i have hit my bottom...

Can't you just give the extra food away to beggars? The meat, fruits and veggies you can pre-cut, marinate, and freeze. This problem should not make you hit rock bottom. If it was me, I'll make him buy all the stuff that I like too and ask him to organize it in the fridge while I tend the baby.

 

So there are 2 problems -

1. Wastage of cooked/uncooked food
2. Husband getting angry if you show your anger in public/otherwise in certain way that he doesn't like

I have same problems but first one in different way - My husband gets grocery etc based on list which i give him but if I forget to use any item in fridge and it gets spoiled then he shouts (rarely).. Sometime he micromanages how I use stuff which is irritating..
I have also faced second problem where if he ask me something and if I purposely does not answer then it gets into his nerves and he starts fighting.. his point is if I don't like something then I have to say but should not make face or keep quite..
I used to make faces and grumpy before marriage but Not any more now !! I have to change myself in order to buy peace..

You can solve the first problem by taking stock of your pantry and preparing clear list (with quantities) and hand it over to hubby and tell him if he doesn't stick to it then a wastage seems to be obvious and you should not be blamed for it...

You can solve second problem by changing yourself in terms of how you show your anger..

 

Dear op,

Welcome to the club ! my dh belongs to the same breed who loves to go shopping and bring 5-8 diff kind of fishes in one go.........4-6 varieties of meat ......vegs in kgs .......thankfully in fruits he likes only mangoes .....in mango season he goes for atleast 8-12 varieties of mango.They are impulsive buyers who love to eat varieties.It took me 4+ years to trim him.

There is a pattern in thier buying spree ...you told you had goat & chicken in the freezer and dont have fish ...........according to him, he needs varieties and he thinks he would miss having fish for a week .......so he goes and buys fish behind your back to avoid objection.He gets angry with you for not understanding his point of view to eat good food.You should have by now found what he prefers.Trim his shopping with plenty of patience and understanding.He belongs to a large family?....if thats the case ,he may feel deprived to buy small quantities.

1. Divide the fish and other meat shopping .Ask him to do them in alternative weeks.The secret is to maintain the stock for 2 weeks(as the buying qu is high) and maintain the variety in the freezer.Better than fighting with them to reduce the purchase quantity or restraining them from going shopping.
surrendersmiley
2.Bring variety to the table like @YM suggested as these guys are crazy about variety.Instead of eating 1 type of chicken if you serve him 3 diff dishes .....he would get more satisfied.I divide the chicken in to 3-4 portions.....for curry,for fry ,& for gravy ....marinate them at one go....Invest in good freezer boxes of all sizes ,they halve your tension.

3.Its better to take over the veg & fruit shopping under your direct supervision.See to it you have ample selection of thier choice in the menu.When they feel deprived they start thier shopping spree.:confused2:

4.Finish off all the easy to rot veg first.If the quantity is high do two dishes to avoid wasting cooked food.After sometime your dh may also would understand that the quty is high and reduce(in 1 or 2 years):bang

5.Clouding him with financial calculations....diary entries on the expenses would help.But be careful not to make him feel deprived(its a bigger problem .

6.Let him off to shop to his hearts content now and then.Like i encourage him to enjoy all varieties of mangoes as its seasonal ...provided he wont let the fruits rot........He could buy fresh groundnuts wherever he sees them ....no objection as the family would finish off the content.Rare variety of fish.....okay understood .....if there is fish in the freezer may be in small quty.

Relax no use getting all tensed up......go and make steady changes...

 

Really i wonder what will be the suggestion that is going to come for this issue.
Surprised with the out of box ideas from you yellomango.
Op, Definitely give it a try of all the tips yellowmango suggested. Surely this problem will be sorted out.

 

Can you ask him to put away meat and veg in the fridge? Can you invest in a small chest freezer?

 

It's great he does grocery shopping with you.. But is he around in the kitchen while you cook? Is he around while putting away the groceries, while clearing the table after meals, while clearing your fridge??

My DH had a problem estimating ingredients for a particular quantity of dish...If 5 guests are coming over for dinner, he would buy 2 kg of the same veggie, thinking it wouldn't be enough. He changed when he realized how much food can be made with a small quantity of veggies with proper handling.

Also, some men show their "love" and "caring" by buying lots of food for their home. Is he like that? Refusing to buy their food (or eat what they have ordered) is equal to refusing their love, and insults them. In fact, such husbands think they are the best husbands BECAUSE they are buying so much. But the good thing is that they can be changed very easily... just slowly..

All the best!

 

@ yellowmango Wow i love your ideas for reusing the left over food.I think i am the worst cook you will ever find.Will try incorporating these ideas so that there is no wastage.

 

Op,
I would suggest making a list of items along with the exact quantity and handing it over to your husband when he is shopping.IF he argues tell him you are the person cooking so only you know how much exactly is required.

Dont lose your mind over such matters.This happens in majority of the familys and should be overlooked.IF its bothering you too much have a peacefull talk with him and take over the shopping part.(have been in this situation and come out successfull)