Comments on: Condiment Craziness

By: Jodi - Food Storage Made Easy

Jodi - Food Storage Made Easy — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:24:46 +0000

Great tips. Thanks for sharing!

By: couponshopper

couponshopper — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:39:27 +0000

When you use it more don't feel wasteful if you find things you don't eat or like for one reason or another. I've bought some things we didn't end up eating or we ate a lot less than what we could reasonably consume before it expires and I gave them away on freecycle. It's hard because you feel like you wasted money. Our likes or dietary needs change or buy because someone says it worked for them but it's not what we end up eating.
When I found out my son had reflux I got rid of most of our tomato sauces. When I was diagnosed with high blood pressue I got rid of most of our canned soups because the sodium was so high. I replaced them with low sodium soups and I love them and eat them a lot. I got rid of some laundry detergent when we had to switch to dye and perfume free detergent. About 2 months later I was able to get a stock of perfume and dye free detergent. I got rid of some shampoo a few years ago just because I bought too much and a year went buy and the stockpile was hardly dented. I learned we use about 6 family size bottles a year so now I buy 8 (extra to give away or in case one spills in the tub) and it's not wasted.

I just wanted to share in case you encountered the same. It's all a learning experience. BTW the people on freecycle were happy to pick it up, before I posted I didn't know if anyone would even want the stuff. I always get a lot of responses!

By: aby

aby — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:14:14 +0000

I would have to add sesame seed oil and lemon juice to the list. I use those a lot in my cooking.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:38:53 +0000

Thanks for the tips. Mostly I can't rotate, because I know I'm not that organized and it won't happen! Yes, definitely I wouldn't go through that much condiments in a year, I meant all my food storage. I like your last suggestion of slowing down shopping every so often and using up some of the food storage. Also, this is a great idea because then I can see if the quantities I purchased are appropriate, etc.

By: couponshopper

couponshopper — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:08:48 +0000

I check mine every few months. What will expire before we will realistically use it I give away on freecycle. Is there a reason why you can't rotate? I wouldn't buy something like condiments you don't plan on using within a year. I don't know about them going bad but they might be taking up space and the time and money you took to buy them never to be used.

Be sure to check the date when purchasing it. I've noticed they can vary a lot.
In the book Pantry Cooking by Laura Robbins she says to date items when you get them to see how long it takes to use them. What about doing that and then basing your purchasing on what you will realistically use within a year? I try not to buy over a year's worth of anything I can buy at a grocery store or wal-mart even if it's free.

Another thing you could do is have periods where you stop buying as much as possible and use up what you have. That will keep it rotated and another benefit is to see what you don't need or need more of.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:34:53 +0000

Maybe you can point me in the right direction if you've posted about this before. How do you keep track of all the expiration dates? I'm worried I'll eventually have tons of stuff going bad. I don't plan to continually rotate things because it's all in big tubs far away from the kitchen. I just want to make sure I end up using it just before it will expire. Any suggestions, templates?

By: Mercedes Riley

Mercedes Riley — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:48:27 +0000

peanut butter
applesauce
soup mixes are great!! they come in a pouch and don't take up a lot of space at all!!!
just yesterday i wentto the dollar store and bought 8-10 spices. walgreens is having a sale on them, as well. 2 for $1.00
powdered mixes such as kook aid, crystal light, electrolye are great to have. i've been stocking up on them as well.

By: Mercedes Riley

Mercedes Riley — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:43:27 +0000

i love it. i already have some vegetable oil and apple sauce. knowing that apple sauce can be used as a sweetener, especially for diabetics. gelatin can replace an egg in baking. also, chocolate powder mix or semi sweet chocolate. mmmmmm

By: nspired1

nspired1 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:55:37 +0000

Every holiday and season has its select sale items. Right now I'm stocking up on Thanksgiving foods like Turkeys, canned milk, cranberries, canned oranges. As far as condiments my biggest coupon score these days is mayo and frosting.

By: couponshopper

couponshopper — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:25:03 +0000

The summer is a good time to buy these. You can get bbq sauce for free with coupons usually around memorial day and the 4th. Nov and Dec are good months for olive oil and cooking sprays.

Dehydrated dip mixes like black bean, tabouli and salad dressing are nice to have around too.

By: mirien

mirien — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:15:33 +0000

I also buy lots of salsa and salad dressing, too