Frugal Fridays

Everyone wastes food in the kitchen.  It’s just a fact of life that some things are going to go south before you have the chance to use them.  This week I thought I’d cover a few ways to reduce the amount of waste that comes from spoilage.

1. Make a list: Plan your weekly meals, check the ingredients in your fridge and pantry and only buy what you need.
2. Stay with that list: Don’t be tempted to buy extras or promotional items while at the market, just get what you’ve put on the list.  And never shop hungry!
3. Shop for groceries no more then once every two weeks: Avoid temptations and splitting from your list by shopping only when you’ve started to run low on food items.  Going to the market more often means more chances of impulse buys of products you’ll never get around to.
4. Make sure your refrigerator is keeping it’s cool: Make sure that the seals on your refrigerator doors are in good shape and are sealing properly.  Check the temperature of your fridge as well.  Food should be stored at between 38° and 40°F (1-5 degrees C) for the best possible shelf life and safety.  What is your fridge set at?
5. Waste Not Want Not: If you have produce or fruits that are “just on the verge” of going bad, USE THEM! Fruits that are just this side of no good are the ones that make the best cooked desserts.  Wilty veggies or herbs make great stir frys or soups.
6. Don’t toss the leftovers: As my friend Jenn, The Leftover Queen, can attest.  just tossing out that little bit of “something you have left” should be avoided at all costs!  Use it as the base for something new and original!
7. Rotate - The FIFO principal: FIFO stands for First In - First Out. When you go shopping, bring older items in your fridge and pantry to the front and put the newer items in the back.  You’ll run less risk of finding something “growing” in your fridge.
8. Smaller Portions: Serve smaller portions at mealtime with the clear understanding that there’s more where that came from.  It’s easy to overestimate how hungry you are, and children are notorious for putting too much on their plates.  Whatever doesn’t get gobbled up as seconds can be refrigerated and used for lunch or snacks the next day.
9. Don’t buy more than you need: Buy loose fruits and veggies instead of large bags so that you have what you need, but not so much that you’ll end up tossing out a bunch at the end of the week.  Avoid the trap of “Family Pack” meats unless you’re diligent about separating and freezing.
10. Use that Freezer!: If you use a small amount of bread or a partial bag of pastry, freeze the rest for later use.  Just pull out a few slices a few hours before you’ll need them.  Batch prepare simple meals and freeze them for nights when you’re too tired to cook.
11. Know your reality: If you find yourself ordering in more often than you’d like and tossing fresh foods because of it, buy less and plan for fewer home cooked meals.
12. If you can, Grow It: even a small herb garden can prevent food waste.  Just imagine, no more worries about tossing basil that’s gone bad because it “hid behind” something else in your refrigerator. And why pay $1.75 for basil in the store when the seeds cost $0.99 and will grow you enough to last a year!?!  Just pluck what you need for dinner, the rest will just keep growing.
13. Fertilizer anyone?: Use a compost kit for green waste.  In a few weeks you’ll have a whole bunch of free garden food to feed your plants, flowers, houseplants or whatever.. (Either that or do what I do and slip anything that’s still edible to the dog!)

There you have it.  A few tips to help cut down on the money you’re throwing out.  Oh, and it helps the landfills, too.  Less methane production and all that. (Disregard if you’re in one of the lucky places that has a power plant driven from waste methane…  In that case, toss more oranges!)

Sources:

• thedailygreen.com
• Alpha Consumer

Image Courtesy of SmartPlanet

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