I use to be really good about keeping my cupboards and freezer straight. I use to reorganize everything at least once a year, if not more often. The OCD side of me always made sure that the oldest stuff was in the front and I would put the newer stuff in the back. But somehow it has gotten away from me and it was totally out of hand. Every time I opened the cupboard I saw chaos and craziness. I have a husband who buys canned tomatoes every chance he gets. Like he thinks there is going to be some sort of catastrophe and the answer to that catastrophe will be canned tomatoes.
But it isn’t all his fault. I use to know pretty much what I had on hand in the cupboards and freezer, but over the last few years I have lost touch with it. Lately when I’m at the grocery store I think to myself “Do I have mustard, mayo, ketchup, or whatever it is that I’m standing in front of.” Since I’m not sure I just go ahead and purchase some. If its on sale, I purchase more than one. When I bring it home, my cupboard is a mess, so I’m just happy if I can find a place to put it.
So for the last month I’ve been telling myself that I’ve got to do something about my kitchen mess. So Saturday I decided I would spend the afternoon and get my cupboards, pantry, freezer, and refrigerator organized. Sadly it was such a mess that I only had the time and energy to do the cupboards and pantry. But the worse part was the waste. I hauled out sacks and sacks of ketchup, barbque sauce, mayo, salad dressing, all sorts of marinades, boxes of chicken coatings, rice-a-roni, chili mix, scalloped potatoes, hash browns, canned goods, and potato buds. Potato Buds? I didn’t even know I used Potato Buds! It just as easy and much more healthy to boil a potato and put it through the ricer. But looking at the piles of unused food stuff I was totally and completely ashamed of myself.
Doug got tired of me bringing stuff out where he was and showing him. Like two bags of the same kind of chips opened. He finally said “I get the message.” Two things open at once really gets on my nerves. Next weekend I will tackle the freezers. Lord only knows what I will find out there. It scares me just a bit. But in the meantime I know I need peanut butter and I’ve got enough tomatoes to last me until 2014. At least that’s when the last of them expire anyways.