I realized today that I go to the grocery store almost every day after work and that I hoard food. I currently have a freezer full of frozen meat, veggies, Lean Cuisines and other stuff but I went to the store today and bought more. My fridge was already full of yogurt, milk, eggs and everything else you could name, yet I bought more of all that stuff too. I am always buying food!
I think this is a major problem. I am single and live alone yet I budget over $200 a month for groceries but never even run out of anything! I think I'm overspending on food and I KNOW it just sets me up to binge. I also know I end up wasting food as I find myself throwing things away that I can't eat before it expires.
The thought of not having enough food around terrifies me. Does anyone else have this issue?
I am the SAME way! I have to go to the store at least once a day, if I don't, I go out to eat somewhere even though I have a fridge full of food. I waste some of it, and I spend 320$ on myself on food alone. I have been able to cut my budget in half before.. but it just doesn't feel right. I wonder what we can do to stop this bad habit!
This might be difficult given container sizes, but you could buy just what you need for the day, every day at the store. That way, you woudn't have to give up going everyday, but you wouldn't be storing so much food.
Oh my gosh my husband and I always joke that we are food hoarders! We have a giant freezer in our garage to hold extra and there are only two of us. Our problem is we love to go to Costco. No idea why. I think it is because we are on kind of a tight budget most of the time (hopefully that will change). When we go shopping for food it is a necessity so we don't feel as bad spending the money. Shopping is definitely a form of entertainment for us (especially in the winter). Costco is nice because we can look at other stuff as well. We don't really need more food (except replacing produce each week) yet we buy more anyway. Now we have to eat it all before we move in June so that has helped a little with our buying.
There have been times in our marriage (especially college) where we didn't know how we were going to eat the next day. We were so poor one time I remember my husband calling my mother in law and asking if we could use her credit card to order pizza since they took credit cards online and didn't need to see the card. Times like that are scary. I think now that we are more financially secure we hoard just in case something may happen.
When I feel that I don't have "enough" food in the house I get panicky, and I spend all day going in and out of the kitchen trying to find something yummy to eat. I end up getting frustrated and depressed because I don't have any binge food available. I could have cupboards stacked with healthy foods and I'll still be upset because it's the wrong food for my binge.
We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is not a normal reaction to have and coach ourselves to be calm. I find self talk to be very helpful - when I remember to do it.
One thing that might help is keeping a detailed inventory... maybe on the computer in a spreadsheet, or on paper if that's easier for you. Organize it into categories that make sense for you (vegetables, meat, dairy, cooking supplies, packaged meals, etc). Also write down expiration dates for all of it! That will help you use the old stuff first (as will keeping older stuff in front where you can see it).
When you actually run very low on something you need, you can see and add it to a shopping list. And when you're tempted buy a bunch of unplanned stuff.. maybe the thought of having to add it to the inventory will deter you a little.
I need to start doing this, not because I hoard, but because I just FORGET what I have (and with two freezers, I've got quite a bit!) and end up wasting things. I've been planning to start forever, but I'm so lazy.
One thing that might help is keeping a detailed inventory... maybe on the computer in a spreadsheet, or on paper if that's easier for you. Organize it into categories that make sense for you (vegetables, meat, dairy, cooking supplies, packaged meals, etc). Also write down expiration dates for all of it! That will help you use the old stuff first (as will keeping older stuff in front where you can see it).
EXCELLENT IDEA!
Thankfully I'm not a food hoarder, but I live miles and miles away from the nearest grocery store, and this would really help me keep my "staples" from running out before the next shopping trip...(and gas money when I have no choice but to go into town).
I totally understand the fear of being left without food. I was born in poverty and my father always had a huge freezer stocked with meat and other staples. We had a huge amount of food in the house. Although you do get really great bargains if you buy in bulk, I tend to buy only a few days in advance now because the freezer space is limited. I discovered that I ate more when I kept too much food on hand. Instead of having one hamburger patty, I would have a 2 pound flat, and I would always have seconds and in a lot of cases eat almost all of it. So now, I buy only what I am allowed to eat.
I am like this, too, and I just realized that I wasn't until I began trying to eat healthily.
Before then, I never gave much forethought to what I'd be eating to the week, or to cooking, which led to buying prepared foods or frozen foods or takeout. My fridge was often nearly empty except for condiments.
Now that I'm thinking what kind of protein I'm going to use next, and whether it's time for more beans & fish, and fretting over whether produce is going bad, I visit the grocery store at least four times a week (though I'm going to three different stores, to take advantage of sales on different items). What I'm afraid of isn't having enough food, but not having enough **healthy** food. I'm afraid that will make me dial numbers for takeout or make a meal out of something junky.
It's not a fear of being hungry & going unfed -- it is a fear of being hungry, becoming irrational & eating something that I should not.
