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January 7, 2008
OCD New Year
If the Internet silence alarmed you, fear not! For I bring tidings of obsessive-compulsive cleaning and disposing to celebrate the New Year:
With the boys’ unwilling “help,” I completely emptied, scrubbed, and rearranged the pantry.
Unload those shelves more quickly, Finn! Fish sauce and other Asian items go on the table, STAT!
Pantry guts show that choosy moms do choose Jif.
This exercise revealed that the items I most frequently over-purchase are:
Looks like I’ll be making cheese cakes and chess squares decorated with paprika to use these up.
What do you buy too much of? Can sour cream go bad? That fear is the reason I keep buying it. The sugar and paprika I forget to check before I go to Publix.
The OCD Pantry Big Reveal:
Yesterday I held everyone hostage until the attic had been attacked and there were ample piles of trash to prove it.
Yes, we had a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous time in New York, and tales will follow.
One year ago in My Tiny Kingdom: Cream of Shrimp: The Glamore Christmas Story
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January 7th, 2008 at 10:39 am, Waidmann Says:
Yes, yes, yes. Sour cream will and does go bad. It grows blue/green lily pads. With deep roots that can go to the bottom of the container. Unlike cheese, for instance, where you simply cut off the mold and eat it any way, we dump sour cream with lily pads down the disposal.
Waidmann
January 7th, 2008 at 10:46 am, Candy Says:
Oddly enough, my most frequent overpurchases are sour cream and paprika. Are you sure we’re not related?
Candy’s last blog post..Weekend Update
January 7th, 2008 at 10:51 am, Susu Says:
I did the same cleaning out in my pantry last year and painted the walls “Caramel Apple” by Benjamin Moore, to match my kitchen. It looks so nice, and if anything gets spilled down the walls, the dark color acts as a coverup!!
January 7th, 2008 at 11:17 am, lake lurker Says:
We had a major purging of the pantry and fridge after Christmas. We still have 5 boxes of Uncle Ben’s rice, 3 jars of Jif(2 opened), and 3 opened jars of Kraft parmesan cheese.Surely there’s a recipe to use them up.
January 7th, 2008 at 11:42 am, Cassie Says:
Confectioner’s Sugar 3 Boxes, and Cayenne Pepper. Don’t ask me why, I have a weird obesession.
Cassie
January 7th, 2008 at 12:52 pm, Jane Says:
Basil and coconut. What’s with the single spice and baking ingredient?
And I second Waidmann’s comment. You KNOW when sour cream goes bad. First it has little yellow/orange flecks and then the green lilypads come out.
Jane’s last blog post..Vacation - Part I
January 7th, 2008 at 12:55 pm, Erin Says:
I recently did a big remove and purge on our pantry. It’s back to being disorganized though. I learned I buy too much “back-up” cereal, ketchup, and goldfish crackers (my kids are 5 and 1). And in the fridge I overload on apples, cheese, and yogurt. When the yogurt gets to it’s date I tell my husband to start eating more and he gets it used up.
January 7th, 2008 at 1:37 pm, Charro Says:
The picture of your pantry reminded me of mine years ago in another house. I cleaned and purged and painted it. It looked FABULOUS ! THEN,… after I had put everything back in its’ place, I had a64oz bottle of coke that went on a higher shelf and yes, I dropped it and it exploded all over everything !!! Egads… I moped the floor and said forget it, it would have to wait until the next cleaning mood hit me.
January 7th, 2008 at 1:48 pm, boomama Says:
I overbuy brown sugar, cream cheese and random cans of beans that we never eat. And yet I still continue to purchase the random beans, knowing full well that we may never eat them. It is a sickness.
boomama’s last blog post..I Know That The Internets Feel My Pain
January 7th, 2008 at 2:00 pm, Laura S. Says:
It is canned tomatoes(9) and condensed milk(5). Anybody got a receipe for that?
January 7th, 2008 at 3:34 pm, Katrina Says:
Very revealing pantry expose. I wish the cleaning and organizing bug that has clearly bitten you would come over here and attack me. Our place is starting to resemble the home of one of those compulsive collector people. The things I usually overbuy are toilet paper (no problem there), Jif peanut butter (I get the ginormous 2-pack at Costco every month and some months we only go through one jar), and salsa.
Katrina’s last blog post..It?s a Dirty Job
January 7th, 2008 at 3:58 pm, russ Says:
Now Smoked Paprika and paprika are different. I have Smoked, sweet, and hot paprika (some actually from Hungery).
I’m too scared to actually attack my pantry. So I did my closet instead.
russ’s last blog post..Guitar Hero
January 7th, 2008 at 4:09 pm, Holly Says:
Cleaned out mine this summer before having roll-out shelves installed and found 8 cans of Rotel. Cabinets were so bad, I had actually borrowed a can of Rotel from a neighbor the week before because I couldn’t find any.
January 7th, 2008 at 5:05 pm, Queen of Shake Shake Says:
I buy too much salad dressing, worchestershire sauce and pumpkin pie spice.
Sour cream go bad? You mean there are people who don’t gobble it down in 2 days? I am a complete sour cream hog.
Queen of Shake Shake’s last blog post..Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler
January 7th, 2008 at 5:35 pm, Peeved Michelle Says:
I used to overbuy Ro-Tel Chile Tomatoes because I use them in several casseroles and my DELISHous white chicken enchiladas, but I never remember to check to see if I have any before I go to the store. Sadly, I was relying on this overbuying pattern at Christmastime and was sad when I assembled the ingredients for my casserole only to discover no Ro-Tel in cupboard. I substituted the ubiquitous packet of taco seasoning.
