When you buy something like a food item which disappoints, what do you do with the rest?

[Ginevra]

Just curious. When you find you don’t like the flavor of Blueberry Green Tea or Cracked Pepper Crackers are not too good or whatever, do you throw them away or give them away or suffer out to the bitter end? Do you put it back in your pantry, knowing full well you aren’t ever going to eat it?

[Acorn]

I offer it at work or to a neighbor.

ETA: just thought about it and realized most things are demolished by my 12 year old anyways

Edited January 14, 2018 by Acorn

[HomeAgain]

I'm an optimist.  I keep putting them back in the pantry/fridge until they expire or go stale. :D  Maybe if I let them sit there long enough I'll like them.  Or someone else will eat them.

[nevergiveup]

Feed them to the family.

Guilt them into eating them.

 

Only half kidding.  If the food was not spoiled and at least had some nutrition in it, I would suffer out to the bitter end.

[Guest]

I'm an optimist. I keep putting them back in the pantry/fridge until they expire or go stale. :D Maybe if I let them sit there long enough I'll like them. Or someone else will eat them.

This is generally what I do, but I know it is foolish and I am merely postponing the date when I will chuck it.

[Carrie12345]

In my house, someone will eat it.  And then they will want me to buy more for them, and I will silently judge them.

[kewb]

I find out if anyone in the house likes it. If not, I will give it to a friend who likes it. Still no takers? The trash. Even though it pains me to toss good food.

[Alessandra]

Throw it out right away. No qualms.

[Selkie]

Throw it out right away. No qualms.

Same here.

[LuvToRead]

If I can, I try to transform them somehow.  I would crush the crackers and use in place of bread crumbs, and maybe mix the tea with another flavor you like.  Other than that, I will throw out.  I've read green tea is a great facial toner.  I may try that, blueberries and all.  (as long as it was just blueberries and green tea, nothing else added.  I wonder if you could pick the blueberries out??)

[Lanny]

Try to finish it and then try to remember never to buy that again.  The flip side is that if you don't try new things, you might miss out on something really good.  We started buying some things in the no frills store, a few months ago. Began with their Laundry Detergent. Soap bars for the bathrooms.  Mozzarella Cheese, etc.  Truly very  high quality products, at much lower prices.  So I had been looking at glass jars of Peach Marmalade and finally bought one, a couple of days ago. My wife had it opened and had sampled it, a minute or 2 after it was in the Kitchen. Truly delicious.  Next time I go there, I will get a jar of their Strawberry Marmalade.  Obviously, there is a lot of a Peach that went into that jar of Marmalade.  :hurray:

[marbel]

If I can, I try to transform them somehow.  I would crush the crackers and use in place of bread crumbs, and maybe mix the tea with another flavor you like.  Other than that, I will throw out.  I've read green tea is a great facial toner.  I may try that, blueberries and all.  (as long as it was just blueberries and green tea, nothing else added.  I wonder if you could pick the blueberries out??)

 

This is what I do - try to change it in some useful way.  But, if something is really bad, and I can't figure out a way to make it usable, I throw it out.  I don't like to waste food (who does?) but if no one is going to eat it, it's just going to take up fridge or cupboard space and get in my way till I throw it out.

[regentrude]

Depends. Some things I will finish, unless they are truly horrible. Some I give away, for example tea I don't like. Prepared foods I take in to work; everything will be eaten by a bunch of hungry grad students.

I do not usually throw away food unless it is absolutely horrible. 

Edited January 14, 2018 by regentrude

[Bambam]

My dh will eat almost anything rather than see it go to waste. So, I let him know I'm planning on getting rid of it unless he wants it.

If it is anything sweet, he will take it to work and leave it out. It disappears. Either someone else likes it or they throw it away and you don't know. Either way is okay in my book!

I don't know if we've ever found a tea that no one in the family likes.

However, we did try Kombucha. We threw that away because we were sure it was bad. We tried at again because everyone was raving about it. We threw it away again. It might not have been bad (spoiled) but it tasted like it was. Awful stuff.

 

Well, I did get some of that Airborne (sp?) fizzy tablets that you were supposed to dissolve in water and drink and it would help your immune system. That was pretty bad. I told my dh. He decided he would try it by just popping those tablets in his mouth (no need for the water for a real man, right?). He started foaming and gagging and spitting that stuff out. He said it tasted like he has kissed a dog's bottom. lol. I almost died laughing. I think we threw the rest of that out. 

