My family thinks I am insane

[teachermom2834]

because I request that they NOT open a package of something perishable when there is already an open one. Like shredded cheese or sandwich meat. 

OK...I admit there are days when the request is LOUD.

Every person that lives or has ever lived in my house is pretty smart. But they don’t see an issue with three open bags of sharp cheddar cheese. They definitely don’t understand that I would appreciate them using up the medium cheddar before opening a mild cheddar. That is absolutely unreasonable. I actually have to limit the variety of cheese available. If something in there says “Mexican” there is no way they will use cheddar on their taco. So purchasing both mozzarella and pizza cheese is just asking for it.

I have a system to help them out even. Once something is opened it goes in the deli drawer. Look there first! Then open another package if there isn’t one.

This problem is only getting worse as people fly the nest because now it takes alot longer to use up those open packages and they go bad. If only one person is a cheddar fan, multiple open bags won’t get used up.

I have let go of an awful lot of things over the years but I’m never going to get over having three open packages of sliced turkey. 

(Related rant...once you open the sliced turkey that is a commitment! It has to be eaten before it goes bad. So don’t open it for a slice and not make a sandwich again. You open that package it is a commitment!!)

 

 

[Pen]

Our families must be related.  Same problem here. 

[klmama]

Lol!  Here, too.  My solution to shredded cheese is to freeze the packages until needed.  My family doesn't pull it out of the freezer.

[Miss Tick]

It isn't a major problem here, but I have had people help me reorganize the deli drawer and let them "discover" all the open packages. Hmmmm, what should we do about that?

[Farrar]

Opening deli meat IS a commitment. Preach it, sister.

[SKL]

Your concerns are very reasonable.

And I totally understand being loud about it, if your folks are anything like mine.  Nobody hears what I say (or they pretend they never heard it) unless it's yelled.  Not the way I'd prefer to operate.  We've had this conversation numerous times.  Maybe someday it will get through to people.

[maize]

Y'all just need to invite my kids over, they will finish off ALL the deli meat and ALL the cheese in one go.

Edited July 1, 2019 by maize

[SKL]

How about this idea - you won't buy all that cheese.  Let them buy it, and when it's their money, they are less likely to waste it.

[EKS]

You are not insane.

Frankly, *they* are insane if they think it is appropriate to open multiple packages at once.

[HomeAgain]

Yes!!

Though I admit, I go through about once a month and whatever cheese is in there becomes either nacho sauce or mac n' cheese.  They better hope nobody leaves the gorgonzola half finished! 😄

[teachermom2834]

57 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Opening deli meat IS a commitment. Preach it, sister.

I actually went several years without purchasing lunch meat for this very reason. I ended up eating all the lunch meat even though I wasn’t the one who wanted it.  

[teachermom2834]

47 minutes ago, SKL said:

How about this idea - you won't buy all that cheese.  Let them buy it, and when it's their money, they are less likely to waste it.

Not naming names or breaking board rules but it is possible that the offender that sparked this rant is, indeed, the person financing the cheese madness. 

The offender is not, however, the person that manages the groceries 😂

[teachermom2834]

45 minutes ago, EKS said:

You are not insane.

Frankly, *they* are insane if they think it is appropriate to open multiple packages at once.

In fairness they do intellectually comprehend the problem with the opening of packages willy nilly. What they think is insane is that I allow myself to be so annoyed by it. 

Add that to the fact that they can never be responsible because they “looked” and “didn’t see the open one” Shrug. (Our fridge is actually not overcrowded or difficult to navigate so this is not a valid excuse. Not hard to look in the deli drawer at all). But if they didn’t premeditate the rogue opening of the cheese I can’t possibly be annoyed at them. 

[chiguirre]

2 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

Add that to the fact that they can never be responsible because they “looked” and “didn’t see the open one” Shrug. 

There must be a selective blindness epidemic!!!

We have an outbreak in my house too.

[Pen]

Maybe we with this problem should just buy one pack of cheese.  When it’s done it’s done till next store trip.  As training to find it in deli compartment. 

“Sorry, multiple packs were opened at once and they got moldy. You can have some celery with peanut butter (or whatever) instead. ”

[teachermom2834]

Just now, Pen said:

Maybe we with this problem should just buy one pack of cheese.  When it’s done it’s done till next store trip.  As training to find it in deli compartment. 

“Sorry, multiple packs were opened at once and they got moldy. You can have some celery with peanut butter (or whatever) instead. ”

Good idea!

I could also store extras in my son’s old dorm fridge. I could put it right out in plain sight and they’d never find it!

[Pen]

There’s also, “if anyone wants the ____ have it now, otherwise I’m giving it to Dog before it molds and goes to waste.”

followed by

”No, I didn’t buy any more  ____ because no one finished it.”

[Lanny]

This is an important issue.   Having more than one of something open isn't a good idea. Milk, Cheese, Peanut Butter or whatever. 

[BusyMom5]

For the lunch meat, I just buy one kind each week.  When it's gone, it's gone.  Same for ice cream.  I'm not sure how to fix the cheese problem, but I have 3 open bags most of the time.  

[PeterPan]

Well the best part is you'll be able to afford manicures with the money from the cheese, lunch meat, etc. you're not buying. Like just buy one of each thing, and when it's done and grocery day rolls around just buy one more. And use all that saved money for Dove chocolates, manicures, important things.

[alisoncooks]

We blow through shredded cheese here, so that's not an issue...but the sandwich meat!!! YES!!! DH will open it to make a sandwich and I'm all like "whoa! We weren't eating sandwiches until Friday -- you can't open that!" 

