There was a time when I looked forward to weekends – mostly when I worked but also when I needed Vince’s help with things. Mostly I looked forward to Monday when I’d have the house to myself. Don’t get me wrong . . and someone always does! I’m happy to have him. I love him. I love spending time with him but I love my alone time too. I’d never want him gone always but it’s been nice when he leaves in the morning, comes home for lunch, goes back to work and gets home after work.
These days . . he’s always home.
Yesterday I cleaned out my pantry and I took 5 BIG trash bags to either donate or throw away. My pantry is a black hole. It’s deep and dark. Why did I have 7 contains of fried onions? I guess because we’ve been here 7 years and I buy them every year for a green bean casserole at Thanksgiving and obviously never made it. There were things that had expired in 2012. I don’t mind donating things that expired in 2017, or maybe 2016, but 2012 is pushing it. I told VInce . . don’t ever buy olives or water chestnuts . . EVER again. We have a lifetime supply!
I thought that Vince would see all that was being thrown out or given away and he would translate that to dollars and he would quit dragging me, kicking and screaming like a 2 year old, through the grocery store. Nope! This morning we had a meeting in town and afterwards, he said “Do you need anything from United?” Nope . . nothing. Did that stop us from going to United? Nope! I bought yellow squash that was on sale, avocados and said “Can we go now?”s We checked out and our bill was about $8. We needed nothing from United!
Thank goodness his cardio rehab is about the time the mail lady comes by with yarn packages. Between the stress of Vince’s health, retirement decisions, moving discussions, Rita’s eyes . . yarn shopping is what’s keeping me sane.
My head hurts! I’m trying to decide . . take two aspirins, or take a nap (or both) or have wine . . or maybe wine and a nap. It’s almost 1 p.m. but it’s 5:00 somewhere, right?
Teri says
Did you clean out your pantry because of unhealthy food or because it was outdated? I think a lot of food is still good past the date stamped. I’d recommend the wine and then a nap. Or vice versa!
Melody says
I recommend nap, then yarn shopping, then wine. 😉
Valerie Zagami says
It’s the routine I think that makes our lives feel out of line with changes. One day normal and the next everything upside down. Somehow a new normalcy will happen. I vote wine, nap and yarn!!
Cathy says
I feel your pain! I love my hubby, but I also love my alone time. I retired after Phil and we enjoy doing so much together. But is it really necessary for me to accompany him every time he goes to town? Like Vince, Phil loves to grocery shop. However he is so unorganized it drives me crazy. He has a list of what’s on sale but when he gets in the store he’ll get something from one end then go to the other then the middle then back to where he first started. I guess I could look at it positively in that I’m getting steps in that I wouldn’t normally get.
Cilla Tyler says
I’d go with the wine. Then yarn shopping, wine, more yarn shopping. It’s almost 5 here so I’ll join you!!!
Ruth says
I totally agree with tossing food past its “use by..” date – unless it’s jello. That stuff lasts ForEver. Recently I tried to eat some outdated-by-a-year graham crackers. NASTY!!! And when tomato soup is out of date, I toss it because I know the tomato reacts with the metal can lining eventually and it tastes like metal. Tuna fish tastes terrible after its use by date too, as friends of mine found out.
Worst of all, I was babysitting and gave the child a tube of food the mom had left with me several months earlier. He threw up in the car on the way home. She had me check what I’d fed him. I retrieved the empty tube from the trashcan and found it was two months past the use by date. I felt terribly guilty for weeks after that.
So I say keep tossing out the old food! You can always open up a single item past its use by date, and taste it to see if it is any good. Your nose and tongue will tell you very quickly if it is OK.
Judy Laquidara says
Just a word of caution – botulism is tasteless and odorless. That’s more likely to occur in food improperly processed or if the cans were damaged.
Because food is outdated does not mean it’s bad. There are plenty of foods that I use well past the use by date but things that have oils or grains or nuts often go rancid very quickly. My pantry usually has the door closed and it gets warm in there so things will get rancid.
Ellen says
Wine. 🙂 It’s always five-o-clock!
Nelle Coursey says
LOL You know you could always have it sent to my house!! No one would ever need to know!! LOL
Penny says
Wine! It’s always five o’clock somewhere!
dezertsuz says
A nap sounds like your best bet, and maybe the aspirin or a snack. I use some things past the date, but usually things get used before then. I have them lined up on my shelving with oldest in front, so it’s easy. That was funny about the onions!