If you’re a frugal type of person then you hate throwing things away. Most things should be used, recycled, given or sold. This applies to food as well. Say you’ve gone to the grocery store, bought things on sale, used coupons wisely, bought in bulk and ended up saving big bucks. Then you come home and a couple of weeks later you find yourself throwing away food. There go your savings – straight in the trash can. How can this be avoided? Just follow these 5 tips to reduce your food waste.
- Purchase small amounts more frequently. Instead of buying a whole bunch of bananas, avocados and tomatoes, only buy what you plan on eating in the next few days. Yes this means more trips to the grocery store, but it will also mean you won’t be finding rotten fruits/veggies in the fridge anymore.
- Use the freezer. Food left out will spoil soon. Place it in the fridge and it will last longer. But keep it in the freezer and you’ll be able to eat it weeks, if not months, later.
- Sharing is caring. Got some extra food? Instead of letting it spoil, share it with your friends, family and neighbors. If they’ve overstocked on something in the future they’ll return the favor and share it with you.
- Take home leftovers. When you go out to a restaurant, they usually serve an absurd amount of food. Instead of sitting there trying to eat all of it, eat enough so you’re full and take the rest home.
- Store your food smartly. When you store food in the fridge, place it in clear packaging so you can clearly see what’s inside. Also, place the food that will spoil first in the front where it’s most visible. It’s common to forget about items wrapped in foil and in the rear of the refrigerator.
8 Comments
Now a days I am buying less food to make my dollar stretch. But even then food can go to waste. The restaurant tip is right on. Most meals you can divide in half and eat at home. Some are so big I have made 3 meals out of it. Thanks for the god tips.
And you get healthier too, can’t beat that.
“We have to be wise not to throw our food because the money that we used to buy it came from our own labor. So I think it’s time to think twice. I don’t want to throw my own money in the garbage.
“When I’m at a party, I just get small amounts of food. So when I think that I want to have some more serving, I get a little more. By this, I’m also helping the host of the party.
“From what I know of, some foreign countries is having food shortages. For the same reason that I think twice when I’m buying food. I always consider if I will be able to finish a serving or will I just have to throw it away.
“I always finish what I have in my plate. Come to think of it, I am actually blessed that I am able to eat 3-4 times a day without any worries as to where and how am I going to get food. I guess we have to give it high value because we worked for the money we use to buy our needs.
“I was taught by my parents not to waste anything, particularly the food that we eat. I’ved learn that most countries around the world is having a hard time dealing with food shortage, resulting in malnutrition. It’s time for us to look closely about the things that we have control of.
The amount of food that is wasted is shocking. I used to wash up in a restaurant, we would throw out enough food to feed a small village every night – that is not an exaggeration! 100 people order 3 courses each and leave something in each course will generally feed a 100 people for a day!