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8 Ways to Stop Wasting Food

The best way to save money on your grocery bill each month is to avoid wasting food. In this post, I share 8 ideas for getting the most out of the food you buy.

Basil, garlic, red pepper, and onion chopped and ready

Over the years, I've gotten better and better at making good decisions about what I buy, what I cook, and how I store our food. Our budget has continued to reap the benefits.

I'm not going to say I never waste food anymore, but I certainly waste a lot less than I used to. Today, I want to share the tips that have helped me the most when it comes to avoiding food waste.

8 ways to stop wasting food:

1. Calculate the cost of the food you throw away.

When I get rid of a piece of clothing, a piece of furniture, or any other material good, I'm always cognizant of how much it cost and whether it was worth the investment. But I never used to think the same way about food. 

I started to mentally tally up the cost of the food I was throwing away, and I noticed that it really adds up.

  • An avocado tossed out because it's over-ripe: $1
  • Half a bag of pretzels that turned stale: $2
  • A pound of chicken I forgot to cook before it went bad: $6
  • Half a bag of wilted salad mix: $2
  • a container of herbs I used for one recipe: .80

...you get the point.

Whenever you're throwing away food, make note of the dollar value of what you're wasting. Perhaps even write it down and tally it up at the end of each week.

You'll soon realize that the dollars you're saving IN the store aren't really such a great savings if you're not actually using what you buy. Putting a price tag on what you throw away will really motivate you to waste less.

2. Pay attention to expiration dates.

Whenever I am buying a perishable item, such as meat, deli items, dairy products, beverages, sauces, hummus/dips, refrigerated dough, etc., I try not to just grab the first one on the shelf. Instead, I check to make sure there's a solid window of time before it's going to expire.

I also look to see if there are items available with a longer expiration date. (HINT: check the ones in the back of the shelf.)

I don't do this if I'm going to be consuming the food that day, but for items that might take us a while to eat (yogurt, cheese, lunch meat, etc), I make sure I'm giving us enough time to eat it before it expires.

3. Freeze (almost) EVERYTHING.

A freezer is your best friend when it comes to reducing food waste. If something is getting close to its expiration date and it's freezable (especially meats, fruits and certain vegetables), put them into a freezer bag and toss them into the freezer.

You can freeze berries and other fruits to use in smoothies or baked goods, and you can chop and freeze vegetables to use in soups or stews.

You can even chop up leftover herbs and freeze them in ice cube trays. And many meals can be frozen after they've been cooked, especially leftover soups, chilis, stews, casseroles, or slow-cooked meats.

Here's a great guide to freezing food.

4. Don't thaw meat / seafood until you're ready to cook it.

I can't tell you how many times I've gotten some chicken or other meat out of the freezer on a Sunday night with the best intentions to use it in a recipe that week. Then life gets busy, the recipe doesn't get made, and I'm stuck tossing out thawed out meat that can't be re-frozen.

Now, I only thaw meat & seafood on the day I'm going to cook it.

My favorite way to thaw meat or seafood quickly is by immersing it in a bowl of water. If the meat or fish is vacuum-packed you can put it in the water right in its package, if it's not vacuum-packed, I just seal it inside a ziplock bag and then put it into the water. Usually it's completely thawed in an hour or less.

5. Don't experiment with new products.

I definitely get sucked in to trying shiny new products or new flavors/variations of products I already like. (Is it me, or is there a new flavor of Triscuit crackers available every week?)

But there have been SO many times I've thrown out entire bags or boxes of snacks, granola bars, cereal, etc. because nobody in my family liked it. That's a MAJOR waste.

It doesn't mean you should never try new things, but if your goal is to save money and reduce waste, stick to the products that you know you like. Chances are, you'll get to try out new items eventually via store samples or through a friend, and you can test it out before you buy it.

6. Don't over-fill the fridge.

The times I'm most likely to end up with wasted food are the times when the fridge is packed full.

I'll forget about those yogurts shoved back in the corner, the leftover soup buried under the egg carton, and the half-used container of pesto.

