Are you saving money on groceries but still wasting food?
“Waste not, want not!” We’ve all heard this age-old adage, as disparaged mothers toss our left-over peas into the trash.
When it comes to food waste, we Americans are good at it. According to a 2008 report published by the New York Times, we Americans waste 27% of consumable food. Astonished to think that Americans waste so much food? If so, take the food waste log challenge.
Saving money on groceries starts with effective meal planning, clipping coupons, matching those coupons to grocery store sales, and purchasing foods according to our shopping lists.
But there are other ways to save on groceries that have little to do with clipping coupons and grocery stores. We can save money on groceries by adjusting a few of our kitchen habits.
The Food Waste Log Challenge
Save Money on Groceries
I have to admit, I’ve thrown away my share of moldy bread and rotten food. Guilt riddled, I’ve said to myself, “I won’t let that happen again”… only to allow it to happen again a few weeks later.
I’ve always kept a running total of what meals cost to cook. Often, I’ll sit to dinner and brag a little to my husband about cooking a healthy meal for only $6. In contrast, I’d never kept up with the cost of wasted food.
Hence the “food waste logging challenge” was born. In order to break my nasty habit, I logged my wasted food for a week.
A rotten banana, a half a loaf of bread, a bowl of cottage cheese thrown into the trash … cha ching!
Logging food waste accomplishes these important tasks:
- Recognize what products we buy that are repeatedly wasted.
- Discover the actual cost of tossing food out.
- Reassess how much we should buy and how we should store items prone to waste.
For me, I discovered bread was repeatedly being wasted. I don’t really love it enough to eat it every day. And it turns out that the person I thought was our main bread-eater wasn’t all that crazy about it either.
But, occasionally a piece of toast or sandwich is just what I crave. So bread is necessary. My solution: now I buy a loaf of bread and freeze it immediately. That way I can take out a slice at a time as desired.
The food waste log also helped me realize that I buy way too many bananas. Sure, I can peel and freeze them just before they go bad for shakes or banana bread. But, since we don’t drink shakes regularly I figured it would probably be best to stop buying so many bananas.
The food waste log changed my grocery buying habits. I’m saving money on groceries at the register, rather than on the back-end by having to create dishes strictly based on what food will soon go bad.
6 Ways to Deal with Wasted Food
So, you’ve bought the bread. You didn’t eat it and now it’s hard as a rock. It happens … time for bread pudding! Here are some solutions for dealing with food that otherwise might go to waste.
1. Cook It. This one is obvious. If you have a zucchini that’s on the edge of being good, cook it and eat it immediately. Sometimes, finding a good recipe for food that’s on the edge is tricky.
If you can’t cook it, process it! People don’t like a squishy cucumber in their salad. So, make a gazpacho soup or a taziki sauce with that cucumber. Creativity is key in these situations. And luckily, good recipes are usually a click away with the Internet.
2. Freeze It. Fruit about to go bad? Freeze it immediately. Make shakes, soups, sauces, and baked goods with frozen veggies and fruit.
3. Give It Away. More tomatoes in the garden than you can possibly cook? If you’re not up to canning or freezing, give them to a good use. Neighbors are usually willing and happy to take my extra garden produce.
A local food bank is another worthy option. But if your food bank doesn’t accept fresh veggies, give your produce to your local zoo.
My local zoo is more than happy to accept pumpkins, tomatoes, zucchini and just about anything else that elephants and chimpanzees crave. They graciously accept this costly treat on the behalf of our four-legged friends.
4. Trade It. If you can only eat so much banana bread, and you’re looking at a dozen bananas that have to be cooked, bake a batch. Trade your baked goods with a neighbor. When your neighbor has a surplus of those fall apples, she could provide you with an apple pie!
5. Plant it. Are your potatoes watching your every move with those dozens of eyes they’ve grown? Plant them. Growing potatoes from eyes is one of the simplest things I’ve ever done. Simply take a 5 gallon bucket, fill it with 5 inches of dirt and place your potato eyes facing the sun, just under the dirt.
As they grow, add a few inches of dirt to cover the stems. In a month or so, you’ll have a bucket full of potatoes. Just dump the bucket over and harvest!
6. Compost It. So, there’s just no hope for that rotten bag of lettuce. It happens. Don’t toss it in the garbage – all is NOT lost! Compost your waste and feed the earth. In return you’ll receive rich dirt that will go on to produce green garden flowers, veggies, herbs, or whatever you choose to grow.
One last discovery from the Wasted Food Log Challenge: too much food on the plate is a waste! Take only small amounts. If you’re still hungry get more. But, once it’s on the plate, it’s not desirable to save unused food. If it’s still in the casserole dish it can be tomorrow’s lunch!
So, “Waste Not, Want Not!” – Take the Food Waste Logging Challenge for yourself.
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