With growing boys young men at home, my grocery bill was pretty expensive. It’s was one of my largest bills after rent and garage. Cutting back on food was not an option. They needed their substance! So, I discovered another way. Food waste reduction.
One day I had a eureka moment as I was organizing my pantry and fridge.
I discovered tons of expired foods – fruits and veggies, canned beans, tomato sauce, muffin mixes and more. Most of the items were brought on sale. I couldn’t seem to pass them up. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t planning on making pasta that week if the pasta was on sale. In my mind, I had to buy it because I might make pasta in the future. Same with cereals, fruits, and veggies, meats – you get my drift. Instead of saving money, I was throwing it away!
Yet, those weren’t the only ways I was wasting money. I soon discovered 3 other ways that I could save money and reduce our food waste. I’m happy to say that I’ve reduced our food waste and our monthly food budget by approximately $100+ a month – that’s about $1,200 a year!
I don’t skimp. Our bodies are our greatest investment. We eat well. In fact, I buy more organic foods then I did before. I also started eating gluten-free. Yet, I still spend less money now then I did before.
Below are our 3 Steps To Help You Reduce Food Waste and Save Money.
Embrace Ugly
Supermarkets pay a premium for fruits and vegetables that look appealing. They assume that consumers won’t want to eat fruits and vegetables that do not look perfect. Yet, “ugly” fruits and vegetables taste just as good and typically cost less. So don’t discriminate! Remember when your Mama told you, Don’t choose a mate by their looks but by what’s inside“? Same goes for fruits and vegetables!
Buy In Season
Buying produce in season helps you save money. It also uses the produce that’s at its peak — meaning it is at it’s best. What’s great about buying in season is that it’s highly available. This means there are fewer price fluctuations. This will help you avoid food waste since there is no need to worry about the price going up if you miss a sale or don’t buy enough.
Shop with Intention
Benjamin Franklin stated, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” This is especially true if you want to reduce food waste. Shopping with intention keeps you organized and helps you avoid purchasing items that you don’t necessarily need. By avoiding excess purchases, you’ll use the foods you already have at home and reduce the amount of food that is thrown out.
Let’s talk! How do you reduce your family’s food waste? Feel free to share what’s work (or not worked) in a comment below!
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Great tips! Meal planning is how I elminate food waste and save money for my family of seven. We usually plan our meals at least 1-2 weeks in advance then we check and see what we have on hand before making a grocery list based on the recipes in our meal plan. Also, shop around for the best deals. You may be suprised milk could be nearly a dollar less at a different store and those dollars add up quickly.
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