This is a really interesting thread because I live in the city and don't drive I only have small amount of groceries in my house because I have to carry home food about 4 blocks from the store. However, if I get a ride from someone on a rare occasion and I stock up on things, I literally get a very happy giddy feeling when I open my cupboards up and see it "packed" with food. I also think mine stems from growing up poor, seeing a ton of food makes me feel safe and happy.
And living in the city, not driving, does help alot with dieting, because if I have alot of food in my house I want to eat it, to try everything. Also when I'm at the grocery store I think twice about everything I buy because I have to carry it all home lol.
I definitely understand where you're coming from. I constantly like to have my kitchen stocked with food, it makes me feel calm. If there is hardly any in there I get a panicky feeling. I've gotten it under control now but in the past I have hoarded food to the extreme (in my closets and drawers, in every purse I owned, in my coat pockets, I was hiding food everywhere.
Funnily enough I go to the grocery store even more now! I have turned it into a good habit - here's how. First, I make a weekly plan of what to make for dinner and I write it down. I always make sure these dinners are healthy and balanced. I know some people would say to just go to the grocery store once a week and buy all the things I need but I go every day - I choose to walk to the grocery (but never on an empty stomach!) and pick up that night's dinner ingredients. I live in a busy city so it's easy to do that but if you're living in a suburban area I bet you can do it too. As long as the grocery store is no further than a mile then you're combining exercise with shopping! I have a personal portable shopping cart I take with me. And believe me, after you've huffed and puffed all the way there you're not going to be in the mood to pick up potato chips because you'll feel too good about yourself to do that.
i can COMPLETELY understand where you're coming from.
when i was growing up it was just me and mom..but we were very poor. we hardly ever had decent food in the house..we had cheap items like white bread, spaghetti, and ramen noodles. and that's pretty much all we ate.
we're still semi-poor, especially now that there's 6 people in my house! 3 adults and 3 kids. my mother, me, my boyfriend (who's also my youngest sons father) and then the 3 kids. i dont work.. i stay home with the kids and am in college, while my mother and boyfriend work just to pay the mortgage, lights, water, phone, and internet bills (i take my college classes online instead of going to a campus, so i dont have to pay for a babysitter!)
we rely mostly on food stamps to pay for our food, and i have to budget 600 dollars a month for the 6 of us to eat on.
like you, i'm at the grocery store at least 4 times a week.
however, because of the money situation i can't really spend a lot each trip getting a lot of things we'll never really eat. this alone has helped me a LOT!
so my suggestion is.. make yourself a budget for how much $$$ you spend per week on groceries, and ONLY take that much money with you to the store - leave the rest of the money at home. if you use a debit/credit card at the store...try stopping at an atm, get out the cash you've allowed yourself for the budget, and then leave the cards at home or in the car.
then, after a month of doing that, take that extra cash you saved by not wasting it at the grocery store, and buy yourself something nice. maybe a new outfit to reward yourself with, or some new shoes..whatever you want!
getting that reward at the end of the month for not wasting money on groceries you wont eat might help.
everyone's different and some things that work for some may not work for others, but it couldn't hurt to try it, right?
I choose to walk to the grocery (but never on an empty stomach!)
that right there is the best advice EVER! never ever ever go grocery shopping when you're hungry or having a craving for binge food. always try to do it shortly after you've eaten and are full. you're a LOT less likely to buy a bunch of things you wont eat, or will mess with your diet plan.
It doesn't sound like a totally bad thing if it's healthy food you'll eat anyway. meat,vegetables, lc don't sound bad. if the stuff is frozen, you can't really binge on it, right? Is the stuff you are buying on sale? I bought a freezer full of LeanCusines and frozen vegetables a couple of weeks ago because they were very cheap, but I don't feel it's a bad thing...
I feel more in control of my diet knowing I have plenty of food to last me a few weeks. I don't like going week to week or day to day, I like to be planned for weeks or atleast a month at a time. a few containers of oatmeal, the LeanCusines for backup, some frozen fish, meat chicken, soups and whatever nonperishable items I usually eat.. I'll buy 20+ at a time if it's on sale and cheap.
Last edited by ringmaster; 02-06-2010 at 06:26 PM.
...I feel more in control of my diet knowing I have plenty of food to last me a few weeks. I don't like going week to week or day to day, I like to be planned for weeks or atleast a month at a time. a few containers of oatmeal, the LeanCusines for backup, some frozen fish, meat chicken, soups and whatever nonperishable items I usually eat.. I'll buy 20+ at a time if it's on sale and cheap.
What about fresh produce? And hopefully all food is perishable lol otherwise it's not food.... like margarine for example. Set it out in your garden for a couple of days and you'll see that no living creature will go near it.
Grocery store addict & Food hoarder
