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Once when I was listening to live Nautilus (2014 Nautilus Expedition | Nautilus Live )
in the wee hours of the night, those on duty were talking about their college research days, being at this coastal station or that, and the need to eat through all their food supplies so when the season was over, they didn't have to worry about moving with that.
Well, that's not quite going to happen here because one of the pantries, of 2, has a lot of canned goods, my backup emergency/out of work stocks (the primaries are all the shelf dry goods). All those shelves of cans will be moved to new house.
But tonight, I did go through the primary pantry and boxed up most of the things I expected I wouldn't go into withdrawl over in the next couple of weeks, such as my baking spices, canned veggies, soups, and stews, boxed pasta and the like.
That left the spices I use all the time (garlic, Paprika, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, lemon pepper, Tabasco) and brisket rub and Cajun fish seasoning. Some canned fish, peanut butter, canned pasta (for meals at work), cocoa, open teas, coffee........and lots and lots of brown and white sugar.
It's a multi level decision process. What I can live on for the next couple of weeks, what can go since I don't expect to be cooking "that", and what's probably low enough in the stocks so I can finish it off and not worry about moving with it.
In this case, it is a short move, across town, and a move a lot sooner than I was planning; so, it should not be a too uncomfortable decline to the last supper. While the new house does have an ice box, I've been stock piling off of two ice boxes, so I need to eat down those "iced pantries".
Long, long ago when I was in the Navy and moves were more often (and I was just learning how to cook), there would be the eat down and then, those remaining morsels after the movers left, of what could be fit in the trunk of the car and what might be tossed in the dumpster.......I wonder if anyone was ever pleasantly surprised when they found that unopened 1.75 liter bottle of Rum 151 I had to part with.
What about "you"? Do you eat down the pantry? Take it with you? Donate it to the shelter (which would depend on one's eating style and time available)? Into the trash with it?
One thing I have found in this move is that at times, one can really learn to appreciate the little things. Tonight when I was in a middle of a packing spree, looking for something to renew my spirits, take away from the desperation, I had 4 honey graham crackers (left over from a camp out) with milk for that snack, that "dessert". It was a pleasant jump start to the energies.
I usually pack the spices in a suit case no kidding . and yes we usually eat down stuff that wont last and the canned goods go in a box with us in the car or truck whichever we are moving with , But yes we eat down the freezer if it is a long distance move if not then we pack it in a box and it goes in the car as well .
I gave almost everything away to the local food pantry, got a receipt for my taxes to claim as donation. I threw away most but my most cherished of spices when I started looking at the "expiration dates" and realized I'd had many over a decade.
If you are doing a door to door move then bring the spices. They are expensive to replace. I would put them in a plastic bin and put in the car. Traveled across half the US with my spices, and some cleaning supplies. And liquor. The more pricey ones that were more than half full. We would basically eat down what we could then donate (boxed items) what we didn't eat. If it's canned then I would let the movers pack it. Our last move has our stuff in storage so there was no way I was packing canned items or spices. Threw the spices out. We weren't sure how long our stuff would be in storage, it will be a year in July. Our stuff is still in storage until our house is ready in June.
Across town moves, I just take everything not expired with me. I put the cold stuff in coolers and drive it over in the car and unpack it right away.
However, I am planning on a cross country move soon, so I'm not taking anything with me. I am starting the eat down now and whatever doesn't get eaten will get donated. The only thing that will go into the trash are open condiments. I hate to waste the food when I know so many people need it.
I also did a cross-country move during August and started eating down my pantry about six months beforehand. I got it down to several dozen cans of tuna and soup, which I donated to the neighbors. Since it was in the 100s during the day, I didn't store much food until I got settled. I did keep a case of water with me, along with my homemade trail mix.
If I were doing a local move, I would keep the bulk of my pantry, although I would go through and make sure I ate anything nearing expiration before I moved.
I'm obsessive about putting dates on anything that goes into storage!
Across town moves, I just take everything not expired with me. I put the cold stuff in coolers and drive it over in the car and unpack it right away.
However, I am planning on a cross country move soon, so I'm not taking anything with me. I am starting the eat down now and whatever doesn't get eaten will get donated. The only thing that will go into the trash are open condiments. I hate to waste the food when I know so many people need it.
