We all want to save money especially on our grocery bill. Seems that food just keeps getting more expensive! Did you know there are a few simple steps you can do to stop wasting food that will also help your grocery bill go down?
Create Meal Plans: Make a weekly meal plan and shop according. Don’t forget about your leftovers, take them to work for lunch or use them to make a different recipe or freeze them to enjoy later.
Freeze It: If you can’t eat a food that will spoil soon, consider freezing it. Even fruits and vegetable can be chopped and frozen. Use frozen fruits or vegetables in smoothies.
Check your fridge: Keep an eye on the contents of your fridge, is there food that needs to be used up? Plan your meals accordingly. By being creative with your meal planning you can use up the for in your fridge and stop wasting food!
Understand expiration and sell by dates: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture companies use these dates to guess the freshness of the food and they are not related to safety. Companies generally tend to be conservative in their estimates, the USDA suggests you check the food to see if it looks or smells off or sour.
Store food properly: Not everything needs to be stored in the fridge. Store things that will wilt like spinach or kale in a drawer with high humidity. Things that rot quickly go into a drawer with low humidity.
Use everything: Broccoli stems can be eaten with the rest of the broccoli or chop them and add them to a soup. Beet greens can be added to salads, soups or veggie burgers. Make chicken stock with your leftover chicken carcass.
Don’t over-serve: Generous servings usually just end up in the trash. Allow people to serve themselves or give everyone smaller, more manageable portions. They can always have seconds if they are hungry!
Make these simple changes and watch your grocery bill go down!
Nancy on the Home Front 
We are soooo bad about food waste! A lot more than we would like to be, anyways. We do try to feed leftovers to the chickens and pigs, when appropriate, but we really do need to start planning more. I think that would help us a lot! Thanks for sharing on the Clever Chicks blog hop. 🙂
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A very good reminder Nancy. Thanks for sharing with us at #overthemoon link party. Have a fabulous week.
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It is too easy to waste food… you have given good reminders. 🙂
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This is great advice! Something else that works really well for me is keeping a list of what fresh foods need to be used and a list of what’s in the freezer. I also have several adaptable “recipes” for using up odds and ends. Here are 70+ tips to reduce food waste.
For people who are resistant to buying only what’s on the shopping list because we love serendipitous bargains, another option is to plan meals AFTER shopping such that you use the ingredients you bought. This works best when I take a quick look at the fridge and pantry before shopping, so that when I think, “We’ll eat this with pasta and frozen broccoli,” I know whether we have those at home or I need to buy more.
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Becca,
Thanks for sharing your great ideas to help use up the food on hand. I often enjoy the challenge of creating meals from what is on hand!
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This is such a terrific article! Reading the statistics about food waste is so disheartening. I feel guilty every time something goes off before it is used. I found your post to be very inspirational.
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Thank you Anne, thanks for stopping by!
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I hopped by from Wasteless Wednesday to read this post because this is a topic of great importance to me. Even though I try to plan ways to keep food costs and waste down, I am still working on getting better at it.
Your tips are very helpful. I’m pinning and sharing!
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Deborah,
Sometimes I think it’s a life long journey each year we learn a little more! 🙂
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I love these tips. Hubby is the main cook in our house (I know I’m spoiled!), he doesn’t like to meal plan, but I almost have to! I never can come up with ideas of food to make so I either freeze with paralysis or end up making the same few things over and over again. I also like the tip about not over serving. It will either end up eaten or in the trash, neither of which is ideal. Thanks for sharing on the #WasteLessWednesday Blog Hop!
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Katym
A husband who makes all the meals! I’m jealous! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, I think learning to stop wasting food is an ongoing process!
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Yes! Great tips. That is one of our biggest problems in our house and something I am desperately trying to control. Thanks for sharing with #wastelesswednesday
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These are all such good ideas. If you’re interested, I think this would make a great addition to my weekly Wednesday link up Be Clean Be Green With Kids. I’d love for you to stop by. Pinning your article now!
http://www.honestlymodern.com/tag/be-clean-be-green-with-kids/
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Jen,
Thanks for stoping by, just went to your Link Party and shared the post! 🙂
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HI Nancy,
Great tips. I try to freeze as many food items that are seasonal to have for the winter and buy meat and other products in large quality and freeze. I like you suggestion on understanding food labels because for a long time I didn’t quite understand them but have learned to now. Pinning and tweeting. Congratulations on being featured on #WasteLessWednesdays ! Have a healthy, happy & blessed day!
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