My friend and colleague J told me today that she keeps a list on her electronic organiser of the current contents of all her kitchen cupboards. This means that when she goes to the supermarket and thinks, "I wonder if we need rice?" she can then check on her organiser and buy rice only if she needs it.
Having known J for sixteen years, and seen the frequent untidiness of her desk, I was amazed by this revelation. My desk is quite organised, but when I go to the supermarket I think, "I wonder if we need rice?" and come to a decision based on a vague memory of how full the packet was when I last used it. I tend to err on the side of buying more.
"Doesn't this mean," said J, "that you sometimes end up with lots of rice, some of it past its sell-by date?"
Well. Possibly. La la la.
The cats think that it's quite surprising too.
Do you have a little obsession like this? (Or a sensible habit, depending on your point of view.)
haha - they look surprised. I have no obsessive behavior OR sensible habits :-)
ReplyDeleteYou always get the best pictures of the catlets -- you make it look so easy and it's SO hard to get a pic of a black cat! (Btw, my quilty peep Jewels just got two new little black kitty sisters -- makes me think of you all the time!) The catlets are so funny -- in that second picture it looks like they're saying "What ARE you doing? Didn't you just take our picture a minute ago?"
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have my groceries all organized in a spreadsheet or something, but it just seems like it would be way too much work to constantly update the list!
The pictures of the cats is so cute.Well I get organized when I am ready to go to the store, by making a list, I can't go without this list, because I don't want too much of the same thing, I have limited cupboard space.
ReplyDeleteLaughing here! I am with you. Gom frequently goes through the pantry telling me I have let things go out of date! Rice, surely has no sellby date??
ReplyDeleteFascinating!
ReplyDeleteI tend to scrawl my supply lists on a white board on the fridge, then draw a line through when they're purchased. Unfortunately, since I never actually remove anything from the board, it's quite untidy and in practice impossible to tell what we need.
The catlets probably care very little how much or how little rice you have at any given time. But I'd be very careful, if I were you, not to run out of catfood....
ReplyDeleteThe very thought of entering all the contents of the cupboard onto an electronic organiser makes me freak out! She must have a lot of time to spare.
ReplyDeleteI have a resident control freak who makes lists of the things HE needs. And who reminds me several times of day of what is on his list. But I have to admit my cupboards are much too full, and should have items removed. Such as all the fancy things people give you but which we never use.
My energies are to be used in putting all my travel postcards into albums. Or/as well as listing all my CDs. Much more fun and useful, I think. Surely there must be a simple way to list CDs, other than typing the contents?
I love those cat photos!
Wow, I never thought of keeping an inventory on my PalmPilot...thing is, I'd forget to update it, and still need to phone my co-chef from the grocery store.
ReplyDeleteWe have a small white board stuck to the fridge with a magnet, when we think of something we need, we write it on there, and use this when making a shopping list. This avoids alternating between having 4 bottles of Worcestershire Sauce, and running out.
I always have good intentions but I'm never very organised. I wing it most days. Love the cat's expressions!
ReplyDeleteoh, I am completely hopeless with all domestic responsiblities.
ReplyDeleteIf I attempted to keep an organiser, or even a list, on the pantry door, it would no doubt end up in the Bottom Drawer of Doom in no time.
And I would still buy 17 packets of rice and forget the cereal.
You should see the number of packets of lentils in our cupboards, I always think we've run out of that and then I go to boil some pasta and find, of course, we've used it all up ...
ReplyDeleteKimx
I'm like you in that department, run of of some essentials and double up on others. My daughter is a list keeper.
ReplyDeleteNope. No overly-organised habits here!
ReplyDeleteI'm forever trying to organize or clean out something, but the grocery list/menu list is something I sit down and work on every week/two weeks. I frequently duplicate the list week after week and the spreadsheet would be a good idea.... but that would take time, too. :) I don't have rice going bad, I have produce going bad. Currently we are out of milk, trash bags...and others. I need to go to the store! :)
ReplyDeletehaha how funny. I cannot imagine being that organised. I do have a list - on my noticeboard at home where people are meant to scribble something if they finish it. But we all forget - go to the cupboard for flour or whatever and find there is none there!
ReplyDeleteFew things go off - most mature nicely. Rice certainly does not go off. If I find I am out of rice cos of poor organisation I just make something else instead - with couscous or pasta or whatever.
I don't think I have any OCD tendancies at all sadly. Well, all my books are in author order - does that count?
Those cats are so perfect.
Rice has a sell-by date? Seriously? Excuse me a moment, I just have to go and check something....
ReplyDeleteIt is surely well-known that rice last forever...
ReplyDeleteHow many times do we have to tell you that your kitties are the cutest furbabies in blogland? But you keep trying to prove it (nobody is complaining).
ReplyDeleteI'm a list person, but only on paper, not an electronic gizmo. I have a list of everything that should be in our kitchen cupboards at any given time. When I do my weekly shop, I take the list down and read through it, writing on a scrap of paper the items I know I've run out of. Mostly I can remember, but if not, I'll go to the cupboard and check. I HATE getting to the supermarket and finding I've left my shopping list at home!!!
Did I tell you that I've done your questionnaire? It's on my blog, but you might have to scroll through less important stuff to find it.
ReplyDeleteMy shopping habits are identical to yours, so some weeks I get it right and other weeks we have more tea than you can shake a stick at but not a skerrick of cheese.
ReplyDeleteRice would never go off in our cupboard. Neither would tea.