12 people when there were also hotdogs, hamburgers, sausages? I just ground up all the chicken, made patties out of the extra, froze them and then vacuum packed them for the next grill day. Then I will just have to thaw them out, marinate them in sauce and cook them.

 

[luvs]

dude, we need to open a research institute. can i be the first test subject? (unless it's that control group/placebo crap)


i hate to waste food, especially meat (those critters gave their lives so we can live. anyone who wastes meat should be re-incarnated as a feed animal). so i will only overbuy stuff that will last a long time, hopefully to be used, not thrown away. conspicuous consumption, and all other types of wasteful consumption is a bad thing.

i want to come work for your research firm!
i hate to waste food, too, bucky. i almost had to throw out 2 steaks like last week cause they were pretty much inedible and it just seemed so wrong to throw out steak. but our fellow discusscooking foodies came through w/ some good tips that i hadn't thought to use and the beef was salvaged.
i don't usually have to throw food out. i live with 2 men and they'll eat anything. i could produce half a slice of a dried-out, stale piece of bread with mold on it that fell on the floor and they'd be like, 'wait! i could make a grilled cheese with that! don't throw that out!'
anything we don't eat i feed to my hampster and cats or throw out to the birds.

 

[Lugaru]

Some folks buy in excess if they once went without food for a time. Or if they didn't have the money to buy what they wanted or needed. I buy alot of things I don't need at the time but when it's on sale and I know I will be using it then it's the time to buy.Sounds like you really go overboard tho.

Wow... that's perfect. I once went for a few months with no job, no unemployment, no credit cards or relatives to fall back on... I literally survived off bulk boxes of ramen, a sack of rice and the kind of meat you buy 10 pounds of at a time.

In fact Im working on a book based on my experiences on how to survive without cash called "Broke in Boston" with tips on how to make money without a job and how to make 40 different and delicious dishes under 3 bucks.

 

[luvs]

i hope all goes well with the book, lugaru!

 

[IcyMist]

Yes best of luck with the book and please let us know when you get it published.

 

[licia]

I have a problem overbuying also. I didn't do without as a child, but there weren't a lot of extras either, so I don't know whether that idea holds water or not. I overbuy all types of food, clothes, shoes, paper products and some things that I have no idea why I even wanted them. It was bad enough before I had grandchildren but after they started arriving, I begin to buy too much for them also. I finally had to get my own checking account so I knew exactly what I could and could not spend. One thing good about all this - I never have to run out to buy ANYTHING. I have something to fix for pop in company, gifts for whoever is due one, clothes to wear for whatever comes up, cards and paper to whomever needs a letter or card. The one thing I don't have is enought closet space to keep it all. My dh just redid my pantry because I wasn't able to get all my stuff there. He bought me one of those "Martha type" stainless steel shelving units to hold all my pots, pans, small appliances, etc. I also have shelving units to hold all the groceries. He did find a few things that were out of date as he was cleaning it all out. I had some biscotti that had a date of 12/04 on it, but I'm going to see if it is still good. I probably need more help than I'm willing to admit.

 

[corazon]

I have a bad habit of grocery shopping when I'm hungry. I buy way more stuff than I need and sometime stuff I don't really want later on.

 

[IcyMist]

I have learned the hard way NOT to shop when I am hungry. You walk away with some of the oddest things that you would normally not touch with a 10 foot pole AND enough food to feed the entire State of Florida.

 

[Bangbang]

I always purchase to much deli meat.

 

[nytxn]

I always purchase to much deli meat.

Me too... that's why I limit the amount of times a month I visit the counter.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I rarely buy too much (my wife takes care of that end), but I always pay too much

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Claire]

I absolutely agree, luvs, that all over-buying isn't always a symptom of deep psychological need! As I said, sometimes we overbuy just because it seems great at the moment. I do my weekly shopping usually right after an exercise class, and always over-buy on drinks. Juices, pop, mineral water, seltzer. IT's obviously a physical need at that time. I'll actually be drinking a bottle of juice as I walk through the store, and will still buy tons of things to drink. And anyone who has shopped when they were hungry knows about that. I rather doubt my husband's need to buy Worchestershire sauce, Capers, and Dobie pads comes from anything more than a quirk. When Hubby over-buys, he says it is because it is one extravagance that is never wasted. No matter how broke you are, food is food.

That said, I have known people who have starved in their youth. It is odd that some react so much different than others. One acquaintance (Baatan death march) swore he'd eat everything he could if he lived, and did, and was quite obese and happy with it. Another friend wakes up in the middle of the night, and goes through her kitchen, checking to make sure there's enough food there ... but she, herself, barely eats enough to keep herself alive. But those cupboards have to be stocked with enough food to feed an army.

 

[Claire]

By-the-way, if it is nonperishable, you're not over-buying, you're just stocking the pantry!!! Then, when there's a food drive, you just give it all away!

 

[Bangbang]

I try to keep a few days worht of canned goods like beans,spam,potted meat,tuna,vienna sausages,salmon,and spam for emergencies.