Well, a lot of the cold stuff in one ice box is my "permafrost" stuff. Ie, before I discovered brisket, I would buy meat on the cheap, cut it up, and freeze it. It was part of my battle against comfort food splurge buying where I would hunger for a steak cooked in wine, alouette cheese, and rice after work......and then go out and buy said ingredients.
Perhaps it shouldn't be said, but a lot of beef has been in there for years so tonight, I'm cooking up one "steak" in a stew. Probably the only thing it is "good" for now. My salmon steaks (bought as whole salmon (headless and gutless but not boneless), cut into steaks, bagged, into the freezer) is probably about the same age but since I can't get that stuff easily anymore (when it disappeared, it was running at $2.97/lb), I'm not so anxious to cook it up....at least while the beef is there.
As it is, stew cooking is probably good for moving. Get the stuff into the (wok) pot, get it going for the hour or two it takes while one continues the packing routine (right now, just checking on mail having been off line since yesterday morning).
On expired food; there's the date and then there's otherwise. Basically to me, as long as the can isn't violated, rusting, and if it doesn't hiss or smell bad when it is opened, it's still good to me. Now, I tend to be very food cautious. Even a new can, if it is "noisy" when I open it, even though it is probably the vacuum seal I am hearing or it was dented, I will probably still dump it on the spot. But to me, past the date on the can doesn't mean necessarily that it is bad.......although really old cans, like 3-5 years past the date (and further) usually gets marked for the doomsday storage.
Unless you're moving locally, the transportation rates for most household goods carriers are usually calculated based on a combination of weight and distance. The more weight you have, the greater your final costs. Consumable products that are eventually included in a customer's shipment effectively increase the final price of each item far above what was paid at the checkout counter.
For instance, the interstate tariff transportation rate to move 48 one-pound cans of canned vegetables, sauces, meat and pasta or tomato products might add as much as $1.00 to $2.00 to the cost of each 16 ounces of food product being moved across country – plus the cost of the shipping container!
The best way to avoid this unnecessary additional material and transportation expense is to consume all your grocery, paper, personal and toiletry products that are on-hand before you move.
Professional movers will always tell you the best way to pack is to purge. For many overly stressed homeowners, however, this is easier said than done. Some find themselves scrambling at the last minute to box up everything in the place to get it ready for the upcoming relocation.
Move for Hunger is a community service program being offered by professional movers nationwide to help those who are relocating to donate unopened food that is deemed too expensive, too bulky, or too inconvenient to transport to their new destination.
For those who donate, it's a personally gratifying way to give a little something worthwhile back to the community before it's actually time to leave. For the moving companies that participate, it's a wonderful way to support the nutritional needs of those less fortunate right where you currently live.
VERY LOCALLY.........just across town. Further, it looks like the most it will be will be an F-250 with a trailer on one day hauling the heavy furniture.........and me moving the rest of the stuff piecemeal day after day....as I am now.
On a side note, a problem with moving piecemeal is that there is always the question of what part of the infrastructure gets shut down and packed up when. For the most part right now, that's not a problem because, for instance, even though the FAX machine may be dislocated as I gut the den, if needed, I can always stretch a telephone cable from wherever it is sitting to its jack in the den (it has its own phone line).
But on the subject, I could never eat down the emergency supply in pantry 2 in the time I had. In fact, looking at the contents there, there's probably a year's worth, if not more, of food.
As things go, I wasn't ever planning to move from this location again........I just ended up having to move to another interim place in this locale and quite a bit before I had intended to.
On another note, one thing I am finding as I am purging my life, mostly of loose papers and non essential magazines that were never read.........I've got to slow down and get a life!
Well, that's not quite accurate for I have no intention of slowing down and I do have a rather interesting life. It's just for all the things that I coming across from the past that were never touched, ie an Outside magazine (haven't subscribed to it for years) from 2000 in perfect condition (& destined for the recycling bin), I might want to rethink my programming so I come across fewer things that I wonder, how did that come to be lost in the past, that I forgot about it in my life.
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The more pricey ones that were more than half full. We would basically eat down what we could then donate (boxed items) what we didn't eat. If it's canned then I would let the movers pack it. Our last move has our stuff in storage so there was no way I was packing canned items or spices. Threw the spices out. We weren't sure how long our stuff would be in storage, it will be a year in July. Our stuff is still in storage until our house is ready in June.
