Pantry Revelations

So I've been trying to organize my house, little by little.  It's a big house and I've filled it with a LOT of stuff so it is a long process.

This evening, I've been working on my pantry.  I have a truly wonderful pantry, built for me by my truly amazing husband.  It's quite large, I'm guessing it's 8 feet wide and maybe 2 feet deep with a million shelves in it of varying heights.  He and I planned it together with a mind to use all the space as efficiently as possible.

Right now, I'm emptying it shelf by shelf and putting the contents of each shelf on my kitchen counters. Then, I am staring blankly at it for a bit, wondering what in blue blazes I am going to do with all of this stuff.  I am finding that I have a lot of food that I will likely never use. 

I believe it may be safe to say that I am something of a hoarder.  I buy a special something, like the Lemon Curd I found (which I have been shifting around on the shelves for who knows how long, waiting for just the right occasion to serve it) then I never use it.  I am afraid if I use it I'll never be able to get it again so I hoard it. 

That is just plain silly.  I'm not sure what the wrong thinking is that leads to such an action but I believe I ought to try and get to the bottom of it so that I can STOP IT! (anyone for Bob Newhart?)

For now, I'm just throwing a lot of stuff away outright.  I can see why it's a better plan to make a list, shop for only the items on the list and leave the rest behind.  I think perhaps we'll give that method a go here in the very near future.  For now, I don't believe I need to shop for a  month except for perishables.

I suppose all of this connects back to my eating and weight loss issues.  I'm not sure where I learned to shop or store food but I need to relearn.  If anyone has tips, feel free to share!