Are You Wasting Food? Stop Throwing Money in the Garbage
When I lost my job, I immediately had to think of ways to save money. While my unemployment benefits helped me pay the bills, I didn’t have much left over for groceries and other essentials. It was during this time that I took serious stock in just how much food I was throwing away. Apparently, I’m not alone.
It is estimated that, in the United States, we not only buy more food than we need, but we throw up to half of it away after it’s prepared. If, like me, you are looking for ways to both save money on your groceries and to stop wasting what you do buy, follow these helpful tips:
Plan Your Meals
I have a horrible habit of grocery shopping every day. I should say that I had a horrible habit of grocery shopping every day. What I found was that, by planning my meals for the week, I spent less money at the grocery store. Do what I did: every Sunday, sit down and plan your meals for the week. After you’ve decided what you’ll be eating for lunch and dinner:
Make a List
I didn’t plan my breakfasts because for me, they’re simple: soy milk and cereal. If you want to get fancier, that’s up to you. In any case, once you’ve planned your meals create a shopping list and make a promise to yourself that you’ll follow the list once you’re in the store. By creating a list, it’s easier to:
Use Coupons
Once you’ve made your shopping list, go through your coupon stash. If you don’t have a stash, start hunting for printable coupons online. If you can combine these coupons with in store specials, you stand a great chance of saving a good amount of money. Don’t feel like you have to jump on the extreme couponing bandwagon to save! Even $5 or $10 a trip will save you enough money to fill your gas tank once a month.
After you’ve shopped correctly and saved money in the process, it’s time to make sure you aren’t scraping your money into the garbage disposal. To stop throwing so much food away:
Buy Reusable Containers
Instead of throwing away my leftovers, I started to put them in plastic containers and carried one to work the next day for lunch. Once I started regularly doing this, I saved even more money because my weekly menu shrank. Not only are these containers good for leftovers but they are great for:
Cooking in Batches
If, like me, you’re simply too busy to cook two or three times a day, I’ve got a solution: cook once a week! I tend to spend a couple of hours each Sunday cooking and freezing my meals for the week. Soups, chili, stews and even spaghetti sauce freeze really well.
When I freeze spaghetti sauce, I pull out a container the day before I’m planning on making spaghetti and then spend ten minutes the next evening making noodles. It couldn’t be easier!
You don’t have to spend a ton of money on groceries and you don’t need to waste the food you do buy. By following these tips, I’ve been able to cut about $50 off of my weekly grocery bill and I throw away bones and cores; every bit of edible food gets eaten or thrown into another recipe. Be smart with your shopping and cooking and you, too, will cut down on your waste.
Author Thomas Hathaway is a financial consultant and content contributor to paydayloans.org.uk, payday lenders for advances when you may need money before your regular paycheck arrives.
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