Minimizing Food Waste
If you’re wasting food, it’s costing you money. And it’s costing you more than you may think. First, you buy it. Then you throw it away and buy it again and again. Think about the half-drank Coke, produce that has gone bad due to age. Or the milk that spoiled.
Minimizing food waste is important because money should be going somewhere that benefits you, but it’s going to the trash instead.
Reducing food waste isn’t hard, but it requires you to be mindful of what you are buying and how you are eating.
You can do things like =pack your lunch for work or school=. You save money in two ways. First, you are not wasting food and needing to rebuy it. And you are using leftovers for another meal.
If you need to know how to save money, this is one way of saving money, especially if you are a single mom. Read my article on saving money as a single mom. You may also wish to read =making a single mom budget=.
Minimizing food waste
There are a lot of ways to reduce food waste. Develop a plan that allows you to eat what you want but to do it without wasting food. There are many ways to develop such a plan.
Meal Plan
A meal plan lists the meals you will serve for each meal and snack through your chosen period (usually a week). This list of meals and snacks is accompanied by receipts needed to make these meals and snacks and a list of all ingredients needed. Thirteen onuses of this or two potatoes for that, I’m sure you get the idea.
The way a meal plan minimizes food waste is you know the exact amounts of the different ingredients for each meal. I’m talking primarily about perishable items. But this can also include canned and packaged items like half a can of corn or tomato paste. If you know you will only need three onions for the period, you won’t buy a whole bag, putting most of them at risk of spoiling before they are used.
This technique is particularly useful because you are more likely to buy what you need and will use soon.
Plan Leftovers
There will be times when you have leftovers. Maybe someone didn’t show up for a meal, or you ate out, and food was left over. Whatever isn’t eaten should be saved for later use.
You can serve leftovers as a new meal or as a snack in so many ways.
If you have leftover vegetables, you can make them into soup. You can add some leftover chicken or beef to take the soup to the next level. You have another meal.
Sometimes, you can add rice to leftovers and have enough for a meal or snack.
YouTube has a lot of helpful information on saving money from eating leftovers. Eating leftovers is a great way to minimize food waste.
Only Buy What You Can Use Before It Goes Bad.
To reduce the money you waste on food, be mindful of the products as you buy them if they come with an expiration date or best used-by date, like yogurt, milk, produce, and some meat. Ensure you use the item before it goes bad.
There are some items without expiration or best use by dates think produce. I know where I live, produce will go bad quickly. You can do some things to extend the life of produce, depending on what it is.
Celery stays longer if it’s refrigerated. Squash and root vegetables should be stored in a dark, cool place but not in the refrigerator. Tomatoes will stay good longer at room temperature and not in direct sunlight.
You should know things about storing food and how long it will last. You can get a lot of information from the Internet.
There are some things you learn as you go. Where I live, bread only lasts for a short time on the counter. Mold grows on it, making it not usable. But when I put it in the refrigerator, it lasts several weeks.
Some things will last indefinitely if you freeze them.
When Shopping
Looking for ways to reduce food waste is the right mindset. The less food we waste, the more money we have to spend on other things, save or invest.
If you are using a meal planner, you will know what you need as you make your shopping list. Don’t vary from your shopping list. Remember how long the food will last and when you plan to use it.
And what can you do to prevent food spoilage?
Stop Overeating
Overeating has become a massive problem in America, with nearly half the people being overweight.
There are many reasons people may be overeating. In most cases, we eat too fast. It takes time for the brain to receive the signal from your stomach that it’s full. If you slow down, you will consume less food.
Another trick is to eat a small snack. I’m talking about five or six bites of salad or a slice of bread. Wait twenty minutes, then eat.
In both examples, you should find you eat less.
Another problem is most people need to find out what one serving is or how much of any one item is recommended for consumption. If you don’t know, you are probably overeating.
In most cases, you can learn a recommended serving of any one thing by reading the container. Look for the label that says nutrition facts.
If the product comes without a nutrition facts label, you can research it online.
Restaurants Serve Too Much Food.
Have you ever visited a steakhouse and looked at the size of the steaks they serve? If you have, you know what I’m talking about. Recently I was at a local steakhouse. They served me a steak that was larger than the dinner plate. The steak hung over the edges of the plate. That’s way too much food. Take some home to eat later. Request a doggie bag or a to-go container.
These Tips That Will Help You To Stop Wasting Food.
- Use a meal planner
- Eat leftovers
- Don’t buy more than you can use before it goes bad
- Be mindful when shopping. Know how long this item will last before you buy
- Stop overeating
- Beware of restaurants that serve too much food
Conclusion
To minimize food waste, you must be mindful of what you buy and how long it will last before it goes bad. Different products have different periods of time they are expected to be good. A meal plan will help you.
Have a plan for leftovers. Don’t throw them away.
Stop overeating.
You will waste less food and save money.