I read in a magazine a little while ago that the "average" family throws away $75 worth of food a month. Seriously?!?! If you look at it from the standpoint of my $40 Monthly Challenge that's equivalent to nearly 2 weeks worth of food for our family. I have been thinking about this since I read it and have been brainstorming ideas to avoid becoming an "average" family. Here's what I've come up with:
- Designate an area in your fridge for leftovers. That way you know where they are and that leftover meatloaf doesn't get stuck in the back to mold.
- Only dish up what you think you can eat. This can be especially hard with children as they are completely bipolar in their eating. You can always dish up more for them if they happen to finish what they have.
- In our home we love leftovers (because that means mom doesn't have to cook all the time!) We always make extra and take the leftovers for lunch the next day.
- Designate one day of the week (maybe choose your busiest day) as "Leftover Day". Use that day to finish off the leftovers in your fridge.
- Portion out your servings. When I buy packs of fresh chicken I trim it and place 3-4 of the boneless breasts in a Ziploc bag. That way when I need chicken I already have the amount that I generally need for dinner plus the leftovers for lunch.
- Only buy what you can eat. It doesn't save you any money to buy an extra gallon of milk because it's on sale if it's just going to go bad before you can drink it. Comprende?
- Be aware of your fresh fruits/vegetables. Keep in mind that some things spoil much quicker than others. I learned this the first time I bought raspberries and blackberries. I was used to being able to keep my fruit in the fridge for a couple days but by the time I got around to washing and freezing these I ended up throwing them all away.
- Learn little tricks that help to keep you from throwing things away. Did you know that limp celery can be revived by placing the ends in some water? Same with cucumbers. Leftover rice can also be brought back to life by adding a LITTLE water and microwaving with the lid on.
- Become a professional "goolash chef". In our family, that would be my husband. He does an awesome job of looking at what we have that needs to be eaten and coming up with a delicious meal. It's actually kind of fun to see what you can come up with!
- Consider buying a Food Saver. You can take leftovers or any food and put it in either a container or bag and vacuum and seal it. This helps to prevent it from going bad before you use
it.
- Keep a freezer journal and record what is in your freezer. I personally don't do this but I thought it would be a good idea to start one. That way you know exactly what you have, which is especially hard to do with a big chest freezer!
What things do you do in your family to avoid becoming "average"?
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