Edited January 14, 2018 by Bambam

[mmasc]

I'm an optimist. I keep putting them back in the pantry/fridge until they expire or go stale. :D Maybe if I let them sit there long enough I'll like them. Or someone else will eat them.

This is exactly what I do. :) unfortunately, they usually get old and tossed. But it’s not very often that I buy something that is just too gross for any of us to finish.

 

ETA: Harney & Sons Blueberry Green Tea is one of my two favorite teas. :)

Edited January 14, 2018 by mmasc

[kiana]

It depends on a combination of the cost, the nutrition, how fast it'll spoil, and just how nasty it is.

 

If it was bought as a treat and has little nutritional value anyway, it goes in the bin immediately. 

 

If it was expensive or was supposed to supplement my diet, I'll try quite hard to repurpose it. But sometimes this ends with coming up for an idea about repurposing it and then it sits in the closet. 

[happypamama]

Two words: four boys.

[MomtoCandJ]

Send it to work with DH (the Reese’s coffee creamer comes to mind here)

[Word Nerd]

I take them to the breakroom at work. If it’s something perishable, I just toss it.

[Daria]

I solve this problem by having a teenage boy.

[Junie]

I would just throw it away.

 

I have a relative who will take it back to the store for a refund since the product did not meet her expectations.  :eyeroll:

[solascriptura]

I hate food waste so if it’s a healthier item, my dh and I will eat them. If it’s junky, no one needs that so I’ll toss it without hesitation.

[Renthead Mommy]

In the past we would give it away.  Here in TX we have no one to give it to other than the husband taking it to work.  And that is sort of weird as we are not friends with any of them at all.  So it would end up in the bokashi if it was food.  Things like packed food, like snack bars that are a bust I ususally leave in my car and had out to the homeless on the many, many street corners here. 

[samba]

If it's food, my son will most likely eat it. I have a hard time throwing food away if it isn't spoiled. Usually it's tea and I will put it back in the pantry. I will either drink it occasionally to see if my tastes have changed or find someone to give it to. I currently have a fennel tea that has been in my pantry for 2+ years. It was not cheap but it is so awful I can't drink it (and I really like fennel!) Every time I plan to throw it away I think of the $$ and guilt compels me to try it again.  :glare:

Edited January 14, 2018 by samba

[Word Nerd]

This thread reminds me I have some tea in a cool elephant tin that I tried a couple of times and haven't had any desire to drink again. I'm going to give it one more chance, but I suspect I'll be taking a ziplock full of tea bags to work. At least I got a cool tin out of the purchase.

 

ETA: I just took it out to make a cup of tea, took a whiff, and NOPE! I don’t know which part of this blend is the problem, but I won’t drink it.

Edited January 14, 2018 by Word Nerd

[Critterfixer]

I throw it away and don't buy it again.

[Squiddles]

I feed it to my chickens and then it comes back to me as eggs [emoji1362]and then I don't feel wasteful

 

Unless it's junk food (which we rarely buy) I don't feel guilty throwing that away

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Night Elf]

If no one in the house likes it, I throw it away. Putting it back in the pantry or refrigerator knowing full well no one will eat it makes no sense to me. That's taking up space that could be used for food we do like.

 

I would have never thought a food bank would take open food. I donate only new items.

[Guest]

My dh will eat almost anything rather than see it go to waste. So, I let him know I'm planning on getting rid of it unless he wants it.

If it is anything sweet, he will take it to work and leave it out. It disappears. Either someone else likes it or they throw it away and you don't know. Either way is okay in my book!

I don't know if we've ever found a tea that no one in the family likes.

However, we did try Kombucha. We threw that away because we were sure it was bad. We tried at again because everyone was raving about it. We threw it away again. It might not have been bad (spoiled) but it tasted like it was. Awful stuff.

 

Well, I did get some of that Airborne (sp?) fizzy tablets that you were supposed to dissolve in water and drink and it would help your immune system. That was pretty bad. I told my dh. He decided he would try it by just popping those tablets in his mouth (no need for the water for a real man, right?). He started foaming and gagging and spitting that stuff out. He said it tasted like he has kissed a dog's bottom. lol. I almost died laughing. I think we threw the rest of that out.

