5 Reasons People Stockpile Food
Do you stockpile food? Are your cupboards or pantries so full you can ‘t fit another item in them? Do you have so much that excess has spilled out on to your counters or other areas in your home? Being a Professional Organizer who has organized many kitchens I find a lot of clients feel frustrated that there is no organization to their cupboards or pantries, and they can’t find things they know they have.
Before I can help my clients, I need to know how they think and why before I can give them solutions for clarity to their frustrations. I have come across many reasons why people tend to stockpile food. It is not always a negative thing, but some do have consequences to the situation.
Here are 5 main reasons that I have come across why people stockpile food and my suggestions. Can you relate to any of these?
- Planning and Convenience:
Some clients love to buy in bulk because they feel it is a cost-effective and a safety net to items not being available in the future. In my experience I find too many people buy in bulk when they just don’t have the room for it. What I tell my clients is:
- if you have an expensive product, you must use and you are able to save a lot of money by buying bulk then that makes sense.
- I don’t always agree with clients who live alone or with one other person and they feel they must go to large bulk stores to get their everyday items like paper towels, cleaners, toilet paper, shampoos and soaps. Most of these items are on sale almost weekly at a variety of stores. These bulk items take up so much space in their homes that disorganization happens.
- Stockpiling just in case:
People who have experienced food shortages or financial uncertainly might stockpile food as a safety net against having to be in that position again.
- I understand that but by doing this in abundance I see so much waste that others could be using.
- If you do tend to do this, give yourself a schedule of always going though all the items and check expire dates. When you bring something new in, bring the older ones forward so you use it first.
- If you come across something you know you are not going to eat it can be given to a food bank or family members before it expires.
- Convenience:
Having a pantry well stocked means you don’t have to go out often and meal planning is made easier.
- In theory this is a great idea. But some people who like to stock up where they no longer know what they have and so go out and buy more.
- Without a good organized system things get lost and become expired which means more waste.
- Large families:
Large families go through many different items, so it is a good thing to buy in bulk.
- The challenge I find working with large families is that sometimes they bring new items in the home thinking the family is going to like it and they don’t. So instead of giving it away it stays in the pantry and creates clutter.
- It is also very important to have an organized pantry with large families so that everyone knows where things go.
- Also important is to do regular “maintenance” on your food spaces so that you become aware of items that don’t belong and get “dumped” there for convenience.
- Cultural factors:
Some cultures have many events through the year, and it is a sign of hospitality and always being ready for guests.
- If this is the case, I usually suggest keeping a separate area for the overflow of food and items that are used for visitors.
- It is important that the items you don’t use often don’t get lost within the pantry so you forget your have them or they become expired.
There is nothing wrong with keeping a stocked pantry, but it is important to have an organized system to avoid waste and using up space and maintaining it regularly is really important.
At Chaos to Clarity, we help our clients with individual organizing needs; Downsizing, decluttering, office organizing, estate clear-outs and move management. Call us today to discuss. www.chaostoclarity.ca/contact-us/
