Did you know that each American throws away, on average, one pound of food per day? According to www.wisegeek.com, we toss about 33 percent of the food we purchase each year, and 17 percent of the trash we send to the garbage dump is actually food waste. For the average family, that’s about 122 pounds of food thrown away every month! If you would like to reduce your food waste and save money, try these simple steps:
Menu Planning
Just like anything else, if you plan and organize you will waste less. Menu planning is a strategy that will help you save money right away. It will cut down on excess trips to the grocery store or items that lurk, uneaten, in your pantry for months. Start by making a list of all of the meals that your family likes and create a master list of ingredients. You can also look at the store circulars to see what’s on sale and plan your menus around those ingredients. If you are lacking inspiration, a wealth of recipes is available online. One great source is AllRecipes. The recipes are free to view and print. If you like, you can also pay a small fee to use a menu planning tool.
Couponing
Couponing does not have to be extreme like you see on TV. It can actually be accomplished in very little time and can save you a lot of money. The key is to match up coupons with store sales. Many online websites have coupon matching databases. Try Coupon Mom to begin with. This site even has online tutorials for new couponers.
Buying and Cooking with Whole Foods
Another way to save money, and to cook healthier food, is to cook with whole foods. This means cutting out processed, pre-packaged foods. It takes a little bit more effort, but the results are worth it. You can make just about anything you buy in a package, including soup, cookies, desserts, granola bars, and more. If you buy your ingredients in bulk and cook using fewer preservatives it will help your pocketbook and your waistline.
Cooking with Leftovers
Many people are in the habit of throwing out their leftovers, which is where a large amount of our food waste comes from. With a little planning and organization, you can easily incorporate leftovers into your meals. One great way to use leftovers is to get into the practice of eating them for lunch. Often, you can turn the leftovers into new meals. For instance, cut-up chicken, steak, or fish and add them to a chef salad. Use leftover roast beef and vegetables to make a pot pie. Leftover roast beef is also great for making burritos: just put it into a slow cooker, add some salsa, simmer for a few hours, and add to tortillas with all the fixings.
Freezing and Canning
If you don’t want to use your leftovers to create new meals, you can easily freeze most meals for another day. Large family dinners can be frozen in individual entree-sized containers to create quick and easy lunches. Freezing and canning seasonal produce is a great way to save money and is much easier than you think. Once you try it, you will realize that home-canned food tastes much better than store-bought, and it’s healthier too!
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