Clipping coupons, shopping sales, and buying in bulk are all ways to save on groceries. Those savings only really matter if the food you buy is actually eaten. Whether it expires, spoils, or simply isn’t something you’ll be able to incorporate into a recipe, wasted food is wasted money - cash in the trash.
Here’s how to get the most out of your food:
Shop With a List – Shopping with a list is a good habit anyway because it prevents you from impulse buying food that you don’t need or that’s not on sale. It also allows you to buy only what you need and nothing more. Not only does this prevent you from buying food you already have, but also food that might ultimately be wasted.
Watch Expiration Dates When You Shop – Buying food with an upcoming expiration date means that you’ll have less time to use it before you’ll need to throw it away. Many times groups of products in the store have multiple dates depending on when they were stocked. Dig through until you find the one with the latest expiration date.
Keep a Written Inventory of Your Food – Even if you look through your refrigerator and freezer often, there’s a chance of forgetting about some items. By keeping a list of all perishable food, you’ll remember what’s in there and will be more likely to use it.
Write Down What You Waste – When you do throw out food, keep a list of that as well. You may notice that you are consistently throwing something out. You can adjust your shopping habits to reflect this. For example, even if buying eggs by the half dozen seems more expensive on a per egg basis, you may find that it actually is cheaper if you regularly throw out a lot of eggs.
Shop Less Often – Shopping less often means that you’ll force yourself to use up the food that you have. Even when the fridge seems to be getting empty, I can usually scrounge up meals for a few more days. You will waste much less food if you do this on a regular basis.
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April 30th, 2008 at 5:39 am
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