That reminds me of a time I followed a recipe for Apple Muffins. They were horrible! They were like concrete bricks. I figured I must surely have made a mistake in preparation. I threw them away and repeated the recipe. Same result: cement muffins. I just couldn’t believe this was what the recipe was actually supposed to produce.

[Baseball mom]

I try to find a neighbor or friend who might want it. If I can't, then I throw it away.

 

This

[Guinevere]

My dh will eat almost anything rather than see it go to waste. So, I let him know I'm planning on getting rid of it unless he wants it.

If it is anything sweet, he will take it to work and leave it out. It disappears. Either someone else likes it or they throw it away and you don't know. Either way is okay in my book!

I don't know if we've ever found a tea that no one in the family likes.

However, we did try Kombucha. We threw that away because we were sure it was bad. We tried at again because everyone was raving about it. We threw it away again. It might not have been bad (spoiled) but it tasted like it was. Awful stuff.

 

Well, I did get some of that Airborne (sp?) fizzy tablets that you were supposed to dissolve in water and drink and it would help your immune system. That was pretty bad. I told my dh. He decided he would try it by just popping those tablets in his mouth (no need for the water for a real man, right?). He started foaming and gagging and spitting that stuff out. He said it tasted like he has kissed a dog's bottom. lol. I almost died laughing. I think we threw the rest of that out.

I feed everything to my dh, too! And I was laughing so hard about the fizzy tablet, because that's exactly like my dh! Edited January 14, 2018 by Guinevere

[Tap]

I will put it in the pantry for other to try and if it's not eaten by the next time I clean the pantry, I toss it. 

 

Sometimes, I take things to work and put them in the break room, but that only works with premade items like crackers/candy etc.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I force myself to eat them.  This is because no one else will eat things if they don't like them and I was raised by parents who went through the Great Depression.

[Guest]

I really wish I had this break room/work kitchen concept so many of you have. I remember how that used to be years ago; hald a bakery cake would turn up in there, or a platter of bagels or whatever. It was great! But I don’t have any such thing any more.

 

The closest I have to that is the beach cottage shared amongst my ILs. I always say that place is like the Island of Misfit Goods. That’s where everyone unloads their barely-functioning vacuum cleaner, their fritzy coffee maker (there are three coffee makers there now), their itchy blankets, threadbare towels, and yes, Virginia, their Red Velvet Flavored Oreo Cookies that spent three years in the fridge before someone (me) decided they were clearly unwanted!

[creekland]

Chickens or compost.  It's one of the main things both are good for.  One gives me eggs, the other gives me nice fertilizer.

 

If it's a meat product we put it out in the woods away from the house and let the wild things enjoy.

 

No food product truly goes to waste here.  (Nothing "food" hits the garbage.)

 

ETA  Citrus peels go in the hedge row to decompose as citrus isn't good in compost piles.  Absolutely nothing goes into the garbage.

Edited January 14, 2018 by creekland

[foxbridgeacademy]

Just curious. When you find you don’t like the flavor of Blueberry Green Tea or Cracked Pepper Crackers are not too good or whatever, do you throw them away or give them away or suffer out to the bitter end? Do you put it back in your pantry, knowing full well you aren’t ever going to eat it?

  The tea for example, I do have a box of Blueberry tea that has a minty, and therefore gross, flavor.  I'm keeping it because is takes up very little space, someone might like it or I can use it for making sachets or something.  The crackers would get put in the back of the pantry until I either figured out a use for them or they were stale enough to throw away.  Sometimes I'll find a way to use something so the taste isn't an issue, rarely do we ever suffer through though. Life is too short and calories too sparse (I'm dieting) to suffer through eating something I don't like.

[creekland]

Quill, if it's Bigelow Blueberry Green Tea you can always keep it for our next Hive get together.  At least Creekland likes it... ;)

 

I wouldn't hang on to the crackers for that though - esp if they're already opened.  Tea keeps for quite a while.  Crackers not so much.

[Guest]

Quill, if it's Bigelow Blueberry Green Tea you can always keep it for our next Hive get together. At least Creekland likes it... ;)

 

I wouldn't hang on to the crackers for that though - esp if they're already opened. Tea keeps for quite a while. Crackers not so much.

No, it’s Harney & Sons. The tins are so beautiful I don’t ever want to dispose of them in the first place. I could bring it to our next gathering, though, whenever that may be.