[marbel]

We just buy cheese in blocks and shred it when we need it.   Seems like blocks of cheese would keep better. I don't mind having, say, a block each of cheddar, monterey jack, and feta open at one time. Each has a different use and we almost never have to throw any away. The exception is mozzarella, which goes bad faster and is used less often than the others.  

I do agree on the lunch meat, but I rarely buy it and will freeze it as HSL describes above.  

[Farrar]

This needs a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle cure.

[marbel]

So, I don't buy bags of shredded cheese, but we sometimes have multiple bags of something, say frozen vegetables. If I have an open one and an  unopened one, I will clip them together. So if someone wants to cook some, they will see the open one, and know that there is also another one if the opened bag doesn't have enough.  If I don't do that, we may well end up with 2 opened bags since I shop and put food away, thus I am probably the only one who knows exactly what is in the freezer.  And, it's pretty packed, so even I miss things when searching sometimes.  

Maybe you could clip the bags of cheese together. 

[sassenach]

My family had 3 tubs of cream cheese open this week. I kept swinging by and handing the offenders the most empty one. 

[teachermom2834]

Y’all are like a bunch of men trying to solve my problem instead of just sympathizing!!! 😂😂

(of course I am aware that there are men on here but I bet most of the responders are women).

I don’t want to solve this problem. I want the people I live with to master this basic life skill!!! So I appreciate all the fine ideas BUT...I don’t wanna! I want my people to conform 😂

I don’t want to manage this problem I just want my people to use common sense and honor the request of the woman that makes sure there is food to carelessly let spoil. 🙂

I know this should have been JAWM😂

And here are a bunch more emojis so everyone knows I am laughing and not seriously upset about anything. 

😂😊🤣😃😜

While I was typing this my dd asked if there was already a stick of butter open before she started another one. And she is using up a bag of cheese making a grilled cheese sandwich. She is my only ally. 

[kbutton]

I'll climb on that soap box with you!

7 hours ago, maize said:

Y'all just need to invite my kids over, they will finish of ALL the deli meat and ALL the cheese in one go.

Mine do that only when there is one package, and I am particularly looking forward to some of it myself. If there are two, they are sure to open both and then eat nearly none.

[Tanaqui]

That doesn't happen in our house (or when it does, I'm almost always the culprit), but somehow people looking to make themselves snacks always zero in on the ONE thing I urgently need for dinner that very night. I don't know how they do it.

[Shoeless]

My husband will never use the last of anything.  He'll see there is a little bit left of something, (mouthwash, shampoo, salad dressing, butter), put it back, and get a new bottle/jar/package to open.  I asked him about it once and he said the old bottle with the little bit left was too little to use.  So why not throw it away? Well, it is too much to throw away and someone might want to use it.  

So there exists a state where there is simultaneously enough and not enough shampoo. 

In my house, I call this phenomenon Shrodinger's Shampoo.  

[Melissa in Australia]

11 hours ago, Margaret in CO said:

I only buy blocks. If the person has to shred it, they go through a lot less. 

 this is what I do

 Plus we only have tasty cheese. I keep the parmesan in the freezer as it goes off so quickly

 I only buy shaved ham once a week so there is no new packet to open. when it is gone that is it for the week.

 

[HomeAgain]

3 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

 

 Plus we only have tasty cheese. I keep the parmesan in the freezer as it goes off so quickly.

 

 

I'm intrigued.  What kind of Parmesan do you buy?  We can have a wedge in the fridge for months and it will be used up before it goes bad.

[Lady Florida.]

I get it. It happens here with both perishable and non-perishable things, but perishable is more frustrating. 

Re the cheese issue: I don't really notice a difference between mild, medium, and sharp shredded cheddar but I do with block cheese. I'm the one who will open more than one of those because sometimes I want a sharper cheese. With shredded cheese I keep the spares in the freezer.

I don't like packaged lunch meat and only buy deli lunch meat - sliced from the deli counter. Dh and ds have both specifically expressed a preference for ham. Both have said turkey and chicken aren't their favorite lunch meat. So I buy a larger amount of ham for them and a smaller amount of either turkey breast or chicken breast for myself. Guess which one they usually decide to eat. 😒 😡

[Melissa in Australia]

10 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

 

I'm intrigued.  What kind of Parmesan do you buy?  We can have a wedge in the fridge for months and it will be used up before it goes bad.

grated Parmesan. it seems to go moldy within a week of being opened. As I am the only one that uses it on my spaghetti I have found if I keep it in the freezer I can use it straight frozen on my spaghetti fine. that way it lasts a month. 

[ikslo]

I’d go crazy without different cheeses to choose from.  Maybe we just eat a lot of cheese, but it doesn’t get to the moldy stage here.  And DS is waaaaay to lazy to open a new anything.  Except chips.  I think every bag of snacks seems to be magically opened the minute it comes in the house.  Okay, so yeah, I do agree with you after all.  Just not about the C-H-E-E-E-E-Z-E (said Wallace and Gromit-style)!

[Storygirl]

You are not insane! We have this problem, too. Cheese, yes. Peanut butter, yes -- I think there were three containers open this week. Deli meat, yes. Sigh.

But also, the one that perhaps drives me bonkers the most --- the cereal. I will buy multiple boxes of the same kind, when they are on sale. Do they finish one box, before opening another? No. No, they do not. Often there will be three boxes of the same cereal, all open and half gone.