What a waste!

Yesterday I decided to deal with some long lingering pantry issues. While I was cleaning, I found myself dealing with some unexpected issues. Our pantry and back up cabinet were packed with stuff that I'm sure have been around for years - yes years! The idea of throwing it out just seemed wrong. After all, it was perfectly good food... right?! Even though some of it had been expired since 2007, I still felt guilty about the thought of throwing it out. Then Kara reminded me that it doesn't do any good taking up space in my pantry if I'm not going to use it. Obviously if it has been expired for 2 years and not touched, I certainly don't need it.

I also discovered that I was out of touch with what food I had in the house too. One of the challenges I have with keeping my grocery budget in line is fighting the urge to buy some thing just because it was a good deal. Obviously, the other issue is buying some thing I already have. I can't even tell you how many cake mixes I have. Then there was this whole issue of buying multiple bottles of Cumin when what I really needed was Chili Powder. It's all so embarrassing. I'm really hoping that with a little organization and a little planning, I'll get these bad habits under control this year and eliminate the guilt and shame. I just have to keep reminding myself that the starving people out there in the world aren't going to miss my flavored tea that is 3 years expired!