Buy things and give to pantries

My husband does this. He has hoarding tendencies and suffered from deprivation as a child in a war torn country.

My husband is like this. He always wants to buy tons of food and can’t turn down a deal. Even though there are 3 different flavors in the Costco pack of granola bars and nobody likes raisins and the kids are indifferent about peanut butter. Then there’s artificial scarcity over the chocolate chip granola bars and nobody wants to eat the other 2/3 of the pack that ends up rotting in our pantry so he could get a “good deal.”

I hate it.

When he travels and I can clear out the fridge and pantry, I finally feel like I can breathe. I cook a lot more when he’s away. I just can’t handle playing Tetris with a stuffed fridge to find food. It grosses me out and I would rather not eat. The fridge food ends up getting thrown away anyway because he also doesn’t cook, but likes the idea of an overflowing fridge. I estimate we waste at least $500–$,1000 in food to appease his anxiety. It’s a disgusting way to live.

Everyone is welcome at my house for dinner any time.

People do need to get out of the house. Buying too much, wasting food, that’s not good but having a place to go, walking around, feeling purposeful, those are all important. What’s it to you?

Too much work.

I used to enjoy grocery shopping. Now it is stressful with prices being so high.

My husband loves food, shopping for food, making food for people. Anything anyone wants, he will make, and he will run out late at night even just to get one ingredient. He makes food for neighbors, people in need. He can shop for hours, multiple stores. Now, we couldn't do this when we were younger- tight budget and kids. I shopped and used sales and coupons. He was on tight rein. We are definitely more comfortable now and this is what he loves.

Yes, it's a hobby. Yes, he's a character, he really should be an influencer, as he's hysterical. He's also a mess, I clean.Yes, the food is great- so good.

Anonymous wrote:I am actually the polar opposite of this.
Lol.

Meaning that I DETEST grocery shopping. 🛒

If you know people who actually ENJOY shopping for groceries, why not suggest that they get a part-time job grocery shopping for people who get their groceries delivered??

This would be a perfect way for them to get their shopping “itch” w/out having to waste food ➕ money.

+a million. Ugh. having to shop. And that's shopping for anything.

Anonymous wrote:I'm kinda like this, but I don't really waste food.

Same. I’m always on the hunt for something new! I love going to the grocery store. I only go once every 2 weeks - DH does it the rest of the time. I set aside a full half day, just to browse

Anonymous wrote:Depends, do they have 4 teen sons?

+4

I am actually the polar opposite of this.
Lol.

Meaning that I DETEST grocery shopping. 🛒

If you know people who actually ENJOY shopping for groceries, why not suggest that they get a part-time job grocery shopping for people who get their groceries delivered??

This would be a perfect way for them to get their shopping “itch” w/out having to waste food ➕ money.

I make the round of grocery stores. I'm looking for what's on sale that week, and that's what we eat. I do not waste food. What we buy we eat.

Anonymous wrote:I'm realizing I know a few people who shop too much for groceries go to many different stores to shop to "get out of the house" as ones person tells me. Then they can't eat all the said food and it goes to waste. I don't know how much money they're wasting but all of them are on a fixed budget and shouldn't be wasting it on food they can't eat. Do you know anyone like this or are you like this?

I've shopped with my SIL a few times. Exhausting. Her hobby has always been deals. When inlaws were alive every family gathering would include her and my MIL sharing coupons. Minimum 3 grocery stores. We spent a half hour in a customer service line because she contested the price she was charged for a box of brownie mix the week before when there was a sale on several versions of the particular brand of brownie mix. She's not obnoxious, she's always polite and pleasant but absolutely persistent. I was uncomfortable because of the number of people behind us, but she got the refund she wanted. But she will always have a different list for each store based on which has the brands she wants at the lowest price. She added Trader Joes to her store circuit a few years ago because she fell in love with cookie butter. She also does famer's markets and joined a CSA one year. She buys a lot of food, it seems like, and she and her husband never had kids, but I've never noticed anything being wasted and I would doubt that happens.

But she's not doing it for entertainment, she just gets pleasure out of doing it this way.

My MIL was like this. We threw away 6 contractor bags of food when she died. It broke my heart. I also filled up an SUV with all of the food that hadn’t expired and took that to a food bank and that STILL wasn’t all the food she had in the house (she was the only person living in her house). There were tons of very expensive, specialty food items in her huge pantry that we offered to her lovely caretakers. The three of them each took a garbage bag. She was a very good cook, loved food and was clearly a hoarder. She could afford it, though, and none of us ever said a word about it to her while she was alive.