Want to save almost $2,000 a year? Eliminate the bulk of your grocery waste. Here is how.
In my earlier article, Conquering The Grocery Waste (1), I explained that most households waste 25 percent of their groceries. This waste is foodstuff that has gone bad or foodstuff that was purchased and then never used. In that first article, we talked about how produce is one of the biggest areas of waste and how we can make smarter choices to eliminate all of that money that ends up in the garbage can.
Now, in this article, we will cover one of the next biggest forms of grocery waste, and that is with holiday foods. Holiday waste comes from a few different avenues:
During the holidays, our eyes get bigger than our stomach, or the stomachs of our friends and relatives. We want to bake dozens and dozens of cookies, enjoy a well-laden holiday table, and enjoy a Christmas feast. We know that a 10-pound turkey might be enough, but why not go for 20 pounds instead? Or the largest fruit platter? We don’t want to seem stingy.
Friends, family and business contacts often give us giant gifts of food. From tins of cookies (since the three gross we baked might not be enough) to elaborate fruit baskets, we are inundated with yet more food.
With all of this available food, comes a more laizer-faire attitude. Since we have so much, it doesn’t matter if we wind up throwing out a bit, right?
Okay, so now I’ve covered the reasons, here are some solutions.
Accurately predict how much food you will actually need for a gathering. If you are nervous about running out, make a little extra ahead of time and then freeze it. This way, you can always pull the extra out if you need it, or save it for after the holidays. A good trick is to make ahead a lasagna or baked ziti. A dish like that could serve as a dinner in itself or as padding to stretch a large meal.
Use every bit of food whenever possible. Leftover turkey and ham can be made into sandwiches, pot pies, casseroles and more. Mashed potatoes can be made into knishes or serve as toppings for the pot pies. These are just a couple of examples.
Freeze whatever you can. Cookies, cakes and deserts are usually great food items to freeze, as is the cheese from cheese plates. Leftover veggies can be frozen for soup, if all else fails.
And of course, if you still have too much food, give it away or donate it to someone who won’t waste it. Your pocket book may be lighter, but then, so will your heart be.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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