Peeved Michelle’s last blog post..EAT!
January 7th, 2008 at 6:05 pm, Anne Turner Says:
Um, Cheerios. Stocked up for my toddler, and he’s not crazy about them. I wonder if they could be crushed up and used as breading. It would be a pity to try it and find out no. But otherwise, I’m afraid they will become duck food.
Isn’t there a Goodwill or some other thrift store that would appreciate the boxes of things pulled from the attic?
January 7th, 2008 at 6:11 pm, Anne Turner Says:
Oh, and I have many cans of remaining sardines from when I was pregnant. I was a bit over-ambitious or unrealistic about how many cans I could down in a nine-month stretch.
We also have three massive cans of pumpkin moosh, for making pumpkin pies. Maybe I’ll find a good pumpkin soup recipe that calls for it….
Good to get us thinking, Anne!
January 7th, 2008 at 6:41 pm, Karyn Says:
Holy God, yes, Sour Cream can go bad. I find it funny that we buy so many of the same products; Daisy, Heinz, Jif, Vanilla Wafers, Domino. Ha. I buy too much sour cream (same reason actually, because you never know when it’s going to turn on you), baking soda (wtf?), and pasta. Somehow I think we’re out and I come home and find there’s a surplus of it. And the next time I go to the store? More pasta goes in the cart. WTF again.
Can’t wait to hear about your travels, glad you’re back safely!
Karyn’s last blog post..Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
January 7th, 2008 at 10:50 pm, lauren Says:
for some wierd reason, mine is mandarin oranges! but Publix always has them in the bins up front and the label is so pretty.
i rationalize it by thinking, if we run out of fresh fruit, we’ll have something on hand for the kids. we now have about 8 cans on hand should a snow storm come upon birmingham this winter-lol.
lauren’s last blog post..Esty Find: k bella bambino’s shop
January 7th, 2008 at 10:54 pm, Tina Says:
I over buy ginger and food coloring. I don’t know why. I started a cleaning frenzy on New Year’s Day too. I forsee a lot of them in 2008.
Tina’s last blog post..Centennial
January 8th, 2008 at 8:30 am, Mishka Says:
I overbuy Rotel, Ortega chillies and coconut milk, but I think that is because I use them a lot and am always afraid I am going to not have enough when I need it. I really need to do a purge and clean on the filing cabinet in the next couple of weeks so I can get organized for taxes but the bug has not hit me yet…
Mishka’s last blog post..Mishka’s Reading Update
January 8th, 2008 at 9:29 am, Sam in SC Says:
Anne Turner’s post made me laugh out loud thinking about all of the baby-will-love-this over buys we made when my daughter was an infant. I wish I could get a rebate on all of the unopened formula, never used baby bottles, yucko baby food goo that she would not touch with a ten foot pole, as well as the onesies she outgrew before they could make it out of the package. There is no purge like the one you do to rid yourself of various and sundrie baby-related paraphernalia - and don’t even get me started on the playroom!
January 8th, 2008 at 1:40 pm, jo Says:
Frozen chicken breasts and vanilla. Whenever chicken is on sale I buy more whether or not I have a ton in the freezer already. And since it has been months since I have actually cooked a meal that means there are a lot of them in there.
jo’s last blog post..Worst radio commercial ever.
January 8th, 2008 at 1:43 pm, bibi Says:
We buy sauerkraut,pickles and spicy brown mustard way too often. Everytime my husband makes a hot dog he panics and thinks we are out of all of the above.
bibi’s last blog post..Because they go so well together?
January 9th, 2008 at 12:55 am, childsplay Says:
I tried organizing like that once…it didn’t really work for me, so I avoid doing it again at all costs.
childsplay’s last blog post..Christmas Lapbook
January 9th, 2008 at 11:15 am, Jessica Says:
I can’t wait to have a pantry some day. I try to stick to my e-mealz list and that keeps me out of trouble since I have only 1956 cabinets with no pantry in sight. I have dreams of a new kitchen especially with four kids in the house. Try The Amandas in Cahaba Heights they have great pantry and organizing ideas. Does anyone else buy the organizing stuff before organizing? We overbuy on peanut butter and sour cream. I never check the date of the old one before I go to the store.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm, Anne Turner Says:
How do you all use this sour cream? (Or think you’re going to use it?) I’m mystified. Admittedly, I do something similar with other dairy products, namely, cottage cheese, yogurt, and cream cheese. But I’ve only occasionaly done it with the sour cream — markedly less often.
I guess the only purpose for sour cream I have is for veggie dips- which are pretty salty, so it is questionable as to how healthy they are, even if they do get me to eat more veggies.
January 9th, 2008 at 9:18 pm, Debbie Says:
Ok, I do overbuy lots of this stuff often, about 6 months ago re-did spice cabinet and now I can see everything- it’s in abc order and we are dating when we open each container by month/year. It has been so helpful! The 6 month ago clean out revealed stuff we thought we maybe bought when we 1st got married 14 years ago!! YUCK. Now it’s an easy quick look before I head out to Publix!
January 10th, 2008 at 11:26 am, childsplay Says:
It hit me what you can do with all that paprika and sour cream! Make Rakott Krumpli! I added the recipe to my blog–so yummy.
childsplay’s last blog post..Rakott Krumpli
January 11th, 2008 at 11:54 pm, Jodi Says:
I have 6 boxes of powdered sugar staring at me from my pantry right now. I just managed to use one of 5 boxes of chicken broth, but thankfully I have until August to work on the other four. I swear I’m going to start using a list at the grocery store, but I just can’t seem to stop living on the edge and wingin’ it each week.
Jodi’s last blog post..Blue Jeans Blues