[CadenceSophia]

I usually try to sell* the food to someone for as long as I can and then toss it. Because of our allergies, it was probably only intended for 1-3 household members and if there's nothing I can do, there's nothing I can do.

 

Recently I bought a box of Stash Chocolate something tea and it's so disgusting I don't know what to do. I guess I'm going to throw it out because I can't imagine anyone could like it. I'd feel badly offering it to a guest. But I feel badly throwing out a whole box of tea. Maybe I'll try to sneak it into the pantry at church.

 

*To one of the kids... Not like actually sell it.

[Miss Peregrine]

I usually try to sell* the food to someone for as long as I can and then toss it. Because of our allergies, it was probably only intended for 1-3 household members and if there's nothing I can do, there's nothing I can do.

 

Recently I bought a box of Stash Chocolate something tea and it's so disgusting I don't know what to do. I guess I'm going to throw it out because I can't imagine anyone could like it. I'd feel badly offering it to a guest. But I feel badly throwing out a whole box of tea. Maybe I'll try to sneak it into the pantry at church.

 

*To one of the kids... Not like actually sell it.

I've done that with tea. I just set it at the coffee station.

[SparklyUnicorn]

If nobody will eat it, throw it out.

[mmasc]

No, it’s Harney & Sons. The tins are so beautiful I don’t ever want to dispose of them in the first place. I could bring it to our next gathering, though, whenever that may be.

It’s one of my favorites, but I drink it iced and slightly sweetened. Have you tried that, or is there any chance that way would help you choke it down? Lol

[marbel]

I usually try to sell* the food to someone for as long as I can and then toss it. Because of our allergies, it was probably only intended for 1-3 household members and if there's nothing I can do, there's nothing I can do.

 

Recently I bought a box of Stash Chocolate something tea and it's so disgusting I don't know what to do. I guess I'm going to throw it out because I can't imagine anyone could like it. I'd feel badly offering it to a guest. But I feel badly throwing out a whole box of tea. Maybe I'll try to sneak it into the pantry at church.

 

*To one of the kids... Not like actually sell it.

 

Oh, I've taken lots of tea to church.  I put it out on the tray of tea bags and usually it gets used up.  This only works with bags that are individually wrapped; something like Celestial Seasonings I will try to give away to someone.

Edited January 15, 2018 by marbel

[eternalsummer]

I wait until we are so completely out of tasty food that it becomes appealing.  There is a point at which any cracker becomes appealing to someone in the family.

 

I can't remember the last time we threw something out because it was inedible. There are a lot of us, though, and most of us are willing to eat just about anything when we're hungry.

[eternalsummer]

I did throw away Kombucha once.  We tried it, it was amazingly bad, neither of us could stomach it.  Kids were having none of that either :)

[Sandwalker]

Unless it's spoiled, I don't throw it out, I can't stand the thought of the waste. Dh eats most things, and dd 29 will happily take most any food castoff to save $.

[kbutton]

Our bigger problem is what to do with things that I used to eat that now raise my histamine level...

 

Well, if the teenage boy doesn't work, and I don't rehome it, it's usually compost.

 

We have a saying around here that there are no wasted fruits and veggies, just occasionally higher priced compost. I will throw most anything except meat and dairy in our pile. 

[itsheresomewhere]

I throw it out.

[BarbecueMom]

I'd hold onto the tea and offer it to anyone who came over.  Which is almost no one ever, but I'd be prepared!

 

The crackers I would grind up in the food processor, mix them with bread crumbs, and bread something with them.  Or sprinkle them on something like Mac n Cheese or a casserole.  They'd probably keep well in the freezer in a little container or baggie.

 

Unless anyone utters the word "vile", then I throw it out.  The only thing in recent memory I've done that with was some gluten free croutons.  They were so plastic tasting that it took two Dr. Peppers to get the taste out of our mouths.  Straight into the trash.  I think even the compost pile would spit those back out. When Aldi had some GF croutons a couple weeks ago, I was skeptical, but they are AMAZING. Those nasty croutons should be ashamed of themselves.

[Lady Florida.]

If none of us like it I try to find a friend or relative who does. If not I throw it away. Yes I feel bad, but fortunately it doesn't happen often. And I don't have enough space to keep food we don't like. If there weren't rules against giving open food items to food pantries I'd give them to one. But I'm the only one who knows the opened food I'm giving away is safe just not liked, so I understand those rules.

Edited January 14, 2018 by Lady Florida.