Anonymous wrote:OP, my suggestion for a compromise. Start to box things by the expiration date. Get boxes and anything that expires in the first six months of 2022 put in one box, anything that expires in the second six months of 2022 in a second box, etc. Then a month or so before the window, take each box to a local food bank/soup kitchen and donate. Always use from the oldest box.

My wife also buys a ton (and has since the start of the pandemic). We have large shelves in the basement and as we acquire new stuff, I put it in the back. Every six months or so, I will go and check the canned goods towards the front and anything that expires in the next 4-6 months, I will box up and take to the local food pantry. Then keep adding to the back as we acquire it. It takes more work this way, but I'm used to the system for now. My suggestion was a way to make it a little less work for you.

Wouldn’t it be easier to tell her to buy less stuff

Eh, it wasn't a bad idea. Tell her that inflation makes it impractical to continue stocking up, and that she has done a great job making sure you all have enough to eat and acting as a hedge against inflation. But now is the time to eat what you have already stored.

Anonymous wrote:I hope it's mostly canned and jars. You don't want weevils.

This is true.

Paper boxes and cellophane are a no-go to store for a long time in closets and open rooms. Asking for rodent/pest issues.

We have a single bakers rack (tall, 6 shelves) in the basement stocked with the following. It's encased in plastic.
It's enough for us (family of 3).

paper towels
toilet paper
clorox wipes, lysol, hand sanitizer, soaps

drinks: seltzer, soda, some juices, we're actually out of bottles water but we like to keep two flats and a couple of gallon jugs, which we use to flush toilets when they expire, almond milk, we used to have horizon boxes but those went bad
cans: beans, soups, tomatoes, mandarins/pineapple, tuna
jars and bottles: olives, pickles, peppers, olive oil, vinegar, dressings, sauces, stuff like this that makes dried pasta tasty
we have a lot of pasta, rice, cake mixes, etc... but we try to keep those upstairs in a mudroom pantry in plastic containers

We don't have an endless supply of snacks (nuts, fruit leathers, cookies, crackers, etc...) or freezer items at this point, but that's because I like to do a clean-out before Thanksgiving. I'm sure we'll ramp it back up soon.

We have a good supply of laundry detergent, batteries, stuff like that where it belongs.

Any more than that and I'd feel CRAZY.

I think you need to put your foot down and tell her that you have more than enough and you won’t tolerate more items than you have right now.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I doubt this stuff will expire. Canned goods last an insane amount of time

But man, they can taste bad. We finally used the canned carrots that dh bought “just in case” at the start of the pandemic. It was awful. Good enough if I were starving, but not something I intend to eat on any regular basis.

Op, can you help her see that the supply chain crisis means a shortage of choices, not a shortage of items. You may not find the exact brand/flavor/size combo of what you are used to getting, but acceptable substitutes will be there. Either smaller or larger packages, or a plain flavor, not the exotic seasonal one you were looking forward to. Manufacturers are trimming down their product lines to focus on producing the best-selling, most popular items.

Do you have a sense of where she is hearing this from? I only ask because I have some elderly relatives who think the same way. My cousin visited them and said their small house is overrun with toilet paper and paper towels because they’re convinced a huge shortage is coming.

Dang and I was about to open a can of corn that's more than 10 years old. Seriously.

Corn is one of the best canned vegetables as far as retaining taste and texture. Open it up and take a look. We are going thru all our canned goods that have expired and tossing or using as appropriate.

Agree. Corn is typically fine. And I’ve heard good things about canned potatoes, surprisingly enough. Carrots though? No, just no.

I will disagree. While it will taste fine, I find that corn that has been canned for a long time in water will get mushier and mushier over time. Taste is one thing, but it starts to feel more like baby food than actual corn. I would not use canned corn that was more than about 2 years old for anything unless it was for something cooked like cornbread. In general, I prefer frozen corn to canned corn because of the texture, but the canned stuff gets even worse the longer it is canned.

I really think it depends on the brand. The Kirkland sweet corn has been excellent.

OP, my suggestion for a compromise. Start to box things by the expiration date. Get boxes and anything that expires in the first six months of 2022 put in one box, anything that expires in the second six months of 2022 in a second box, etc. Then a month or so before the window, take each box to a local food bank/soup kitchen and donate. Always use from the oldest box.

My wife also buys a ton (and has since the start of the pandemic). We have large shelves in the basement and as we acquire new stuff, I put it in the back. Every six months or so, I will go and check the canned goods towards the front and anything that expires in the next 4-6 months, I will box up and take to the local food pantry. Then keep adding to the back as we acquire it. It takes more work this way, but I'm used to the system for now. My suggestion was a way to make it a little less work for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I doubt this stuff will expire. Canned goods last an insane amount of time

But man, they can taste bad. We finally used the canned carrots that dh bought “just in case” at the start of the pandemic. It was awful. Good enough if I were starving, but not something I intend to eat on any regular basis.

Op, can you help her see that the supply chain crisis means a shortage of choices, not a shortage of items. You may not find the exact brand/flavor/size combo of what you are used to getting, but acceptable substitutes will be there. Either smaller or larger packages, or a plain flavor, not the exotic seasonal one you were looking forward to. Manufacturers are trimming down their product lines to focus on producing the best-selling, most popular items.

Do you have a sense of where she is hearing this from? I only ask because I have some elderly relatives who think the same way. My cousin visited them and said their small house is overrun with toilet paper and paper towels because they’re convinced a huge shortage is coming.

Dang and I was about to open a can of corn that's more than 10 years old. Seriously.

Corn is one of the best canned vegetables as far as retaining taste and texture. Open it up and take a look. We are going thru all our canned goods that have expired and tossing or using as appropriate.

Agree. Corn is typically fine. And I’ve heard good things about canned potatoes, surprisingly enough. Carrots though? No, just no.

I will disagree. While it will taste fine, I find that corn that has been canned for a long time in water will get mushier and mushier over time. Taste is one thing, but it starts to feel more like baby food than actual corn. I would not use canned corn that was more than about 2 years old for anything unless it was for something cooked like cornbread. In general, I prefer frozen corn to canned corn because of the texture, but the canned stuff gets even worse the longer it is canned.

I hope it's mostly canned and jars. You don't want weevils.