Sometimes it's inevitable that the fridge will get jam-packed, especially if you're going to be entertaining or hosting guests. But whenever possible, try to keep your fridge clean and clutter-free so that you can easily see what's in there and avoid having things get lost in the shuffle.

7. Take inventory of ingredients.

Take inventory of your fridge on a regular basis and make a list of any leftovers or ingredients that are close to going bad. If you like to cook, you can play your own version of "Chopped" to see how creative you can get with the foods you have available.

Here are some ideas for meals that use up leftovers:

8. Only open one bag/container at a time.

When we moved to humid Houston, I noticed that our dry foods got stale a lot more quickly than they used to in our drier climate.

When there are four boxes of cereal open at a time, three varieties of chips, and two boxes of crackers, it's inevitable that things are going to get stale before we have a chance to finish them.

Now I've created a system where we designate one shelf for the open bags and a separate shelf for the unopened bags. I've told my husband and kids that they can't open a new bag of anything until they've checked to make sure that there's not one already open.

What is your favorite way to save money on groceries? I'd love for you to share in the comments.

8 Simple Ways to Stop Wasting Food & Save Money

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Julie

Friday 2nd of April 2021

If you have a Costco nearby you can try the new snacks there and return them for a full refund if no one likes them. They have a no questions asked return policy.

Andrea

Monday 20th of February 2017

You can refreeze meat that has been thawed in the refrigerator--with no change to the taste or texture. The USDA website will confirm this.

Alyssa

Wednesday 1st of March 2017

Good to know, Andrea!

Sheila McVicar

Thursday 14th of April 2016

To save money, we go to Farmers' Markets and buy in season items only. I love to cook and try out new recipes and keep only the best ones. Usually, a comment on the recipe card is left so we can decide when to make it next. With busy lives, I tend to make a meal in double proportions...one for the freezer (with label and date). With a chest freezer, I will put food in the freezer close to the bottom, and add that item to the inventory sheet. Taking a 2 week break from grocery shopping and meal prep...priceless!

Alyssa

Thursday 14th of April 2016

That is definitely priceless! I used to do a CSA, and I was a lot more experimental when I was getting fresh, seasonal produce all the time. I need to start looking for one in Houston because I really miss it! Thanks for commenting. :)

Karen

Monday 21st of March 2016

I have learned to plan my meals for two weeks. Right before I venture off to grocery store, I put a menu together... I like to plans full coarse meal, so, I learned that if I do this, I can check to see if I have every ingredient I need to prepare this meal, since I know from experience, that if you need to run to the store for one item you always end up over- spending.... Lol... But with a list of the items I need, I know that I have every aspect of my meal planned....and I only buy what is on my list....it also makes grocery shopping a mission instead of a journey????

Alyssa

Monday 21st of March 2016

Good advice, Karen! I do that too (and it works great IF I remember to take my list with me). :) I tend to be a little scattered when it comes to remembering lists. I used to be better about doing big, focused shopping trips, but now that I live only two blocks from a grocery store, I feel like I'm there 24/7 because it's so easy. Sometimes I think it helps me save money because I rarely over-buy, but like you said -- you almost always end up getting something extra just because you're there.

Monk

Thursday 25th of February 2016

Peel and freeze the bananas for smoothies, it will make you feel better! I find that you can plump-up your frequently-made dishes by throwing in an extra ingredient or two (whatever you need to "use up") plus it kind of mixes it up stake recipes. My fave: I love fried rice for using up vegetables! I keep a pack or frozen fried rice mix from Trader Joe's on hand and use a third or half a pack as a "starter," then I the throw in days-old rice, green beans from dinner a couple nights before, cut-up scallions from taco night, that half an onion lying around, etc. -- plus a bunch of soy sauce. Yum! It makes me feel very accomplished to "use up!"

Alyssa

Saturday 27th of February 2016

The fried rice tip is genius! Thanks for sharing, Monk! :) I also feel so good when I make use of what we have in the fridge -- and a lot of times those meals turn out the best, too.

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