Have you done an inventory of what’s in your fridge lately? Are there foods that are past their prime? How much of what you buy each week gets thrown in the garbage because it doesn’t get used? Studies have shown that North Americans toss up to 40% of the food they purchase. National Geographic states that “In 2012, we wasted 35 million tons of food”, which is enough to feed 70 percent of the hungry people in the United States for an entire year”. I don’t know about you but I find that shocking, not to mention disgraceful and a huge waste of good food, not to mention money. What if I told you you could save money with just a few simple tricks?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Mainly about how much of the food I buy gets thrown away and what steps I can take to cut down on my food waste. While I don’t think it’s realistically possible to have a zero-waste kitchen, I’m determined to do what I can to come as close as possible. To achieve this I’ve done a lot of research and here are some tips I’ve found to help cut food waste and save money in the process.
Keep Track Of It
Keep notes of what items you waste a lot of, both in the fridge and pantry, and make a note to buy less of it in the future. Also, make a list of what you already have in the house so that when you go shopping you don’t purchase duplicates.
Buy Less
With the advent of big box stores, we’ve become fond of buying food in bulk thinking we’re saving money. More often than not the food doesn’t get used before it’s past its prime and gets thrown out. In the end, any savings we may have had are wasted, along with the food. One actionable step you can take to save money is to create a weekly meal plan and purchase only the amount of food you need for that week. Instead of purchasing pre-packaged pantry items like nuts, spices, and grains at the grocery store, try shopping at bulk stores where you can purchase only the amount you need.
To Save Money Store Food Properly
Storing foods properly will help them last longer. For instance, make sure to store raw meats in the meat compartment and dairy products will last longer stored in the back of the fridge as opposed to the door. Not all fruits and produce are better off refrigerated. For instance, did you know tomatoes will rot faster if stored in the fridge? This site has some handy tips on the best ways to store fruits and vegetables so they stay fresh longer. To help ensure the maximum life span for your pantry items, use airtight canisters like these.
Prioritize
Prioritize the order of food in your fridge and pantry. Place the foods that spoil the quickest in the front so they’re in sight. Out of sight, out of mind. Keep your fridge and pantry organized so that you can see all the items. If you can see it, there is a better chance you’ll use it. And try moving older items to the front of your freezer so you use them up first. Frozen foods don’t last forever so moving older items to the front helps ensure you’ll use them, thus avoiding freezer burn and wastage and helping you save money.
Use All Parts
A lot of kitchen waste is produce related such as the outer leaves of lettuce, carrot tops, broccoli stems, etc… Instead, try to use all the parts of vegetables. For example, instead of just using the florets, use broccoli stems in a tasty broccoli slaw. And while they may not be as pretty, the outer leaves of lettuce are usually quite edible. Just remove any blemished pieces. Make a habit of washing veggies instead of peeling them. Most vegetable skins are not only tasty but hold a lot of valuable nutrients. Use vegetable leaves like carrot tops in salads or leftover herbs for pesto.
Use It Up
When you do have leftover foods, make a point of using them up. Make a broth or soup out of leftover bones and vegetables. Make croutons out of stale or not-so-fresh bread. Make banana bread out of too-ripe bananas and freeze ripe fruit to make smoothies or muffins. Drying leftover fruits like apples and apricots is another way to prolong their life. And if you have to buy a special ingredient for a recipe but don’t use it all, make a point of finding another recipe that will use it up.
Control Portions
Serve smaller portions at mealtimes (particularly to kids) so there is less chance of food being left on the plate. The less food left on the plate means less food in the garbage.
Use Leftovers
Repurpose leftovers for other meals or freeze them in individual portions for lunches. Save (or freeze) items individually and repurpose them for use in other dishes. For example, leftover potatoes can be fried for breakfast or mashed and used for a shepherd’s pie. Leftover veggies, pasta, and meats are a great addition to a frittata. Almost anything goes when making this dish so it’s the perfect clean-out-the-fridge meal.
Preserve
Caning or pickling foods is a great way to preserve foods for
Understand “Best By” & “Expiry” Dates
These terms are very different yet a lot of us are confused by them. “Best By” or “Best Before” dates are an indication of the best flavor or quality, not food safety. Most foods will still be perfectly useable after their “Best By” dates but may lose some flavor or texture. Use your own judgment along with your sense of smell, sight, and taste to determine if a food is still consumable or safe. Eggs are the exception as they contain salmonella and should be consumed before the “Best By” date.
“Expiry” or “Use Before” dates mean that generally the food should not be consumed after the listed date. And while we’re on the subject be sure to check expiration dates before you purchase items to help ensure you’re buying the freshest products.
Donate
When all else fails, compost or donate leftover items. Research food banks or other organizations in your area that will take leftover foods. Or set up a food-sharing network with friends and neighbors. If you have leftovers or produce or herbs you can’t use maybe you can swap it for something you can use.
This really is such an important issue and one that we all actually have the power to do something about, so I hope you’ll join me in trying out some of these tips to help cut food waste and save money. If you have any other useful ideas on how to cut food waste I would love to hear about them in the comments below. In the meantime, for more great tips on how to get the most from your food check out this book, “Waste Not” by the James Beard Foundation. It’s full of useful information, recipes, and tips that will help you stop food waste and save money.
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For other ideas and tips on how to save money on your food bill check out 15 Tips For Eating Well On A Budget.
I waste a bunch of food but not intentionally. It’s just me and my son and we typically eat everything we buy but on occasion I forget I have it.
Yes! Best by vs the expiry can be really confusing for sure!
Preserving and donating is probably one of my most favorite methods of reducing food waste!
serving smaller portion sizes is a good idea so we can use the leftovers if any rather than throw what we can’t eat off our plate into the garbage… and planning a menu so we use all we have and buy only what we need is helpful
With the way cost of living has become we try not to waste any money or food. Everything is just too high to waste; I try to plan my meals and plan my spending.
The amount of food we waste is indeed alarming, and it’s heartening to see someone addressing this issue. I’ve started noting down what goes to waste often and realized how much I’ve been buying unnecessarily.
We repurpose the leftovers and it is very helpful. Food is so stinking expensive.
The “Keep Track Of It” advice is genius—taking notes of what’s in the fridge to avoid duplicates is a time-saver and money-saver.
I feel like we waste a lot of foods in our household. These are good tips to help with keeping waste down.
I love all these great ideas. I think it’s great to save food and not waste it whenever you can. Luckily we have chickens, so nothing gets wasted here.
I make a plan of what I will be using for certain recipes that I will be making, And creating a shopping list to help me say on track of saving, to keep on top of food waste.
I know we probably waste so much food. I am working on getting better at it though. We need to eat more leftovers.
Oh yes!! We have stopped buying food we “need” because we never ate it! We buy the minimum because that’s what we eat every week!
I’m so happy to hear that Ashli! Less food bought, less food thrown away. Cheers!