So my ex's mom had ZERO food in the house and would not let anyone eat "outside" food on HER dishes, you had to use a paper plate and take the trash out and eat the food inside a bedroom. (You also couldn't sit on any of her living room furniture or use the dining room table to eat on because they were "antiques.")

ALL the containers in her fridge were color-coordinated, like if she bought ketchup or pickles or veggies she'd have to put them in a glass container that matched the others.

She also had major food issues, like one time she woke us all up because she "ran out and got us fresh breakfast" and it was ONE single-serve tub of greek yogurt to split among FOUR people. The next day each person got half an apricot for breakfast. When she hosted a dinner party, she made ONE button mushroom for each person. And like a whole chicken for 12 people.

Anonymous wrote:DH's parents: very organized. Very healthy. No hoarding.

My side: cannot throw away anything without lengthy navel-gazing about when/how/from whom they got the item, and how 'all it needs is a new whatever' to make it 100% awesome and usable again. My brother and I are militant about throwing crap out and believe we have no right to do that to our loved ones. Our older sister... the keeper of the hoard (our parents home) not so much. She seems to equate keeping everything with loving and respecting everyone, though it is the opposite.

Me again, wait hold on. DH's parents do have something weird. FIL's brother carves and makes art/animals out of coconuts so there are some odd looking coconuts around. They put them out when he visits so he knows they appreciate his art. As a result, they get gifted more coconut art. We got one from him for our wedding and were in the process of throwing it out (really what am I going to do with it...) when I noticed it had a plug and he'd put $3000 in it. The coconuts weren't so ugly after that.

DH's parents: very organized. Very healthy. No hoarding.

My side: cannot throw away anything without lengthy navel-gazing about when/how/from whom they got the item, and how 'all it needs is a new whatever' to make it 100% awesome and usable again. My brother and I are militant about throwing crap out and believe we have no right to do that to our loved ones. Our older sister... the keeper of the hoard (our parents home) not so much. She seems to equate keeping everything with loving and respecting everyone, though it is the opposite.

My in laws house has almost no lights. All the lighting is at least 30 years old and barely works. At night even with every light they have on it always looks like sunset. When you really need to see something it is very annoying...for example when we are visiting and I need to change the baby’s diaper.

Anonymous wrote:In laws--litter box in the kitchen.

Litter box behind the only couch in the only room with seating that's not the kitchen table. The cat of course goes to poop in the thing the second anyone settles in to read a book or watch the tv. Seriously. They have one 3 seater sofa and 4 kitchen chairs. Only places to sit in the entire house.

In laws--litter box in the kitchen.

Anonymous wrote:What is it with old people and food? Just throw it out. My MIL was an old food hoarder. Sadly my ex inherited that gene.

My mother grew up with food insecurity and didn't like to throw out food.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is it with old people and food? Just throw it out. My MIL was an old food hoarder. Sadly my ex inherited that gene.

I don't know, but it's gross when you open a box of crackers or something (at my mom's) and take a bit and... "eww... what's wrong with this?" and then you look at the exp date on the box. By now I'm surprised if something out of her pantry IS NOT past the expiration date. It really irritates me tbh. She also has a ton of medicines like ibuprofen, etc that are expired.

http://www.usmedicine.com/agencies/department-of-defense-dod/dodfda-program-seeks-to-extend-lives-of-expired-medications/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is it with old people and food? Just throw it out. My MIL was an old food hoarder. Sadly my ex inherited that gene.

I don't know, but it's gross when you open a box of crackers or something (at my mom's) and take a bit and... "eww... what's wrong with this?" and then you look at the exp date on the box. By now I'm surprised if something out of her pantry IS NOT past the expiration date. It really irritates me tbh. She also has a ton of medicines like ibuprofen, etc that are expired.

The worst.

Anonymous wrote:What is it with old people and food? Just throw it out. My MIL was an old food hoarder. Sadly my ex inherited that gene.

I don't know, but it's gross when you open a box of crackers or something (at my mom's) and take a bit and... "eww... what's wrong with this?" and then you look at the exp date on the box. By now I'm surprised if something out of her pantry IS NOT past the expiration date. It really irritates me tbh. She also has a ton of medicines like ibuprofen, etc that are expired.

What is it with old people and food? Just throw it out. My MIL was an old food hoarder. Sadly my ex inherited that gene.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you sound germophobic, OP.

I used spices today from 12 years ago when I got married. They are fine.

I wash but don't "disinfect" after cutting meat. Dish Soap and water is fine. We have never gotten sick from it. I have had food poisoning a few times...from fancy, fancy restaurants only!

Hardly. I just don’t like moldy food or old stale things. Also like to be safe with meat. Really this is basic stuff. Also, I thought spices lost their potency like 12-28 months in? I wouldn’t say they go bad but they are definitely not the same after a certain point.

That is what they'd like you to believe so you keep buying new, but it is rare for it to matter, at least to the extent one could taste it. Meds are the same way -- typically good for decades.

There are exceptions obviously, like cooking oil which will go rancid, yeast will lose potency, etc. But the 12 year old marjoram I used yesterday tasted like...marjoram. Wasteful to throw it out when it is perfectly fine.

I don't see any evidence your mother's meat handling practices are actually bad. I agree about moldy food -- my mom is the type to cut the moldy part of a cheese off and eat it anyway, which is a bridge too far for me.

My mom has a gigantic pantry filled with food in it and probably 65% of it is past the expiration date because she buys so much that it can't get eaten. Very wasteful. She has FOUR freezers (one a big deep freezer) filled with food. Just her and my stepdad live there with visits from grandkids and sometimes my siblings.

They also have a second home. They spend so much money on themselves and material objects and love to brag about it.

My SO's mom has a 7 foot tall wooden giraffe and a huge couch sized wooden hippo in the living room. Their house stinks like ass from all the smoking they do. it's DISGUSTING.

My MIL is an impeccable decorator and housekeeper...except her basement where she and FIL have lived for 40 years Is packed to the rafters with stuff. They keep a spare fridge at the bottom of the steps and so I've only been down there briefly at family gatherings,but it's a sight to behold.

Organized chaos, but stacks of boxes and bins, decor items, small appliances, books, tools. It's like an archive. I'd love to go through it all and sadly, will likely have to do so eventually. No one is really allowed down in the basement to sort or grab. I'm dying to unearth DH record collection.

OP, did your mom cook for you when you were growing up? Did you get poisoned? If not, chances are your mom's habits are fine. You sound awfully judgmental!