Cory,

thanks for your encouragement. It means a lot to me to know I am 'virtually" responsible to you and the Sunday group.

trying to give your business a boost with a funny typo. Guess I go to the stronger lenses on these no-line trifocals.

there is no food in the refrigerator left that is expired. I have not washed it out, it will need some attention. I need to wash the dishes (and PUT THEM AWAY) before I have room to actually wash out the fridge. Have a clean washrag, now have the dish soap and plans for the two to tackle the dirty dishes tomorrow.

I have over 12 cans of unmarked food left from the food pantry. I can't put more than six into my kitchen waste bags and expect the bag to remain whole to the end of the driveway on trash day. I'm not sure which would be worse, having six 1-800-got-junk trucks show up, or chasing these stupid cans down the driveway and into the street. OOOOHHH - I have a positive spin on it. Exercise. Exercise helps to diminish the symptoms of major depression. NOT the walk in the park I had hoped for, but I'll take it. Not sure I'll have the fridge done by tomorrow's meeting, but the dishes will be done. Goal Set. Sara, hope you are listening .... I'm gonna do this!

gratefully yours,
Catherine

Hey Catherine,
I am currently in anther state filming for Hoarders so I won't be on Sunday so wanted to offer you my sincerest congratulations on your progress. The kitchen can be a tough job, so seriously you are doing great! As far as feeling pressured to take food...just remember that truly needy people can use that food so don't take anything you are not going to use. You can always go back and get more if you get low. You can even plan our your meals for the week so you know just how much you need. You don't stockpile gasoline for your car, so don't do the same for your body. There will always be food out there for you and by keeping shopping trips small, it will keep your cupboards organized and your countertops clear. Keep up the good work, you are really going great things for not only your home, but more importantly for yourself. By the way the title of your original post has a funny mispelling...Food Panty. It will probably peak peoples interest though :)

YEA! GO! Catherine :D

Just keep picking away at that counter & eventually it will be cleared. :)

Remember that things did not get cluttered over night and we can't expect them to be all done over night either.
Just keep looking at what you have accomplished and take pride in that and that will help motivate you to keep on going.

When it comes to food safety I always say "when in doubt throw it out".
Better to be safe than sorry and you do not need to be concerned about being wasteful when it comes to foods and medicines.
Sometimes even things that should still be good have gone off. Better to just toss it all and start over fresh.

Have a GREAT rest of the week!
Sincerely, Tillie :)

Tillie, thanks for the cheering squad!

The kitchen is not entirely clean, but i'm making big in roads. I have thrown out the stuff that is expired, fuzzy, dented, and just something I would not eat.

I can't re-donate food that I wouldn't eat. That's why I posted this under Hoarding Safety. Some of this can't be safe to eat. Perhaps it is, but since I can't be organized enough to find matching socks, getting into the science of food decomposition and human digestion is WAY beyond me.

I do hope to attend the meeting again Sunday, and report that my counters are clear (Im not there yet, but should be by Sunday evening).

I hope you have had a good and productive week.

Catherine

Hi :)

Big WTG! on cleaning out the kitchen!

There was a time when I got food from the community pantry.
What I did with the things that I couldn't/wouldn't use I would offer them to others who were there for food too.
Somebody always accepted them and often would offer me something they had & didn't want that I wanted.
If nobody else was there at the time I would take the food and put it in a box near the library/post office/laundromat/community center because I knew that somebody who would appreciate it would be walking by soon.

Keep up the great work & hope to "see" you again on Sunday chat.

Tillie :)

Sunday night at the virtual therapy group online, one of my goals was to clean out the kitchen. I have removed the green slimy things in the fridge and decided that I really don't need four containers of yellow mustard. To the trash. The trash is now out.

The items we receive from the local food pantry are close to expiring, dented and unlabeled. We feel obligated to take these cans so that they will give us the useful items (hamburger, bread, soap, soup, cereal etc. ) I feel pressured to take these items even though I don't want them I am not organized enough to throw them away once I get home so they stack up.

Is there a way I can tell the well meaning people that I can't take everything they offer? I'm so shamed to be there in the first place, their condescending speech doesn't help much either.

Any suggestions?

Catherine